Hello Ed,
I have four clips under my belt, written for local/ethnic magazines. I would love to graduate to writing for better known magazines, but when I send in my query letters, this amount of experience seems inadequate. Do editors frequently look for writing credits among the bigger names, or is it OK to mention my small-town credits?
Thanks,
Priya, Washington D.C.
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Dear Priya,
Four clips at local/ethnic magazines MAY be enough for some assignments, but no matter where you’re pitching ideas, mention ALL of these clips (if this is all you have!). Better to talk about clips you have than not to mention any at all!
Editors at bigger name magazines do occasionally assign ideas to writers who haven’t written for bigger name magazines when their ideas are great and their pitches are well-crafted. Why don’t you slowly work up to pitching big-name national magazines? Pitch ideas to magazines that are better known than the ones for which you’ve already written, but not quite as large as the really big names. Pitch major Web sites, too. Getting clips at these larger places will increase your chances of getting freelance assignments at the major mags for which you’d like to write. But you should still mention your small-town credits, if they’re relevant, once you have bigger names on your resume.
Love,
Ed