RETURN TO WRITING STRATEGIES

Mastering the Markets
By Terri Mrosko

When I began a full-time freelance writing career a year ago, I was unpublished except for some work I did during my 20-year corporate career. I knew I had to start locally, so I approached a weekly community newspaper in search of a byline.

The newspaper's editor agreed to give me a shot covering a local council meeting, thanks mainly to my offer to try it with no promises attached. When I returned with the article about the new community center, the editor bought the article on the spot. Twenty-five dollars and a byline, and I was ready to roll.

After a couple more "on spec" and accepted assignments, I approached a competing newspaper's editor. This time I was an "experienced" journalist who knew how to cover council meetings. I walked away from the interview with five article assignments and the designation of "community correspondent." In less than a year, my clip file grew to over 100 published articles.

My story underscores the need for a new writer to do whatever it takes to get those first clips, then build upon those clips using experience and credentials to land more lucrative assignments. Writers need to know how to use work written for smaller markets to leverage their way into larger markets.

Know Your Market

The first step is analysis of a particular market. Kelly Boyer Sagert, book author and managing editor of Over the Back Fence magazine, has sold over 500 articles to magazines, newspapers and encyclopedias. She says market analysis is more than just reading a magazine.

"Read editor's letters, check out their advertisements, and study angles of the publication," says Sagert. "Each publication has a mission and an underlying philosophy, and it's the writer who can pinpoint and uphold that who will get the reward -- publication."

Carol Lucas, a freelance writer and 15-year public relations specialist, agrees. Lucas says no matter what stage you are in your writing career, you must research the publication diligently and focus on your specialty and topic. By all means, says Lucas, make sure to read the publication before you query.

Expand Your Market

Once you've conquered a particular market, how do you know when it's time to move on to a different level or broaden your market to include a wider range of topics?

"As a writer, trust your gut to know when to move up," said Lucas. "If you have an excellent track record locally or regionally, your reputation and credentials should get you into a larger market."

Susanne Alexander has been freelancing for three years and feels you should always be thinking about expanding your horizons. She believes you shouldn't wait until you think you're ready, but act before you think you're ready to move on.

"We hold ourselves back far longer than we need to. Some people start at the national level and stay there and go international," said Alexander. "There's no reason to not take a chance and query on out. If you never get a yes, then get someone to look at your queries and clips and give you advice."

Sagert recommends pushing the envelope both upward and outward. "If you've written about parenting issues in your county's opportunities, present yourself as a parenting writer to editors who publish the next tier up in family/parenting publications. That's upward movement. There's also the broadening strategy. If you've always written marketing articles, consider writing pieces about economics."

Mastering the Markets

Once articles become easy to write, says Sagert, you've mastered that level. She cautions against abandoning your "bread-and-butter" publishing strategies, but suggests "tossing out bread crumbs" to see which markets might bite and enable you to move on to a more lucrative or prestigious level.

As an editor herself, Sagert reminds writers that while editors claim they want fresh and new stuff, what they really want is repackaged stuff (remember that mission statement). Take your tried-and-true successes and brainstorm ways to present them to editors in a new light.

Lucas says networking among peers and within appropriate professional groups at the regional and national levels is a good way to find out more about possible markets to try. She cautions writers to stick with their strengths and not aim to "hit the nationals" so much as to write well for whatever publication respects their skills. "I spend 90% of my writing time at the local or regional level," said Lucas. "I prefer that because it builds my credentials for my public relations business."

Alexander reminds writers to make sure the topic is of interest to a national audience, and that sources are spread nationally and not just local. "A well-crafted query works best at all levels," says Alexander.

Lucas and Sagert agree. Both say you should always present your best effort to any editor, whether national or local, at any stage of your career. Lucas does not do anything different when querying at the national level than she would for a smaller market.

"You want to build up a reputation as a professional -- and you never know when the editor of a publication might move up to a more prestigious spot," says Sagert.

The bottom line in mastering the different market levels is the level of confidence you have in your own writing and marketing ability. Learn to specialize and focus your attention upon what you know, and use that knowledge as the stepping stone to the next challenge. With each new byline, each new article accepted, and each new market conquered, you'll develop a renewed determination and resilience to further your writing career and achieve the success and independence you seek.

Copyright © Terri Mrosko. This article has appeared online at Inkspot and Writing-World.com. Please contact us if you would like reprint rights.