How to Write for Magazines (Even if You've Never Even Tried it Before)

Course is closed.
How to Write for Magazines (Even if You've Never Even Tried it Before)

WHEN
Thursday, Sept. 7, 7-10 p.m.

WHERE
Chancellor Hotel
Clipper Ship Meeting Room
433 Powell Street
San Francisco, Calif.

MORE INFO
Email learnwest@mediabistro.com, or call (310) 659-5668.

PRICE
$65 ($50 for )
more info

Course Details

Don't believe journalism school graduates: You can write for consumer magazines, from Vibe to Us Weekly to Food & Wine, without having gone to grad school for it. In fact, some of today's most respected journalists taught themselves how to write. And here's the kicker (a journalism term, by the way): J-school doesn't even teach you how to write pitch letters, work with editors, or spot trends—three of the skills editors say they look for first in a freelancer. 

Get started and focused with this crash course in magazine writing. You'll learn the scope of opportunities—there's more out there than the New Yorker and Cosmo, you know—how to get the attention of an editor, and how to write to please. Learn how to identify the best sources, win their confidence, and get great quotes. And instead of just lobbing stories and queries, you'll find out how to study the magazine market, break into new publications, manage your time, and win an editor's heart. We'll take you beyond the usual magazine seminar and give you a seller's edge.

In this seminar, you'll learn:

  • How to generate kick-butt story ideas
  • How to craft a winning pitch
  • How to connect with editors
  • The different writing assignments: service stories, Q&As, essays, roundup stories, features, etc.
  • How to negotiate for more money and what to look for in a contract
  • How to conduct a fruitful interview
  • How to make an editor happy with your work

Instructor Bio

Sally Lehrman's Courses

No courses available at this time.

Sally Lehrman
Sally Lehrman is an award-winning reporter and writer on medicine and science policy who has written for some of the top names in national print and broadcast media including Scientific American, Nature, Health, Salon.com, and the DNA Files, distributed by NPR. Her honors have included the 1995-96 John S. Knight Fellowship; a shared 2002 Peabody award, Peabody/Robert Wood Johnson Award for excellence in health and medical programming, and Columbia/Du Pont Silver Baton (for the DNA Files). She is author of News in a New America, a fresh take on developing an inclusive U.S. news media, and two chapters for textbooks on covering the sciences. She serves as at-large director and national diversity chair for the Society of Professional Journalists and is a USC Annenberg Institute for Justice and Journalism Expert Fellow on race. She works in her home office with her assistant Daisy, a Saint Bernard.

Testimonials


Sally's course was extremely valuable. She helped me pitch an article to Wired!. Sally ran the course as a workshop, was very organized, and gave terrific feedback. -- Michael Chorost, author of Rebuilt: How Becoming Part Computer Made Me More Human

From Sally's class, I sold three assignments! The class was a constructive idea-generating environment that honed my editing skills to boot." -- Narasu Nebbapragada, freelance writer and technology magazine editor

"Not only was Sally's course an opportunity to share my work with a group of passionate, colorful, and opinionated individuals, it also provided guidance for packaging and selling my work." -- Paul Lee Cannon

"Sally's class was phenomenal. She has a huge amount of experience, which she shares to help you successfully pitch to and write for magazines, as well as to simply run the business side of a freelance career." -- Liza Boyd

"Sally brings enthusiasm and focus to her classes. I look forward to taking more classes from her in the future." -- Marie Watts, Adjunct Business Professor, Brooks College

"The environment Sally created was comfortable and supportive. She fostered a truly interactive experience." -- Bruce Johansen

"Sally presented useful, practical steps to preparing yourself for a freelance career. I now have blueprint and reference materials while I get my freelancing career off the ground." -- Joy Buchanan

"Sally helped me strengthen my writing, which resulted in not only several freelance gigs but also a widely-read book and a great job as editor of a Bay Area monthly." -- Lori Hope, author, editor, and speaker, lorihope.co

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