Questions always come into Sunoasis about writing for
magazines. It's a very dynamic industry and very difficult
to break into the high profile publications.
Some of the anecdotal
evidence tells us that the magazine industry is a snobby
one and you move according to the reputation of your
last gig.
One piece of advice: Start in the trade
magazines. They are much more likely to hire a person
coming out of college or making a transition from another
profession. And try to define the two or three
areas you want to become expert at. Make these areas
your own by turning them over and over again with different stories and slants.
A staff writer at a magazine will work under the tutelage of an editor. The staff writer
is expected to come up with ideas as well as accept assignments.
Unlike newspapers, magazines are published weekly or monthly to allow more development
in feature stories. A staff writer could write an investigative piece one month and do
an interview with a celebrity the next month.
We mentioned internships last month and a subscriber
wrote in to tell us about her experiences in New York
City. "In my case, I just asked! They seemed happy
to hire someone who would work for practically nothing."
It should be noted that the American Society of Magazine
Editors has a very respected internship program.
The following is a list of the largest publishers of consumer and trade magazines in the
United States. Contact these companies to get information about internships and
jobs:
Busines-to-business Magazine Companies:
Source: Career Opportunities in Magazine Publishing by Ralph Monti, published
by Special Interest Media
Back to Staff Writers
If you have any questions about careers in writing, editing, copywriting
don't hesitate to ask!
For those new to the Net or overwhelmed by the nature of the
online job market I suggest you look at the Cyber Search Tutorial.There
are more job boards and classifieds from metro newspapers.
Don't forget to visit Sunoasis Joblog for
daily updates on the writing and publishing industry.
