Beyond Trades and Newsstand Mags
You know what newsstand magazines are, and you know what trade magazines are. But what about custom publishers?
Custom publishers create magazines for corporate clients and organizations. For example, the magazine you get if you’re a Wells Fargo business customer is a custom publication. The free magazine you pick up at Shaw’s is a custom publication. That magazine at the checkout in Pier 1? A custom pub.
Many customer publishers exist, and some companies that produce consumer magazines, like Meredith (which publishes Fitness and Family Circle), also have a custom publishing division. Custom publishers often pay on par with newsstand magazines; for example, the custom pubs I write for pay $1.00 per word and up.
Writing for a custom publication is very similar to writing for a newsstand magazine; for example, you need to interview sources and write in a style that fits the magazine. However, you may be expected to mention the client’s products in your articles, interview the client’s customers as sources, or even let the client sources approve their quotes.
You can often break into a custom publication by sending a letter of intro to the editor. Even better, if that editor likes you, he’s likely to recommend you to editors of other pubs the company produces. Making our writerly lives easier is the fact that the Custom Publishing Council has a directory of custom publishers with links to their sites.
Have fun! [lf]
This is a great area to know about. Thanks, Linda!! I’ve been wondering about custom pubs for some time now and just haven’t had the time to research. Now I know exactly where to look (thanks for the link)!
What a great idea. Thanks for the tip, Linda! Is there any way to track down sample issues or should you just send a general letter stating your expertise with some clips?
I think this is a great tip. Do you think it’s better to establish contact with an editor at a custom pub via email or snail mail? I could put together a really nice portfolio of my work to send some of them, but wonder if a brief email would be just as effective and quicker.
Susan, I’d just check their website to get a idea of what they publish and then shoot them an e-mail. Do try to be familiar with the client…for example, if it’s a magazine for Shaw’s, you should know what Shaw’s is and what they sell.
Holly, I would send an e-mail just because it’s quicker, and if they want to see clips they’ll ask for them. However, if you feel like sending a nice package via mail, it certainly can’t hurt!
Do you know if it is best to pitch to these publications and send them queries or they don’t typically work on pitches; they assign stories? Thanks!
While I think that almost any magazine would welcome a well thought-out pitch, I broke into almost every custom pub through a letter of introduction. Good luck!