I had five bowyer interviews published in TBM plus a couple more on other topics, one or two pieces in the PBS magazine, and a couple at least in the Instinctive Archer magazine, which is no longer published unfortunately. It was one of the best. The time and effort it takes to develop a good idea, write the story, get good pics, and maybe travel as was necessary to get the bowyer interviews were more work than the resulting check which often hardly covered my expenses! From my meager efforts I don't know how anybody makes a living as an outdoor writer! Must be paid more than we who just submit occasional pieces. It was fun while I did it but got to be more of a chore for what it paid me. Also it seems TBM relies more on regulars now than in the past even though I still see some submissions by newcomers which I always enjoy seeing.
One key is that they are not looking for "me and Joe went hunting" stories, and you need to stay away from formulaic writing, for lack of a better term. You need to have a somewhat different slant on the story, a fresh idea, something with wide interest. And as Jason W. notes, they want good pictures to help tell the story. Some acquaintance with standard English helps as well.
I will say that what I appreciated about doing business with TBM is the fact that they paid up front for the article when they signed a contract for it. If they never decided to run it it was their loss and not yours (that never happened to me by the way). Other magazines I did business with contracted with me but did not pay until the article was published. It could take a while before you got paid. Of course, PBS does not pay for submissions. Give it a try if you have the urge--you just might be pleasantly surprised. And just to make sure I'm clear on one matter, I did not write for the money but the enjoyment, but it came in handy and helped me add to my wall of bows!......Dave
Topic: Many of you have written magazine articles? (Read 768 times)
