I think we forget that one simple thing becoming troublesome in the body can have a lot of unpleasant results.
So magazine fillers- what's available?
When you're working on longer stories, or when some of the women's magazine markets have restricted who can submit stories, then fillers can earn small amounts.
It used to be a useful earning potential, and at one time there were plenty of magazines who paid for letters used, or included short pieces that filled spare slots in magazines.
It's changed a lot, so I've searched for a few examples in case you'd like to follow them up...
When I signed up to Readly (it's a site that enables you to read thousands of magazine- digitally- for a monthly fee) I spent some time looking at a range of magazines to see what filler opportunities there were.
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| Research fillers... |
Some magazines have gone the route of Facebook and Twitter. On a certain day of the week they pose a question and ask for readers opinions, and some of those replies feature on a page in the magazine later on.
There's nothing to suggest payment or a prize is offered...
Where Letters slots still exist many have gone to only awarding the star letter a prize - I wonder if the product maker has provided the freebie for exposure... Very few seem to pay cash anymore, and if they do it's only the Star letter.
*Saga, the magazine for the over 50's - does have interesting articles related to health, money, gardening, holidays and technology; it pays £50 to the writer of their star letter, but you've only got 100 words available.
Like any submission read the magazines and see what appeals to them and you.
* If you like Spirit & Destiny magazine, their star letter wins £50, and others printed won a book prize- in the November issue it's a book on Crystal use...
Opinion piece slots seem to have become celebrity orientated with recognisable TV and radio personalities sharing their thoughts on life or a specific topic. But keep looking as reader opinion slots are occasionally seen.
The good news is that you don't need many words if you have a good image to go with your useful tips- upcycling seems a popular choice, what use have you made of something you would normally use for something else. Or you've got a happy/fun image to share.
* Weekly magazine Pick Me Up pays £25 for pics and videos used for their Your Pick Me Ups pages- think fun, feel good and if you've met a celebrity and had your photo taken with them...
* They also do Your Brainwaves, £25 for 'your brilliant tips!' Some are quite simple, but very useful. A clear photo helps.
* Chat to Us in Chat magazine pays £25 for any photo they use, but it must not have been sent to 'any other publication'. They also pay £25 for tips they use.
And most magazines give instructions on sending by email as well as post.
But probably the biggest return is on the true-life tales that are splashed across the cover of weekly magazines such as Real People- their Quick Reads are 'short and sweet' tales, not fiction (earn up to £2,000), and Chat (says they pay cash for your real-life stories but doesn't specify the range).
If you're going to be doing articles then Readly is a good way to research lots of magazines without it costing what you might earn, and you can stop your monthly £7.99 subscription at any time.
Just like ideas being everywhere, so can filler opportunities- check out smaller and local magazines for opportunities. Admittedly these may be non-paying, but it's up to the individual writer to decide what's right for them.
Now I've had an idea for a useful recycling into something else tip, so I'll be getting the camera out to photograph it and send it off...
Have you had any success with fillers?
image from Pixabay.
8 comments:
You're right, Carol, the rewards for readers' letters etc aren't as generous as they once were, but there are still payments to be had. All it takes is a little research to find the right outlet. Like you, I find Readly invaluable.
Thank you for sharing this, Carol. I think my only fillers were in Prima, but I don't think they do those any more. Sometimes I think I should go out and do something scandalous if only so I can sell my story :-)
It's good to be reminded about fillers, Carol, but so many mags are celebrity led these days. It's a while since I've tried smaller items!
I used to wrkte lots of them (and did once get paid for answering a magazine's Facebook question after it was published in the mag). It's probably time I tried a few more.
Bea- agree, there are opportunities, you just need to find them. Since I signed up to Readily I've found quite a few magazines I like to read, but never could have afforded to buy them all every month; and it's the same for researching magazines, very good for being able to read back issues.
Teresa- magazines have changed so much in a few years that it's difficult to keep up with every change taking place. As long as it's not too scandalous... ;)
Rosemary- yes a lot of opinion pieces are written by celebs, and the magazines that are strongly celebrity orientated don't appear to have filler opportunities. :(
Patsy- even small successes and payments/prizes while you're working on novels, gives a good feeling.
I've recently had a couple of letters in Take a break - but you're right fewer & fewer magazines are paying for letters. Still a real boost though when one makes into print & brings in some cash.
Very useful - thank you, Carol.
Sally - yes, it's a definite boost and getting paid for it. :-)
Wendy- you're welcome. :-)
Patsy- thank you for the mention on your blog. :-)
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