by A.E. Derby

Created on: February 05, 2007   Last Updated: May 22, 2012

Want to break into freelance writing? Magazines and newspapers are great markets for freelance writers. Because many magazines and newspapers rely heavily on freelance writers for the majority of their content, and because there are so many magazines and newspapers on the market, there are many opportunities for freelance writers to get plenty of work from both. You can learn how to make money writing for magazines and newspapers as a freelancer by following the following simple tips.

1. Find Your Market:

To find magazines or newspapers you'd like to write for, simply browse your local bookstore's magazine rack or your local newsstand. Consider what sort of pieces you'd like to write. Magazines use freelance writers primarily for feature articles (i.e., articles specifically about a person, place, or specific cause/issue or event), but some magazines also hire freelancers to do columns, including advice and letters columns, as well as news columns.

Search for magazines on topics you are interested in, and look for opportunities to write the type of pieces you would be good at. Newspapers use freelance writers for feature stories and opinion pieces, so whether you want to write short factual stories or more expressive opinionated writing, you can find something to write for a paper. Local newspapers are great places for new freelance writers to find work. Local papers tend to have small budgets, though, so the pay will usually not be as good as writing for a national paper or for a magazine. The same goes for independent magazines versus big magazines which have higher pay.

2. Read and Research:

It is important to read, or at least browse, any magazine or paper you want to write for before querying the editor or submitting. You want to familiarize yourself with the style and tone of the magazine to know what types of writing they publish. With magazines, you also need to abide by their writer's guidelines. Doing your reading and research will greatly improve your chances of getting a paying gig. While doing your research, always make sure to find the specific editors' names and information, as you will need these details to submit your queries.

3. Query the Editor:

Some publication editors prefer queries by email, while others prefer queries by postal mail only; make sure to query in the method preferred by the editor. In either form, your query letter should be as brief as possible.

The first paragraph of a query letter sells your idea. This is where you should

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