The number of specialized publications continues to escalate, and many of them are trade specific. For example, if one of your primary clients is a major California hotel, the periodical California In Touch, which reaches more than 7,000 readers, may welcome your article on the hot legal issues in hotel management. Another trend in your favor is the atmosphere of cutback management that still permeates many publishers. Smaller in-house writing staffs have resulted in increased use of outside authors. Smaller budgets to pay for writers have resulted in increased use of free freelance writers such as yourself who are mainly interested in educating the publication's readers on important legal matters.
Editors still prefer, however, that writers know their topic area.
A service professional such as yourself who is expert in one or more fields can write with knowledge and authority. Editors love this. Now's the time to add your own bylined articles to your marketing arsenal. Here are a few pointers to jumpstart your publishing career. Identify your preferred area of expertise.