TECH: 101 Tips (46)

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 30 August 2009

Writers' Digest, October 2004, pages 26 to 33, has a collection of short "nuggets of wisdom" related to getting published. Maria Schneider is the author of the compilation. Take a deep breath, and here we go:

"Knowing who reads the publication you're querying is crucial if you want to write for magazines. That's why many magazine writers often don't start by thinking up ideas and then looking for a magazine to suit them. Rather, they study a magazine to devise ideas appropriate to its readers." Writer's Market Companion

A different suggestion as to where to start. Rather than coming up with ideas, writing the stories or articles, and then trying to find a market, start with the market. Read the magazine, read the writer's guidelines, try to figure out what kind of readers ... what is the audience? Then write to the market.

Who reads this? What kind of stories, what kind of interests do they already have? Now can I write something that appeals to that? Or perhaps, in some cases, one decides that this magazine, this market, really is not what one wants to write, and moves on to other venues closer to one's heart?

Market research, one way or another. Do I want to write the kind of story that this magazine publishes? Then I can target that market. If I don't really want to write... zombie romances? or whatever... then perhaps I choose to avoid that market.

What do you want to write? What does the audience want to read? How much of a match (or mismatch) is there in those two pictures? Do you really want to try to convince readers that they should change their habits, or does it make better sense to look for readers that match your preferences? After all, there is nothing forcing readers to read your writing, is there? So you need to appeal to their interests, their desires...

Know your audience. Second-hand reflections in a magazine's selections are better than nothing?