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Books and Journals and Magazines...OH MY!

© Julia Buitrago

Before a writer sits down to conduct research, that person must decide where they would like to see the work in print. Generally, there are four types of media that a beginning writer looks for publication: magazine, journal, book, or internet.

Magazine: In most cases, magazines are the first place that a writer sees his or her name in print. Part of this is due to the enormous number of magazines in the marketplace. Just a brief stroll through the local bookstore will display every type of magazine from the history of Barbie dolls to yoga for beginners. When you add the tremendous number of local interest magazines, you have a wide variety of potential marketplaces for your work. Magazine articles can range from a few hundred to several thousand words. Generally a magazine article is written in layperson's terms, although certain specialized magazines (National Geographic, Scientific America) may require more "meat" to the article. Many magazines accept freelance work, however most major national publications have a staff of writers.

Journal: Very similar to magazines, journals generally require some form of professional credentials or membership into a certain organization (Journal of American Medicine, The American Law Review, etc.). Journals will often require more extensive knowledge and research than magazine articles, and can be considerably more intimidating for the beginning writer. If you have some specialized knowledge, go for it!

Book: Publishers for books come in all shapes and sizes, from small tour guide publishers to large corporations. Many book publishers are quite specialized. The company that I work for specializes strictly in coffee-table local history books filled with pictures. On the average, the manuscript lengths that we select are around 40,000-60,000 words with 200-300 photographs (which are the responsibility of the author to obtain, although some companies may hire stock photographers to supply "filler" photos). Before you start writing a book, contact the publisher and ask them if they would be interested in publishing your idea. Don't be too specific, however. Although most publishers are reputable, there are horror stories of people who have had their ideas taken and written by the publisher after they receive a rejection letter. If your idea is rejected by a publisher with a statement like "We are not publishing this type of work at this time", don't despair! Query them again when you have finished your manuscript. You may find that your work has taken a different turn from what you originally pitched to them . . . a turn which they might find refreshing and desirable.

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