Writing for Magazines

You obviously have access to a computer or you would not have been able to access this site and therefore you have all the equipment you need to write anything from a one‐page advertisement to a full‐scale novel.  If you think you have a talent for writing there are any number of different ways of earning money, some of which are easier than others.

By way of example, lots of people believe that they can write poetry and there are a great many very good amateur poets. Unfortunately, very few of them make any money out of it. It may be emotionally rewarding and it can be personally very satisfying, but it really can't be relied upon as a source of income. Even if you are lucky enough to get published, payment for poetry is absolutely appalling. So let's take a look at writing magazine articles as a more reliable source of income.

Whilst there is a great deal of competition in the article market, there is  also a huge demand for articles in hundreds of publications, to say nothing of the vast market available to you on the internet. If you haven't been published already the best places to start are the smaller magazines that cater to specialist markets. I would also recommend that you start writing about a subject that you are particularly interested in and knowledgeable about.

One thing we all have at our age is experience and there is money to be made by passing that experience on to others. The smaller magazines may not pay quite as well as the Sunday supplements, but are an excellent way to get started.

It is much easier to be accepted by the larger circulation publications once you have had an article or two published. You probably have a hobby or something that you particularly enjoy and no doubt there is at least one magazine and several websites that deal with your particular interest.

If you don't already have a list of published articles to your credit there is little point in writing to an editor suggesting that you have a great idea for an article. You will need to put something together on spec which of course means that you're not going to get paid unless it's actually published. Most magazines have a particular house style and your article will need to fit, so it's essential to have read several copies of the magazine to get a feel for the kind of thing the editor will be looking for.

If you are interested in tropical fish or growing vegetables or spend much of the summer touring in a caravan you may already have some ideas for articles that are featured in magazines that cater for these particular interests.

It is almost always essential to accompany your article with a selection of good quality photographs. In this digital age taking acceptable  photographs is much easier and cheaper than it was in our youth. No longer is it necessary to have your photographs developed and printed at some considerable cost regardless of the quality of the pictures. The secret is to take lots and lots of digital photographs on the basis that one or two of them will be of a quality suitable for publication.

Whilst small cheap compact digital cameras are perfectly capable of taking excellent holiday snaps, I would recommend a middle of the range digital SLR camera if you want to take photographs that are likely to get published with your article. In this highly competitive market you want to put together a complete package of a well‐written article and accompanying photographs that will be noticed by the editor and appreciated by the reader.  

You don't need any special qualifications or training to write articles for magazines, nor do you need to be a member of a journalists union. Nevertheless it can be helpful to perhaps attend an evening class in journalism or photography where you may well pick up some hints and tips that will give you an edge. You should also get a copy of the current version of the Writers and Artists Yearbook which has a very comprehensive list of publications and is considered an essential reference book for all established and aspiring authors.

You must be prepared for rejection. Do not be disheartened by this, but try and understand the reasons behind the editor's decision and learn from the experience. Don't take it as a personal insult that the article you spent so much time and effort over has been turned down. Persistence is the key to success and you should treat every failure as a learning experience.

As to how much you might earn, this will very much depend on the circulation of the magazine that you are writing for. Smaller specialist hobby magazines may pay as little as £50 for 1,000 words, whereas mass circulation newspapers may pay 20 times this amount for an established author. The more you write the greater your chance of publication and the higher your earning potential.

Here are a couple of websites that you might find useful:-

freelancewritersdatabase.co.uk

freelance-writers.co.uk

More web sites relevant to writing articles are available on the ‘links’ page of the website.

This article is based on a longer feature published in the Retirement Revenue eBook that is available completely free of charge from the web site.  Just click here or follow the link in the menu on the left and you can be reading your complementary eBook in minutes.  It contains more in depth information on writing and also provides details of several other ways that will help you to supplement your pension or make a second income working from home.