Published Article
by Patricia Fry
Six Steps to
Getting Your Articles Published
Do you have an idea or two that you’d like to develop into articles?
Would you like to promote your book through magazine articles? Here’s how:
Research the market.
Study the magazines that you want to write for. What type of articles do
they publish? What is the writing style and the tone of the articles? Even the
letters-to-the-editor and the ads will reveal something about the readership.
List your article ideas.
Start with familiar topics. Study the listings in Writer’s Market
to come up with more ideas.
Write a query letter.
Although some magazine editors ask for the complete manuscript, most want to
see a query letter. On your letterhead, include the date, a brief synopsis of
the article, your qualifications to write this article and your writing
credits. Send your query letter to more than one editor simultaneously. Enclose
a self-addressed-stamped envelope (SASE).
Write the article.
Once you get the go-ahead from an editor, note their required word count and
deadline. Write the article to their specifications. Do they want a 900-word
profile piece or a 1200-word how to? Don’t send them an essay when they
want quotes from experts, for example.
Recycle your article.
Once you’ve sold an article on a favorite topic, write another one or
two or three. If you sold first time or one-time rights to your previously
published articles, you can submit them to new magazines. Check the listings in
Writer’s Market for magazines that publish reprints.
Keep good records.
Create a record of activity by logging each query letter and article. Keep
track of expenses and payments. An efficient record-keeping system will help in
your communications with editors.
Patricia Fry is the author of A Writer’s
Guide to Magazine Articles for Book Promotion and Profit (Matilija Press,
2000).
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