Trade Magazines for Soldiers
I was over at my favorite writer's forum, Absolute Write, and came across a writer that needed advice on getting into trade publication writing. Since I often write for various trade magazines I decided to give him some advice... and then I decided to post my advice for my readers, here, too.
First, what is a trade magazine? It's a publication that is specifically written and distributed to a certain profession. For example, soldiers in the National Guard read Foundations, which is a magazine that has articles that are written just for soldiers and their families. Another example is Food Arts Magazine, which is targeted towards people in the food and beverage industry.
The first step of getting in with these well-paying publications is to find one that caters to an industry that you have experience with. Before an editor will give you an assignment they need to know that you know what you're talking about. So, if you work as a mechanic, target magazines like Today's Machining World.
To easily find publication in your niche, go over to Free Trade Magazines.com or Free Trade Magazine Source and do a search for your industry. Then, subscribe to the publication so that you can do research on the types of articles they publish.
Once you've done your research, come up with an introduction letter that lets an editor know about your writing chops, your history in the field and has a clip of relevant writing.
It may take several tries, but eventually you will come across an editor that needs a new writer and is willing to take a chance on you.
