A magazine columnist contributes short, recurring articles that have a consistent theme and voice. Before you can become a magazine columnist, you may need to take a writing class and study the work of a few popular columnists. In order to be successful at this career, you should find a topic that you are passionate about and write with your target audience in mind. Next, compose a series of sample columns and gather information about the magazines to which you want to apply. Then, submit your sample columns to different magazine editors until you are approved for publication.
It may be necessary to complete some type of professional writing course before you become a magazine columnist. This course will teach you how to write properly and help you to avoid common grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. It may also offer instruction in the most widely-accepted writing style-guides. You should also study the collective works of established, popular columnists to learn how to develop and maintain a consistent voice, style, and format. These collected works are usually available in book form at a library or bookstore.
To succeed in this career, you will need to write with passion and authority. The best way to accomplish this is to stay with subjects about which you are passionate and knowledgeable. You should also consider the long-term prospects of the topic since this will be a recurring column that must attract and retain a loyal following. It is also important to keep the size of your prospective audience in mind when choosing a subject. Very narrow topics may not attract enough readers to support publication.
After you choose a topic, compose a series of short sample columns to submit to magazine editors. This sample series will help to gauge your ability to become a magazine columnist and also provide material for future submissions. You should keep the sample columns between 250 to 1,000 words and each should have the same general format. Remember to utilize the knowledge gained from studying successful columnists when composing these samples. Next, gather the editor’s name and business address of each magazine for which you would like to write.
The final step needed to become a magazine columnist is submitting your sample columns for publication. You should send these samples to every magazine for which you wish to write. Remember to include detailed, personal contact information, including your name and address as well as your telephone number and e-mail address. Magazine editors are usually very busy people and you may have to submit your columns more than once to get their attention. You might also need to try magazines with smaller circulations in order to receive initial publication.