Writing Freelance Articles - Help needed!!
This will probably sound extraordinarily daft, but if you have a good well thought out idea for an article, and know what you want to say, and have found the 'place' where it might belong, how do you go about getting interest from the relevant publisher? Do you send them a brief outline, or can you send the finished article? I guess, thinking about it, it would be pretty daft to send the finished product, which will have entailed many days/weeks of research, only to be told they are not interested, or that they don't accept from freelancers!
Thus far I have contacted relevant publication to ask, first off, if they do take freelance. But if they say, 'yes, we do' where do I go from there? I don't want to look like a complete fool, because I know I can write this and am keen to do so.
Any comments, websites, books to read, ANYTHING, would be helpful. Plus if there are any freelancers out there I love to hear from you. I have small and limited experience of journalism, but the issues I want to raise are on a subject that I feel I know a great deal about (through my working life).
Many thanks.
JM
Comments
1. What kind of article is
1. What kind of article is it?
2. Have you published something before?
Keep a copy of 'The Writer's Market', look in the relevant section there.
I too have a well researched thesis/report which has been graded quite high by my tutors and hope to get it published, so I am sending it to journals first because journals do accept articles which add to knowledge or explore a specific area in the field.
If your article is very long then just send a synopsis with an extract and a brief letter, to the publisher direct. Have you tried Poetry Review? Just depends on your subject. Keep sending, don't give up. I tend to ring them and ask first before I send anything unsolicited.
Nabila
Freelance writing
Thanks for your reply Nabila. More information. I am employed as a homecare assistant at the mo, but was a social worker working with the same client group, older people. I want to write something about the pay and condiotns of homecarers, the way in which councils commissions these services (I think they go for the cheapest) and how this impacts on the pay, conditions and morale or homecare staff, and also how this filters down the system and eventually affects service users. Previous writing experinece -long time wrote something for the Big Iss on completely different subject. Also published a couple of articles in verylocal and free Manc publications. Some short stories published. I think I can write it. The main probs are finding an outlet, looking professional and difficulties I can see in researching this. I don't imagine anyone is going to welcome talking to me with open arms apart from my fellow homecarers and maybe some ex social work colleagues.
What is 'the writers market?' Excuse bad spelling but I am too tired to bother. thanks again and would appreciate more info. JM