Becoming A Fishing Writer: Part 3

Posted by Starlo on Dec 23, 2011 | 4 comments

I’m assuming that if you’ve followed my series on becoming a successfully published fishing writer thus far, you’re at least a little bit serious about having a crack, and already have an idea in mind for the subject of your first submission. However, before you even think about writing and submitting that first fishing story to a magazine, website or similar outlet, there’s still some serious homework you must do:

Read lots of different fishing publications as you undertake your homework. They all feature a slightly different mix of content.

Firstly, spend plenty of time actually reading as many different fishing publications as you can lay your hands on. Study the style, length, look and feel of the various articles and columns in order to gain an insight into what each particular title prefers. Do they seem to favour pieces written in the first person, or the third person? (If you don’t know what those terms mean, look them up by clicking on the terms!) Are most of their stories about fishing trips, specific locations or techniques? How many pages does the average article run for, and how many photos are used to illustrate it? Do all the photos seem to have been supplied by the author, or are there photo credits indicating that images have also been sourced elsewhere?

Get into the habit of doing word counts on the articles you’re reading, too. And no, that doesn’t mean you need to sit and count ever single word! Pick a column block of 10 lines and count the words in it, then divide by 10 to give an average number of words per line. Next, simply count the column lines in the story and multiply by the average number of words per line. It should only take a few minutes. Are the typical features around 1,200 words, 1,800 words, or well over 2,000 words? These are all things you’ll need to know when it comes time to attempting you first submission. There’s very little point in sending a magazine a 6,000 word mini-novel if the longest feature they ever run is under 2,500 words! Your work will almost certainly be rejected.

Read as many publications as you can and get a feel for what sort of submissions they seem to prefer.

As you undertake this vitally important homework, start thinking about which specific publication you feel your first article will be best suited to. Have a look at their list of contributors. Do they ever run pieces from new writers whose names are unfamiliar to you, or do they seem to rely on a regular team of contributors? It can be hard to break into such a tight-knit team.

Finally, when you’ve decided on one or two titles that seem to suit your intended storyline, look for the name of the editor in the front of the magazine and find his or her mailing or email address. (All this info’ usually appears somewhere in the first four or five pages of the magazine, often opposite the table of contents or next to the editorial.)

Which publication do you most enjoy reading?

Write a short, polite letter or email to the editor briefly telling them how much you enjoy their publication, and explaining that you would love to see your work appear in it and that you have an idea you think they’ll love (no need to specify your chosen subject or storyline just yet). Keep it brief, to the point and professional, and conclude by requesting a copy of the publication’s contributor guidelines (provide both an email address and a postal address for the editor to send these guidelines to). Include a very brief written snapshot of your fishing experience if you think that’s pertinent, but don’t overdo it!

Before you actually post or email your letter of inquiry, go back over it several times with a fine-toothed comb to check and re-check the spelling and grammar, as well as ensuring that you haven’t waffled on, sung your own praises too loudly, nor deviated from the core message. Few things are more likely to create negative first impressions than a messy, overly lengthy and boastful initial contact.

Allow at least a week to 10 days for the editor to respond to your initial letter or email of inquiry and your request for a copy of the publication’s contributor guidelines. If you’ve heard or received nothing after that length of time, follow up with a short, polite reminder note, quoting the date you sent the first letter. If you’ve still heard nothing a week or so later, cross that publication off your list. They are clearly not all that interested in grooming new writing talent.

New publications often provide the best opportunities for first-time writers, but ask for a copy of their contributor guidelines first.

When you do finally receive a set of contributor guidelines, read through them several times and thoroughly digest them. If they arrive as an email attachment, print yourself a hard copy. This is the magazine’s manual or guide book for contributions, and your chances of having your first piece considered and possibly accepted will increase dramatically if you adhere closely to the guidelines in this contributor’s ‘bible’. They’ve put quite a deal of time and effort into putting it together, so please do them the courtesy of studying it!

Next time, we’ll look at pitching a specific story idea to an editor…

Becoming A Fishing Writer: Part 4

Becoming A Fishing Writer: Part 5

Basic Fishing Photography: Part 1

Basic Fishing Photography: Part 2