Tips on How to Re-Create Article Queries for Multiple Magazine Submissions

Freelance writers often worry that one day they'll find themselves without a single story left up their sleeves to sell to magazine editors. All of the major issues seem to remain the same year after year, only so many publications exist, and one can only live so long on a one-time article payment. So how can a freelance writer make a living once they've touched upon every subject they know? Seasoned writers are aware that in order to survive, one must never sell a story just once. Recycling and restoring is a common practice among well paid writing professionals. For a few quick ideas on how to extend your earnings, take a look at the following tips on how to re-create article queries for multiple magazine submissions.

Tip #1: Find a new perspective on the same issue. Every article is written for a particular audience. An article about late term abortion takes on a whole new meaning when written for a conservative Christian publication as opposed to a liberal feminist magazine. If you have an article in your arsenal of past works written on a hot button issue, consider re-writing it for a completely different audience. The idea will be the same, with a slightly different slant.

Tip #2: Re-use your research. Keep all research filed away alphabetically for future reference. You may be able to piece together your research from two or three different stories to formulate an entirely different query for your next editor. You can also re-use your research for a follow up story for the same publication it was originally intended for. (In other words, readers may want a follow up to your first article later on, and the original research will come in handy).

Tip #3: Check your rights. Depending on the magazine and the contract, you may not have to do much re-working on your article at all. Lower paying publications often only buy limited rights, meaning you can re-sell the exact same article over and over again to other publications buying non-exclusive rights from their authors. Also, some magazines only purchase North American rights, meaning you are free to pursue other global markets with the same article.

Tip #4: Find new interviewees for the same topic. While magazines often cover the same topics as their competitors, finding new interviewees is important when re-pitching a used article idea. Try to locate experts that will give the story a fresh feel, and perhaps who are more renowned in their fields than your previous choices.

Tip #5: Be wary of re-sending time sensitive queries. If your work depends upon up-to-the-minute issues and developments, you may have a more difficult time re-selling your articles. After all, we can only read so many articles about the Britney Spears comeback before we've seen and heard every single detail from any and every angle. In all seriousness, articles based on politics, medical breakthroughs, technological advances, pop culture, etc, are easily affected by slight shifts in research, developments, and sudden decisions. While they may sell well initially, be careful of basing your career on time sensitive articles if you wish to re-create article queries often in the future.

Tip #6: Choose a different way to prove your point. Most magazine article authors have strong opinions based on their previous work and research. Perhaps one thing you would like for your audience to see is how rehabilitative measures in prisons lead to lower occurrences of second offenses on the behalf of criminals. That's fine. Instead of simply writing an article or two based on straight-forward research that backs up your belief, consider completely different and more subtle ways to approach the theory. You may cover the psychological state of prisoners in rehabilitative prisons, the problems with our current system of punishment, the reasons why criminals almost always become second or third-time offenders, etc. One idea can be backed by many different theories or facts. When re-creating a previously published article, focus your concentration on another factor that contributes to the same idea.

Tip #7: Refresh an old query with a new fact or twist. If your first story was based on how teens now view a baby bump as a fashion accessory, perhaps you could refurbish the same topic by adding information on how those views change after the baby is born. When reviewing old queries, consider new ideas or developments that can be added to the original topic.

Tip #8: Be careful when re-pitching to competitors. Magazines tend to cover the same basic issues year after year. Whether it's losing weight before swimsuit season or how to choose a retirement account, you can count on a handful of classics reappearing every time. So how do they manage to sell? Editors often choose writers who show a bit of loyalty for their regular assignments. Writing on the same topic for Vogue and Marie Claire in the same month may lead to a few shut doors in the future. If you wish to resubmit the exact same query idea with much of the same research, do so only to non-competitors of the magazine that originally published your story. Once twelve months or so have elapsed, you may be able to submit the same idea to a competitor of the original publisher (of course, with a different angle and new facts).

Re-creating a query idea for several different magazines is an art form that successful freelance writers have cornered. Remember to add a few fresh elements and perhaps a new perspective, and your work can continue to pay off for years to come.