Newbie question

[71writer]

I am new to the idea of freelance writing. Even though I have thought about it for years I've never actually planned to query magazines, newspapers and such or tried writing anything to submit.
My question is how to get started. How do you know which magazines to try or what subject material?

[PorterStarrByrd]

Every year the Writer's Market comes out in hard cover and on line.

You write best about what you know about, so there is your subject guide. It'd possible to gather facts about anything but those little ins and outs come from experiece. Those are what make your writing better than someone who doesn't have that familiarity with the subject ...

Then there is the google search which may turn up more possble market openings for you.

[denenewrites]

71writer,

When I was first starting out I focused on two areas -- my hobbies and my professional work experience.

For instance, I love to travel. So I built up a few clips by writing about my travel experiences for a small print travel publications and websites. They didn't pay a lot, but I did get small payments for these articles. So that's how I used my hobby to break in.

Next, I turned to my professional work experience. Trade magazines can be a great place for new writers to gain experience and clips. I had worked in the banking industry for five years so I researched trade magazines in the banking industry and found a few. I pitched ideas based on my inside knowledge of working at a bank and ended up landing several assignments with a trade pub.

From there things just snow balled. I started gaining more confidence and eventually started writing about other areas.

Make a list of your hobbies and work experiences. Did you work in retail? There are a lot of trade magazines targeted to this industry. Are you into scrapbooking or photography? Again, many pubs and websites about these subjects.

I would avoid content mill sites and freelance job bidding sites. The pay is crap usually and the clips don't impress magazine editors. You want to get quality clips -- even if they are from a community newspaper.

Read up on how to write query letters and letters of introduction.

Good luck!

[Ultimate Cheapskate]

You definitely want to start specializing right from the start, focusing on an area or two that interests you or leveraging some experitse you have, as the earlier posters have suggested. You want to become the go-to writer in those niches. Remember, most full-tme nonfiction hacks like me aren't in the writing business, we're in the brand business; we've established ourselves as experts in a particular field, and writing is just one of the ways that we make a living from our brand. Good luck.

[71writer]

Thank you everyone. I will be taking your ideas and running with them.