Nonfiction Magazines
Part 3 of a multi-blog series on how many ways there are for writers of all stripes to make a living doing what they love. Check out #1 over at FictionalCafe.com.
Thousands of print magazines are out there, and they all need somebody to fill their pages each and every month. Most pay enough you’ll make $200 to several thousand per assignment.
You’ve seen these at the newsstand, on airplanes and on waiting room tables. If you’ve thought about writing nonfiction professionally, there’s a good chance this is what you thought of first. A lot of people are starting to think print is dead or dying, but the market for solid writers to serve print media is still huge. There is a place for you if you’re willing to work for it.
Pros
- Bottomless market
- High rate of pay per word
- Feels good to have that print magazine on a shelf
Cons
- Hard to break in
- Even harder to get recurring assignments
- (Often a) long lag time between pitching and payment
Find Submission Guidelines at…
- Wooden Horse Publishing Database
- Scan the rack at your office and hobby stores
- Writers’ Market
- Google “(Magazine you want to write for) submission guidelines)”
Pro Tip
The highest-paying magazines don’t take a chance on features ($1.00 a word for a couple thousand words in many cases) with somebody they don’t know. Break in with a shorter piece in the “front of book” section — those little 100-200 word blurbs in the beginning of most consumer magazines.