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Hobby Magazines – Write for Them
By Susan Sundwall
Hobbies come in as many shapes, sizes, colors and levels of
interest as those who love them. You probably have friends or
family who embrace such varied hobbies as tropical fish, coin
collecting, gourmet cooking or beading. And how about you?
What are your interests and passions apart from the toils of
everyday living?
I have a good friend, a retired librarian, who makes beautiful
quilts. She subscribes to quilting magazines, goes to workshops,
and shops for just the right patterned material and threads for
her projects. She’s right up there around fanatic on the
enthusiasm scale. She’s in that generation that finally has
time to indulge in a beloved hobby and there are thousands more
like her. As the 50-70 year-old population continues to retire,
more and more hobbies will be embraced to enrich the golden
years, and this presents a golden opportunity
for writers.
Hobby magazines abound and aren’t going away any time soon.
So what kinds of articles are these publications looking for?
Here are some examples.
1. How to’s – Paper crafts, beading, quilting, crocheting,
hobby farming; these are all areas that require well written
how-to articles. This is the perfect venue for writing about
your own hobby passion, but finding that friend or family member
with less writing ability than expertise could also be the perfect
partnership for crafting this kind of article.
2. Essays - Magazines like Coinage and Fons & Porter’s
Love of Quilting like hobby related essays. If you can include
colorful photos so much the better. Conversational tone is
preferred as it implies a friendly sharing of ideas and
experience.
3. Profiles – Here’s where your interview skills come in
handy. Find out the who, what, why, when, where and how of an
all absorbing and beloved hobby from an acquaintance, co-worker
or maybe even your Mom and write it up. In-depth, upbeat, and
informative are words editors use to describe this type of
article. Do this and you’ll find that magazines like Country
Woman and Hobby Farms are very interested.
4. Tips and Techniques – What hobbyist doesn’t like to
know how to do it better? Have a few tips to share about
gardening? They may be a perfect fit for Sunset Magazine.
Perhaps your Dad is an expert wood carver. I’d wager he’s
gathered more than a few bits of advice he’d like to share
with you and the readers of Popular Woodworking. Go talk to
him about it.
Keep in mind when writing how-to’s that clarity counts. Being
concise and precise when laying out instructions for hobby
crafts will please your editor. The tone and friendliness of
your hobby essay is what will help sell it. Take your time
with a profile piece to make sure you’ve got a good grasp of
what your hobby expert would like to give to the reader. Make
sure your tips and techniques are not re-hashes of information
that’s been around for a while. Shoot for unique.
For any excellent ideas you have for a hobby article, here are
some markets to consider.
Classic Toy Trains – Pays $75 per page
http://ctt.trains.com/en/sitecore/content/Home/Magazine/Submission%20Guidelines/2006/06/CTT%20Submission%20guidelines.aspx
Coinage Magazine – Payment varies / contract
http://coinagemag.com/writers-guidelines/
Fons and Porter’s Love of Quilting – Pays $200
http://www.fonsandporter.com/aspx/FonsandPorter/fp/submissions/guidelines.aspx
Make – Pays $25 – 100
http://makezine.com/submissions.csp
Painting Magazine – Payment varies
http://www.paintingmagazine.net/Guidelines.aspx
Popular Woodworking – Pays $50 – 250
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/writersguidelines/
Step by Step Wire – Payment varies
http://www.stepbystepwire.com/wire/wire-writersguidelines.pdf
Hobbyzine – Pays $20 per article, and $15 for topic overview
articles and $10 for hobby-related product and book reviews
Contact Ralph at
submissions@hobbyzine.com
Hobby Farms – Pays $300 and higher for feature articles;
“Happenings” articles receive $50 to $75 per piece.
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/corporate/writer-guidelines.aspx
Sunset Magazine – Pay varies - Up to 75 cents/word
http://www.sunset.com/general/garden-writers-00400000035101/
Country Woman Magazine – Pays $300 – 600
http://www.countrywomanmagazine.com/2005/cGuidelines.asp
BIO
Susan is a freelance writer from upstate New York whose hobbies
include choral singing and gardening.
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