Boost Your Income With Trade Journals

Written by Terri Pilcher


Why would anyone want to write for trade journals? Aren’trepparttar topics are dry? Don’t they require specialized knowledge? Not necessarily. You may want to consider trade journals to increaserepparttar 128599 potential market for your articles – and forrepparttar 128600 money. Trade publications make up a significant portion ofrepparttar 128601 hidden source of funds for professional writers. Breaking in can be surprisingly easy – when you knowrepparttar 128602 tricks.

What Can You Write?

Use a brainstorming list to begin your search for a specialty. To write for a trade publication, you will need in depth knowledge of a topic. Don’t force yourself to learnrepparttar 128603 inner workings of gravel mines when you loverepparttar 128604 elegant designs of classic furniture. Trade publications require professional knowledge of a topic, so make sure it’s a subject you’ll want to spend a lot of time with. Start your list by including things you enjoy and love. Whether you volunteer for a non-profit organization or have a degree in agricultural science, include all ofrepparttar 128605 categories in which you have experience. Some trade publications accept articles of personal experience or interviews with recognized authorities in their field. Include your connections with professionals to make your list more complete. Keep this list handy and add to it regularly.

Where Can You Find Those Trade Journals? Now that you have a list of specialty areas that you want to be immersed in, you need to findrepparttar 128606 journals that pay for your information. Almost every profession has a trade journal. The first place for you to look is with a professional organization related to your area of specialty. If you love elegant furniture, than perhaps you should consider “Interior Decorators of America”, “American Furniture Manufacturers”, or “American Pine”. Join at least one of these major professional organizations. Membership rates are often cheaper for affiliate members (those not practicing professionals inrepparttar 128607 field). Marketing companies buyrepparttar 128608 organization’s list and send free publications and resources to members. These items may include “throw-away journals”, free journals paid for by advertising. Even if you joinrepparttar 128609 organization only one time,repparttar 128610 professional materials will appear in your mailbox for years. This information will keep you onrepparttar 128611 cutting edge of your chosen industry.

Online resources are helpful in finding associations, but they include only a few ofrepparttar 128612 possibilities. The most complete resource available isrepparttar 128613 Encyclopedia of Associations found in your local library. It containsrepparttar 128614 most complete list of organizations, many of which produce magazines specific to their members. It may take days for you to wade through this tome, but when you find ten journals that correspond to your qualifications, it will be worthrepparttar 128615 effort.

How Do I Start?

Begin by researching past issues ofrepparttar 128616 magazine. Editors always recommend that potential writers analyze at least six months of back issues and a copy of their writer’s guidelines. This is essential with trade journals. Articles seen inrepparttar 128617 trades are far different in style than those seen in consumer magazines. Pay attention torepparttar 128618 complexity of sentences, commonly used terms, andrepparttar 128619 assumed knowledge ofrepparttar 128620 readers. Style is often less conversational and more technical than what most people read. Many trade magazines use technical terms that are a foreign language to industry outsiders. Make sure you use their language, or you will sound amateurish.

Make a list of published topics. You want to know what not to do as well asrepparttar 128621 topics they prefer. Painting and Wallcovering Contractor focuses onrepparttar 128622 professional painting industry, while Walls and Ceilings focuses on plaster restorers and finishers. There is some crossover, but you increase your chances of sellingrepparttar 128623 interview withrepparttar 128624 restorer ofrepparttar 128625 Sistine Chapel to Walls and Ceilings because ofrepparttar 128626 focus. In addition, Painting and Wallcovering Contractor likes articles on how-to meet regulatory standards. If you know of a regulation that has not been covered recently, send a query offering to update their readers onrepparttar 128627 topic. Trade journals often recycle subjects with fresh information on three to four year cycles. If you can approach old ideas in a new way, you can give them an article that they will buy.

Give Your Readers A Sample

Written by Jean Fritz


Manufacturers of food products are masters at marketing. When they launch a new product, they hire crews of merchandisers to pass out samples and coupons during peak grocery shopping times. The result – a large percentage of shoppers become first-time buyers after receiving their free sample and an incentive to buy. Many of those buyers will end up loyal customers.

Self-publishers need to think like Frito-Lay. Realize that you, as a self-publishing and (probably) relatively unknown author, need to give your potential customers a reason to buy your book, and offering your readers free samples may be justrepparttar sales boost you need. The great part about your particular craft is that you don’t have to hire merchandisers or deplete your resources; free sampling for writers is cheap or free, thanks torepparttar 128596 Internet and current printing technology.

If you have your own web page (something I recommend), offer your readers a chapter or book synopsis as a free download. Your manuscript is probably already in .pdf format if you’ve worked with any ofrepparttar 128597 subsidy houses. Extract your table of contents,repparttar 128598 promotional copy from your back cover andrepparttar 128599 first chapter of your book, and create a link to them on your site. Be sure to back-link to your sales page, orrepparttar 128600 area on Amazon, Alibris, or other site offering your book for sale.

If you do not have a web page but are internet-literate, you can submit your first chapter and Table of Contents directly to Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, or torepparttar 128601 site FirstChapterFree.com. Use any ofrepparttar 128602 “click-for-hits” programs to drive traffic to your excerpts. As these programs are targeted, you can use keywords to drive targeted traffic to your sales page, which increasesrepparttar 128603 probability that someone will buy your book.

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