I have always insisted that my writing students read the magazines they intended to write for and understand their focus before writing a query. Why? Because each article idea must be tailored to a magazine’s needs. These magazines want to capture as big an audience as possible, even when they are publishing for a niche market like skate boarders  This is called focus and is why  Popular Science stresses they are the What’s New magazine and generally only publish the cutting edge. .

If requested, most magazines sent a sample copy and a guide to writers. Now it is harder to get them to reply, even to an E-mail request. So what do you do? Fortunately you can get all the in formation you need to determine the E-magazines focus by going to their website, let Google find it for you.

Here you will find the current cover, a sampling of the articles, a table of contents for the current issue and, sometimes, a letter from the editor and more

Now here’s what to look for.

The cover. You can find the latest cover of almost any magazine on its website, along with a table of contents for the issue." I’m looking at a recent issue of Cosmopolitan that shows a flamboyantly dressed young woman in a provocative pose. Most of the blurbs (on the cover) mention sex, such as “7 Hot Bedroom Games. “  Others: 62 Sex Moves, How to Meet a Man in 30 days, Gorgeous eye looks, Bad Advice Even Smart Girls Follow, Pretty Summer Clothes and others.  From this you determine focus.  In Cosmos case: Sex, How to Find a Man, and Looking Good. These

topics and slants help you figure out your own articles to propose. "10 Ways to look Sexy in a Bikini"

Read the ads            `Obviously, the ads in Cosmopolitan are aimed at a hip, young, fairly “beauty” conscious working woman. Of course, if you can only consult the internet you may not find many ads but it is getting better.

Read the editorial.   Katy White, the Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan usually pitches articles that she believes have priority.

Read the Letters to the Editor: The letters in Cosmo cover the waterfront on men’s sexual behaviors, a woman’s looks, orgasms and more. They don’t add much; for the most part they thank the magazine for covering the subject. But they do point toward the magazine’s focus. Look at the Article Titles and Pictures: Sometimes this can be extremely useful, sometimes. But they aren’t always available on the internet.

Read the Articles; Actually I find this least helpful, because by the time I reach this point I usually know the focus and the readership pretty well. But the articles give you an idea of the magazines style and general approach.

Finally, subscribe to the newsletter if there is one.