Comments on: The Guest Article

By: geo

geo — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:18:00 +0000

I wanted to praise Lori here for providing a super article. Never having written for trades, I learned a lot. It sounds quite promising and less stressful than the consumer mags.

Thanks again!

Georganna @ A Writer's Edge

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:42:00 +0000

Absolutely true, Eileen. I get assignments from the editors. I don’t bother with typical queries as they have a pretty focused calendar. But I do send out the “do you need any help this month” email.

By: Eileen Coale

Eileen Coale — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:01:00 +0000

This is just a guess, but I am guessing that if you build a good relationship with a trade, you don’t have to be bothered with queries; they’ll just assign you something. That’s how it works for the profiles I write for a trade mag. A friend of mine freelances for a paid-placement trade mag, and she is assigned stories every issue (never has to query). Personally, I don’t like the query system, which is why I write sales copy.

By: Sue

Sue — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:52:00 +0000

About 80% of my work is for trades. I love them. They’ve expanded my knowledge base and from the stories I hear, are so much easier to work with than many consumer pubs.

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:31:00 +0000

Great article, Lori. I should write for some of the theatre trades, since that's where I have knowledge. As far as other trades go, I never thought I had knowledge that's useful, but I guess if I find something interesting -- a piece on the use of specific types of lamps in lighthouses might be interesting for a trade publication on lighting or something -- and since lighthouses are one of my favorite things, it makes sense to look at it beyond lighthouse magazines!

Thanks for helping me re-think.

My brain is mush right now and my feet are cold (no heat today in the building), so thinking's not happening so well.

By: Eileen Coale

Eileen Coale — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:50:00 +0000

It is indeed good work. I normally write sales copy, but a recurring monthly gig for a trade mag landed in my lap. It’s a 400-word profile of an industry figure. I call the featured person, interview him, and write a profile. I am paid $1/word, and it takes me all of two hours from start to finish. Maybe I should go looking for some more of these gigs.