Do You Actually Want to Get Published? Write for Trade Magazines!
by:
Mary Anne Hahn
Have you been repeatedly snubbed by user
magazines? Do you have little to show for your research and querying efforts else than a folder of form rejection letters? If your writing dream includes earning a halfway decent to superior
financial gain
writing magazine articles, there are editors at thousands and thousands of publications global who would-be open their doors (and their wallets) to activity with you. You've probably ne'er
detected
of most of them, but they have loyal readerships. They're called "trade magazines."
Trade magazines are periodicals that are publicized
for and see by members of specific trade groups, occupations, and/or persons involved in particular types of business. From nurses to building contractors, electrical engineers to eating place owners, there's a magazine (and sometimes several) that is make with their interests, of necessity
and issues in mind. Most are accessible by subscription only, or as a premium for membership in an organization or association. They range from award-winning glossies to modest, staple-bound publications.
And many an of them would-be love to hear from, and activity with, reliable writers. Moreover, most of them pay--some of them, really well.
But how do you get started writing for trade magazines? What qualifications do you need to write for them, what types of articles do they need, and wherever
do you find them? Let's look at each of these questions separately.
1. Effort Started
My personal experience in writing for trade magazines came after examining my own career background. What did I cognize about, what jobs had I held, with what industries was I familiar? I listed everything, from my high school and college job as a grocery cashier to my experiences as a trainer and supervisor. I then distinct to focus at the start
on the occupation that most interested me, supervision, and began to brainstorm article ideas and search for potential markets rotated about that.
This isn't the only way to break into writing for trades, however. Are there occupations or businesses you would-be love to discover and write about, but have no activity experience in? Do you cognize folk who do them, or could you go through a local Chamber of Commerce or trade association chapter to meet such people? You can likewise conduct a search for professionals in nearly every field online, via such sites as http://www2.profnet.com or http://www.experts.com (typing "find an expert" into the Google search box wish provide you with a excess of similar sites).
Once you find your "experts," ask questions and listen. What are their activity days like? What tools and skills do they use to do their job? What challenges do they face? What would-be do their jobs easier, faster, of higher quality, and/or much cost effective? What kinds of information, products or services would-be do them much successful? The answers to these questions wish lead you to all sorts of possible article ideas.
2. What qualifications do you need to write for trade magazines?
While it may help vastly
to have an education or background in a particular trade or industry to break into writing for its trade magazines, it's not essential. As with querying user
magazines, showing that you have done, or can do, research on the topic, and mentioning the sources you'll tap once
writing the actual article, wish go a long way in piquing an editor's interest.
3. What types of articles do trade magazines carry?
Except for the fact that trade publications have a narrower focus than their user
cousins, the types of articles they carry fall into familiar categories:
news items specific to the magazine's occupation or industry focus
products and trends
how-to articles
personal/professional experience articles (e.g., case histories, institution and professional profiles, etc.)
As expressed
above, use your own experience as a springboard or your interviews with folk in the field to generate article ideas appropriate to the magazine's audience
that you are targeting.
4. Wherever
can you find or discover simply about accessible trade magazines?
You can obtain fre^e one-year subscriptions to hundreds of several trade magazines at TradePub (http://i.nl03.net/ltr0/? _m=01.009i.2f.mfm.2f ). From "Today's Chemist at Work" to "Poultry International," from "Beverage World" to "Diesel Progress," you'll find a bountiful garden of potential markets that can support you in writing business for years to come.
You'll likewise find Edward kendall
Hanson's book, "Writing for Trade Magazines" (http://tinyurl.com/yqher) staggeringly
helpful. In it, he includes information on many an of the major publishers in the trade magazine industry, as well as many an additional tips on breaking in.
Finally, simply support your eyes and ears open--trade magazines lie in waiting rooms everywhere, from doctor's offices to automobile repair shops. And don't hesitate to ask your friendly neighborhood plumber, hair stylist, CEO, employee
or pet shop owner if they obtain any magazines specific to their industries, and whether or not they have back copies they could lend to you.
While writing for "Aqua" (the pool and spa trade magazine), "Equipment Today" or "Sign Builder Illustrated" may not sound as exciting
as effort publicized
in, say, "Glamour," you'll find these markets vastly
much accommodating, their editors much accessible, and the bylines and paychecks satisfying. Plus, you can always use your clips to do the leap into better better-known magazines, or re-slant your trade articles for user
publications.
No matter how you look at it, writing for trade magazines is an superior
way to get published, and get paid for your writing.
About The Author
Mary Anne Chemist publishes WriteSuccess, the free biweekly ezine that helps writers pursue *successful* writing careers. Subscribe now by visiting http://writesuccess.com.
hahnmah@aol.com
This article was announce on Feb 27, 2005
