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Tips for Getting Published in a Magazine

Sep 29th, 2018 by Issuu

Photographers, illustrators, designers, writers and all sorts of creatives have limitless opportunities when it comes to magazine submissions. There are many magazines out there that offer the chance for creative people to submit their work or their story to their publication. There are best practices to follow when you submit your work to magazines. Read on to find out how our tips on submitting work to magazines.

How do I know if I can get published in a magazine?

The publication will typically state it on their website if they accept submissions. This can be found on pages labelled ‘Submissions’ or ‘Contact’ on many sites. Make sure to check before you contact them! When they do take submissions, you can send in your work–– but check out our tips first.

Related Reading: 5 Digital Fashion Magazines That Take Submissions

Tips for getting published in a magazine:

Read the Submission Guidelines

First and foremost, read the submissions guidelines of the magazine you are submitting to. Whether you are a writer, photographer or any other kind of creator, there are certainly going to be guidelines laid out for you. You can typically find these on the magazine’s website. These are there for a reason. Many magazines will ignore submissions that do not follow their guidelines.

Stay on Theme

Magazines that accept submissions will sometimes share a theme to work off of. This is so that the issue itself feels cohesive, even though it’s being contributed to by many people around the world. If you want a better chance at successfully submitting work to magazines, it’s best to stay on theme. Also pay attention to the seasonality of the issue–– if their next issue is for winter, you don’t want to submit summery work.

Make Sure Your Style Fits

If your creative work does not fit the style of previous issues, you can look into other magazines to submit work to. It’s more likely that the editors are going to pick work that fits with their taste and the overall cohesive style of the magazine.

Do Your Research

Know who you’re emailing before you email them. If they have a general submissions email address, try and find the name of the person who is going to be reading the email. LinkedIn is a helpful tool for you to find out the different roles within a publication.

Be Polite

Don’t forget that the people on the other end of the email are just that–– people. When submitting work to magazines, it’s important to remember that everyone is trying their best. Your contribution is potentially a great opportunity for collaboration, and kindness goes a long way.

Don’t Push Too Hard

If you haven’t heard back from the magazine, don’t push too hard for a reply. Often if a publication accepts submissions, they are receiving a very high volume of emails. Multiple follow-ups will not always help your case if you’re trying to get noticed.

Ask If They’re Willing to Give Feedback

Oh no! Has your submission been rejected? Don’t take it too hard, there’s always next time. If they’re willing, ask the editors for feedback on why your work was not the right fit. Turn an unsuccessful submission into a learning experience, and get better for next time.

Explore Issuu for Magazines to Submit

Issuu is the home to hundreds of digital magazines from content creators around the globe. Explore all of the publications on Issuu and consider whether any might be right for you to make a submission to. Perhaps even consider publishing your own content on Issuu, the most advanced publishing platform available. Check out the Issuu Creator Hub to see how other content creators are publishing exciting digital content.

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