Wanted:
Outsiders
By Isabel Viana
Regional magazines and newspapers deal with a particular geographic area,
promoting it, reporting on it and offering related service pieces. They cover a
wide variety of topics, from travel and parenting to history and lifestyles. If
their titles don't reveal what their target audience is, their subtitles do:
Sunset: The Magazine of Western Living, Now & Then: The Appalachian
Magazine, Over the Back Fence: Southern Ohio's Own Magazine. While traveling,
easy places to find local publications are hotel rooms, visitor's centers and
chambers of commerce.
Does it make sense for locals to write for their region's markets? Sure. But
that isn't to say that they're closed to out-of-town writers. When I lived in
Georgia, I wrote for a Fargo, ND, home magazine for over two years. Because of
that contact, I also ended up writing a couple of other articles for a lifestyle
magazine that circulates in the same area. In addition, I broke into travel
writing by contributing to another regional magazine, the now defunct Fargo
Moorhead Today, and I wrote other travel articles for Durango Magazine.
Here, in question-and-answer form, is a look at how this type of writing is
done, what the advantages and disadvantages of these markets are, and what
editors are looking for from outsiders:
I've never set foot in Shangri-la. So how do I write for Shangri-la Living
Today?
Get on the phone and get your e-mail program running. The way to successfully
write for publications in regions you're unfamiliar with is by finding experts
from that area. When I wrote for the Fargo magazine, I called half a dozen of
that city's game and toy stores to write a 400-word piece on holiday gifts. For
an article on home inspections, I interviewed a home inspector running a
business in Fargo.
In addition, make your information specific to the region you're writing for.
Preparing a feature on roof coverings, I researched the best types of roof
materials for the harsh North Dakota climate, not the mild and humid Georgia
weather where I lived.
I've heard conflicting information about regional publications. Some writers
say they're easy to break into because these pubs receive few queries, but an
editor I talked to said she was up to her nose in submissions. I've also met
writers who make a living writing for regional magazines and newspapers and
others who decided the pay wasn't worth their effort. What's true?
All of it. Regional publications are individual markets, each with its own set
of editorial needs, writer's guidelines and pay rates. The pros and cons of
writing for them also will vary.
Brette McWhorter Sember, who regularly writes for regional parenting
publications and sells an e-kit for writers wanting to break into that market
(at www.mooseinthebirdbath.com),
has found that regional editors are more accessible than the ones in the
national magazines. Sember also points out that the lead time for the regional
parenting magazines is short-- in my experience, usually a month or less.
"This means you don't have to think a year or nine months in advance about
what topics would be seasonal and timely," she says.
Writing for regional markets outside of where she lives has been especially
advantageous to New Hampshire author Mary Emma Allen. As a result of publishing
in distant markets, she was invited to write Writing in Maine, New Hampshire
& Vermont: Guide to Publishers, Writers Groups, Educational Opportunities
and More... (Writer's World Press, 1997). Allen picks up newspapers and
magazines wherever she travels and tries to come up with article ideas. "I
wrote my 'Country Kitchen' column for a newspaper in Utah for several years
after looking at a weekly newspaper there and querying the editor," she
says. Some of Allen's columns, which covered cooking tips, food history,
regional cuisine, family food memories and humor, will be released in book form
as Tales from a Country Kitchen in June of 2003.
The pay scale within for the regional market ranges from a few dollars per
article to as much as $1.00 a word. To me, however, the biggest disadvantage of
working with some of the regional publications isn't a small check but the fact
that my payment can be reduced by my research expenses incurred in interviewing
experts. These expenses can include extended long-distance calls, sometimes
several for a single article.
While most regional publishers won't reimburse writers, you may still be able to
offset your expenses or avoid them altogether. I use e-mail for interviews
whenever possible and try to increase my per-article income by selling reprint
rights. Since most of these publications only ask for regional exclusivity,
you're free to sell multiple reprints after your article is first published.
According to Sember, shaky finances is another problem with regional magazines.
"Because funds are tight," she says, "magazines often plan to run
articles but then must cut them at the last minute due to a lack of
advertising." You can avoid this situation by having a clause in your
contract that stipulates how long a magazine can keep your article before you
can start shopping it to another market.
How do I break into a regional market that's far away?
Publications' travel and food departments are usually open to what's unique,
easy, cheap or fast without requiring a geographic connection. That makes them
good bets for out-of-town writers. Birmingham Magazine, for example, rarely
works with outsiders, except for its travel section. "We do travel stories
in spring and fall," says editor Rosalind Smith Fournier, "and if we
happen to want something from the writer's area, that writer would be a great
asset."
General-interest departments are also open to broad views. Boca Raton magazine
has a section that editor Lisa Ocker says is often written by an outsider.
"It's called 'Hitting Home' and it's about relationships, personal issues
and growth, home life, etc. Topics can range from dealing with modern-day stress
to simplifying your life," she says.
But perhaps the best advice comes from Linda Sherwood, editor of County
Families, a Michigan parenting magazine: "Someone outside my market area
can write feature articles for County Families. It starts with a great, timely
idea and a willingness to interview local experts. The query should show that
they are willing to interview local sources or have already thought of a way to
make it relevant to my coverage area. Next, they have to be willing to do the
work. The Internet can be a great starting point for an out-of-area writer, but
I don't want it to be the only place they look. I expect more than a visit to a
local Web site and a quick e-mail interview."
If your professional style matches Sherwood's description, I'm willing to bet on
your success with regional markets, no matter what distance separates you.
Here are some web resources if you're interested in writing for regional
publications:
* City and Regional Magazine Association's directory:
http://commerce.rsaa.com/citymag/
* Links to city and regional magazines:
http://www.bibliomaven.com/citymags.html
* Parenting Publications of America:
http://www.parentingpublications.org/
* Directory of magazines and newspapers searchable by subject, title and
country: http://www.newsdirectory.com
Originally appeared in The
Writer, May 2003. Reprinted with permission.
Isabel Viana's articles and essays have appeared in
Writer's Digest, The Writer, Writers' Journal as well as other publications.
She's also the instructor of the online course "Writing and Selling
Personal Essays" (http://www.Inspired2Write.com/workshop/pessay.html).
