How Tos

Send Penny Pinching Queries to All You

All You‘s new tagline, “Enjoy life for less,” sums up the mission of its editorial content: to focus on practical, realistic and affordable ideas for the average working mother strapped for time. So, to nab a byline at this glossy, bring new strategies fit for a cost-cutting diva — but make sure it fits the standards of every All You story.

“We put every article — whether a craft, recipe or exercise tip — to a strict test: Is it real? Is it practical and doable? Is the information actionable and valuable?” said executive editor Susan Spencer.

To find out which sections Spencer calls ”fertile areas for assignments,” check out How To Pitch: All You. [sub req'd]

MEDIABISTRO EVENTS

Create a Facebook Marketing Strategy for Your Brand

Create a clear, strategic approach to the way you use Facebook to market your business in our new Facebook Marketing Boot Camp. The online conference and workshop starts April 24. Learn more.

Green Parents Can Nab Bylines At Kiwi

If you know a thing or two about sustainable, healthy living, you’ve got a great shot getting a byline at Kiwi.

This niche mag seeks “to be the sane, supporting voice in the green world and the alternative, open-minded voice in the parenting world,” says editorial director Sarah Smith. So green parents with a knack for the organic lifestyle should can find a home for their queries in Kiwi‘s myriad of sections.

Front-of-book sections include “Healthy,” focusing on natural remedies, mental health and alternative health topics, and “Happy,” dedicated to mindful parenting, green family fun and eco-crafts. Challenge” profiles a family who takes on a green challenge for two to three weeks. And for “Cooking With Kids,” send in a recipe a parent and child can make together.

For more information on word limits, pay rates and what the editors want in a longer feature, check out How To Pitch: Kiwi. [sub req'd]

What’s your biggest weakness?

This is an interview classic, but although you know it’s coming, it’s never easy to craft the perfect answer. So we spoke to job and career experts to break down interview questions we’ve all come to know and dread — and got great advice on how you can tackle each one.

“Don’t try to use a cliché like your weakness is that you’re a workaholic. No one will believe that answer,” says Melanie Benwell, managing director of Canadian recruitment firm PathWorks Personnel. Instead,  author and president of Penguin HR Consulting Ronald Katz says just be honest. ”Honestly tell the interviewer what it is that you don’t do best. No one can do everything perfectly.”

For guidelines for this and three other questions, check out 4 Common Interview Questions — And How to Answer Them [sub req'd].

Tackle The Web With True-Life Tales

Who says your first-person essays have to be limited to print? We’re ending our four-part series on personal essays with a nod to the growing digital outlet, with 15 sites all eager to publish your piece.

Salon.com is hungry for unique stories only you can tell, while three parenting pubs want to read “click-y content” that’ll bring the laughs. You can even tweet “tiny truths” to CreativeNonfiction.org in 130 characters or less.

Find out more on word count and submission etiquette at Personal Essay Markets, Part IV [sub req'd]. And don’t forget to revisit our Parts I, II and III for advice on tackling the oldie-but-goodie print pubs.

The Personal Stories Editors Want to Publish

After talking with at least 60 editors for our four-part series on pitching personal essays, we’ve learned a lot about what they expect in a publishable story.

Paula Derrow from Self wants fresh and relatable while Whole Life Times’ Abigail Lewis puts extra emphasis on humor and a tie into their L.A. home. And for Shape, editor A.J. Hanley says it’s all about tone, tone, tone.

Our latest installment adds 15 more magazines that are gunning for a first-person narrative. Find out what these editors and others crave in the pitch in Personal Essay Markets, Part  III. [sub req'd]

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