Tips on getting stuff published/developing a portfolio

frimmers

Hi there,

Mods, forgive me if this has been discussed elsewhere and I've missed it.

I just want to ask anybody who has had stuff published on the internet, in magazines, in newspapers or whatever to let me know how they did it.

Please explain the process in as much detail as possible.

I am talking about sending unsolicited stuff to some form of print media and them actually going ahead and publishing it.

pickarooney

Look two threads down

EileenG

It's easier than you think getting stuff published in newspapers and some magazines. Generally, the more often something comes out, the more likely it is to need lots of material to fill its pages.

Start with something you have a personal interest in, or experience of, and where you know everyone involved so can do all interviews easily. Make sure it is suitable for your target paper. Then ring the editor involved (ask the receptionist when you ring the main number who you need to talk to) and discuss it. See if she is interested, and if so, when she wants it, how many words, and how much she will pay.

Trust me, asking for money makes you appear professional and will increase your chances. Saying you'll work for free for the thrill of being published won't.

Then produce what you promised, exactly as promised. Make sure it is accurate, polished, properly spelled and punctuated, and in whatever form the paper wants. It may not be published, but you'll have established yourself in that editor's mind as someone reliable.

As an example, one of the first pieces I wrote was after I noticed how often a blind friend of mine was turned away from shops and cinemas because they wouldn't allow his guide dog in. So we spent a day going round, writing down the responses from the various pubs, shops, restaurants etc, and then I wrote it all up. It turned into a two page spread with lots of photos and was the main feature in the Evening Herald.

It also led to a lot of publicity about guide dogs, so I was able to do a follow up article a couple of months later.

Publishing on the internet is easy, but I'd be wary if you want to make money from it. Once something is on the Net, it's very difficult to keep track of it, and you can easily lose your ability to prove it is your work and to profit from it.

Radios are similar to newspapers, in that they have a huge appetite for new material, but make sure you have picked your radio carefully and, very important, listen to see if they have used it. It's much harder to keep track of what material is being used on the radio. At least you can go into libraries and check back issues of newspapers.

pickarooney

I was a bit blunt earlier - I got distacted, sorry.
Have a look at Outburst's thread down the page; (s)he's looking for submissions all the time.

lmtduffy

frimmers wrote: »

Hi there,

Mods, forgive me if this has been discussed elsewhere and I've missed it.

I just want to ask anybody who has had stuff published on the internet, in magazines, in newspapers or whatever to let me know how they did it.

Please explain the process in as much detail as possible.

I am talking about sending unsolicited stuff to some form of print media and them actually going ahead and publishing it.

what exactly are you writing?

EileenG

frimmers wrote: »

I am talking about sending unsolicited stuff to some form of print media and them actually going ahead and publishing it.

Don't send unsolicited stuff without ringing or e-mailing first about it.

There's a good chance that they already have someone working on something similar, so you'll be wasting your time and be convinced that they stole your idea.

Even if you have the perfect idea at the right time, there's a good chance that without talking to the editor, you won't have it in the format they want, and they'll have to rewrite, which is a lot of trouble and will make you unhappy that they've changed what you wrote.