Trying to Move Up in the World

rhymegirl · Jan 8, 2010

I haven't visited this section in quite a while, but I wanted to pose a question. First off, I'll tell you what happened recently when I pitched an article idea to a magazine (something I haven't done in a while).

I sent a query to The Rhode Island Monthly; the topic was something I thought they might be interested in. This is a glossy, well-established magazine and I am looking to pitch article ideas to national magazines, moving up in the world. I have written for local newspapers so I have experience (the pay is peanuts). I have had pieces published in Woman's World and Writer's Digest (the pay here was about 7 times as much as our little city newspaper). So.

The editor emailed back the same day telling me they were already planning to run a similar idea in the spring. Okay, sometimes that happens. At least I knew I was on the right track. But then she suggested I try pitching the idea to (a certain local town newspaper). I almost laughed out loud. Why? A few reasons. One, this particular paper is very cheap. In the past, with a former editor, they paid about $35 for a feature story. When I queried the new editor a while back, he wanted me to write a story for them for FREE! Gee, I don't think so. And the other reason why I don't want to pitch this idea to a newspaper: I am trying to move up in the world, not backwards.

So, here are my questions:
Do you think it's strange that a magazine editor would suggest pitching an idea to a newspaper?

And, if I decide to pitch another idea to this magazine, do I have to be very blunt and make it clear I'd like to be published in magazines at this point? What I'd really hoped is that she would have said something like: We're already planning a similar piece, but do you have any other article ideas?

Thanks for any replies.

Bushrat · Jan 8, 2010

I wouldn't take that so personal. Maybe she just wanted to soften the rejection by suggesting some other positive action to you. I don't think editors really spend much thought on where and how we make our money or where we see our writing careers going

They just take a look at the query and see if it fits.

You might want to put a bigger emphasis on the magazines you have been published in in your next query and just mention your newspaper writing fleetingly.

Personally, I love the newspaper I'm writing for! I have a weekly column in it which gives me a regular income (try getting that with a magazine!), and when I asked them for a raise last summer, they came through with a 20% pay increase.
So while an article with a good magazine may still pay me 5x as much as my column does, there's also all the (often wasted) time and effort involved with querying. I think trying to get a regular gig with a newspaper is well worth the effort.

rhymegirl · Jan 8, 2010

My newspaper experience, unfortunately, has not been as good as yours.

When I asked for a raise (after writing for him for over a year), he refused. He said he could only pay (X amount) but we can "still use you if you want to continue." What an insult! That was the end of that relationship.

After that I freelanced for a larger newspaper very briefly. He paid me more than the other guy. Things were going great until he told me his freelance budget had dried up. That was the end of that.

You have to remember that some parts of the United States are doing worse than others. My state has high unemployment. Hardly anybody is hiring.

It only makes sense to me at this point to write for national magazines.

samcollie · Jan 8, 2010

From your description, I'd say it's probably a very nice editor that you ran across. Not many editors will a)answer so quickly, and b) try to help you find another market!While she wasn't exactly in line with your goals, I would pitch her again (soon, while she has you in mind).
Good luck! Once you hit one magazine right, you'll probably get in some others pretty quickly.

WildScribe · Jan 8, 2010

samcollie said:
From your description, I'd say it's probably a very nice editor that you ran across. Not many editors will a)answer so quickly, and b) try to help you find another market!While she wasn't exactly in line with your goals, I would pitch her again (soon, while she has you in mind).
Good luck! Once you hit one magazine right, you'll probably get in some others pretty quickly.

I agree... I don't see it as insulting. But I also don't see the insult in telling you that you are still welcome to write for that newspaper if you are willing to do so without taking a raise.

CatMuse33 · Jan 8, 2010

I agree w/ Wildscribe on both points actually. I've been turned down for raises from magazines and we continued the relationship at the old rate, since it was a decent rate to begin with and a good, positive, long-term relationship.

Sounds like this editor was just being nice and the editor would have no idea how that newspaper treats its freelancers, etc. Obviously, if you are querying the editor, she knows you want to be published in her magazine. She doesn't care about your overall career goals one bit. Also, she was just making a suggestion, not forcing you to pitch to a newspaper.

I'd take her friendly suggestion as an offer to pitch another idea to her, anyway. She seems like a nice person who would hopefully be good to work for.

rhymegirl · Jan 8, 2010

WildScribe said:
I agree... I don't see it as insulting. But I also don't see the insult in telling you that you are still welcome to write for that newspaper if you are willing to do so without taking a raise.

I didn't see the magazine editor's response as insulting, just strange. I am glad she responded so quickly.

As for the newspaper editor who wouldn't give me a raise, I disagree. I had made a good case for why I felt I deserved a raise. I made all of my deadlines, was a reliable writer, wrote good articles, was told by members of the community that they really enjoyed my articles, and did extra things for him I didn't even get paid for (such as taking photos, proofreading and rewriting pieces).
He was constantly asking more and more of me, so I felt in order to do that I deserved an increase in pay. And there's also the fact that I never knew when he was going to pay me.

I feel that if an editor really values a writer, he or she will not want to lose that person. Evidently he did not value me.

Ken · Jan 8, 2010

... maybe since the raise didn't work try for a staff job, since you're doing those extra things. Not sure if that's what you'd be interested in, but if you are you might field the question. Perhaps that's the direction the editor was leaning in when they had you do those extras. That's what happened in my own case. I went from freelancing to a staff position. And then the staff position led to more freelance work, at higher pay. That's in the past though so I'm looking too. G'luck.

WildScribe · Jan 8, 2010

rhymegirl said:
As for the newspaper editor who wouldn't give me a raise, I disagree. I had made a good case for why I felt I deserved a raise. I made all of my deadlines, was a reliable writer, wrote good articles, was told by members of the community that they really enjoyed my articles, and did extra things for him I didn't even get paid for (such as taking photos, proofreading and rewriting pieces).
He was constantly asking more and more of me, so I felt in order to do that I deserved an increase in pay. And there's also the fact that I never knew when he was going to pay me.

Ah, with that information, I do agree that you deserved a pay increase.

rhymegirl · Jan 9, 2010

Ken said:
... maybe since the raise didn't work try for a staff job, since you're doing those extra things. Not sure if that's what you'd be interested in, but if you are you might field the question. Perhaps that's the direction the editor was leaning in when they had you do those extras. That's what happened in my own case. I went from freelancing to a staff position. And then the staff position led to more freelance work, at higher pay. That's in the past though so I'm looking too. G'luck.

Thanks for your response, Ken, but as I mentioned before, I want to write for magazines now.

And thank you to everyone else who responded. I appreciate that.

My update is I decided to start 2010 by being a writer who puts all her cards on the table. I sent the magazine editor a polite email thanking her for her response and suggestion, telling her my goal is to write for magazines. Then I asked her if she would be receptive to more article ideas from me.

She emailed back a short while later and said yes! So I'm happy about that. I had been worried that since she didn't ask me to send more ideas, she didn't want me to. Now I just need to come up with more article ideas.

ritinrider · Jan 9, 2010

rhymegirl said:
Thanks for your response, Ken, but as I mentioned before, I want to write for magazines now.

And thank you to everyone else who responded. I appreciate that.

My update is I decided to start 2010 by being a writer who puts all her cards on the table. I sent the magazine editor a polite email thanking her for her response and suggestion, telling her my goal is to write for magazines. Then I asked her if she would be receptive to more article ideas from me.

She emailed back a short while later and said yes! So I'm happy about that. I had been worried that since she didn't ask me to send more ideas, she didn't want me to. Now I just need to come up with more article ideas.

Congratulations. Glad you bundled up your courage and sent the email. You'll think of another idea quickly, you're already on the right track since they are doing a similar idea to your first query.

Btw, is there another magazine you can send the first query to?

WildScribe · Jan 9, 2010

Good for you! I've been doing a bit of fire lighting myself lately.

Now... hurry up and get another brilliant idea to her!

CatMuse33 · Jan 9, 2010

Rhyme-
Good for you!

I totally agree you deserved a raise... I suppose the second part of the newspaper editor's comment (that you were still welcome to work for him) would depend on the tone. If it was like, "Well, I won't fire you just for asking for more money," that's rude! If it was just in the tone of: "I'm sorry I can't give you more but hope you'll still stay onboard..." I've had that happen and was happy to stay.

Autodidact · Jan 9, 2010

I agree that a rejection that says "we're already planning to do that" is a "good" rejection. It tells you that you're exactly on the right track for that market, and your query was probably pretty good, too.

Ideally you're supposed to pop back an equally good query to the same market very soon, but that's sometimes not so easy to do.

WildScribe · Jan 10, 2010

Autodidact said:
I agree that a rejection that says "we're already planning to do that" is a "good" rejection. It tells you that you're exactly on the right track for that market, and your query was probably pretty good, too.

I am the queen of this. I think something like a third of my rejections come back with "We actually have an article JUST like that heading to the printer..."

Trying to Move Up in the World

rhymegirl

It's a New Year!

Bushrat

reaching for the sun

rhymegirl

It's a New Year!

samcollie

WildScribe

Slave to the Wordcount

CatMuse33

Just hitting send

rhymegirl

It's a New Year!

Ken

WildScribe

Slave to the Wordcount

rhymegirl

It's a New Year!

ritinrider

WildScribe

Slave to the Wordcount

CatMuse33

Just hitting send

Autodidact

...in my Maidenform Bra.

WildScribe

Slave to the Wordcount