submitting magazines to articles

[VinnieB]

id like to get started writing magazines and sending them into magazines but i don't know how to go about it. anybody have any advice, who to talk to, where to send them etc.

thanks

[Killdeer]

Begin by writing. Then, proofread and edit what you wrote. Do this every day, and write about what you know.

Go to the magazines' websites or inquire by mail regarding submissions guidelines. The guidelines will tell you what the magazine is looking for from writers and photographers. This will also help you to figure out whether you want to pursue this particular publication or go on to another.

That's as far as I got.    
Killdeer

[pronghorn23]

I would guess the best route would be to contact the editors of the magazines you're interested in. See if they have any specific needs as far as topics or send them an article for them to read and see how they like it.

I know club magazines (like PBS and P&Y etc ) are always looking for material. I don't know that they pay for your work but at least it gets your name out there for recognition.

Just some ideas..

[ncboman]

Good advice above.

Also, get a good camera and learn to take good pics.

Articles with good pics, sized and formated properly, bring the top dollar.

Freelance, stay away from contracts. Be aware some editors edit heavily and some don't. You may want to inquire about this before jumping into anything with both feet.

Check into ways to protect your work and pics  before you let it go.

 

[Talondale]

Charles Alsheimer had an article several months back in Deer and Deer Hunting magazine on what it took to make it as a Wildlife writer or photographer.  Very detailed, honest stuff, even to the level of finances.  I'll check my stash and find out which month it was exactly.

[Wary Buck]

While I've written qutie a few magazine articles, I think my "training" period was in numerous articles which appeared in my state bowhunting organization newsletters.  These publications struggle for articles and I think even published authors should continue to send some material their way to help keep state bowhunting organizations' newsletters lively and interesting.  And while I hope to still be able to contribute to TBM, BHM and others, I also send material to our state bowhunting association newsletter as well as PBS, and need to do the same for Compton.

TBM has a set of editorial guidelines, I know that.  So does NAWhitetail.  And Dwight Schuh at Bowhunter Magazine has OFTEN put some of his suggestions for budding writers in his column...

[doakes]

You might need to work on your proof reading skills. Hint... look at this post's topic sentence. That's funny right there, I don't care who you are!!!

[Jim now in Kentucky]

To be a good writer, you need to read hungrily. Read everything  you can get on the subject you want to write about. Think about the way articles and sentences are put together in what you read.

As above, write every day. Write about what you know and use words everyone knows.

Reparrowman (a  copy editor by trade)

[alligatordond]

Doakes beat me to it....PROOFREAD(see the thread's topic)

I've had a few published in various periodicals. They all have guidelines for submissions. Make sure your article meets those guidelines before you send it in.If you have a good writer friend, have them edit your rough draft, and don't get your feathers ruffled if it gets marked up like a coloring book, it's part of the process. A hunt story may be fine for one mag but another may want more how to articles. I remember  a college professor telling us once, as Jim in Maine did, that to become a good writer you must first become a good reader. Made sense to me.

DonD

[Killdeer]

OK, guys, I told him that, gently, in my first post. This is a young fella who has a goal, and we don't want to razz him out of it. I wish I had the motivation (and the youth!) of this future writer. Doesn't matter how well you write if you don't get off your keester and submit it.

Now, Mr. B., go write, and proofread, and read your stuff aloud to yourself and people you respect and trust. Listen to the sentences, and bring them alive by using inflection. Since computer keyboards give no sound other than "taptaptap", you must give the printed words inflection through punctuation. Buddy up to your English teacher. Listen to a drama class rehearsal, to gain insight on how words should be read to make the subject come alive. Then learn how to write them in such a way that it is almost impossible for a reader to muff a line. Read good books by good writers.

Killdeer  

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Great advice so far.

Learning the submission guidelines of the publication you'd like to send materials to is key. Some magazines want written query letters as opposed to unsolicited finished work. Follow the guidelines closely and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Take good, quality photographs. Most editors will accept so-so articles with great pictures long before they buy great articles with no usable photographic support. A good editor can correct writing problems, but they can’t do anything with bad photography. If possible, review Jerry Gowins' photography articles in TBM. They were outstanding!

You can pick up a first generation Canon Digital Rebel SLR’s online for less than $400. If you can afford one, buy it and pick up a tripod too. Then read up on photography (or better yet, take a course at your local community college) and spend as much time as possible behind the viewfinder. A digital SLR is a great camera for both learning to shoot photos (digital is free and provides instant feedback) and will work well for publication work. I’ve shot a lot of magazine photos with my Digital Rebel. That model camera may be outdated by today’s standards, but it will get the job done nicely.

The next advice is subjective (isn’t it all?), but I'd also suggest a few other tips.

1) Have a point. The world is full of dry "I killed a whachamacallit" pieces. Look for something unusual—an odd twist that made the hunt special. Ask yourself, what makes this hunt more interesting than other hunts?

2) Keep the fluff to a minimum, and don't go overboard on adjectives. You don’t have to just say, “I shot a deer”. And you may want to avoid something like “I loosed the bowstring just as the majestic brown furry whitetail regally came to a sudden stop in a warm beam of amber sunlight shinning in the center of the rain-softened and well-used game trail that meandered between two tall, ancient oak trees where…blah, blah, blah.” There’s a middle ground. Find it.

3) If your goal is to write a 2,000-word piece, start out at 2,500 words, and then trim 500 out of it. You’ll find that you end up saying more with less and eliminate a lot of things you may have thought were relevant during your rough draft, but really weren’t. This goes back to keeping fluff to a minimum. Don Thomas suggested this to me years ago as a writing exercise. I now do it with all my articles, because it makes such a huge difference in the end result.

4) Last but not least, don’t fear rejection. The worst thing an editor can say is, “thanks, but no thanks”. If you do get a rejection letter, ask for brutally honest feedback and use it as a building block for future work. And even if they do buy your article, save a copy of the original and compare it to they final edited version. I always like to study whatever editorial changes the publication made and see how I could have made my finished work better.

[Dr. Ed Ashby]

Vennie,

First, don't let anyone discourage you. I HATED English in school, and it was my worst subject. If it hadn't been for my interest in hunting, camping and the outdoors in general (and all the books about it that I read) I'd probably have never passed a single English class.

When you do have articles, don't take it personal when the magazines reject you. That's important. You have to be persistent.

Here's a few writing tips:

(1) Read a lot of the older hunting/outdoor books. Folks back then simply had a better command of the language and wrote with more skill. They didn't grow up using as much slang language. When they said "like" they truly meant 'similar to'. They didn't have a vocabulary built on 'text message' abbreviations, sound bites and MTV. In short, if they couldn't speak directly to someone, they had no option other than to send a written communication CLEARLY STATING what they meant to say … “u no, like tha wuz, like ax-u-ly there?” Rad, eh?

(2) Start a storyboard and keep it always close at hand. Every time a possible story idea comes to mind, write in down. When some thought pertinent to that story occurs to you, add it to the notes. When you think of photos that would work well with a particular story, write those down too; then you should try to get those pictures whenever you have a chance. I even keep a small tape recorded with me when I'm driving. I don't have a working radio in my vehicles. While I drive on long trips, I spend the time thinking about whatever it is I'm currently working on ... and that often leads to thoughts of other things I SHOULD look into, think about, write down or write about.

(3) Write from the heart, and with conviction. If you don't believe it, don't write it. If what you write is conjecture on your part, say so.

(4) Work on your writing as much and as frequently as you can.

(5) Learn how to use a dictionary and thesaurus, and then DO use them! The English language has a plethora of fabulous words and phrases that languish unused in today's speed of light communications.

(6) Match the words you use and your writing style to the type of article you’re working on. If it’s technical, you’ll have to use words with precise meanings. If it’s a general interest article, make it more casual and conversational, letting your descriptive words paint pictures in the reader’s minds. For those conversational articles, it’s said that you should try to write at a 7th grade writing level … because that’s the reading level of the average person today (a sad comment, in and of itself). Try as I might, I simply can’t do that. Nonetheless, along those lines learn to use the grammar and writing analysis functions of your word processor; if you’re using a computer for your writing, that is.

(7)  Read and re-read your work, then let it 'get cold' and read it again. Do this over and over. Next, read it out loud - or put it in a PDF file and have the Adobe program read it out loud to you. Then, if possible, get someone else (preferable someone with good reading skills) to read over it, to see it it's all clear to them and if it flows nicely as they read. Have them make notes about anything that they don't understand, or any errors they see.

(8) Have fun with your writing. I love doing the Old Derelict articles. I wrote them in every issue of Archery Action for over a decade before anyone figured out who was writing them. Just getting into ‘character’ is fun. However, I wouldn’t recommend you use his work as a model. He’s an irascible, opinionated old cuss who occasionally angers a few of his readers!

(9) As many here have suggested, don't expect to start in the high-profile magazines unless your hunting buddy or uncle owns it. There are lots of small publications that desperately need articles. A lot of those are ones that can't pay much - or anything at all. Don't worry about that. What you're getting in exchange for your hard work is experience, education and knowledge.

(10) Write from your perspective, and about things as you see them. While you might not realize it, you have some advantages over established writers. You're seeing things for the first time; viewing them with new eyes and open mind. You'll see things differently than 'the old hand', and that can touch an accord with many readers who won’t be that different from yourself.

(11) Develop a 'target' subject area, but be sure it's something that holds your own interest (fascination?). It's easier to write about what interest you.

(10) Just as Thomas Edison said of inventions; it's "10% inspiration and 90% perspiration".

All the best,

Ed

[BamBooBender]

VinnieB, You're getting some first class advice here. I hope your gonna print this out.

[VinnieB]

thanks alot everybody. i already have somewhat of a journal that i had some ideas in and am going to begin to develop them. i contacted eastmans bowhunting to see what there guidelines were and what kind of articles they are looking for. i take AP english in high school and we have been doing a unit on pdrd(planning, drafting, revising, designing) so that should help out. I do need to work on my picture taking skills as that is something i have not done a lot of before.

one topic that keeps coming to mind when i think about writing is about the time i shot myself. i had a carbon arrow break and hit me in the arm. i didn't really think about it untill the other day, but every year since that i have killed a deer with a bow during the same week when i had the accident. that week also happens to be this week and if i could do it for a third time i thought i could make a interesting article out of it. i already have pictures of those two kills, and i could put in a picture of the scar on my arm where the arrow went in. do you think this is a worthwhile idea or not relevant at all.

thanks

[Wary Buck]

"Proof of the amateur is the person who writes more than he reads."  Not sure where I heard that, but I have shared that with many high school students.  I found in teaching journalism that far too many of my students did just that.  Become a voracious reader and your writing will blossom.

Another tip I have tried to pass on is for young writers (in school now) to try to make ALL of their writing memorable.  Teachers should remember your essay answers.  Your friends should remember your letters or e-mails.  Practice makes perfect.  

In your case, even if you are not taking journalism, offer to write something for them.  If their experience is like mine, good "outside" writing can definitely be used.

I tend to edit, edit and re-edit multiple times before submitting my pieces.  Jason's tip about starting at 2,500 and trimming to 2,000 is very similar to my experience.  We are often very redundant in our writing.  Another mistake is telling every minor detail that is NOT interesting.  I edited the Nebraska Bowhunters Association newsletter for years and some guys would literally tell every twist and turn on the drive to the hunting spot.  This might be interesting if on a tight lane through the mountains, but describing how you turn onto the interstate is just unnecessary.  Some of those stories I bet I cut by more than one-half, and no major magazine will bother with that kind of editing.

[Herdbull]

Vinnie

You have taken deer every year during this week? How do you manage that? Heck it’s not even the rut?   Ha!   Sure, write about that.

[VinnieB]

Herdbull yes and that week also happens to be this week. i blew a  stalk on a doe tonight. i have seen deer in that spot 3 nights in a row and plan on sitting there in the blind tommorow. Hopefully i can make it 3 years in a row.

As far as sending the articles to a magazine do i just send them to the address inside the front cover and would the editor be who i want to contact for the guidelines for submitting Article to Magazines.

thanks

[alligatordond]

Vinnie, You are getting great advice from some great hunters and writers. I know, I read their stuff. Kudos to you for wanting to do this (and for taking the AP classes! ) Maybe we can coax Don Thomas, co-editor of Traditional Bowhunter Magazine, to chime in on this. I think Don would love to help you along with the process. Of course, I think he is off chasing mountain goats in Montana right now. Read some of his stuff for an example of good writing. Also pick up Witchery of Archery and read it. It is an old book and written in a very different style than most of what we read today. Plus I think you'll enjoy it. Now go hunting, you only have a few more days to get your "anniversary" deer.

DonD

[VinnieB]

thanks everybody yup don i got untill saturday. should get out tommorow and i have friday off from school.

i wrote the first paragraph of the article today(although i am sure i will change it nine hundread times) in ap english.\\

[Talondale]

Vinnie,
   That article by Charles Alsheimer is in the March 2007 edition of Deer & Deer Hunting and is titled "Deer Hunting For A Living".  I would see if you can get a back copy from them or from Charles himself but I'll give you the bullet points:

Build a Foundation
1. Master English
2. Speak well
3. Master Photography
4. Embrace computers

The Real Life of a Freelancer
* There are fewer than 30 publications today that pay decent wages.
* The avg. feature article pays between $150-$400 so dozens of articles are needed each year to make a living.
* Cover photos for hunting publications pay anywhere from $100-$1000 with more established mags paying $500.  Inside photos pay between $25-$250 per.  But competition is stiff and many amateurs are willing to sell at less than going rate, undercutting professionals who's income depends on selling photos.
* Have 5,000 to 10,000 well-edited images on file.
* Never send the same or similar photos to different publications.
* Diversify: writing, photography, lecturing
* Be ready to supplement your income with side jobs (ie Wedding Photographer, hunting guide, etc)

Traveling Realities
* It costs money and is a physical mental drain
* If a sponsor pays for the trip you will be told where to hunt and what to shoot. You become a "hired gun".  This can take the joy out of hunting.
* You may be away hunting during traditional family hunting times (and I might add family events/occasions) this can be hard on family life.

Why Most Fail
They quit their jobs and go into business without a business plan.
1 The business plan
    Have seed money. Charles had been preparing  for 3 years before going full time, and photographing for 10 years on the side.
2   Understanding the Marketplace


I don't know if you wanted all that but it's a great splash of reality that a lot of young idealistic hopefuls can really use.  Pick up a copy if you can.  If you can't PM me your address and I'll send you a xerox of it.