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Tips,
Techniques and Tactics
….. for
maximising time, minimising effort, maximising sales, minimising
failure rates (if, that is you ever do receive a rejection slip).
Updated:
Tips,
Techniques and Tactics….. for
maximising time, minimising effort, maximising sales, minimising
failure rates (if, that is you ever do receive a rejection
slip).
* Look for target markets all over the world, for various
types of publication, and covering wide-ranging topics. Don't
assume only glossy magazines use fillers, look for monthly and
quarterly upmarket publications, too. Many offer higher
rewards than daily or weekly cheapies.
* Some magazines have special filler and short take sections
headed such as 'News at a Glance", 'Fast Info Department', 'Short
Shorts'. These are the markets to focus on first, where more
fillers are used each issue and there's scope for regular bulk
acceptances.
* Don't let shorter research time for fillers tempt you to cut
quality. Rather spend longer coming up with several brilliant
points from which to extract only the very best for your filler.
* Choose research pieces carefully. Use this somewhat
scientific approach developed by a major competitions winner.
Number topics A to E, etc., depending on number available. Say
you have five research points A, B, C, D, E. Each item can be
compared for importance in relation to every other by means of this
simple formula:
A-B B-C A-D A-E
B-C B-D B-E
C-D C-E
D-E
Now compare the two items in each group, say A-B, and decide which
of the two deserves higher ranking in your work. Underline the
chosen number. Do this for all groups, then count the number
of times each letter A to E scores higher than its partner.
Like this:
A-B A-C
A-D A-E
B-C B-D B-E
C-D C-E
D-E
And then like this:
Research Point
Score
A
4
B
2
C
1
D
3
E
0
10 The total should coincide with number of
pairings above.
From the score table we can see research point A ranks higher than
its counterparts, followed by D, B, C and E.
* If just one research point is needed say for a short-short
filler, A is almost certainly the one to use. If two points
are needed, they'd probably be A and D, and so on. This
formula is also great for helping you pair points in order-of-merit
competitions where lists of points, sometimes long lists, must be
ranked in order of importance and priority to given criteria.
* Watch for publications changing fast, for some declining in
filler content and others asking more. Note what other changes
occur, for instance a new type of filler being introduced, such as
cartoons where none existed previously, or another section being
scrapped altogether. Keep up to date with this vital part of
market research and expect higher acceptance rates.
* Spot which magazines use mainly in-house filler writers.
The byline is the best place to look. The same names appearing
often could mean fillers are the work of staff writers. But
don't assume because fillers are produced in-house that freelance
contributions are unwelcome. On the contrary, it could be a
sign of too few freelance contributions to choose from. Get in
there fast.
* Keep an eye open in writers' market guides, such as
'Writers' News', and move in fast every time a new publication
is launched. Be the early bird, catch the editor's eye, and
you could find yourself being asked for regular contributions.
* Always think pictures to accompany your letters or as
published pieces in their own right. Just because editors
don't request pictures does not mean they do not want them.
Also consider submitting cartoons and line drawings to attract an
editor's attention and increase your selling chances.
* Study publications before submitting work to them.
Study individual filler requirements, length and style of writing,
whether bylines are used, if pictures and captions are published
alongside.
* Don't consider yourself less of a writer for specialising in
fillers. Fillers can sometimes be more difficult to create
than longer articles, requiring focus and the tightest possible
writing style.
* Don't waste time writing for publications that don't really
interest you. Focus instead on publications dealing with your
special hobbies or interests and you will derive greater pleasure
from your work. This, in turn, should greatly improve the
quality of your writing.
* For each magazine targeted, start a research page, just a
simple sheet of paper, headed with the title of the publication.
Research the magazine thoroughly before searching for writing ideas
and certainly before writing begins. Add information such as
type of fillers use, topics and general themes, wordcount, picture
and caption potential, payment and prizes, reader profile, and so
on.
* If time permits put your work to one side for a couple of
days before the final editing. This way, you'll spot mistakes
and points you may previously have overlooked.
* Be on constant lookout for better ways to say the same
thing, using more colourful words, and incorporating other
interesting techniques: alliteration, shorter sentences, and so on.
* Write pictures, not words. Don't tell readers the
flowers are red, give them a vibrant description instead. Use
words like flame-coloured, scarlet, etc. Instead of saying the
dog is aggressive, let readers 'see' his teeth, the savage snarl,
the split second when teeth make contact with someone's ..!!!
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