By W. Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

When you boil it down to the basics, writers and editors are both seeking the same thing: excellent writing. For many years, I’ve been writing for magazines and I’m a former magazine editor. One of the publications (Decision) where I was Associate Editor reached 1.8 million people with each issue. While editors and writers are focused on excellent writing, I also understand what qualifies as “excellent” is subjective.

I want to propose three ways to improve your article or query submissions so you can improve your rate of publication success. One of the keys is to understand the role of the editor and how to write what the editor wants. The editor knows their reader and target market.

Read the magazine cover to cover with analysis before submitting. It may sound like a basic, but you would be surprised at what writers pitch without ever reading the publication. As you read the magazine, study the details. Do staff members write most of the publication? Do they publish freelance writers who are not on the staff? Do they have regular features? Who writes these features and is there an opportunity for you to write this material? You can learn a great deal as you study the publication. Find the publication and study the details.

Target magazines which publish their upcoming themes. Many publications, such as denominational magazines, will plan their themes for an entire year. If you pitch or write an article on the editor’s list, you will get a closer look and consideration than someone who sends a random idea. Also know that seasonal and holiday pitches or articles are always needed. Think about the forthcoming holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving or Christmas. Make sure you pitch at least six to eight weeks before the holiday to get consideration or your article may be accepted but not published until the next year.

Read the magazine guidelines before sending your query or article. Many publications share their guidelines online but if not, take time to write for the guidelines and review them before you write the editor.

Every editor is actively looking for great writing to fill their publication. If you follow all or several of these tips, you will improve your opportunity to touch their readers and get published.

Everyone Can Write a Personal Experience Article

Life brings each of us strange personal experiences. A recent spring, I traveled to visit my mother in Kentucky. When I checked into the airport, my suitcase had four wheels. To my surprise, when I picked up my suitcase, it only had three wheels. In transit, the airline had broken my suitcase. During this trip I learned to immediately file a form with the airline, and they repaired my suitcase. My personal experience can be combined with lessons and insights for the reader to create an ideal for a personal experience magazine article.

What is the difference between a regular person who has “different” personal experiences and a published magazine writer? Some people save their experience or story for small talk at their next party. A published magazine writer will make some notes about the details, the feelings, the sights and sounds plus maybe pieces of real dialogue for the story. These raw notes become the key points to write a personal experience magazine article. Almost every magazine publishes personal experience articles. In fact, the Christian Writers Market Guide lists over 50 publications where you can submit your personal experience article.

Here’s several key action points in this process:

1. Begin with a simple outline. Do you have an interesting title and an engaging opening paragraph? Every personal experience story needs a logical beginning, middle and ending. You can’t tell everything so use your outline to narrow the key points for your article.
2. Make sure the end of your article has a single point which is called a takeaway for the reader. As a former magazine editor, I’ve seen many submissions which fail to have a single point to their article. This is often a key reason for rejection.
3. Review the submission guidelines for each publication before you fire off your submission. Maybe the editor prefers a query letter. If so, learn how to write one. Or does the publication prefer the full article? Do they take simultaneous submissions? Do they take reprints? A reprint is where your article has already been published yet you retain the rights to reprint or republish it in another publication. Do they pay on publication or acceptance? Answers to these questions will help you form a list of possible publications and a game plan to submit your article.

As writers, we need to take action with our personal experiences, write them down and craft them into magazine articles. As you submit these articles, it will increase your visibility in the market, and you will write what the editor needs.

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s newest book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com