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The Career Niche By James Robert Daniels
How many careers have you had so far? If you're like most people these days, you'll say, "more than one." I've had several myself, progressing (I would hope) from design to community planning to writing-- with other endeavors contributing their share of experiences to drawn upon. Even BarbieTM had been successful in 70 different careers the last I heard, and she's a doll! If you have a broad education and diverse experience, that's a good thing. As the great French sculptor Auguste Rodin said, "Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely."
Use your experience wisely, whether from school, jobs, prior careers or the contacts you've made. Writers Dan Case and Peggy Fielding advise that these are the perennial top magazine subjects: family, health, business (or money), sports, sex, and self-improvement. You'll always find paying markets for stories about careers, jobs, business or anything else that involves earning a living.
A weekly publication that's totally written by freelancers is The Employment Times, distributed throughout Maine and New Hampshire. It is "dedicated entirely to career services and information." You can get writer's guidelines by e-mail from Publisher Anne Craigs at acraigs@maine.rr.com and she accepts submissions by e-mail, as well. The rate is a flat fee of $100 for articles and essays of 1,000 to 1,500 words. What they want is a unique perspective on "the world of work" written from personal experience. In other words, write what you know!
Entrepreneur is for readers who own their own businesses-- or want to. A profile of a successful business career person or small company can have its own magazine on the newsstands, if the editorial team at Entrepreneur picks your feature for the special issue they put out called Start-Ups. This is a dollar-a-word market that covers all facets of running and growing a successful business. They're always looking for information, advice, and innovative business strategies for entrepreneurs. Along with a feature of 1,800 words, they love sidebars, charts, pictures, and boxes. There are also seven departments for 300-word articles to give you lots of options for breaking in here. This is a great way to interview business-wise people in your area, do them a favor, and make money. You can send queries to executive editor Karen Axelton by e-mail, and do include your resume and clips with it. Says Axelton, "We simply want writers who can succinctly, skillfully, and interestingly tell us why their story needs to be in Entrepreneur." Writers' guidelines are available at http://www.entrepreneur.com online.
Media giant Time Warner, Inc. publishes Business 2.0 to cover business in the Internet economy. Managing editor Josh Quittner welcomes e-mail queries on "new and innovative ideas that are fundamentally changing the game of business… smart companies… and the people who lead them… using strategy, technology, and innovation to succeed." Search out the success stories and the hot trends to earn $.50 to $1.00 per word here. Look it up on the Internet (of course) at http://www.business2.com
As you might suspect, MyBusiness is for small business owners; specifically for those in the National Federation of Independent Business. The rates go up to $1,000 for articles (up to 1,800 words), and there are sections for short (200- to 400-word) pieces, often a good way to break into a new-to-you magazine market. Their philosophy is that small business isn't just a job, "but a movement, a cause, an adventure, a lifestyle… We seek to highlight and celebrate the people and ideas making this movement a reality." In addition to their mission statement, you can check the editorial calendar on the website http://www.mybusinessmag.com and send your query (with a resume and clips) by e-mail to editor and publisher Rex Hammock. Here's a sampling of the editorial content: In the December 2006-January 2007 issue, The Entrepreneurial Gene; How to Raise a Small-Business Owner; The Essential Guide to Insurance and How to Protect Your Business. The Editorial Calendar for February/March 2007 calls for covering the theme, "Yawn" with these topics: How to Keep From Getting Bored With Your Business; The Essential Guide to Small-Business Taxes and How the 2006 Tax Code Affects Your Small Business.
People are living longer and beginning new careers at all ages. The biggest, arguably the best, and among the highest-paying of magazines serving "the 50-and-over set" is AARP the Magazine. With the world's biggest magazine readership, it pays $1.00 per word and up for features and departments that cover many categories, including Finance-- investments, legal matters and work issues and Profiles-- or first-person stories-- of people who have made a dramatic change in their lives. The website is at http://www.aarp.org and you can query by e-mail, but it may be wiser to use snail mail, as submissions go to the general-purpose "members" e-mail address.
At the other end of the prime readership range is the youth market, where boy or girl meets working world. Career World (http://www.weeklyreader.com/teachers/careerworld/) is a bimonthly for high school and junior high students who are preparing for higher education and making career choices. This Weekly Reader publication looks for articles on specific occupations, career awareness and development, evaluating interests, getting hired, and finding out about the hot jobs. Send queries with your resume and clips to managing editor Anne Flounders at aflounders@weeklyreader.com or request a sample copy and their current rate information.
The Next Step Magazine is distributed through high school guidance counselors five times a year. Most articles run 800 to 1,000 words and the pay is usually $30 to $150, negotiated for each article with the writer for all rights. Send queries by e-mail to editor in chief Laura Jeanne Hammond at laura@nextSTEPmag.com for career articles that "address several careers available to those who study one field. For example, an article on journalism careers could highlight reporter, anchor, photojournalist, editor, and freelance writer instead of profiling just one person." On the Internet, see http://www.nextstepmag.com for an intro to the mag.
CIRCLE K is published six times a year for "above-average college students" who are "committed to community service and leadership development." You need interviews and research, rather than personal insights and experiences, to sell an article on leadership, career development, self-help, and community involvement here. Payment on acceptance is $150 to $400 for 1,000 to 1,500 words. Queries can be faxed, e-mailed or mailed to Kasey Jackson. Get the writer's guidelines in Adobe .pdf format on the website at http://www.circlek.org/circlek/magazine
Between the magazine categories of "Career" and "General Interest" is a department in Readers Digest, "All in a Day's Work." Think about the funny thing that happened at work one day, tell a good story in 100 words or less, and pick up $300. There's an online submission form at http://www.rd.com/submitjoke.do?lid=19 to make it quick and easy, too.
As lucrative as writing about careers can be, don't neglect to "use the experience wisely" from your past lives in other ways. If you've been a real estate agent before, write for the consumer magazines and trade journals that agents, brokers, buyers, and sellers read. Real estate is a hot topic these days. Expand your horizons more, and write about real estate in other places you've been for travel magazines-- there are more of these than ever, and some are top markets. Look into the high-paying airline in-flight magazines, as well as those published for companies and organizations that cater to the traveler and the expatriate communities.
Every career has taught you more than the job you held, if you've paid attention. Apply your expertise with articles for the general category of consumer magazines, whether women's magazines, health publications… you name it, they all want something interesting and useful that you may have picked up when you were a bookkeeper, a secretary or a mechanic. You can put all your past work experience into your career as a writer.
James Robert Daniels has worked his way into a niche, writing about careers for various media, including book publishers Booklocker.com and FabJob.com, teen magazine The Next Step, Institute for Career Research reports, a government book on how to operate a Naval Station and website content for JobMonkey.com. Jim's latest book on inventing as a career choice is available online at http://www.FabJob.com/inventor.asp?affiliate=1006
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