You Ask, We Answer: How to look good in shorts
Dinsa asks, “I have decided to concentrate on pitching shorts to magazines for awhile. By shorts, I mean the news and research based short pieces that run in the FOB section. These are usually 250-300 words. I would like some help on which magazines have short sections, and any info on the type of content they publish.”
The only way we could answer this question for you is to head to the bookstore or library ourselves. And given that it’s hovering around 26 degrees Fahrenheit in New England right now, we’re going to leave that homework up to you. Many, many magazines run 100- to 300-word shorts, but it’s impossible to tell without studying the magazines what type of info these magazines go for, or whether the shorts are written in house or by freelancers.
My advice is to pick 3 to 5 magazines you like and study the most recent issues. Just shooting off ideas to any old magazine that buys a lot of short pieces seems like a recipe for frustration. If you’re interested in food, for example, you might want to check out Cooking Light, Gourmet, Food & Wine, and Saveur. How do they structure their FOB sections? Are the pieces written by freelancers or staffers? What subjects do they tend to focus on? For example, Cooking Light‘s FOB section covers news about nutrition, food, fitness, beauty, and more, and the bylines and bios indicate this magazine works with freelancers. Saveur, on the other hand, tends to get anecdotal and personal in their “Fare” department, and their shorts often include recipes.
FOB sections are as distinctive as fingerprints. You’ll have to study these departments with as much energy as you study the feature wells. And while magazine editors are more likely to give a new-to-them writer a 250-word assignment, keep in mind that writing tight and right can be very hard to do. I was just telling Linda that I end up getting more revision notes on shorts than I do 1,250-word features.
I enjoy writing shorts, though, and I hope your new venture proves profitable *and* fun. Good luck!
Got a question for the Renegade Writers? Send it to questions [at] therenegadewriter [dot] com. [db]
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Jan 30, 2007 Advice, Magazines, You Ask, We Answer
sorry this is off topic — but I’d love to ask you a question and can’t figure out where to write! Either I’ve had one to many coffees today or it’s hidden.
Again, apologies and keep up the great work!
Ooops, sorry — I just added the address to the post. It’s questions [at] therenegadewriter [dot] com.
Thanks, for the info, Diana. It’s good to give me a start!
No problem!
On the shorts, my understanding is that this is a good way to get in the door. Also, from my experience, whether it’s good money or not depends on how fast you can write it and still deliver quality for what you’re getting paid (I know that wasn’t asked but … ). I’ve found that …
Taking a shorter assignment now and then from editors who usually give you longer ones lets them rely on you more and can bring you more lengthy assignments, as well. Some of these lessons have come hard but I’m learning!
This is a brilliant blog post title.
Thanks, Debbie.
David, I agree with you, especially if you’re a little green around the edges. I know some established writers don’t like doing them — they figure they’ve got the chops for a feature, so why should they prove their worth with 200 words? OTOH, I’ve talked to enough editors who’ve said they prefer giving all new-to-them writer a shorter piece to do because there’s no telling how much editing an established writer’s clips have gotten. The key is to grow your relationship with an editor. If you’ve done two or three short pieces, start pitching longer stories — that is, if you want to move on to longer pieces.
I found your link on WAHMS Who Write. This is great information. I haven’t read your book, but I may check into it. Is it available in physical bookstores too?
Welcome, Laura! Yes…both The Renegade Writer and The Renegade Writer’s Query Letters That Rock are available in some Borders and Barnes & Noble stores, as well as independent bookstores. If you can’t find it on the shelves, you may have to order it from the store.
Thank you for the tips, I will certainly give it a try. I assume they generally pay well since they’re published in magazines.