Which magazines pay the best for articles?

jnap31 · #1 03/15/08, 01:48 PM

I am going to be writing some articles this winter more than likely and was thinking of submitting to the paying pubs I enjoy. Like countryside the best but no $ their and i am making my families living full time trying to farm two acres of rocks with some clay and lots of purchased compost so need to be paid. Thought maybe Back woods home or MEN any more sugestions? and ahich of those two pays the best? Thankyou.

Cash · #2 03/15/08, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jnap31

I am going to be writing some articles this winter more than likely and was thinking of submitting to the paying pubs I enjoy. Like countryside the best but no $ their and i am making my families living full time trying to farm two acres of rocks with some clay and lots of purchased compost so need to be paid. Thought maybe Back woods home or MEN any more sugestions? and ahich of those two pays the best? Thankyou.

What's your background in writing? Have you ever written freelance articles? Have you visited the websites of the magazines you admire and downloaded their writers' guides? Do you have any contacts on their staffs? Have you been asked to write for them? Are you aware that magazines like Backwoods Home and Mother Earth News receive literally hundreds of unsolicited articles each month and that 99.99 percent of them are rejected?

And I can stone-cold guarantee that any article that is written with as many grammatical and spelling errors as your post contains will not survive past the first five seconds that some intern spends on it as she works her way through the slush pile.

Sorry to be so blunt, but if you're looking for a way to make some money for your family, you will get a better return on your time by working in a 7-11. I've been on both sides of this equation, and it's no fun.

marvella · #3 03/15/08, 04:32 PM

or... you could pick up a copy of writers market for 2008 and find out what their guidelines are. each one is different and needs to be submitted in different formats/ cover sheets, etc.

they will also list how each publication pays. however, in my experience, most specialty mags ( like about homesteading that appeals to only a few people) don't pay at all. the most you can expect is a free years subscription.

a college level composition I class can be extremely helpful as well, even if you already write.

i write a column for the local paper. in exchange for a years subscription (close to $100/ yr) i am obligated to turn in an article a month. i just do it because i'm a tight wad and don't want to pay for the paper.

Bonnie L · #4 03/15/08, 04:34 PM

I subscribed to this thread hoping for some ideas for myself. I've been writing newspaper articles on food, preserving, & local businesses, but they don't pay too well. I know there's more money in magazines, but also more difficulties.

Bonnie L · #5 03/15/08, 04:41 PM

Which reminds me, could somebody explain "clips" to me? Are Xerox copies good enough? Or a print copy off my computer with publishing info? Or do I need to get multiple copies of the newspapers?

Tia!

Elizabeth · #6 03/15/08, 04:49 PM

jnap- if you are writing about your experiences earning a living from a couple of acres of rocks and clay, you should write some articles for Countryside mag. Even if they don't pay for the articles it can give you some valuable experience, plus, you can always use anything that you have already had published as a reference to other prospective publications.

Plenty of good homesteading/gardening/back to the land writers were published by Countryside early in their careers. Let's see, Gene Logsdon comes to mind right away, and I know there are a few others who I cannot recall at the moment, but if you ever read through old copies of the magazine you would be surprised at how many names you would recognize from writers who went on to write books as well as articles for some of the bigger mags.

Dubi · #7 03/15/08, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonnie L

Which reminds me, could somebody explain "clips" to me? Are Xerox copies good enough? Or a print copy off my computer with publishing info? Or do I need to get multiple copies of the newspapers?

Tia!

Bonnie,
I think a photocopy is usually acceptable as a clip nowadays. A copy of the published article would be preferable to a copy of the manuscript printed off your computer. It would also work to your advantage, since it proves that the article was actually published.

cchapman84 · #8 03/15/08, 09:47 PM

I would recommend trying to write for some websites instead of trying to go straight into magazines. I've been writing online for over a year now, and probably make better money at it than I would writing for magazines. And, I'm building up a sizable portfolio so that I can start pitching articles to the larger magazines that actually pay decent money. Writing is not an easy business to get into. I spent a year writing on my own blog without making any money, then finally started applying for writing jobs on other blogs and got lucky with a gig on one of the most popular blogs in the world, which has opened a lot of other avenues for me. But I still had to put in a year of writing literally 3-4 articles a day for my own blog to have something to show (I have since cut back quite a bit, it's basically impossible to write that much for any amount of time, no matter how much you love it).

texican · #9 03/15/08, 09:56 PM

To heck with writing.........

why are you paying for compost???

Scrounge, my man, scrounge. Pick up the bags of leaves when it's leaf raking time. Make friends with all of the tree clearing operations (urban lots, rural electric line clearing, etc.) to get all of their chips... spend a little time looking around, surely there's some free organic matter somewhere... do you have a radio 'swap shop'... we do... I'd be calling every couple a days asking for any kind of organic matter I could get my hands on... rotten hay is the best...

ok..., I'll let the writers get back to recommendin'...

donsgal · #10 03/15/08, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jnap31

I am going to be writing some articles this winter more than likely and was thinking of submitting to the paying pubs I enjoy. Like countryside the best but no $ their and i am making my families living full time trying to farm two acres of rocks with some clay and lots of purchased compost so need to be paid. Thought maybe Back woods home or MEN any more sugestions? and ahich of those two pays the best? Thankyou.

Go to the library and borrow the 2008 (or 2007) Writers Market. It's in the reference section. There is one section on magazines which explains who pays for what and how to get the writers guidelines, format for submission, etc. Very informative and handy.

donsgal

Cash · #11 03/16/08, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonnie L

Which reminds me, could somebody explain "clips" to me? Are Xerox copies good enough? Or a print copy off my computer with publishing info? Or do I need to get multiple copies of the newspapers?

Tia!

A Xerox of the article as it appeared in the publication is acceptable. If it appeared on the web, then send a printout of the web page and the URL if it's still online. I can't speak for every publication, but many do NOT want PDF files attached to an e-mail.

Best advice -- ask first. As already noted above, find a copy of Writer's Market or, for more current info, check the writer's guidelines most publications have on their websites.

anniew · #12 03/16/08, 10:42 AM

I don't know if you've written before, but the mags are probably the most picky about your writing, plus the hardest to break into.
Try writing regularly for a local weekly...it may be covering meetings or special events. This will give you some clips, plus get you in the habit of writing regularly.
It will also give you some topics that you could use in other publications.
A step up from a weekly is a daily which I don't recommend for a newbie, but you may be able to step up to a trade publication. In agriculture there are plenty of newpaper type weeklies that need a lot of copy. I have written for more than one of those. To find what is out there (some are not listed in Writers Digest), go to the local extension office, and usually they will have a rack of all sorts of publications. My local one has at least three if not four ag publications that cover the northeast region.
These pubs are more likely to find a spot for you.
Part of the problem with freelancing is that you have to be constantly marketing your writing...meaning you have to be submitting queries constantly. After you do a few articles for one pub, they may like your stuff, especially if it is timely and written well, so that future queries, if chosen carefully, will be accepted easily.
Don't forget to market the same idea to different pubs at the same time to pubs that have different coverage areas and/or are in non-competing markets.
I used to do reporting for two weeklies that had minimal overlapping coverage areas and they didn't mind that I reported for both. Then if a meeting had something with an agricultural slant to it, I could query/submit that to an ag publication that covered a larger region and had a different readership.
The ag trade pub I worked with also had construction, waste handling, quarrying and other trade papers. With overlapping editors and/or managing editor, it was easy to get into those areas.
It takes time and effort to get yourself established. But once you are "in" you will find it easy to keep your schedule so full that you may not have time to garden!!!!
Good luck.
Ann

MTNwomanAR · #13 03/16/08, 07:53 PM

Jnap, I can't help you with the writing thing...but I remember that Fayetteville has some kind of compsoting program, where you can bring a truck and get a load of compost for 5-10 dollars per load??? Not sure if they still do it....but if they do, it would be a good deal. I understand what you are saying about the clay and rocks.....my place is the same way....I plant stuff in tires, using some of the better dirt from my place, and some potting soil.....works really wel..

rabbitgal · #14 03/16/08, 08:19 PM

Just an idea... Are there any volunteer organizations in your area that need help with PR? I got involved with one not too long ago. Turns out the regular PR guy, who is a professional in the field, has been looking for someone to help him out and he has offered to mentor me in PR/journalism just so he has some help with his duties. I'm thrilled!

I'll also be able to network with the media people in the area and break into the field, so later on when I want to start pitching my own ideas, I'll have some connections in the local papers and such.

Don't be afraid to think outside of the box...

hunter63 · #15 03/16/08, 08:22 PM

I have had two articals published in MEN, one a DIY "Woody's Folding Tomato Stands" ($300) and another a "Country lore tip", Portable Truck Vise ($50 bucks).
The vise was also published in Handy Man Mag, tip of the month. ($250 bucks)

Actually they were solicited by their assistant editor after I wrote about them in the MEN forum.
I submitted them by E-Mail to them, w/pics and they did the editing, rewriting, etc.
I had to sign a form, (signature on file now) and they sent a check.
Not gonna get rich, but it was fun seeing your stuff published.

MELOC · #16 03/16/08, 09:34 PM

wanna post the tomatoe stand design in the gardening forum hunter63?

akhomesteader · #17 03/16/08, 09:58 PM

I've been published in both BackWoods Home and BackHome magazines. They both pay about the same. The big thing is pictures and graphics they both like good pictures to illustrate their articles. Don't let anyone talk you out of submitting articles and don't get bummed out if you get a rejection they will usually tell you why they couldn't use your article. Get someone to proof your work.
I would send a query by email give them a brief outline, word count, and what you have for illustrations or pictures.
They both have submission guidelines online.

Good Luck

hunter63 · #18 03/17/08, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MELOC

wanna post the tomatoe stand design in the gardening forum hunter63?

Sure.
Here it is:

http://homesteadingtoday.com/showthr...24#post2945324

MELOC · #19 03/17/08, 10:27 AM

thanks...nice job!

seedspreader · #20 03/17/08, 10:51 AM

Anyone interested in honing their writing skills and perhaps gaining some experience can write for The Modern Homestead. I make zero dollars off the site, so I don't pay anything, but it's in an online "zine" type format along with some forums. I recently had an author of a homesteading book contact me and he has already submitted a couple of articles that will be coming out within the next week.

He has written "dozens of articles for (the original) Mother Earth News, and for Counrtyside Magazine, Dave Duffy's Backwoods Home Magazine, and others". I look forward to his participation and perhaps he will even write about writing!