The Beginner's Manual to Freelance Writing

The Big Idea

Okay. So youve patterned out that you would-be like to write for magazines, newspapers, and e-zines. Unfortunately, so have just about eight gazillion else folk on this planet. Therefore, you have to stand out from the crowd. You have to sparkle. How do you do this? Simple. It all starts with The Big Idea. The 1st private secret you must discover in this funny business is that you dont actually have to write the whole article to get a job. In fact, only bright green novices attempt to write the whole thing before commercialism it. What you do need, however, is the IDEA for the great story. You will use this great idea to win over editors to pay you outrageous amounts of money via a proposal letter (called a query letter. But youll discover just about that in a minute).

So, wherever will you find this Big Idea? Well, youve detected that wise expression write what you know. Thats a howling mantra for finding your jumping-off point. You dont need to stick to what you cognize for the specific focus of your story, but tap into your already large vat of psychological feature to find the storys basis. This is how you will become an expert. Experts are in demand. Folk with stories arent. What you have to do is sneak your stories into your areas of expertise. Example: lets say your hobbies and interests include fishing, looking talk shows, and traveling. Good! You are a potential expert in those areas. Jot these things down. Now comes the fun part: brainstorming.

The biggest mistake you can do in pitching your story is being too general. Never, ever send a letter to the editor suggesting an article just about fishing. Not even as an article just about fishing in Florida. This unclearness is not appropriate for short writing. In general, you will be expected to write somewhere between 800 and 2000 words on your topic. You couldnt possibly tell us all just about fishing in 2000 words. What you could do, however, is give us a comparison of twelve several lures used to catch sailfish. Or the pros and cons of connexion a fishing club. Or even as how the moon can tell you if itll be a good fishing day.

So heres your 1st assignment. Get out your creditworthy notebook. (If you dont have one, finish reading and get one. Right now.) On the 1st page, write down a list of any and all topics that interest you. Its okay to be general here. Need several ideas to get you started?

Think through your whole day. Dont neglect anything. What do you do from the moment you wake up until the moment you fall asleep? You turn off your alarm clock. (An article just about alarm clocks disrupting valuable sleep stages! Or waking up to music versus waking up to that annoying beeping sound. Or the optimum number of times to press the snooze button.) You brush your teeth. (Article: What all those touted ingredientsfluoride, peroxide, baking sodareally do for your teeth.) You take a shower. Peradventure with your significant other. Lucky you. (Romantic showers for two.)

Moving on. You go to work. This is the most obvious area of expertise. Lets say youre a secretary. How engineering science office instrumentality can save you from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, an aching back, and a stiff neck. How to avoid screaming at your boss once hes a total idiot. Five couples (or ex-couples) share their wisdom just about qualitative analysis in the office. Think just about what cover story would-be stimulate you to pay three dollars for a magazine. You dont have to have the psychological feature to actually write the article yet. You just have to cognize you can get this information later.

Next, you move home. What happens? Do you have kids? Great! A wealth of article ideas. You could write just about child care agencies, potty training, cryptography teen slang, teaching table manners youre effort the idea now, right? Run with it!

Write at least one page of general topics that interest you, then weed out the most exciting ones. Narrow it down to three or four. Then write those three or four topics on top of brand new pages. Now fill up those pages with specific article angles. Just write. Dont edit yourself. Dont judge. Just write whatsoever pops into your head. If you need motivation, play it like a game of Scattergories. Set a timer for ten minutes. See how many an ideas you can jot down before the timer sounds.

Keep in mind that there are markets for just about any conceivable topic. Dont limit yourself to the headlines youd see in Vogue and Nice Housekeeping. Between newspapers, user magazines, trade magazines, e-zines, tabloids, literary journals, and more, youre bound to find an appropriate publication for your Big Idea.

You want to cognize more just about these markets? See on!

Researching the Markets

First, youll need a few definitions:

Consumer Magazines: These typically pay the best. These are the types of magazines you strength find in a grocery store check-out line, convenience store, in your airplane seat pocket, or your doctors office. Types of user mags: mens, womens, special interest, inflight, teens, school/career, travel, health, ethnic/minority, political, entertainment, romance, religious, etc. This is the area most writers try to break into.

Literary Magazines: These dont pay much, if at all. However, what they lack in moolah, they do up for in prestige. If youre looking to jump-start your career as a fiction writer or poet, your better chance at recognition may move in the form of one of these small publications. Often publicized by colleges and universities, their circulation is ordinarily regional and low. They generally seek critical essays, intellectually challenging prose, poetry, and book reviews. Publishers will be affected if you succeed in placing your activity in one of the more prominent journals (Cimarron Review, Ploughshares, and Story, for example).

Trade Journals: Pay varies greatly. Any publication that focuses on a particular occupation/industry falls into this category. This is wherever your expertness can shine. There are trade journals for just about every line of work, from art dealers to truck drivers. In general, your written style is not as important as your research and timely psychological feature for these publications.

E-Zines: Pay varies greatly. Just put, e-zines are just magazines on the Internet. The only major difference is that articles for e-zines can ordinarily run longer than print magazines. (No printing costs, so space isnt as important an issue for e-zine editors.) Most e-zines dont pay (except by means of a byline) but this trend is changing. The most popular sites (Lifetimetv.com and Wired, for example) pay quite well. Topics stretch as wide as your imagination.

Now that you know, discover how to contact them!

There are tons of route to find markets that are open to freelancers. If you were paying attention, you strength notice that this really website is looking for writers! Finding places to submit your activity is easy if you cognize wherever to look.

First, the most important tool in a freelancers tool cabinet is The Writers Market. Accessible at any major bookstore, this is an annual compilation of more than 2,000 magazines, 1,000 book publishers, and even as specialized markets like salutation cards, script writing, and syndicates.

The next better tools are online. Lucky you! Theyre free. Absolute Markets is a weekly e-zine filled with market guidelines, contest listings, and marketing tips. Freelancing4Money puts out a jam-packed e-zine filled with freelance opportunities. Writer's Digest has a great, searchable information of markets. Writing For Dollars has a biweekly news report with market guidelines, and a searchable information on the website. And Writers Weekly lists calls for writers and market guidelines each week.

You can even as run a search for freelance writers on any major search engine, and youre likely to move up with tons of listings. Try specifying if possible; add words that fit your needs. (Example: paying markets, romance, teen magazines.)

So, your next assignment is this: go back to your creditworthy notebook and pick out your really favorite idea. That will now be better-known as your Big Idea. Pick the markets that better fit your idea. Choose several. Find out if you can get a free or discounted sample copy. (Writers often can, if you specify that you would-be like to query them in the future.) Request writers guidelines if available. Its considered poor form to query publications that youve ne'er read, or cognize nothing about. Do your better to see at least one copy of whatsoever magazine or journal you plan to query. Check your library for copies if you prefer not to go skint researching.

Got it now? You have your idea, and youve found places to submit it? Great! Then you'll need to discover proper protocol for writing and submitting the Killer Query.

The Killer Query

The job of the query letter is to stimulate an editor to say, Hey! Id be interested in learning more just about that. Therefore, you dont want to spill all your private secrets and research yet. You want to tease and tantalize. Now that youve got your fabulous Big Idea, your job is to condense (or expand) that idea into two to three paragraphs.

To illustrate the components of a killer query, here is an example of one of mine (using fictitious contact infosorry!) that landed me the assignment:

Jenna Glatzer
(Always use proper formal letter format)
123 My Address
My City, State, Zip Code
(555) 555-5555

Mr. Joe Shmoe
(Make SURE to get a name of the appropriate department College Life 101
editor. Ne'er address a letter to editor or submissions.)
123 Their Address
Their City, State, Zip Code

Todays Date, 2003

Dear Mr. Shmoe:
(Colons are used in formal letters. Commas are used in friendly letters.)

Think institution cars, expense accounts, and a spacious office with bay windows. Who do you image running a business this successful?

(Start the letter with a remark that captures the essence of your projected article/story. Raise a question that will cause the reader to think, or give a visual pictures thing that will do him/her want to see on and find out what youre talking about.)

Think again. This institution was the production of three Capital of massachusetts University sophomores whose ambitions led them to thriving careers before they had diplomas to hang on the wall.

(The rest of the 1st paragraph should give a brief description of the focus of your projected article. Remember to tell why its appropriate to the publication youre querying. In this case, I was targeting a college magazine, so I ready-made sure to emphasize the connection to their subject matter early in the letter.)

Charles Strader, Richard Skelton, and Pablo Mondal run Net One, an Net Service Provider. The three met in the freshmen dorms, then emotional into an living accommodations together. Possibleness knocked once Strader, who worked for the universitys computer center, took a phone call from the owner of a hair salon. She sought-after help designing a website; Strader volunteered, and Net One was born.

(Again, concisely, get a little deeper into the content of the article. What is special just about your story? In this case, I wanted to emphasize that these guys were college buddies who started a booming business by branching out from their humble beginning.)

Working closely with friends to build thing we believe in is Mondals favorite perk. Skelton agrees. We have great trust in each other, and feel that were all in this together.

(Quotations arent necessary in a query, but its good to give thing specific to show that you have done several research into your topic, and that you have access to resources that will modify you to write the article well. I wanted to show that I had already spoken to these guysthey happen to be friends of mineand that they would-be be upbeat and sacred folk to interview. You can accomplish the same effect by including a few offbeat facts or survey results youve found out just about your topic.)

Considering that their only capital was a computer and a small loan from Straders father, the guys feel really successful. Were not millionaires, but we have goals, and were following them, says Skelton. I think thats true success. By any definition, Net Ones listing of more than 50 clients locomote from colleges to Fortune 500 companies attests to their hard activity and talent.

(Look, editor. These guys are big up-and-comers! Notice I mentioned Fortune 500 companies. This lets the editor cognize quickly that these college guys arent small potatoes. It showing neatness ties up the opening sentence, which secure an article just about guys who have a spacious office, expense accounts, and institution car. Now the editor has a reason to believe that these guys actually are that successful.)

I propose a 1,000 word profile for your Students At Activity section.

(Shows Ive researched their magazine. I cognize which section this should fit, and Ive see their guidelines to determine an appropriate word count.)

I am a full-time freelance writer, and my works have been recently featured in such publications as 201 Magazine, College Bound

(Notice I mention the most relevant magazines first. Thing youve had publicized that strength relate to the content, tone, or audience of the projected publication belongs here.)

Bliss!, Working Women, and Video Librarian. Clips are enclosed.

(If youve ne'er had thing published, dont distress. Just shut up just about it. Do NOT tell anyone, Although Ive ne'er been publicized yet, Im a real go-getter. Less is more. If you support quiet, they may not even as think just about the fact that you didnt mention your credits. Also, do not get into a denunciation describing how you emended your high school newspaper. Just a quick list of relevant writing background. See below for message just about clips.)

I can provide documentation and interview notes for easy fact-checking, and could submit the completed article inside two weeks.

(Optional. Several folk like to suggest a time frame, others let the editor do it. In general, the editor will tell you once the article is due, regardless of your preferences. Its a good touch to mention how you will research your article. Mine was primarily dependent on interviews, but you may will to include the names of journals/experts you plan to quote or use for information.)

I look forward to your response.

(Obligatory polite ending. Use any variation you wish. No pleading. If you dare type, I promise to write a reallllly, realllly good article! Please hire me!, you will incur my wrath. I will hunt you down and yell at you. A lot. Just a simple, dignified ending requesting a response.)

Regards,

Jenna Glatzer

(Oh. Substitute your name and preferred name ending. Unless you feel like causing your paycheck to me, in which case, you can feel free to use my name. Grin.)

Finally, clips! If youve had thing publishedor even as if you havent, but you have a few good writing samples appropriate for this type of marketinclude them. These samples are called clips, and they are used to show the editor that you are an intelligent, insightful, funny, clever, and/or superior writer. Photocopy your articles straight from the publication. Just 2-3 clips.

When you're causing queries by e-mail, you can paste the text of your clips into the body of the e-mail (never as an attachment!), or you can direct the editor to one or two website URLs wherever she can view your articles.

Interviews and Profiles

I know, you feel weird just about this one, right? Youre uncomfortable job causal agency or visiting a business to ask a professional to take precious time out of their day to help you research your article.

Well, buck up, little camper, because most professionals utterly love to be interviewed. They jump at the chance, for a few reasons. These are the reasons to support in mind once you feel small and silly for asking: It shows you respect their opinion and/or job. It gives them opportunities for message of their business. It gives them the chance to brag to friends that they are quoted in a magazine. It gives them thing to frame and show clients. Finally, causal agency is recognizing their genius and taking an interest in their work. Theyre ordinarily applier writers, anyway, and they will be just as happy to pick your brain to find out how you got the job.

Before you approach experts:

Make sure you already have your questions mapped out, at least briefly. What exactly do you need to cognize from this person? What could this person tell you that no one else can? Avoid yes or no questions. Ask open-ended questions that could lead to long responses chock full of great quotes. Also, have a precis of your planned article ready, so you can tell your expert what youre writing and how they can supplement your knowledge.

How to approach experts:

Get on the phone. Have your idea condensed into 2-3 sentences, so you can quickly explain yourself to whomever answers the phone.

Hello. My name is Jenna, and Im writing an article just about the rise in diet among young women in Nv for Youth In Nv Magazine. I cognize Dr. Spuds is a well-respected nutritionist, and Im hoping she would-be be willing to answer a few questions on this subject.

At this point, the secretary will say, Hold, and do you listen to elevator musak spell she summons the boss. Or shell take down your number and have Dr. Spuds call you back. Or it will be Dr. Spuds herself, and shell say, What do you want to know?

Your options at this point are (1) Ask questions over the phone, right then and there. Do sure you check to do sure your expert is not ironed for time before you begin. (2) Set up a phone date to conduct the interview. (3) Ask if you can meet in person. This is goodalmost necessaryif the person will be the focus of your article. If the person is being used just to add a few quotes, you dont have to meet in person, because its unlikely youll ever need to write, Dr. Spuds wrinkled her brow and stared into her pea soup as she explained that young women are becoming more health-conscious. (4) Trade e-mail addresses and send over a list of questions. This approach isnt ordinarily the best, because it doesnt allow you to react to, and build from, information you gain in answers to previous questions. However, if the publication will not reimburse you for long distance phone calls, and you have to conduct a long interview, e-mail exchanges are acceptable. Just do ! sure you specify a due date for the responses. Be reasonabletry to give the expert a week to answer all your questions.

The Sales

Okay, you sent out your killer query, and you got a phone call from an editor with the big news: you got the assignment! Congratulations, you! Go on and do a little dance of joy, then crash back to reality with your new mantra: GET IT IN WRITING. Do sure the editor tells you that a written contract is forthcoming in the near future.

If youve researched your market, you probably already have an idea of the pay rate, but be sure to cover this ground in that initial phone call if the editor fails to mention it. Important things to remember:

On Publication vs. On Acceptance

You not only need to cognize how more youll be paid, but also, once youll be paid. Many an markets want to pay you on publication. This can be a problem, because many an magazines and journals have long lead times. (Translation: a long time between once they assign you the article and once it actually ends up in print.) If you write an article in January, and it doesnt get publicized until November, you probably wont see a check until December. Do you want to wait a year to get paid? Can you wait that long? This is a point you utterly can negotiate. Ask for payment on acceptance. If this is refused, it gives you a little leverage to activity with on the else issues, which are

Kill Fees

If you get the assignment, and, for whatsoever reason, an editor decides not to print your article, you can hash out for a kill fee. This is a percentage of the sale price. If you are offered $200 to write an article, you may get a $50 kill fee. Its a well better-known fact that big publications kill articles all the time. Several editors admit to assignment 10-20% more than they could ever fit in the magazine. They do this so they can pick and choose from the final products, or so they can see how things fit once the layout is complete. Several articles will be pushed back to else issues, and several will just be trashed.

Bios

We like them. Those are the little blurbs that often follow an article, giving short chronicle information just about the writer, and sometimes an e-mail address or phone number. Ask for one if you can.

Sidebars and Photos

Those are the little factoids or columns that rest next to the main article. For example, in an article just about exercise, youll often see a little chart on the side that tells how many an calories are burned by doing specific exercises (riding a bike, ascent a hill, etc.). If you can suggest sidebars, you can often get extra pay. Same goes for photos. If youve got a decent camera and a good eye, offer photos for a few extra bucks.

To Verbal description or Not To Verbal description

Especially as a novice writer, youll sometimes get asked to write an article on speculation. This means that youll have to write the whole article and submit it without a contract, or any promise of payment. Its a bone of contention among professional writers, because just about no else field works this way. Its ne'er do the job, and then Ill decide if I feel like paying you. Only in this crazy business. Harrumph.

That said, I advise you to take verbal description assignments in the beginning. Once youre established, you shouldnt need to do this, but in order to build up your resume and your clips, you need to get published. So go ahead and submit on spec, and go ahead and do a few free/nearly free pieces for the experience.

Before submitting anything, though, do sure you cognize in advance what the terms will be if the editor makes use your piece. How more will you be paid? What rights will they buy?

Even many an of the big markets have adopted the practice of requesting pieces on spec. They do this because they can get away with it. Because there are thousands of applier writers out there who will beg, borrow, and steal for the chance to be published. So, if you want to compete, sometimes youll have to suck it up and accept this. Once the publication accepts one of your verbal description pieces, youll be a more much likely candidate for an outright assignment next time.

Rights to Write

There are several kinds of rights a publication may buy:

First North American Serial RightsThe newspaper or magazine has the right to publish this piece for the 1st time in any periodical. All else rights belong to the writer.

One-Time RightsThe publication buys the nonexclusive right to publish the piece once. The writer can sell the same article to else publications simultaneously.

Second Serial Rights (or Reprint Rights)Also nonexclusive. Gives the publication the right to reprint an article that has appeared elsewhere.

Electronic RightsCovers CD-ROMs, e-zines, website content, games, etc. Get in writing which electronic rights are specified-- 1st Electronic Rights, archiving rights, etc. Most publications ask for the right to archive "indefinitely." You can try to hash out for a fixed term (i.e., archiving rights for six months).

All RightsPretty self-explanatory. You can ne'er sell this piece to anyone else again. Try to avoid this one. Most publications ask for 1st Serial Rights.

Work-For-Hire Rights-- The publication has move up with the idea and allotted it to you, and they will own it, lock, stock, and barrel. They own the copyright and don't even as have to give you credit. It may be sliced, diced, repackaged, re-sold, etc., and you won't have any claim to it on the far side what you were originally paid.

TV/Motion Image RightsAlso self-explanatory. Just just about always exclusive.

Recycling Your Big Ideas

This is the bread and butter of freelance writing. Its likewise called re-slanting. Once youve got the Big Idea, dont waste it by only victimisation it once. Use the information youve gathered and move up with off-shoot ideas. Slant it to appeal to several markets.

Youre afraid because of the issue of rights that we just discussed, right? (No pun intended.) Well, you have nothing to fear, provided the new article is sufficiently several in content and intended audience. If youve managed to sell your article to a major national magazine, it is considered poor form to try to sell a re-slanted version to another national magazine.

However, if youre dealing with regional, specialized, or small publications, there should be really little overlap of intended audience. Therefore, an editor from Alabama Aristocrats would-be probably ne'er cognize if you oversubscribed a re-slanted version of your piece to Guitarists Today. Even as if they did know, they just about for sure would-be not care.

It is standard and accepted practice, for the simple reason that it is darn difficult to do a living as a writer. If you have the select between production $100 for commercialism your piece to one small publication, or production $1000 by commercialism altered versions to eight several small publications, which would-be you choose?

Re-slanting an article is easy, since youve already done the bulk of the research. Scrounge up a few new quotes, and use the information you left out of the 1st article. Focus it on the new desired market.

For example, I could sell an article just about the health benefits of meditation to a fitness magazine. A few alterations, and that same article becomes Religions Encouraging Meditation for my local newspapers Society pages. Then it becomes Meditation Does You Smarter for the college market. Then, Meditate Your Stress Away for a working womans magazine. And I didnt even as mention all those new age/holistic publications. What a field day!

With just a few more questions expose to your creditworthy experts, youve got a whole new article. And, look! Youre becoming an expert yourself. This is how you begin to find your nichea few specific subjects that you feel comfortable writing about. Ah, presently those journalists will be coming to YOU with their questions.

"The Extras"

Once youve gotten a few assignments, and feel that youve actually embarked on this as a potential career (or just a part-time income-booster), youll want to think just about the little extras.

A good touch: get yourself several good letterhead. Splurge a little with your second or third paycheck and invest in professionally written letterhead. Presentation makes count once submitting your correspondence to an editor. Avoid cutesy clip art of quill pens and inkwells.

Also, an invoice. You should always include an invoice with your completed article. Often, the person you submit the story to is not the same person in charge of causing you a paycheck. By including an invoice, you can be reasonably assured that the request department will have a record of what terms were in agreement upon, and once they are supposed to pay you.

Receipts: Hold onto your postage receipts and your writing-related supplies. If writing is your profession, then these can be tax write-offs. Also, if you are able to hash out it, editors will often reimburse you for any expenses you incur spell on assignment once you are an established writer. Submit your phone bill (with the reimbursable call/s circled), your book receipts, your travel expense receipts, etc. on with your invoice. Do sure these terms are mere in your contract.

Youre ready? Good! Get out there and get 'em, slugger. Nice luck!

About The Author

Jenna Glatzer is the author of Do A REAL LIVING AS A FREELANCE WRITER, which comes with a FREE editors' cheat sheet directory! Check it out at www.jennaglatzer.com. She's likewise the editor-in-chief of www.absolutewrite.com, the most popular online magazine for writers.

This article was announce on Gregorian calendar month 31, 2004