annieb123's Review of Writer's Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing

by Kerrie Flanagan

Your Essential Reference for Writing for Magazines!

In The Writer's Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing, accomplished freelance writer, author, and instructor Kerrie Flanagan demystifies the idea that writing for magazines is a difficult process meant only for those with journalism degrees.
Drawing from her 20 years as a freelance writer and instructor, Flanagan takes you step-by-step through the entire process, sharing her knowledge and experiences in a friendly, conversational way.

With more than a dozen sample articles, expert advice from magazine editors and successful freelance writers, practical tips on researching potential publications and instructions on crafting compelling query letters, you'll find the tools needed to write and publish magazine articles.

In this book you'll learn how to:

   • Find and target ideas for the right magazine.
   • Develop effective query letters to catch the attention of editors and land more assignments.
   • Organize your writing life using the checklists and tools throughout the book.
   • Understand and negotiate contracts.
   • Write and sell personal essays to consumer, niche and trade magazines.

Whether your goal is to get your first byline or make the switch from part-time freelancer to full-time writer, The Writer's Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing is your go-to resource for writing success.

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Writer's Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing is a concise and informational primer full of tips for content writers by Kerrie Flanagan. Released in 2018 by Penguin Random House, it's 232 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. It makes searching for info so much easier with the search function. This is a book where I spent a fair bit of time flipping back and forth to gain context and check information.

The author does a good job of providing information in accessible and logical manner. The very basic info (how to start, what outlets to target, judging the right outlet for each article) is provided before moving on to more specific/specialized areas (improving writing skills, deadlines, and polishing finished writing).

Although slanted at beginners, I found some good info here for improving and polishing my own blog and review posts (finding a formula which works for you can be a *good* thing - and brevity isn't always a good thing).

All in all, this is a good compendium with lots of advice for nonfiction article writing. While much of the information may be somewhat obvious (don't miss deadlines) and can possibly be found elsewhere, the author has gathered everything together in one package, saving the reader the effort of finding it elsewhere and wasting time looking.

Four stars. Well written and useful. This would be a good choice for writers' home libraries, public or school library acquisition, writers' groups, and similar.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Writer's Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing

by Kerrie Flanagan

Reviewed by annieb123 on Jul 31, 2021

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