Creative Market
Research
By Erika Dreifus
Here's something most writers learn pretty early in their careers: before you
submit a query, article, story, essay, or poem for publication, you should read
at least one copy of the magazine, journal, or newspaper that you're hoping will
accept it. You'll find this directive in nearly every set of writers'
guidelines. It's part of the basic recipe for success.
But here's something writers also quickly learn: buying even a single sample
copy of each magazine or journal can get expensive when you're targeting many
publications. What should a writer do if she doesn't want to break the bank, but
has exhausted the clear alternatives, such as scouring the periodicals section
of the local library and reading every magazine available in the dentist's
waiting room?
Don't despair. You may need to beg and borrow a little, but you can solve this
dilemma. Here are ten ways to go about it. And I promise: you won't need to
steal.
1) Visit Websites
This one is easy. These days, most publications maintain websites. If the market
you're targeting is print-only, it's likely that you'll find at least some of
its content on the Web, too. You may also discover special subscription offers
advertised online (see No. 8 below). In some instances, you may even learn that
simply submitting an e-mail request or sending a self-addressed, stamped
envelope will net you a complimentary sample copy.
2) Enlist the Kindness of Non-strangers
Family and friends can help, too, and they don't have to lift a finger. Members
of my extended family know that when I visit I'll be examining the magazines on
their coffee tables and in their recycling baskets. Why not? We're all different
people, with different interests and lives. Their subscriptions are not
necessarily the same as mine. (Of course, be sure to ASK before you start
rifling through anyone's recycling bin!) I've even gone so far as to ask
relatives from one state to bring a copy of their regional magazine to a family
gathering in another state, and they were happy to oblige.
3) Make a Wish List
You probably have a list of books you'd love to receive as birthday or holiday
gifts. Maybe you've even posted it online. Why not make one for magazines or
literary journals, too?
4) Remember the Freebies
Going on vacation? Don't forget to take that complimentary copy of the inflight
magazine when you leave the plane. Watch for local publications in sidewalk
newsboxes and at retail locations while you're away, too. (Don't forget them
while you're back home, either! Alternative newsweeklies and parenting monthlies
are two types of publications I've often found for the taking in bookstores,
pharmacies, and many other settings.) Ask your traveling friends and family to
stash away the complimentary copies they run across, too.
5) Pool Your Resources
If you belong to a writing group it's time to launch a true circulating
"library" of your own. Share the wealth of journals and magazines that each
group member may have accumulated. Starting from scratch? Even if a group of
five poets begins with nothing, if each member buys a single journal copy each
writer instantly obtains access to five.
6) Maximize Your Conference Fees
I've attended a number of writing conferences where magazine and journal
publishers offer free (or at least, substantially discounted) copies or
subscriptions. I'm convinced that for several years the value of the bagful of
literary journals I've hauled home from the Association of Writers and Writing
Programs annual conference, for example, has equaled, if not exceeded, the price
of my conference registration.
7) Redeem Your Frequent-Traveler Miles
Many frequent flier programs-- including those for American Airlines,
Continental, Delta, Midwest, Northwest, and US Airways-- allow you to redeem
miles to purchase magazine subscriptions. Check with your airline's frequent
flier program for details and magazine selections. (For train travelers,
Amtrak's Guest Rewards program also allows you to redeem points to purchase
magazines.)
8) Accept Trial Issues
Sometimes these offers arrive in your mailbox; sometimes they pop up on your
computer screen. "Claim your FREE issue right now!" "Order your Risk-Free
Trial Issue!" Always be sure to read the fine print of these offers, but don't
ignore them, pesky as they may be.
9) Check out TradePub.com
This service helps trade magazines acquire subscribers, who apply for free
subscriptions (and trial subscriptions) through the website. Magazine categories
include agriculture, construction, education, finance, healthcare, and many
others. If you're a writer living outside the United States, you'll also
appreciate finding the magazines here divided by "Canada Eligible,"
"International Eligible," and "Mexico Eligible."
Whether you beg friends or loved ones to buy you a single magazine for your
birthday, borrow journals from writer buddies, or utilize one of the other
strategies suggested here, you've got options. You can get those sample copies.
You don't need to spend a fortune, and you sure don't need to steal.
Erika Dreifus
probably collects far too many sample copies of magazines, newspapers, and
literary journals for her own (or her apartment's) good. She also edits and
publishes "The Practicing Writer," a free monthly newsletter for fictionists,
poets, and creative nonfiction writers. Visit her website at
http://www.practicing-writer.com and keep up with her Practicing Writing
blog at
http://practicing-writing.blogspot.com.
