Magazine Freelance Writing: How to Choose a Specialty

Many writers choose to specialize in a particular subject area when freelance writing for magazines. A specialty allows you to develop both your reputation and your knowledge base on particular topics, thus improving your chances of publication. But how do you choose a specialty for magazine freelance writing? And how will you know that you've chosen the right specialty?

Listen to Instinct

Freelance writing for magazines is often about instinct; if you listen to your gut, you're unlikely to steer wrong. A specialty should be something that interests you, something you won't mind researching for additional information. Even if you know quite a bit about electronics, you won't want to choose it as a specialty if the subject bores you to tears.

Find Something with a Long Shelf Life

You don't want to specialize in something so obscure and so new that it won't be around in a year. If your topic doesn't have a long shelf life, you'll have to re-brand yourself when the subject dies down, and this can be negative for your career. Choosing a specialty for magazine freelance writing should be the product of careful thought and consideration about how interesting the topic will be in five years, ten years...even twenty years.

Research Paying Markets

You might be endlessly fascinated by elephants, but there aren't many publications which cover them. Choosing a specialty for magazine freelance writing needs to include consideration for the number of paying markets. It's true that a magazine without much competition will likely pay more per article, but you can't live off the sales of one or two articles each year. Writing about dogs might pay less per article, but you could produce a significantly larger quantity than articles about elephants.

Determine the Publications' Intended Audience