Dianne DeSpain - A Writers Guide to Getting Published in Magazines

A Writer's Guide to Getting

Published in Magazines

An Essential Guide for Beginning Writers

by

Dianne DeSpain

Published by: ePublishing Works!

www.epublishingworks.com

ISBN: 978-1-61417-166-9

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Copyright 2000, 2011 by Dianne JJ Despain. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

www.DianneDeSpain.com

Email: Dianne@DianneDespain.com

BISAC: LAN002000 Language Arts and Disciplines, Authorship

eBook design by eBook Prep www.ebookprep.com

Thank You.

Table of Contents

: Do You Have What It Takes?

: Points to Ponder

: Getting Started

: Query! Query! Query!

: After You've Sent It In

: Getting Down to the Writing

: The Practical Aspects

: The Finer Points of Success

: The Write Attitude

Dear Reader,

I'll admit, magazine writing wasn't my first choice. I wanted to write romance novels, took a shot at it, discovered it wasn't in me at that time, and quit writing altogether. A couple of years later, I received a flyer in the mail, advertising a writing conference in, of all places, Muncie, Indiana. Don't know how I got on the mailing list, don't know why anybody in Muncie knew me, let alone thought I wanted to be a writer, but none of that mattered. I attended my first-ever conference, Midwest Writers Workshop (www.midwestwriters.org) and my life forever changed. Why? Because I took home one simple piece of advice: Write what you know.

I knew how to shop for antiques with the best of them, and in December, following that July conference, my first article on how to shop in antique malls appeared in Woman's Day. That was just the beginning of something I'd wanted to do since I was a childbe a writer. Today, I still write magazine articles, as well as non-fiction books, and I finally did get that career as a romance novelist, with over thirty titles in print now, all published by Harlequin Books, under the pseudonym Dianne Drake (www.DianneDrake.com).

Writing is what I do but, more than that, it's who I am. I write every day, don't feel complete if I don't. And it hasn't always been an easy process. But there's never been a time it hasn't been a fulfilling one, because there's nothing else I'd rather be doing. My first time in college, I studied music and graduated a rather accomplished musician. I went back to college, studied nursing and graduated to become a successful critical care nurse. Yet, something always nagged at me, something my high school English teacher had told me years before: Dianne, you're a writer. I was a teenager then. Didn't listen to my teacher like most teenagers don't. Still... Dianne, you're a writer never left me and because of those prophetic words, I would like to thank my teacher, Mr. Ray Brown, who spent a career teaching English, but more than that, showing the kids in his classes at Northwest High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, profound wisdom. Mr. Brown, I owe you my career, and for that, there aren't sufficient words to express my gratitude.

Writing is a journey, and as you begin yours, I wish you amazing travels along a path that will forever change your life.

All the Best,

Dianne

"Nothing is so hard,

but search will find it out."

- Robert Herrick -

Chapter 1

"Do You Have What It Takes

To Be A Magazine Writer?"

Your love of writing started long before you picked up this book. It was there when you were in schoolgrade school most likely. You didn't just wake up one morning and proclaim, "Today, I'm going to be a writer!" You've dreamed about it for years, and truly hoped for it, possibly for as long as you can remember. You've struggled with bits and pieces of sentences and ideas you've committed to paper or screen, trying to organize them into a logical story, and you've read the results of other writers' bits and pieces, and thought, "I can do better than that." Right this very minute, you have an idea for an article or a story in the front of your mind, don't you? Admit it. There's one pushing its way up, and another one trying to jump into the queue.

Here's the thing. Before you write, you first must determine where you fit into the scheme of things. Webster defines the word freelance, alternately spelled free-lance, as, "A writer, actor, etc. who is not under contract for regular work but sells his writings or services to any buyer." The majority of all nonfiction writers are freelancers, and this book specifically deals with freelance writing for the magazines. Since you're reading the first chapter right now, magazine writing is probably something you'd like to do. That's good, because magazines provide steady work, there are more editions published every year than books, they exist for every special interest under the sun, and they're approachable for every writer, including the beginner. And the best news is, in this relatively new age of digital publishing, there are more magazine-format opportunities than ever before. It takes a writer with some special traits to succeed in the magazines, however. Persistence. Energy. Curiosity. Can you find these three traits in yourself?

1. Persistence is a magazine writer's constant companion, because a magazine career is not easy to start, nor is it easy to maintain. Rejection rates are high, and you're competing with thousands of other writers for the same publishing slot each time you submit a manuscript or query lettera letter proposing the article you would like to write. Holding firmly to your purpose, in spite of the obstacles, is a necessary ingredient in anything you deem publishable, because until you've established a reputation, the magazine publishing industry is not going to roll out its red carpet for you. You'll be rejected, over and over, and persistence keeps you going back to take another shot at it, even when the threat of another rejection looms in your future. Your persistence will pay off because, when you keep going back, someone will notice your work. That's when you'll get your chance to prove yourself. If you're not persistent, chances are, no one will notice your work.