When I was studying Freelance Journalism under Penn Foster Career School, our course work covered the subject of contributing to the small press. To put it simply, the small press is made up of less-known publications that are followed by a more marginalized readership. However, these newspapers, magazines, journals, newsletters, etc. do not sacrifice article quality or editorial content.

One of the most common mistakes beginning freelance writers make is immediately targeting a well-known publication, such as one of the women’s glossy magazines, while choosing to overlook the less popular, although more specialized, niche markets. Although many writers harbor the dream of seeing their byline in a major magazine, the chances of a beginning freelancer breaking into one are slim.

Also, consider the many advantages of starting out in the small press. Many beginning writers face the dreaded writer’s block, coming to the conclusion that “I just don’t have anything to write about.” The truth is that most of us have hobbies and interests outside the craft. Are you into dog breeding or bird watching? Maybe you can contribute an article to a magazine being sold at one of your local pet shops.

There are many small-scale magazines that welcome submissions for personal experiences and essays. Writing authoritatively about a topic will allow readers to see you as an expert on that topic. You can build a solid readership, which might translate to better opportunities in the future.

Getting as many articles or stories published in these small-scale newspapers and magazines will build up your reputation and career as a freelance writer. It also means you’ve gathered the necessary experience needed. There will come a time when an extensive writing background is inevitable for assignments that require handling greater responsibilities, such as beating tight deadlines. And the more writing clips you can show, the better you can prove that you can handle such responsibilities.

When thinking of topics to write about, work around those with which you are most familiar. You need not know everything about your topic, since you can always do research if you need more facts and information. After brainstorming for possible topics, look around for markets that accept contributions.

Before pitching an article to a publication, start by studying an entire year’s worth of back issues. You will notice that magazines usually have the following:

*bannered feature articles
*seasonal articles
*informative, how-to articles
*articles for the layperson

Write and send a query letter to the appropriate editor, or request for editorial guidelines. Make sure you understand what type of material is currently needed, and then fit your article ideas into them. Again, it cannot be stressed often enough that conducting an effective market study is one of the most important skills freelance writers would need to learn.

So if you’re hoping to get your writing career on a fast track, start with small-scale publications. There are literally hundreds of them waiting for your submissions.