How to Get Published in a Magazine

By the staff of Woman’s Day Magazine

Know a magazine’s ins and outs. Before sending a query, read as many issues of the magazine as possible. Take note of regular columns and sections, as well as story topics. Familiarize yourself with the magazine’s tone and scope. Make sure you’re not sending a query for a topic that’s recently been covered. And know that magazines like the tried and true. If a magazine doesn’t have a poetry section, chances are it won't buy your poetry, even if it is fabulous.

Query the right person. Different editors edit different columns. Don’t just look at the masthead and randomly pick a name. Mastheads are constantly changing. It’s better to call the magazine and ask for the correct editor to pitch and how that editor prefers to receive queries—via fax, email or regular mail with a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). If you’re going to follow up with a phone call, be polite to the assistant you speak with; he or she is probably the person who read your query first and made recommendations to the editor.

Check your spelling. There is no bigger turn-off for an editor than receiving a query with her name misspelled or a query addressed to an editor who hasn’t been with the magazine for two years. The way the editor sees it, if you can’t find out the correct information for the query, it’s questionable that you’ll be able to find out the correct information for the story.

Keep it short and simple. The average time spent reading a query is probably 30 seconds to 1 minute. Keep your query limited to one page with your central idea easily identifiable. Explain what you want to write about, how you plan to organize it (or what column you suggest it for), who or what your sources might be and some specific examples. Also, forego decorative stationary. Some people may think it makes your query stand out, but it just looks silly to have rainbows and flowers all over work you want an editor to take seriously.

Realize that most magazines have a formula. Many writers send queries about ideas the magazine just would just never use. The best way to get published is to look at what the magazine already does and put a new spin on it.

Don’t expect a magazine to return your manuscript, clips or any photos you voluntarily sent them. The SASE you included was for a response only.

Type your query. If an assistant can’t read your handwriting, she’ll probably throw it out.

Don’t waste space by telling your life story. Editors don't need to know that your mother-in-law’s cousin once filed for Chapter 11 to see that you are interested in writing about financial budgets.

Be as specific as possible. Editors get many queries that cover vague ideas. For example, a query may state, “I want to write an article about diabetes.” What about diabetes? Are there any new studies? How will this article be different from the other five articles that we’ve run about diabetes in the past two years?

Don’t harass people. Keep in mind that each editor at a consumer publication often receives more than 40 queries every day. It may take anywhere from four to eight weeks for them to contact you. Calling their assistant every week isn’t helpful—it’s annoying. And no one wants to work with annoying people.

List where you’ve been published before, but don’t send every clip. Select a few standouts.

Start small. It is a lot easier to get an editor to take a chance on you for a short item than for a big feature. And it can be hard for an editor to brainstorm 4–5 ideas for certain columns every issue. Help them out by pitching good, short pieces that can be used for those sections.

Don’t get discouraged when you get rejected. Furthermore, don’t get discouraged when you are sent a form rejection letter. There simply isn’t time to comment on every query they receive. And remember, as a writer, you open yourself up to rejection. Accept it and move on.

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