Reslant your Articles for Unlimited Earnings

  

Some regional publications
pay 20 to 30 cents per word.

Last time, I shared some tips on how to write local when you live far away.

Is it worth the extra time and research, though?

It definitely can be when a region-specific publication pays well or allows you to demonstrate expertise in a particular topic. Another potential benefit, which I will delve into today, involves your ability to sell reprints or reslant your articles for different markets. The beauty of writing for regional publications is that you can often sell the same or similar material to non-competing markets, thus increasing your bottom line.

Let’s focus a bit on parenting publications to see how this might work. Imagine three made-up publications: San Francisco Parent, Dallas Parent, and New York City Parent.

It is obvious from the title of each publication that each one caters to a specific readership. Parents in San Francisco, for example, don’t generally concern themselves with the parenting scene in Dallas, New York, and other cities.

So, let’s say you lived in San Francisco and wanted to write an article for San Francisco Parent on the benefits of raising children to be bilingual. You would probably first do some research on bilingualism and outline the basic direction you wanted the article to take, explaining to the editor in your query how the article would be relevant the readers of San Francisco Parent.

Unless you were writing a personal essay (which could later sell as a reprint), you would probably want to find people living and working in San Francisco to interview for your article. Most likely, you would look for a couple of parents as well as an expert, such as a pediatrician, university professor, or language teacher, to quote. You would then fit the anecdotes and expert quotes into your outline so that your article became more lively and informative. For a side-bar, you might also list a few local-area resources for San Francisco parents wanting to raise their children as bilinguals.

When negotiating rights with the editor, you would make sure not to sell more rights than needed by the publication. You might, for example, sell “first” print rights for California, or even just the San Francisco Bay Area, thus giving you the flexibility to reuse the material as you see fit. You could then pretty much target similar publications, such as Dallas Parent, New York City Parent, and even Los Angeles Parent.

The basic article would stay the same, especially your introduction, conclusion, and whatever background information you had included on bilingualism and how wonderful it is for children.

The key, though, would be to acquire new quotes from local parents and language or child development experts, which would inject the article with the local flavor desired by each publication. Add a new side-bar with relevant local-area resources, and your article would be as good as new.

This is just one method of reslanting an article. There is lots to say about this topic, so look out for future posts that talk about reslants from different angles. As you can see, planning how you will reslant an article can make your hard work and research stretch a bit further than usual.

How to Write Local When You Live Far Away

As usual, profiles are
often a good place to start.

There are thousands of publications out there looking for writers. Some of the best ones cover local issues and expect their writers to be familiar with the local scene. So, can a writer living in, say, California, successfully write for publications in Kansas, New York, or Tennessee?

The answer will depend on the specific type of publication you are writing for.

Some magazines want their writers to conduct interviews in person. They may also need them to personally visit factories, farms, shops, restaurants, and other sites to take pictures or observe the activities taking place there. They may want them to use very descriptive writing that can only be done by someone who has actually immersed him or herself in a particular environment in order to soak in the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and other sensations present there.

A writer’s understanding of a region’s history and culture, along with knowledge of local politics, sensitivities, and jargon, may all be important as well, and it is thus easy to understand why an outsider might not be able to do a good job with this. Some guidelines specifically ask writers not to submit articles or queries unless they live nearby.

Don’t let this discourage you, though.

Although you must respect a publication’s wishes and guidelines, there are numerous ways to write local when you live far away. In addition, it is helpful to realize that many publications are short on writers and will accept material from non-local writers when needed.

Phone and E-mail

The most obvious way to write local is to conduct your interviews on the phone whenever possible. Many publications allow this, and many people actually prefer being interviewed on the phone as it is much more convenient than taking time out of a busy schedule to meet someone in person. Depending on the article you are writing, you may need just a couple of quick quotes. A profile, however, may require a longer conversation. Plan accordingly, making sure not to keep your subject on the phone any longer than absolutely necessary. E-mail interviews may also suffice in certain circumstances.

Internet Discussion Forums

If you need to interview everyday people from a particular city or town, Internet discussion forums can be a good place to find them. Look for a local discussion forum or a more general one related to the topic you are writing about. If, for example, you are looking for parents of children with ADHD in Cincinnati, you could visit a local forum for residents of Cincinnati as well as national parenting forums and forums dedicated specifically to ADHD. Once there, you would look for members who fit the profile you need. Also make use of the groups you already belong to. You might find that a writing colleague in a writing group you belong to fits the profile or knows someone else who does. You might also have success finding people to interview via searches on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media venues.

Old-Fashioned Sleuthing

If you can’t find someone on the Internet to interview, you may need to pick up the phone and do a bit more detective-work. You could, for example, call a business, association, club, organization, hospital, school, or foundation and ask if they can help guide you to people who may be interested in having their story told.

Immerse Yourself in Local Culture

Spend time reading magazines and newspapers in your target region in order to understand the issues of importance to the people living there. You may also want to join a few e-groups for local residents where you can interact with members and ask questions that are relevant to your research. When writing an article about a tsunami that struck Oman a few years ago, I joined an e-group comprised of American and British ex-pats living in Oman. The people in this group provided me with numerous insights into how residents were dealing with the tsunami. Although I was unable to physically visit Oman, I came away with powerful anecdotes that enriched my understanding of the crisis. Lurking in the group also allowed me a glimpse into ex-pat life in Oman and gave me many ideas for other articles.

The above hints should help you write informative and relevant material for local publications. Remember, though, that some publications will not accept articles from writers who live outside their target area, so you should not approach publications like these unless you are confident that you will be able to convince the editors of your expertise and ability to write quality articles that discerning readers will relate to. Instead, approach publications that allow writers to conduct their research across state lines. The majority do allow it, but you must be open with editors so that there are no unpleasant surprises.

Have you ever written for a local publication outside your region?

Share your experiences by leaving a comment.

Next time, I will further illustrate how writing local has the potential to increase your earnings.

Another 25 Markets to Explore if You Want to Earn 25 to 50 Cents per Word

In a recent post, I shared a market with you that pays an average of 25 cents per word. The listing was taken from my new e-book, 50 Markets that Pay Freelance Writers 20 to 30 Cents per Word.

In case you missed it, here it is again:

Arizona Bride
Website: www.arizonabridemag.com
Type of Market: Magazine
Based in: Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA)
Publishes: Relevant articles about local (Arizona) wedding resources, covering topics such as gowns, catering, photography, etc.
Accepts: Queries
Buys: Exclusive one-time rights for a period of 60 days from publication and right to reprint editorial material for promotional use
Pays: Average of 25¢ per word, on or about 60 days after publication
Guidelines for Writers
Contact Info.

When compiling the e-book, I adhered to a policy of only including markets that state their rates explicitly on their websites. Even if I was 100 percent sure a market paid 25 cents per word and had confirmation from multiple sources, I did not list it unless that information was clearly stated in black and white in the guidelines. I felt that this would provide more value to my readers, some of whom might hesitate to query a market without seeing proof of it offering a particular rate.

This led to an interesting situation with certain markets, including Arizona Bride.

If you look at the bottom of the magazine’s website, you will see links to some other bridal magazines, including California Wedding Day, Minnesota Bride, Oregon Bride, Seattle Bride, and Wisconsin Bride.

Because these similarly-themed magazines are all published by the same entity (Tiger Oak Media) and all work with freelance writers, it is pretty safe to assume that they also pay an average of 25 cents per word even though the guidelines for these publications do not state this explicitly. Minnesota Bride and Wisconsin Bride did, in fact, list this rate on their websites at one time in 2012, but have since removed information about payment, which led me not to include these magazines in the 2013 edition of the e-book.

But that’s not all. If you visit Tiger Oak’s website, you will see that they actually publish an additional nine business and lifestyle magazines, as well as nine magazines covering meetings and events in various regions. Digging around on the websites of these publications shows me that Tiger Oak publishes even more magazines not listed on their homepage, such as Northwest Home and St. Louis Park.

Logic tells me that business magazines put out by such a robust publisher should pay more than bridal magazines, and guess what? If you visit the guidelines for the meetings and events magazines, you will see that they pay an average of 50 cents per word.

How cool is that?

By examining just one market (Arizona Bride) with a critical eye, you have now found at least another 25 decent-paying markets in different niches (possibly more) to keep you busy for a long time to come.

If you are able to successfully write for one of these publications, you will have an easier time pitching another magazine in the same group because the editors will already be familiar with your work.

This is why I always recommend writers not discount a particular market without thinking about it from different angles. People who initially shied away from bridal magazines and did not even click on the guidelines for Arizona Bride, for example, would be missing out on some great opportunities for other types of writing.

Think about this.

If you are able to write just 1,000 words per week for 50 cents per word, that’s a cool $2,000 per month that is much easier to earn than the $2,000 you could earn by writing for markets that pay just 10 cents per word.

How much do you want to earn?

My hope is that my e-books listing various rates for freelance writers will help you as you make that decision and chart a course for your writing career.

Can I Write for Magazines if I'm Not a Native Speaker of English?

If you speak English as a second language, you may have wondered whether it is possible to write for magazines published in the United States, Canada, and other English-speaking countries.

As the former managing editor of a Seattle-based Muslim family magazine, I can tell you with certainty that it is definitely possible. I have personally hired and worked with writers who spoke English as a second language. Although their articles sometimes required heavy editing and/or complete rewrites before they could be published, the writers compensated for this by bringing other skills to the table. They were, for example, able to score interviews with people the magazine was interested in featuring. They had good ideas and research skills. They could conduct research in their native languages and interview people in those languages, too. They were reliable and turned their work in on time. Some of them had expertise in topics that were of special interest to readers.

Simply put, these writers were able to do things that others—even if they were good writers—weren’t always capable of doing. Some people write stunningly beautiful prose but are too afraid to conduct interviews. They may not have the same valuable connections or ability to conduct research. They might not really understand a magazine’s target audience. Maybe they aren’t really experts in the issues a particular magazine wishes to cover. Their writing may be smooth but lacking in substance. In other words, being a native speaker of English—or even a good writer—is not necessarily the most important factor when it comes to hiring a writer.

Do you have a particular skill or expertise?

You should consider this question when approaching the publications you want to write for. After reviewing hundreds of author guidelines for markets that pay freelance writers 10 to 30 cents per word for their work, I have been overwhelmed by how many editors emphasize the fact that expertise in a particular topic is generally more important than a writer having perfect grammar. Beginners are often invited to submit their work, provided they have something of value to share.

Does this mean you should be sloppy about grammar and the technical aspects of writing an article?

Absolutely not.

Editors are busy people and definitely prefer to work with people who have a solid command of the language. Not only does this reduce the amount of work that must be done in order to produce a publishable article, but it also reduces the chance of any undetected errors creeping into an article, giving the editor more time to work with you on improving the actual content of the article.

If you speak English as a second language, it does not automatically mean that you cannot write for English-language publications, but you should, in my opinion, consider having your work (including your e-mails and query letters) edited by a qualified native speaker before submission. If you think this is a service you cannot afford, consider the fact that you will be able to earn substantially more by writing for quality publications. You should also constantly strive to improve your writing and learn from any edits made to your articles.

To further increase your chances of scoring a gig, seek out niche markets that can benefit from your specific connections and skills. As I mentioned above, I was the managing editor of a Muslim family magazine, so we generally preferred working with writers familiar with the local Muslim community. You, too, may find that ethnic or cultural publications are a good place to start.

Earn More by Writing for Markets that Pay 20 to 30 Cents per Word

Those of you who are regular visitors to this blog may have noticed that I recently put a new e-book up for sale: 50 Markets that Pay Freelance Writers 20 to 30 Cents per Word.

Like the first book in my Markets for Writers series, 50 Markets that Pay Freelance Writers 20 to 30 Cents per Word packs lots of useful information into a single volume, this time providing you with direct access to author guidelines and contact information for 50 different magazines and websites that (as the title indicates) pay freelance writers 20 to 30 cents per word.

All of the information in the new guide is fully updated for 2013 and is presented in a concise, easy-to-read manner.

I have been looking at some other popular market listings lately and find they all seem to suffer from certain issues:

1. Disorganization. I don’t know about you, but I get overwhelmed when I am presented with a mish-mash of markets in different genres and pay-ranges. As I see it, there are a couple of different ways to organize such listings, but I have not seen many that attempt to organize them by how much they pay, even though you often see statements from writers like, “The least I will write for is 25 cents per word,” or, “I only write for magazines that pay a minimum of 50 cents per word.” Can you imagine, then, how frustrating it can be to wade through hundreds of markets you find irrelevant to your personal income goals?

2. Information Overload. If you are an experienced magazine writer who always strives to make an average of 25 cents per word for the articles you write, you probably do not need all the fluff that often accompanies certain market listings. In my opinion, there is really no need for a book to cram magazine listings into the same volume with agent listings, book publisher listings, contest listings, etc. As a writer, I may be interested in all of the above, but not usually all at once. A more compact volume that only provides the information I need at a particular moment is far more useful to me when it comes to actually nailing down an assignment for pay.

3. Outdated Listings. Numerous websites list markets for writers, but many are seriously outdated and contain loads of broken links. Even if the links are working, it is not uncommon to find that the magazine or market in question ceased publication years ago. When compiling my e-books for writers, I have been especially careful not to include any market that is not currently active.

4. Lack of On-Line Guidelines. One popular guide for writers tells you the address of a magazine’s website but does not link to author guidelines, even when they are available on-line. This leaves you with a bunch of extra detective-work as you navigate a website to find where the guidelines might be buried.

In 50 Markets that Pay Freelance Writers 20 to 30 Cents per Word, I have done everything possible to provide market listings that get right to the point and lead you to the information you need with just a click of the mouse.

Here is a sample listing from the book:

Arizona Bride
Website: www.arizonabridemag.com
Type of Market: Magazine
Based in: Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA)
Publishes: Relevant articles about local (Arizona) wedding resources, covering topics such as gowns, catering, photography, etc.
Accepts: Queries
Buys: Exclusive one-time rights for a period of 60 days from publication and right to reprint editorial material for promotional use
Pays: Average of 25¢ per word, on or about 60 days after publication
Guidelines for Writers
Contact Info.

As you can see, the listing is brief and tells you everything you need to know. I do not attempt to copy the guidelines word-for-word in the book. If the market is of interest to you, you simply need to click on the Guidelines for Writers and read further. To get full benefit from the listings, I recommend downloading the Kindle for PC app. It is free and allows you to view Kindle e-books on your computer, even if you do not own a Kindle device. This is especially useful when you are clicking on links like the ones that appear in the listing above.

Stop Writing for the Content Mills and Earn a Minimum of 10 Cents per Word Instead

One of the reasons I compiled 50 Markets that Pay Freelance Writers 10 Cents per Word was to offer hope (plus a big dose of reality) to aspiring writers who’ve been duped into believing that the most you can earn from an article is $20 to $30. If you’re “lucky,” that is. So many writers earn much less writing for content mills, writing dozens of well-researched articles for rates as low as a dollar apiece.

If you’re not familiar with content mills, these are entities that pay insultingly low rates to writers in exchange for large volumes of web content. In many cases, the content is packed with keywords in order to rank high in search engine results. The people or companies purchasing such articles make money by selling them to other websites or by placing them on their own websites in order to attract paying advertisers.

Content mills are notorious for requiring their writers jump through some rather ridiculous hoops in order for their articles to get accepted. Their owners are often difficult and unpleasant to work with. You really can’t help but conjure up images of assembly line workers being supervised by money-hungry slave-drivers when thinking about content mills.

Not to state the obvious, but good writing is not something that can be mass-produced under such stifling conditions.

No matter how quickly you write, or how motivated you are to earn, it is a poor use of your time to write for the mills when you could be marketing yourself to higher-paying magazines and websites instead. Writing for legit publications like the ones listed in my e-book will help you build your portfolio and amass clips while you earn a respectable wage.

Look, though, I’m going to be honest with you.

Although it beats the mills, ten cents per word isn’t really all that lucrative in the world of professional freelance writing, either. Many writers earn substantially more. In my opinion, ten cents per word is the very minimum a writer should accept because it is a rate that will allow you to earn in the neighborhood of $2,000 per month if you work reasonably hard and have a steady flow of assignments. Even if you only earn half that amount to supplement another source of income, you should be able to do it without feeling stressed out or pressured to produce multiple articles under tight deadlines. Writing for magazines is generally fun and provides you with a by-line you can be proud of, too.

So, what are you waiting for?

Take the plunge, and query a market that pays 10 cents per word.

Once you see how easy it is, I’m almost certain you won’t want to write for the mills again.

Should You Write for Free if You Don’t Have Clips?

Many beginning writers wonder if they should write for free.

They reason that writing for free will allow them to get their foot in the door with paying publications, many of which want to see samples of your published writing (called clips) before offering you an assignment. If you don’t have clips, you might feel like you are caught in a vicious circle. If you don’t have clips, you can’t get an assignment…and if you can’t get an assignment, you can’t get clips.

On the face of it, this may seem logical…except for the fact that it is not true.

While some magazines specify that they want to see clips, many others do not. Even when they do, this requirement is not necessarily set in stone, especially if you are able to demonstrate to the editor that you have what it takes to write a quality article for the particular publication you are targeting.

Many of the author guidelines listed in my new e-book for writers, 50 Markets that Pay Freelance Writers 10 Cents per Word, clearly state that the editors are willing to work with new writers. Some of them even go so far as to state that your knowledge of the subject matter is more important than whether you are a published writer. But that doesn’t mean the editors want to see dull, uninspired writing.

So, what can you do to convince an editor to publish your work?

First, read the guidelines carefully. The guidelines tell you almost everything you need to know about submitting to a particular publication. Then spend some time reading articles that have already been published in the magazine. This will help you understand the preferred tone and style of writing being used. If you can emulate this tone and style in your own writing, you are already one step ahead of the game.

But what about clips?

Several possibilities exist:

1. The guidelines don’t mention them. Great! Neither should you. Simply follow the guidelines, and submit your query or article. You don’t need to state that you are a “new” writer.

2. The guidelines ask for clips. Send samples of your writing instead. Ideally, the samples should be both well-written and relevant to the magazine you are approaching. One or two samples should be sufficient. Note that some magazines clearly understand the clips dilemma and ask new writers for samples in lieu of clips.

3. The magazine accepts articles “on spec.” This means that you can write a finished article and send it to the editor. Although potentially time-consuming, this is an excellent way for the editor to judge whether your writing is a good fit for the magazine. If your article is rejected for any reason, you will at least have a writing sample on hand for next time.

4. The magazine only accepts queries. In this case, you do not write the finished article but “query” the editor with a specific idea for the magazine. I will cover queries more in future posts, but basically the advantage of queries is that you do not waste time writing entire articles “on spec” that may or may not get published. Writing your query in the same tone and style used in the magazine subtly shows the editor that you understand the target audience and won’t botch an assignment.

So, should you write for free if you don’t have clips?

In my opinion, no.

There are plenty of publications out there that pay at least 10 cents per word, so why work for free when you can get paid and even make a decent income if you put sufficient effort into your articles and queries?