Short Articles

by Kathryn Tyler

Beginning writers often hear how they should gather clips in newspapers or smaller magazines before trying to crack the big markets. Though this is good advice, it can take a long time to reach markets that pay more than two cents a word on publication. When your words mean dinner on the table (or not), two cents won’t buy refried beans!

To keep myself in tortillas, I’ve found that I can get assignments from major magazines if I start modestly with 50-400 word fillers and articles. You can, too, if you follow these guidelines.

Why Submit Short Pieces?
Writers who scoff any article under 700 words are missing a great opportunity to break into new markets. Editors of national magazines are leery of new writers, particularly those without clips of previously published work, because they wonder if an unknown writer can deliver the promised goods. But when the proposed article is only 300 words - and you’ve already demonstrated in your query letter that you can adequately write more than 300 words - editors are more willing to take a chance.

Short articles can help you can score points with editors. After you’ve written several short pieces for a magazine, you’ve paved the way for longer assignments. Thus, when your query for a 1,500-word feature article on money-saving gadgets crosses your editor’s desk, she will be more receptive to your proposal.

Also, fillers and short articles in major magazines pay better than full-length features at small ones. It may seem absurd to think you can get more money for an article that takes half the time and effort, but it’s true. Most large magazines pay $0.50 to $1.00 per word or more. My first published article was only 200 words. I sold it to Woman’s Day for $1.50 a word! And since most national publications pay on acceptance, you won’t be writing holiday cards when you get paid for your summer fun article.

Furthermore, short pieces invariably produce a surplus of facts and quotations you can use for future articles on the same topic at other publications. Since you’ve already been paid for the research once, future articles yield a larger profit margin. Include a copy of your short article to prove interest in the topic exists and you are qualified to write on it.

Where To Submit
How do you find magazines that need short articles? Almost every national magazine on the market uses them. The trick is to find ones that accept freelance submissions.

Flip through any major magazine you enjoy reading. It’s easiest to start with a magazine you like and with which you are well acquainted. Look for columns, fillers, and short articles in the table of contents under “In Every Issue.” They often appear as a collection. If each contribution in the collection has a different byline, there’s a good chance the magazine accepts freelance submissions. Cross reference the bylines with the masthead (a list of the individuals who work on the magazine). Sometimes short articles are staff-written or a mixture of staff-written and freelance.

If a byline recurs repeatedly, is listed under “Contributing Editors,” or appears with a photograph of the columnist, you can safely assume this department is covered by a regular contributor. Many editors won’t even consider your idea if they already have a working relationship with another writer.

What To Submit
Once you’ve determined that the magazine accepts short freelance submissions, you need to cultivate appropriate ideas. Study several back issues. What type of shorts have they bought in the past? Humor? News? How-to tips? Make a list. What topics have they covered? Can you think of any related articles you’d be interested in writing?

For instance, a national magazine that features news briefs related to women’s issues recently covered ATM safety, an experimental treatment for breast cancer, and a new law banning smoking in government buildings. Perhaps the magazine would be interested in the trend toward women-only health clubs, or a new way to avoid credit card fraud. Choose a subject or slant that can be adequately covered in the allotted number of words; tightly focus your idea.

But the magazine itself isn’t the only place to find inspiration. Just about any printed material contains the seeds of an article: trade journals, junk mail advertisements, lecture programs, travel brochures, etc. One of the best places to obtain article ideas is underneath your coffee cup: the daily newspaper. Newspapers are timely and usually cover “just the facts” which leaves a lot of room for expansion or re-slanting. Glean article ideas from short human interest stories with broad appeal. Avoid the major news stories which will have been overdone and outdated by the time a magazine goes to press.

Though you shouldn’t disregard your hometown paper, I’ve discovered that newspapers serving metropolitan areas contain the most promising stories. I got the idea for one of my first articles from a short San Diego newspaper article on a proposed California law that would ban businesses from charging men and women different prices for the same product or service. I thought the bill would interest women from other parts of the country, and so did the editor who bought it. Now I regularly scour the newspaper for new topics and fresh approaches to old ones.

One advantage to plucking ideas from the newspaper is you can use the article as a starting point. How is the article organized? What studies are cited? Who did the reporter interview? Perhaps you could interview that person also. Don’t rely on someone else’s research, though. Always go to the source.

Finally, remember to use your knowledge and resources. What expertise do you have - from past research or personal experience - that would interest the readers of this publication? Does your job give you access to little-known information? Whom do you know that you could interview? By using what you already know or can easily find out, you achieve the best time-to-pay ratio. After all, a short piece is unprofitable if it takes you the same amount of time to write as a feature article.

How To Write And Submit
Some magazines, like Reader’s Digest, provide submission instructions at the bottom of the column or elsewhere in the magazine. Otherwise, review the publication’s listing in a current issue of Writer’s Market or Literary Market Place. Also, send for the writer’s guidelines which can provide valuable information, such as the name of the editor to whom you should direct your idea or manuscript.

Still unsure whether to query or not? If the article is longer than 200 words or requires more research than a local telephone call, it may be best to query before you invest a lot of time or expense. The worst that could happen is you’ll get a letter saying the editors prefer to see completed manuscripts for short articles. But if you mail in your completed manuscript and the magazine only accepts queries, your submission may be returned unread.

If your chosen publication prefers complete manuscripts, keep a few guidelines in mind while writing your piece. First, write concisely. Don’t try to cut an 800-word piece down to 400 words as it will come out choppy. Instead, count words as you go along and revise whenever necessary. Second, use colorful nouns and verbs which will eliminate the need for most adjectives and adverbs. Third, use bullets and lists to pack your article with information. And finally, include brief quotations from experts which add depth and authority to your writing. But use them sparingly because attributions (i.e., Jane Doe, a clinical psychologist at Anywhere State University) take up a lot of words.

Though you may gain more impressive clips by writing features for smaller magazines, short articles for major magazines give you national exposure, excellent pay, and the opportunity to earn longer assignments. You also gain credibility when you query other publications. Who needs to know how long your article was? You need only say, “I’ve been published in Reader’s Digest.”