Guide to Finding Magazines to Write For
Selecting Periodicals as Potential Writer's Markets
Sep 24, 2009
Colin Harvey is an SF writer, so his bias will naturally be toward SF magazines, but he has also written non-fiction, and whatever field the writer is working in the principles are the same; only the names of the particular resources differ.
Physical Research
Writers interested in finding magazines should start in their local newsagent. Almost every subject imaginable has one or more magazines devoted to it, from Angling Times to Zoobooks. Even the most limited newsagents will carry the top-selling titles, which in the case of sci-fi tend to be devoted to magazine tie-ins to television series such as Dr. Who, Star Trek andand many others. The writer should buy at least one copy of each; if they are registered as a business entity with their equivalent of the IRS, it is tax-deductible, since it's classified as research.
If the writer is short of money, their town library will probably contain a list of magazines by subject. This will offer a greater variety.
Desk Research
Whether they can spend money or need to borrow copies, the aspirant should familiarize themselves with the contents of each magazine by reading at least a couple of copies to familiarize themselves with the in-house style.
Writers should read everything; the greater the variety, the better. The writer who travels by train or plane will find that every carrier has their own in-house journal. Harvey's travels to Iceland allowed him the opportunity to read Atlantica, an English-language magazine, which introduced him to the work of Pall Stefansson, and from there to the work of Bernard Scudder, who with his knowledge of The Icelandic Sagas, influenced the writing of Harvey's latest novel Winter Song. No opportunity, no matter how apparently tangential, should be overlooked.
The Internet
The internet is the greatest treasure trove for information imaginable. Harvey uses ralan.com as a specialist resource for SF and fantasy to hunt magazine and anthology markets, but Duotrope is a wonderful multi-genre and mainstream resource, and it allows the writer to input search parameters, thereby offering greater flexibility. Other excellent resources can be obtained from Poets & Writers, or the Writer magazine. They also provide markets in their own right, since they publish guest articles -- but the aspirant should be warned; competition for slots in these magazines is ferocious.
Lastly, most writer's organizations, such as the Science Fiction Writers of America, or the Crime Writers Association carry lists of qualifying markets. Non-fiction organizations will do the same.
There are an almost unlimited number of places for the writer to sell their work, if they have patience, and are prepared to devote the time and energy to doing so.
 |
