6 Shortcuts You Can’t Take If You Want to Get Published Online or In Magazines

After nearly 15 years as a freelancer, I’ve submitted to dozens of online and print magazines. And while these platforms can be hard venues to crack, avoiding these common pitfalls can improve your odds of having an editor accept your content.

1. Not double checking contact information first

Many publications have a specific page or ad for writers that explains who to contact at the magazine. Often, this is the acquisitions editor, but it depends on the type of publication you are querying. Some platforms, for instance, direct you to query the editor for the department you are interested in. Others direct you to editorial assistants. Still other platforms don’t list a specific editor at all and simply provide a catchall address or email.

This said, NEVER pick from contacts at random and hope that someone will forward your message, especially since it is poor form to begin a query letter without having a specific name in your salutation.

Even if a website or magazine lists a specific person, what I’ve found is that there is pretty much zero guarantee that that person still works for that publication, especially if the venue only publishes quarterly or less. Some venues simply don’t update as quickly as they should when editors leave or…