Becoming publishable
Researching potential markets
Once your masterpiece is complete, it’s tempting to open up your market list at random, pick a publisher or magazine, and send the manuscript out. Unfortunately, that’s a fast way to get rejected.
Market research can start before you even write your first story. You can, of course, write a story and then find a market. I’ve done this often, usually because the story is important to me and I’ll be glad I wrote it even if no one ever buys it. It’s also a good way to build your skills when you’re just learning to write. The more you write, the better you’ll be.
If you’re feeling ready to start selling, however, you might consider trying to target a story to a publication. Choose a dream publication, probably not the most important magazine in the store if you’re just starting out. Begin with a smaller or midsize magazine. Read at least one year of the publication. If it’s a magazine you read and love, that’s the best place to start, but if it isn’t, you can often find the magazines at the library.
What are you reading for? You’ll be taking notes as you read, just like school homework. Notice:
- What types of articles and stories they like. Most magazines aren’t creative. They want articles just like what they’ve already published (new topics, same catagories.)
- What they’ve already covered in the past year (because they probably won’t buy another one on that subject this year.)
- Who their readers are.
- The ages, income levels, marital status, employment status, and other details of people talked about in the magazines and articles. If all their articles feature interviews with women in their twenties, your article on turning fifty probably won’t interest them.
- The advertising. This tells you what they think their readers consider important. Ads entirely for ballet, opera, and stock market guides are in entirely different magazines than ads for cosmetics and pop stars.
- The style of the wring. Is it formal, informal, breezy, or gentle? Do they use big words or keep the vocabulary simple? Do they use slang? Do they use swear words? Are the articles and stories provocative or do they have traditional values?
If you’re researching a book publisher, get this year’s catalogue, which may be online, and read books similar to yours. If there aren’t any, you may have the wrong publisher. Someone who only does children’s books will not publish your adult romance no matter how good it is.
Purchase a writer’s market (my favorite is at the end of this article, with another favorite to the right of the article. Study it carefully and don’t presume they will make exceptions for you because you’re so talented. They won’t. Follow their guidelines and send them only what they want in the way they want it. Visit their website for more insights.
