Hi Byrn, thanks for writing. Here's my 4 second advise on magazine submissions. You should first REALLY familiarize yourself with the magazine. They work about 4-6 months ahead of time so they don't want you to submit "HOW TO BUILD A SNOWMAN" in December. But they would love to read about that in July. For Christmas issues they sometimes work 8 months ahead. For big articles (1500+ words) you should submit a query letter first. Don't go ahead and write a 3000 word article of HOW TO BUILD A SNOWMAN without asking the magazine if they want it. You'd be wasting your time and theirs. Small magazines are okay to submit larger articles. To start, I think it's wise to submit small articles, this way you usually don't need to query and they are more likely going to say 'yes'. Read several issues of the magazine you are interested in. Most magazines have an UPFRONT section. You can make $0.00 to $100.00 for these types of articles. You mentioned that you don't know what to write about. Just write what you know. If you have kids, write about that. Do you have a special way of making them eat their veggies? Write about that. I've been writing for about 11 years. I don't have the ambition to do it full time so I'm happy just writing occasionally when the mood strikes. I also edit a newsletter for Congential Heart Defects (you can make yourself an expert on a subject and write about it for years) I also write for FREE for educational stuff and I write pamphlets for workshops and such. There are lots of places to write and get paid without going to a magazine. I was once asked to ghost write a health book but it never took off. I like writing and it's a nice way to make pocket money, but full time writing would drive me nuts! Instead I'll still to LOTS of part time stuff! If you are interested in fitness / yoga, I do that too! I'm your run of the mill suburban artist. LOL Good luck. S
Nice to hear some good news for a change!
