In my new Zoom course for SUNY Adirondack – “Ideas: Mining for Freelance Writing Gold” – I will share strategies that I have used profitably as a professional writer in both the magazine and book fields. Here is a sneak peek at one of those strategies:

What You Know: Before I started my freelance writing career, I was working at a full-time job in the medical field and gaining a wealth of practical information about health and wellness topics. I soon realized that I could turn that knowledge into bylines and paychecks by pitching ideas to and writing articles for health and wellness magazines. I brainstormed and came up with a list of ideas that I wanted to write about and that I thought editors would want to offer to their readers. My list included making the most of a prescription, getting a second opinion before surgery, treating a cold and preventing a cold. I had access to information sources (i.e., a medical library) and interview sources (i.e., the doctors with whom I worked).

I researched the magazine marketplace and identified my initial magazine targets. I pitched the idea of making the most of a prescription to Celebrate Health and made the sale. After that article was published, I pitched to the editor the idea of getting a second opinion before surgery. The editor gave me the go-ahead and that article became my second published feature for Celebrate Health.

I pitched the idea of treating a cold naturally and sold that article to Better Health and Fitness. I pitched the idea of preventing a cold so illness doesn’t interfere with your workout and sold that article to Total Fitness. Thereafter, I used those published articles as steppingstones for sales of other health and wellness articles to Seventeen, Mademoiselle and Woman’s Day.

What You Know is an ideal place to begin establishing yourself in the freelance magazine marketplace.

If you want to learn more, register for “Ideas: Mining for Freelance Writing Gold” that I will teach on Zoom for SUNY Adirondack on Saturday, March 26, 2022 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Click here to register through the college’s catalog or cut and paste this link: https://www.sunyacc.edu/continuing-education-catalog#Language%20and%20Communication

Blogger Bio: Pauline Bartel, M.A., is a nationally known author and writing consultant who helps aspiring writers become published authors. Her byline has appeared in more than 100 national publications, including Boys’ Life, Seventeen, Mademoiselle, USAir, Sky, The Saturday Evening Post, Woman’s Day and Writer’s Digest. She is a member of the prestigious American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA). Contact her at pauline@paulinebartel.com