Esther Chilton

To freelance or not to freelance, that is the question!

One of the most important details to check is whether the publication you want to target accepts freelance contributions. You can generally find this information at the front or back of a magazine. The address and contact details are listed, together with information on the editorial team. Underneath these details, you will often see something along the lines of, ‘Whilst every care is taken we cannot accept responsibility for material submitted for publication’. This means that the magazine accepts freelance work but it’s sent in at the owner’s risk should anything become lost or damaged.

Other magazines are quite specific and detail the exact slots open to writers e.g. ‘Reader’s Digest’. Others are equally specific but in that they don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts. However, that doesn’t mean the market is off limits. You can still send in an outline of your idea and a query letter to see if they would like to see your full piece. ‘No unsolicited manuscripts’ just means that no full articles will be considered without first pitching your idea.

Have a good weekend. I leave you with a smile: