How to Pitch Your Story to a Woman’s Magazine

Would you like to have your work published in one of many leading international and national women’s magazines? Learn how to pitch your story to a woman’s magazine and get some handy insights and tips.

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Author: Sraboni Das

Do you have that lively imagination? The magic in your mind and the ability to pen down your thoughts. If “you” are the fortunate one who possesses this creative instinct, have written some beautiful short stories, which you crave to see on print. Then this article is meant for you.

Why choose a women’s magazine? There exists a large variety of national and international women’s magazines with a readership of thousands and millions. Writing for a women’s magazine is simple as well as lucrative. Here there is a large demand for a wide range of subjects like romance, family story, crime, suspense, ghost stories and stories with a twist at the tail. So you have a variety to choose from and better acceptance possibility.

Researching and studying the magazine The survival of a magazine depends on its readership. By reading women’s magazines available in the market and comparing one with the other you will be able to identify the reader, gauging their age, lifestyle, interests and hobbies. The advertisements will give you an idea whom the products are aimed at? The fashion page, with its range of clothes, the price of garments is another indicator. Analyzing the stories is very important. Whose story is it? Is the main character female or male? (Female oriented stories are preferred) How many pages does the story occupy? What is the theme of the story? How did it begin? The central character was introduced in the first or second paragraph? Were the twists and turns more in the story or was the emotional angle given prominence. You can learn lots from studying a magazine fiction. Its style, vocabulary, language and quality. Magazines receive many manuscripts for a few story slots. So your thorough research and analysis will give you that extra edge to pitch in the right story to the right magazine.

Writing technique

• You might be a very spontaneous writer but a little bit of planning is always necessary. Assimilate your thoughts, make an outline and decide what you want to communicate. What ever the theme may be it must excite you; ask yourself “what am I trying to say?”
• A short story revolves around one central character. Choose a character with whom you sympathize, it is vital to stay in the mind of the central character then the reader will know and feel for the protagonist of your story.
• The length of the story is of prime importance. A short story can have 500to 2500 words, but the popular length for a magazine is 850 to 1000 words.
• An interesting opening paragraph will attract the reader and invite him/her to keep on reading. Your central character should face a problem at the onset; it may be in the form of a person, decision, forces of nature, war etc.The intriguing situation that you create will arouse the reader’s curiosity and keep him/her engrossed.Ø     Your story must have a satisfying ending.It need not be a happy one always; the best ones are unexpected but inevitable. The story should be left with a note of hope.
• Short, simple sentences makes the story realistic. Avoid using “passive voice” as much as possible. Write in “first person” using a conversational tone. You should make use of dialogues which have clarity and must be in context so that we can picture the characters as they speak.
• The “title” of the story tells the reader what to expect in the unfolding pages. Some titles are mysterious or ambiguous, making the reader notice it and think about it. So give that extra thought before choosing the title.
• You must avoid superfluous and elaborate descriptions. Once you have concluded it try not to give unwanted explanations. Try and make your story crisp and taut. Let the story speak for itself.
• Things you won’t find in a women’s magazine short story are bad language, sexually explicit scenes, abuse, violence and horror. So make use of good vocabulary and style adhering to the quality of the magazine.

Sending your work Most magazines have web sites. You can get the address of the women’s magazine you have chosen from there. Send an email to them saying you are interested in sending them a story and ask for their writing guidelines.

• Assuming you will use a computer to type your manuscript, use double spacing between lines.
• Make a hard copy. So that grammatical mistakes, punctuations, sentence alignment can be corrected. A flawless manuscript must go to the editor.
• Your name, address, telephone number and email address must be written on the top right hand side. About half way down the center write the title in bold lettering. At the bottom of the page write the number of words used; exact number is not necessary a rough estimate will do.
• Don’t expect any comment from the editor; but if you do get one, look into it seriously.
• You must be patient. Once you have sent the story don’t phone, fax or email the magazine.
• Even if you don’t get a prompt reply continue with your research, there is much to learn.
• Send your work only after thorough revision.

The need for perseverance Our writing is so important to us that strong criticism or rejection by editors can be very depressing; making us feel inadequate. There is bound to be many rejection slips. It does not necessarily mean that the story is bad or you are not a good writer.Your story might be for a different target readerThe magazine might have a box full of stories on similar linesThis is where your patience and being honest to your self counts. Re-read your story, ruthlessly edit it and send it again.Strive for perfection. The gradual improvement and the ever growing sense of power over words will come.You must disregard pitfalls. Hard work, discipline, flair and talent you possess will eventually see you through.

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Tagged as: how to pitch your story to a woman's magazine, indian women's magazines, international women's magazines, pitching to a woman's magazine, researching magazines, tips to pitch to women's magazines, women oriented articles, writing techniques

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