I have a goal of getting published

[MrSpeed]

I have a goal of getting published in a traditional print magazine.

Has anybody done this before? Any recommended magazines?

[Sinner_G]

Maybe you should tell us what you want to write about?

<added>And also where you are located geographically, it is always easier to get published in local/regional press.</added>

[ukgimp]

Apply the writing style in your copy of the journal you are going after.

Make sure you adhere to the rules (formatting etc).

Expect to be slated during a perr review, it happens.

Get someone else to slate it. Cover every angle you can. When you have done that and there are no spelling errors or gramatical errors send it off. There will be some stuffy old muppets that will just love to pick up on tiny orrors. Nail them before you send and they will have to rate the paper, not the style in which it is written.

God luck

[digitalghost]

Start with a copy of Writer's Market or the online version [writersmarket.com...]

Get to know the market and what the editors are looking for. Subscribe to publications you would like to be published in and read the articles to get a feel for what the mag is looking for.

Then start writing and submitting. Collect rejection slips and if you're lucky enough to get rejections with editor advice make use of that advice.

You will get rejected. If you keep writing and submitting you will get published. The hard part is building a body of work. Good luck.

[Jenstar]

Pick up a copy of the 2003 Writer's Market. It was just released this month. This edition has more than 8,000 markets for you to submit your work to, and includes all the information to submit work to each particular publisher or magazine.

You will have a much better shot at a successful submission if you follow each magazine's writer's guidelines (ie. query only, accepts multiple submissions or not, send full ms or not).

Some magazines also publish their writer's guidelines online.

Writer's Digest is also a good "trade" magazine for writers, and is published monthly by the same people who do the Writer's Market.

Good luck! Magazine writing can be a tough market to break into, and some will not accept unpublished authors. Just remember you will have better luck with a regional magazine or niche magazine than you will getting your article into Time or Sports Illustrated.

[MrSpeed]

Located in the Northeast US.
There are a few topics I could write about. I am the webmaster for a large company that would be in the same league as an insurance company or even the government. We don't sell products.

Some potential topics:
1) SEO to help customers find what they want.
2) I could show off our usability lab.
3) Using site metrics to optimize site for the customer.
4) Building navigation around customers language and not the business language.
5) QA/migration/approval in a large web environment.

I realize these topics may be old hat and boring to us but to the right audience they may seem interesting.

There are two ways to go here. One is two write for trade mags in my industry or the other way is to write for a technology trade mag that show how we leverage the technology in our business sector.

[ukgimp]

From that perspective it is important to get into the mindset and technical ability of the target reader. If they are low level then write it low level, you get the picture.

Writing technical stuff is easier than conveying technical stuff to the average bod on street but is a useful skill to have.

[MrSpeed]

Are there any publications that perhaps are a little more newbie friendly? I'm not trying to get into newsweek but maybe one of those weekly/monthly trade mag like computerworld, informationweek etc.

[rogerd]

Start small, MrSpeed - the more obscure and tightly-budgeted the publication is, the more likely they are to accept a first-time article.

Contact your target publications and ask them for their author guidelines. Most will have specific rules about how to submit. Until you break into the big leagues, expect to be paid very little - some pubs may only offer a printed byline and some copies of the issue. Others may pay by the word or article, but it might be just enough to buy a round of beers at Pubcon. For a small group.

If you aren't having much luck on the print side, start off with web publications. Everyone loves free or cheap content, right? As you expand your resume and list of past articles, getting more articles published will be easier.

[Jenstar]

The most important piece of advice for someone trying to break into the freelance writing market:

Write what you know

I could tell you that a magazine such as "Homemade Preserves & Jellies" is a sure thing for newbies, but does that mean you could write an article that would be accepted? Probably not, unless you have jam making abilities we don't know about ;)

Pick up a copy of the Writers Market, (or borrow one from the library) and start looking at magazines in your areas of expertise, then start sending out queries. Or leaf through the magazines you read, and if you think "hey, I could write something for them," look up their writer's guidelines and send them a query. And like digitalghost said, you WILL be rejected, but hopefully (eventually) you will be accepted, and 6-12 months later, you will see your magazine article in print.