So - you've set your heart on writing for a diving magazine and you are going to be a diving journalist. You have a bank of publishable underwater photographs, several diving adventures under your belt and a good idea about how you would write them up in a new and interesting way. You decide to start off with one of the smaller magazines only to discover that they don't have any contributor guidelines.
This could be for numerous reasons:
The editor already gets enough unsolicited submissions and they don't really need anymore (but if yours is better then the rest, they'll still take it).
The editor isn't quite sure what they want, but they'll know it when they see it (a bit like quality, hard to define, but you know it when you experience it).
They haven't got round to writing them yet.
This shouldn't put you off - every magazine has to fill its pages every month and there is no reason why your copy shouldn't be on them. So, what can you do to find out what they are looking for? Unless you know the editor (always a bonus) isn't it going to be difficult to figure this out?
Not really - I'll use a case study to illustrate what I would do if I were thinking of pitching to a publication like the Underwater Journal.
The simplest and most direct way of finding out what the editor is looking for is to ask him or her. Obvious I know, but I'm forever reading posts on travel writer's forums from would be and supposedly experienced writers asking the question, "what are editors looking for?" This is a really big question, a bit like asking a group of people, "what does quality look like?" - I guarantee, every answer will be different.
So just ask them! If the editor has their contact details on their site or in their pages, it means they want people to write, e-mail or talk to them depending on what type of contact details they publish. The worst that can happen is that they don't answer the phone or reply, in which case I'd leave it a week, or ask one of the PA's (if they have one) when the best time to call is.
I figured out that Walt Stearns was the man behind the Underwater Journal even though the e-mail address for the magazine is an 'info@...' one. A little bit of homework will go a long way, even if it's just to find out what the editor's name is - better to write, 'Dear Walt,' than, 'To whom it may concern.'
And so, as a possible future contributor, I asked Walt what he was looking for. This was his reply:
Yes we do you accept freelance contributions. While we don’t have any formal set contributor guidelines established, the best way to see what we are looking for is to go back through all the issues (1 – 4) of the Underwater Journal. Articles from contributors that I have been impressed with have come from Douglas Ebersole, Bill (SeaYoda) Tipton and Ned Deloach.
I am not worried about your writing skills if they happen to be not very fluid or flowery. Truthfully, I see enough of vapid crap floating around with the writer going on and on about what it is he or she did, but, by the time your done, you still don’t know anymore than when you started.
What I look for most is to give the reader information as to the who, the what, the where and the why, as well as the how. Namely by addressing what it is they’re seeing, what makes it interesting, what they need to know on how and where it is they can find or get to it. We also not afraid of working copy in need of heavy editing. As long as you provide us with plenty of detailed information we can work with, we are likely able to make something out of it.
As far as topics go, sky is the limit – gear, travel, science, exploration, techniques, medicine, animals, photography, etc. As long as it pertains to diving and/or the marine environment, it’s going to get our attention.
So I will be interested in what ideas you might have. Especially if it pertains to diving here in the good ole U.S. of A. Even if it is something you might have done for another publication. There is always a way to rewrite something to make it sound new or with a different, even fresher perspective.
Our present rate for submissions (text and photos) is $200. I know that sounds small, but we are still in the growing stage of making ends meet. As we grow those who work with us now will see those rates improve as well as get the opportunity for comp (dive resort and live-aboard) travel to cover other stories.
We can also provide the advantage of Internet advertising – live link to your business (photo sales, shop, services) or business you are affiliated (dive shop, operation, training agency, etc.).
Regards,
Walt Stearns
561-624-7390
561-715-3164
Walt's first paragraph is excellent advice - if you want to know what the style of the magazine is, read it!
And note how 5WH appears as a guide to what to include (see the below post).
They also pay, $200 for an article isn't bad as a starter, and as this is a newish magazine (since Jan 2007), I can imagine there would be opportunities to become a regular contributor. This would, as Walt says in his reply, lead to commissioned assignments where your trip is paid for by those hoping to promote the destination or service.
So, what else can we find out about Walt and his magazine? To ensure my copy and photographs meet the magazine's needs I'd research what else Walt has been involved in. Thirty minutes with Google revealed the following:
Walt is the 'managing member' of Aquafield Communications LLC, Business Consulting Services, based at 313 Kelsey Park Cir, North Palm Beach, Florida. Aquafield Communications own the Underwater Journal and as they only employ one person, whose name just happens to be, Walt Stearns, you now know that this is a one man enterprise.
Walt's partner, Zena, may also be involved in this business, both Walt and Zena appear in an advertorial for Zeagle BCDs.
Walt hopes to launch a dive directory called The Aquapages.
Walt is a contributor to over 20 fishing, boating and diving magazines (you could learn a lot about diversifying from his website). I would read what he has had published elsewhere to get a feel for his writing style and then try to duplicate this in my copy.
Walt has an aspiration where: "we're partnering with Scubaboard to provide this collaborative forum site with the most current and informative content available." Not sure where this is up to, but I'll find out.
The readership of the Underwater Journal is: 41% USA, 21% Europe and 17% UK (isn't this in Europe?) - so I would write for these markets.
There's more stuff about Walt out there on the Web, but to go on might seem a bit creepy - is there such a thing as Internet footprint stalking?
So, when you discover there are no Contributor Guidelines, take some time out to do a bit of research, you'll find they exist, they're just not very obvious.
Keep writing...
Brendan
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