If this is true then all we have to do to sell a particular magazine is to figure out just exactly how that magazine wants an idea handled and do it that way. Sound elemental? It is and yet it is the reason most beginners fail and why even professionals sometimes dont do the bang-up job they could.

Difference in Focus Within a Field

You might think that magazines within a general field would tackle the same subject in the same way. This just isnt true. Each editor has his own idea of the way he thinks his readers want to look at a subject--and you have to take this into account. In the RV field for instance one magazine in their travel articles likes to stand in the middle of the subject and see what there is to explore. Another goes from place to place. Still another takes a large general area and tells a lot about it.

This may seem simple and it is -- but it is also the one thing that will separate you from the beginner and start you well on your way to becoming a professional writer.  

It is essential to master "focus" now because it is the key to everything else. What do we mean by focusing an idea? It means that the editor and every magazine has its own way of approaching a subject so it will appeal to its readers--sometimes magazines take elaborate steps to find out just what their readers are interested in then the editor approaches that subject in the way he thinks will best fit his readers interest.

If this is true then all we have to do to sell a particular magazine is to figure out just exactly how that magazine wants an idea handled and do it that way. Sound elemental? It is and yet it is the reason most beginners fail and why even professionals sometimes dont do the bang-up job they could.