Get Published in Free Magazines & Newspapers

Our modern world is full of free print magazines and newspapers. They are sitting there, begging to be picked up on stands at airports, train stations and McDonalds restaurants. You can't walk through a major city without having them thrust under your nose.

How do the free print magazines make money? Editing, printing and distributing a paper costs money. Free papers get their money from paid advertising. Their business model is to provide information and entertainment to a sub-section of the community, while selling advertising space to businesses with goods and services to sell or organisations with a message to promote to that particular interest group.

How I Got Published in a Free Magazine
I work in the Queensland coal mining industry. When I saw Shift Miner magazine being offered for free at my local airport, I took a copy and read it. It was clear that their business model was based on selling advertising space with the message that coal mine workers have much higher than average disposable incomes.

I then asked myself, "As a writer, what can I offer Shift Miner, so that I can get published and have my writing put in front of a wider audience?" I decided to pitch the idea of a regular column of very short stories (< 1,000 words) that were targeted at coal mine workers. These would typically be set in the mines, and address the many issues and themes relevant to this workforce.

Before my flight had landed in Newcastle, I had thought up and written a first draft of an example story, and written my pitch to the editor of Shift Miner. I've now had three stories published with this magazine. I still get a kick out of seeing my name and my stories in print. It's even better when I hear from people in the industry who have read some of my stories published in Shift Miner.

How You Can Get Published in a Free Magazine
You can do the same thing I did – you just need to find the right combination. Keep an eye out for the free magazines and newspapers that are on offer. Take them and read them. Decide on who their audience is and what their style is. Think about what you can write that would add value to the publication. It might be stories, or an opinion column, or a series of articles.

Still interested? Write a sample. Make a pitch. Wait two weeks minimum before following up, politely and professionally.

Some Important Points

• Write what you know, and preferably what you enjoy. I couldn't write for a free magazine pitched at vegans. Perhaps you could.


• Your aim is to set up a mutually beneficial relationship with the editor. Think first about what they want, and offer it to them. But: you need to be sure about what you want, and negotiate to that. You need to make both of you happy. Forget the advice that you must get paid cash to be a real writer. If you're happy to write for free, but want to have your name, short bio and the web address of your blog printed, then fantastic. Just don't quit your day job.


• Make sure that copyright and future use are clearly agreed up front, in writing – e-mail is fine. Small newspaper publishers may not bring this up, but you need to. For example, if you re-publish a piece on your blog, or enter it into a writing competition, you risk damaging your relationship with the editor if you haven't sorted all this out.


• Celebrate. When your piece is in print, put a copy in your scrapbook. Put it on the noticeboard at work. Go to dinner, and brag on your blog. Enjoy the feeling. It's not a bestselling novel, but it's a major milestone. Remember that getting published is a journey, not a destination. You need to enjoy the trip. It's your journey, so you get define success, and decide whether you can enjoy it.

In summary, if you want to get published, start out small. Establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with the editor of a free magazine or newspaper is a great way to ease into the life of a published writer.