Found a New Magazine?
How to Pitch the Editor
and Get Published

I still get excited when I discover a new magazine on the rack at my local bookstore. While start-up magazines have never been a major source of outlets and assignments for me, I’ve managed to snag enough assignments from them to make it worthwhile.  And I’m still writing for a couple of magazines that I cold-called just after they started up.

According to Samir Husni’s Guide to New Magazines, about 700 to 1000 new magazines are launched each year in the U.S.

And several hundred more start up each year in the other major English-speaking countries around the world: Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. 

Many of these foreign magazines want to break into the U.S. market. And, I’ve found many of them receptive to American writers—provided, of course, that you have juicy stories to pitch to them. 

Getting published in startup magazines is a good bet for beginning and experienced freelancers alike. 

Here’s why . . .

New magazines don’t have many articles in their backlog. Their editors haven’t had much chance to network with travel writers and are often scrambling around for good copy.

For novice writers, brand new magazines are worth pursuing because the editor doesn’t yet have an established network of writers.  As a result, these editors are more likely to accept stories from less experienced writers. This makes it easier for newbies to break in.

For seasoned writers, new magazines are easy targets because the editors are thrilled they’re getting a veteran writer right off the bat. They know they can count on good, solid stories that need little or no editing. When new magazines list experienced travel writers on their magazine masthead, it shows the readers they’re getting stories from pros.

Where Do You Find New Travel Magazines?

If you keep your eyes open at your local bookstore, you’ll notice new magazines as they come in.  I frequent my local bookstores every 2-3 weeks and skim through the magazine racks.

If you’re traveling to English-speaking countries overseas, it pays to spend some time exploring the magazine racks in the local bookstores while you’re there.

I always make a point of visiting London’s largest bookstores whenever I’m in England, and inevitably I discover several new magazines that will pay off somewhere down the line.  I especially enjoy roaming London’s Charing Cross Road because there are two large bookstores with magazine racks.

I’m not just looking for travel magazines on these quests. I have always preached that freelance writers should get their work published in several genres.  So you should look for potential magazines in all the genres that interest you.

How to approach the editor of a new magazine:

1.  Be Proactive.

When you discover a startup magazine that looks like a good target for your writing genres, send the magazine editor an introductory email. Do this immediately, because other savvy travel writers are doing exactly the same thing, and you want to beat them to the punch.

2.  Write a letter of introduction.  Your mission is to …

• To make the editor aware that you are available to write for his or her magazine
• To pitch some new story ideas
• To offer your archive of articles if they are in a tight spot and need some copy immediately
• To spell out your writing experience and credentials, including links to samples of your work
  

I call these letters (emails) ‘Requests For Work’.

Sample Query Letter of Introduction:

Here’s a sample introductory email I wrote to a new regional travel magazine that I discovered on the magazine rack a couple of years ago.

Important Notes about my sample, introductory query letter:

•    First, it contains two story pitches.

•    Next, I mention that I have an archive of stories available immediately.  Startup magazines are not likely to have many articles on hand and may be scrambling around for content.  So there’s always the prospect of some immediate sales of reprints.

•    Also, notice that I list some of the magazines where I’ve been published.  You want to show the editor that you're an experienced writer, that you can write good copy and meet deadlines.

•    I use form letters, or templates like this to reach out to new magazines.  Templates save time and improve your productivity.  I fill in the specifics and tailor each form letter to meet the new magazine’s profile.   

Sending an open email like this is a hit-or-miss proposition. However, I’ve had enough “hits” from new magazines to make this standard practice.  And I’ve developed some bountiful long-term relationships with some of these magazine editors.

Try it the next time you find a new magazine on the racks. Your introductory letter shows initiative. You might find a delighted editor on the other end, happy to give you a writing assignment.

Do you need help writing query letters that catch the attention of editors?

If you're looking for a guide to help you write query letters to editors, I've written The Complete Guide to Query Letters for Travel Writers to help you.  It includes everything you need to know about query letters, along with 20 sample query letters that you can use as templates for your own queries.

Learn more ...

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Roy Stevenson is a professional travel writer and the author of www.PitchTravelWrite.com.  Over the past ten years, he’s had more than 1000 articles published in 200 magazines, trade and specialty journals, in-flights, on-boards, blogs and websites and has traveled on assignment around the U.S. and to dozens of international destinations.