.
– Airliner Dock
.
Making money with your first book is not very likely – at least not right away. From the second or third book on it gets easier, but still it might take years – if ever – until you can make a living as an author.
Don’t get discouraged, there are lots of niches were you can earn faster money with your writing, compared to books: Writing for magazines. Especially airline magazines represent real opportunity for freelance writers. Despite contractions in the airline industry, in-flight magazines still attract many readers, and they are mostly written by freelancers.
.
Airline magazines
The best thing about writing for in-flight magazines is that each one is different. Some of them – such
as Sky for Delta Airlines – feature restaurant reviews, fiction stories, regular columns and technology
articles in addition to a cornucopia of other topics. Other inflight magazines are focused primarily on
travel, with in-depth articles on interesting destinations.
.
Bored at 36,000 feet
The readership of the in-flight magazine tends to be larger than those of regular consumer
magazines. Take for example just the Los Angeles to Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, Delhi and many
other flights on Singapore Airlines, with an immense number of passengers on every flight and the
number of daily flights going out from Los Angeles. There are potentially hundreds of thousands of
travelers reading your article every month.
However almost 50 passenger airlines fly in the U.S. alone — many are smaller regional and
commuter airlines — and they all have magazines on their planes. Southwest alone, claims 3.4
million readers per month of their in-flight magazine. Add to that the airlines in English-speaking
countries such as Canada, the UK / Ireland, Australia, India, South Africa – and the fact, that most
in-flight magazines worldwide are published in two languages, preferable in English as well. The in-flight magazine market is global. You need not limit yourself to North American publications.
.
Know the magazine inside out
Travel pieces are a staple of in-flights, yet airline publications also offer articles on technology,
business, sports, and food, as well as lifestyle trends. Find as much of the articles online. Or try to
get hard copies. Since in-flights are not sold on newsstands, request a copy from the magazine’s
publisher and ask traveling friends for their help
.
Know your audience
The trick to writing for in-flight magazines is knowing the target audience. The vast majority of
readers are frequent flyers – travelers and wealthy vacationers. They are also savvy about technology and business trends, as well as travel and leisure pursuits. Writing for in-flight magazine readers requires to cater to a well-educated, travel-savvy audience. These free magazines should reflect their interests: Profiles of successful business leaders, great restaurant trends, management and entrepreneur tips, descriptions of new gadgets for business people or travelers,etc. If you have experience in a particular facet of business that can be applied to travelers, turn that to your advantage.
.
Pay higher rates
Compared to consumer magazine publishers, in-flight magazines tend to pay a higher rate for freelancers. Excellent writers might earn up to $3.000 for a three page feature with photographs. Rates typically vary between $0.70 – $1.00 per word. Also, you’ll almost never get your name put with the article, at least you have it in your portfolio with – no proof you actually wrote it.
.
Learn how to break into this market
Airline magazines’ web sites don’t make the guidelines easy to find. You often have to dig deep into
their website. The common misperception is that this market is nearly impossible to break into. And,
in fact, if you’re only thinking about writing for the magazines in the seat pockets on United, Delta,
Continental, Northwest, American, and US Airways — and you’re just starting out freelance writing — you could find yourself a bit frustrated. In-flight magazines are not always very accepting of beginning writers. While they’re designed to appeal to all travelers, they do tend to cater to a more upscale market, and as such they demand top-notch writing and credentials. Writers with a limited portfolio will probably not be welcomed into the features section with open arms.
.
Some Tips before you query:
- The aspiring freelance author must know and understand the magazine before querying. Read the magazine, their web sites often have archived copies to download, get to know their style.
- Learn about the airlines’ customer demographics and include in your pitch why your story will appeal to them. Demographics can be found under the “advertising” section of the magazine’s web site.
- Only propose stories on destinations served by the airline you are pitching
- Pitch “evergreen” stories, or stories that allow for the magazines’ long lead times.
- Start writing a travel blog with side topics, similar to those in airline magazines to see what it is like to write short pieces for an international audience.
- Mention it, if you have high-quality accompanying photos in TIFF.
- Check out the magazine’s editorial calendar, usually found under the “advertising” section on the web site.
- In-flights receive many queries for travel pieces. It may be easier for a newcomer to break in by pitching an article on a business or service topic.
- Pitch a specific column. You’ll be more likely to get an assignment if your pitch matches the magazine’s format . Many of the web sites list the specific departments for which the editors solicit submissions.
- Keep your story short. Most pieces are 800 words or less; “features” usually run under 2,500 words.
- Keep your articles positive, not challenging. In-flight magazines want to keep their readers relaxed and entertained.
In-flight magazine resources:
Air Canada
http://enroute.aircanada.com/en/magazine
British Airways
http://www.bahighlife.com/
Cathay Pacific
http://www.bauermedia.com.hk/
United
http://www.Hemispheres.com
WestJet
http://www.upmagazine.com/write-us
SkyWest (SkyWest Airlines)
http://www.skywestmagazine.com
Hana Hou! (Hawaiian Airlines)
http://www.hanahou.com
Cision Navigator lists the top-ten in-flight magazines by circulation:
A comprehensive list of 101 in-flight magazines from AirArabia to Wizz Air (many with links directly to
the magazine’s web site)
.
The in-flight magazine market is competitive, although not impossible to crack. Even if you don’t
have a long list of publication credits or an impressive resume, you can still break into the in-flight
market. Important: Do your research — both about your topic and the publication you are pitching,
rely on your particular expertise about a place or subject matter, and produce insightful, error-free
copy aimed at a sophisticated audience of frequent travelers.
.
<><><><><>
.
If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar
Please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are 770 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:
@111publishing
http://pinterest.com/111publishing/
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+
.
The Rewarding Challenge of Freelance Writing
I want to tell you about how I found an intellectually stimulating challenge in freelance writing.
Not too long ago I was working as a copywriter for an advertising firm. I had studied journalism and advertising in college, and I was one of the lucky few among my graduating class that found a job almost immediately after finishing school. After the endless all-nighters, study sessions, and project deadlines that typified my college experience, I was glad to be part of the “normal” workforce. A desk job seemed like just the right fit for me.
Unfortunately I discovered very quickly that the advertising world wasn’t something that brought me any happiness personally or professionally. Worse yet, I found myself at the mercy of superiors who had me working hours even worse than those I worked in college although my official hours were 8-5. The work was neither rewarding nor inspiring, and most of the people in my office seemed jaded on a daily basis.
After over a year at the advertising firm, I decided to quit my job and start a new career as a self-employed freelance writer.
I won’t lie to you reader: those first few months out on my own were very tough. I assumed that I’d hit the ground running with my modest connections in the writing industry and my formidable copywriting skills. But it turns out that freelancing is a much more feasible career option in theory than it is in practice. I had to work hard just to get free gigs, writing assignments that I needed if just to add more content to my still small writing portfolio. Luckily I had amassed a small amount of savings just in case, so my finances were not as tight as they could have been. But those first few months of freelancing were among the most humbling and instructive periods of my life.
When I did finally start to make money from freelancing, the feeling was like none other. I was struggling to land decent writing gigs one day, and then the next I was juggling multiple clients at a time, writing copy at all hours of the night and trying to keep track of the numerous projects going on. My hard work and persistence was starting to pay off—quite literally.
Of course, in order to make ends meet I had to veer slightly from my initial plans as a freelancer. I couldn’t only sustain myself by writing copy—I also wrote as a guest blogger for a number of sights (as I am now!) to get my name out there. I also wrote on behalf of clients who wanted stronger content on their websites, regardless of the industry that they worked in. In other words, I had to diversify my approach to freelancing. I had to adapt with the market needs if I wanted to survive.
The point of my little anecdote here is to encourage you to set out to achieve your own writing ambitions, no matter how outlandish they may seem. Perhaps you want to write the next great American novel, or maybe you just want to work for yourself as a freelancer like me. Whatever the case may be, I wholeheartedly encourage you to follow your dreams and make them happen, even if it’s a scary option to consider. If I made it, you certainly can too.
This guest post is brought to you by Mariana Ashley, a prolific blogger who provides web content to a number of blogs and websites. She’s most interested in providing guidance to prospective college students who wish to attend online colleges in Montana. When she’s not writing or researching online education trends, she enjoys riding her horse, George, and spending quality time with her four nieces. Mariana welcomes your questions and comments at mariana.ashley031@gmail.com.
.
.
.
.
Hyper Smash
Share this: sendtokindle
Like this:
Posted by ebooksinternational on August 17, 2012 in comment on posts, Freelance Writing, Writing
Tags: Freelance Copy Writer, Freelance Writing, Mariana Ashley, Online Colleges in Montana, Writing for the Web