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Writers - Be Kind! How'd you start? How much do you earn?
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amother
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Post Tue, Jan 03 2017, 10:34 pm
I'm sure it varies by publication, but I head the submissions department at my publication, and am in touch with editors at a number of other publications and we do often share stories. I know that most of us hate getting the "Would you be interested in an article about xyz" emails. Just write it and send it and we'll let you know if we want it.

Which is not to say we would not be involved in shaping it. But we want you to submit something you consider to be an 11 on a sale of 1-10, which for us is probably about a 5-6. Then we'll take it, edit, re-shape it (with you) from there, to bring it up to what we consider a level 10. (for example)
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 03 2017, 11:05 pm
Oh well, to each their own, I guess I got lucky.
But writers are people too, you know. Why would I want to put 110% into something you're likely to just throw in the trash? We're already getting paid pretty little for the work that does get accepted.

Now that I'm in contact with the editors of the publication I've written for, they always expect a pitch before an article. Sometimes they like it and I write it up, and sometimes they say it doesn't meet their needs, or they already did something similar when I wasn't paying attention, and then I'm really happy I didn't just spend several nights burning myself out writing it in full.
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amother
Black


 

Post Wed, Jan 04 2017, 12:03 am
Seeker, what you suggest is 100% recommended for features but not for works of fiction.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 04 2017, 12:09 am
Ah yes. I do tend to write features. The askers did not seem to specify. You are right, that would make a big difference.
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amother
Yellow


 

Post Wed, Jan 04 2017, 12:43 am
amother wrote:
Seeker, what you suggest is 100% recommended for features but not for works of fiction.


I don't deal with fiction.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 04 2017, 12:56 am
Features are so much easier for me. I hope they pay the fiction writers well! Though when features involve chasing after humans that makes it more complicated again. Web research I can handle.
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geulah papyrus




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 04 2017, 7:08 am
amother wrote:
This is bad advice. You're not on staff. Write, edit and proof-read your article. Send it in completed, without any long explanations of who you are and why you think it would be good for their magazine (unless it's genuinely relevant) and then be polite and professional whatever the response.

No one's going to commit to paying an unknown person for an unseen or unwritten article. Most places won't even commit to that for known authors.


Not true. Most professional publications in the paying market specifically request query letters from writers who are trying to sell an article. In the professional writing world, editors often won't look at unsolicited work and it gets relegated to the slush pile, where *maybe* an intern will go through the stack to see if there's anything worthwhile. If you send a professional query letter and an editor is interested, you'll be contacted and asked to see more or a completed draft. Also, in your query letter, include links to articles you've written before that can be shown as samples.
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