Animal Magnetism
If you have a passion for pets and animals, if you haven’t already, you should look into pitching to animal and pet-centered publications. This is probably a pretty obvious statement but writing about your passions is lots of fun, as those I’ve spoken with who do write for pet publications tell me.
“The money is not terrific, and there are far fewer outlets than there used to be,” says writer Susan McCullough. “PetLife, Pets.com, Pets Part of the Family are all gone. But I love writing about animals — especially dogs — and I’ve had the good fortune to get some nice lucrative book projects. The advances and royalties more than offset the losses of magazine markets.” So while it’s not incredibly easy to get the clips, if you take care to find places to get published, you’ll have fun doing it.
“You need to take the same care and pay the same amount of attention when querying pet magazines that you would when you pitch to any outlet,” says McCullough. “Read the magazine and craft your query appropriately.
“You have to know the market and write for that,” says Janine Adams, who has written for “most if not all” of the pet magazines out there. “For instance, Dog Fancy is for the pet owner, but Dog Owner is for those who own performance dogs. There are also distinct voices. The Bark has a more sophisticated, literary voice.” Oh, and by the way, don’t pitch articles on mixed breeds to the purebreed of AKC publications.
Meanwhile, think outside the box. “It’s always a good idea to try to pitch pet-related ideas to non-pet publications,” says McCullough. For awhile, I did pet pieces for Family Circle.”
“Parenting magazines are always good places to hit up,” adds Adams. “They always need pieces about dogs and kids.”
If you’re interested in writing about animals but don’t consider yourself an expert, educate yourself to find out about article topics. “Go to dog shows, performance events. Subscribe to email lists and ask for press kits and press releases. Talk to other dog owners.” Also, another general tip I received from a former dog magazine editor is to find “sources with expertise (no neighborhood vets).”
For somre further resources, check out the Dog Writers Association of America, Cat Writers’ Association, Inc.
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