How To Get A Magazine Article Published

[BenKK]

Writing for Australian magazines years ago, the “I came, I saw, I conquered” style worked. But to write for American magazines it required me to try to find an angle that had more finesse, some magic, perhaps a different take on the same old experience, or a unique perspective shared with humility and passion for conservation. It’s hard to write like that, and for me the magic is usually elusive. But I’m proud that I’ve had five stories published in three American hunting magazines, including one next to Col. Boddington in Sports Afield (my favourite magazine). I got several knock-backs before I got one accepted. My first attempt at Sports Afield was made over ten years ago, and I’m so glad they knocked it back (always graciously) - looking back on that attempt I feel embarrassed at my writing then, no magic in it whatsoever.

 

[TOBY458]

A couple of things jump at me immediately. You reveal how it is going to end, and WHY, at the very beginning. The suspense is gone. You cast doubt on one, or possibly two, brand(s) that the publisher will not want to be offended.

When I sent the article in, I left out the brand names so as not to offend anyone. As for the intro, I've read many articles, and have watched many movies that give a little insight at the beginning. In my opinion, it kind of gives a little excitement up front, in order to hook the reader into reading the rest of the article. But that's just my opinion.

 

[Longwalker]

I have considerable experience in publishing, and would urge you to not copyright the piece, but to instead find out what magazine's policies are for unsolicited essays and to make sure that your piece complies and to send the piece via email to the editor, or designated person. Make sure that the piece is succinct, evidences word discipline, and has a key point, or story line. All of that may seem obvious, but you would be surprised at the stuff that gets sent over. Read a handful of the mags, blogs, etc, and get to understand their style and try to ensure your piece reflects. Good luck.

This is excellent advice. I have written a few published articles and the thing I found most surprising, is just how rigid and specific the editorial policies are. If your article doesn't conform with the style, content, and length required, it will be rejected. And it is usually vitally important to have good quality and artistically arranged photos to go with the article.