Published in Mothering or other magazines

[That Is Nice]

Have any of you had experience writing an article that was published in Mothering or other parenting magazines? I would be very appreciative of any information you could share about the process. Thank you very much.

[queenbean]

:

I was thinking about this myself. I know that a lot of magazines don't accept unsolicited submissions. How do you get... erm... solicited? I have quite a few articles that I'd love to submit to various mags, but I want to go about it the right way so I don't shoot myself in the foot.

[eastkygal]

Take a look at the book Writer Mama by Christine Katz.

[mimtessa]

I was going to post the same question! I think the process begins when you make a query or ask for a query sheet from the magazine - they send you instructions for submitting more or less. I submitted an article idea once to Organic Style Magazine but they didn't respond and then the magazine went belly up soon after.

[mimtessa]

http://www.mothering.com/sections/su...uidelines.html

I just found this - it's a start! Good luck fellow mamas!

[mamalove07]

I read the guidelines - what do you think would be preferable, online submissions or hard copies? There was no mention of cover letters, should I assume they want one? Thoughts?

[mimtessa]

Honestly I bet online submissions and yes an informal cover letter is always nice. I'm a mortgage consultant and we even send cover letters with our application submissions - it helps the reader get their bearings and prepare for what's to come.

[zinemama]

I've had two essays in Brain, Child.

I always look at the writer's guidelines and follow them exactly. If they say they want electronic subs, send it like that. If they want hard copy, they'll say so. It also helps to know the publication really well, so you understand just what they are looking for.

Persistence is also key! I had a few rejections from B, C before they took my first essay.

As for cover letters, I think they are a good idea, but keep them very short, including a brief description of your article:

"Here is an essay I hope you'll consider. 'My Big Mouth' is the account of one mother's repeated experiences of embarrassing herself at the local playgroup, and how she managed to recoup her friendship losses."

Good luck!