By Kendall Hanson

Paperback . . . . . $19.99

""Writing for Trade Magazines is Engrossing, Inspirational and a Great Reference! Take out your highlighter and notebook before starting this book. Ken Hanson knows his subject and shares his detailed writing and marketing information in an easy-to-read style. Even if you never planned on writing for trade magazines, Hanson gives you so many good ideas about this market that you'll want to jump into trade magazine writing by the end of chapter 2! Add Writing for Trade Magazines to your DAILY reading list for both inspiration and concrete ideas for making and selling materials.

Kathleen E. Kain, Ph.D., writer and publisher

 

 

SYNOPSIS

Written by a former trade magazine editor for McGraw-Hill, Writing for Trade Magazines: How to Boost Your Income by $200 to $500 per Week explains

• What trade magazines are and are not, the vast size of the market, and the challenges and rewards for freelancers in this fast-growing segment of the publishing industry.
• Who the thirty largest trade magazine publishers are, and what magazines are the top in each industry.
• What trade editors want; what they actually need; and how freelancers can provide both.
• How to come up with the right idea, pitch it to the right person, and get an assignment.
• How to find and interview business professionals productively, and how to network to find mentors within an industry.
• How to use research for trade stories to build additional income through consumer writing and commercial writing.
• How to manage your writing business to make a profit.

 

"This is a great resource for writers! It is well written in clear and precise language that makes for easy reading. The is a must-have for those interested in writing for trade journals."

Anne P. St. John, Spokane, Washington

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Although Kendall Hanson has published more than one million words in trade magazines, including more than 900 features, he feels that he is actually beginning his fourth career.

A 1976 graduate of the University of New Mexico, he held a double major in English Literature, minoring in Film, Speech, and History, and was a regular contributor to the student newspaper. During graduate school, he taught both remedial and regular undergraduate writing courses. He was also the Graduate Representative to the university's Publications Committee--chaired by Tony Hillerman, then Chairman of UNM's Dept. of Journalism--which oversaw the $500,000 budget for the student newspaper and various university-funded publications. During graduate school, he also studied publishing under the late Jack Rittenhouse, a well-known pioneer in independent book publishing.

After a 10-year career in retail management with a Dayton-Hudson department store chain, he decided it was time to reconnect with the world of the written word. He joined McGraw-Hill's Construction Information Group, as an Architectural Reporter, and quickly obtained a position on a 40-year-old regional trade magazine McGraw-Hill had just acquired. During the next nine years, he was editor simultaneously of Intermountain Contractor, a monthly four-color "slick"; Intermountain Contractor News Weekly, a weekly 80-page tabloid; Intermountain Architecture, a quarterly four-color magazine covering design; and the now defunct Utah Building, a monthly residential trade magazine.

In August 1998 Hanson decided it was time to begin a fourth career as an independent writer, editor, and publisher. Since then he has continued to write trade magazine articles for both regional and national publications while he carved out his first book, Writing for Trade Magazines, and built The Trade Writer's Resource Center at http://tradewriter.freeservers.com.

"Trade journalism has opened so many doors for me, not just in terms of financial stability but also in terms of contacts who became interviewees who became acquaintances who became friends," he says. "It has truly been the 'road less traveled,' and has had such a positive influence on my life that I wanted to share what I have learned with others. During my years in retail, I suffered the rejection slips and the struggling writer's depression caused by trying to balance making a living with starting a career.

"If I had known then about the doors that trade journalism could open--not just in the business press, but elsewhere--my writing career would have begun sooner and on much surer footing. Trade journalism can help young writers gain experience and build contacts while they earn, and it can open new doors for experienced writers who want to supplement their income. I believe it is a first step every nonfiction writer should consider."

"This is so true! I've been writing on business topics since 1991, and like all reporting, the important thing is finding the appropriate sources, asking good questions, listening for the answers, and telling the story with a balanced, genuine approach. Of course, the more business features one writes, the better one gets at the process--practice makes perfect."

Charlie Fletcher, Columbia, Kentucky

Title: Writing for Trade Magazines
Subtitle: How to Boost Your Income by $200 to $500 per Week
Author: Kendall Hanson
Publisher: Dixon-Price Publishing
Mechanicals: 5.5 x 8.5 - trade paperback
ISBN-10: 1-929516-05-3
ISBN-13: 978-1-929516-05-6
Price: U.S. $19.99

 

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