Six Tips on Writing and Selling List Articles
by Kathryn Lay
The next time you are in a grocery store line or staring at a
rack of magazines at the bookstore, do a quick study of the
covers. How many list articles do you see?
Why do we love lists? What is it that captures our interest when
someone promises to give us "15 Different Ways to Decorate an
RV", even if we don't have one?
There is a sense of accomplishment in checking off items on a
list. It keeps us in control of our lives. In reading others'
lists in magazines, we gain many ideas to change or improve our
lives. List articles give us many ways to do something -- whether
that something is physical, emotional, spiritual, or relational.
A small list can give a reader hope that only a few steps are
necessary to reach their goal. A large list provides the reader
with plenty of options.
There are opportunities in all areas of writing for list articles.
In keeping with the list theme, here is a list of ways to write
and sell these popular pieces:
Make a List
List the things you are good at, knowledgeable about, or able to
research. What have you been praised for? Your kitchen
organization? Your knowledge of great family vacation sites? Your
job skills? Have you found the best 5 ways to do, accomplish, or
make a project easier? Could you give 10 ways to help children
understand the value of money or how to avoid a bully?
Look through a wide variety of magazines for list articles. Many
magazines will have at least one, often more, listed on the front
page. This gives a good indication of the importance of such
articles for their publication.
Take your time to think about the possibilities. You may want to
carry your "List" list around with you as you consider what you
know or discover areas that you are interested in writing about.
On your job, have you found better ways to do something that work
and could help others? Maybe there is a publication read by other
insurance agents, physicians, painters, or amusement park
managers who would be helped by your knowledge. At the grocery
store, are there groups of healthy foods that can be made fun and
interesting for children? Parenting magazines are read by parents
often desperate for new ideas.
Once you've made your list, divide it into areas of: What I do,
What I know, What I can learn about, or What I need to talk with
an expert about.
Check It Twice
Now go through your list with a critical eye. Would this interest
or help others? Do you have enough information to expand on a few
areas or enough ideas to give a little information on a lot of
ideas? Should it be a filler or a full-length article? Could you
write it in a humorous way? Do you need statistics to back up
your claims?
What type of publication would be interested in these ideas?
Parenting, women's, men's, children's, trade? Study various
magazines and find out which buy the most list articles. The
covers of magazines such as Woman's Day or Family Circle are full
of list articles. By looking at magazine covers in the bookstore
or the library, you may also find other ideas for articles.
After many years of working with various refugee groups in
different situations, I knew that an article titled, "5 Ways To
Be a Missionary in Your Own Backyard" wouldn't sell to Reader's
Digest or a woman's slick, but it did sell twice to two different
religious publications.
Are there ideas on the list that sounded great at first, but on
second glance have been overdone or don't seem interesting even
to you? Cross them off; keep only the best ideas.
Craft a Query
Once you've chosen a few ideas, begin working on an eye-catching
query that will cause the editor to be intrigued enough to want
to see the finished article. Tell them how many items are on your
list and why readers would be interested or benefit from those
ideas. Give short examples of three or four of your best ideas.
For some publications you may want to send the completed article.
Most of the smaller religious magazines prefer the full
manuscript, while slicks of all types often prefer queries.
I was relieved that I queried first for an article idea for "20
Ooey Gooey Kid's Party Ideas". In the end, Woman's Day only
asked to see eight ideas and chose four from that list. Although
I had dreams of a long article at $1 a word, I was paid well for
the size of the piece and now feel comfortable querying this
editor on other ideas.
If your list will be humorous, make sure the query reflects this.
If your list could save a life or prevent an accident, let the
editor know. If you have personal experience, photographs, or are
including expert information, make sure to mention this in your
query.
Most importantly, give the editor the sense that they cannot turn
down your list idea because it is too interesting, helpful,
humorous, or important.
Be Flexible
Don't be disappointed if an editor's interest is for a small
portion of your list rather than a lengthy article. Some of the
best ways to break into a magazine is through columns and fillers.
Perhaps you can use your extra ideas to create a different list
for a different type of publication.
Don't forget the possibilities of reselling your piece once it is
published. You may have to rewrite to target a different audience,
but your article on "50 Ways to Cure the Winter Blahs" that sold
to a woman's magazine may also be helpful with a few changes as
"I Love Winter in 25 Ways" for a children's or family magazine.
Be Prepared
Of the 20 ideas I had planned for the Woman's Day piece, the four
that were chosen were not my favorites, and one was created later,
to complement the fact that they were using the article in their
July Fourth edition.
If you want to sell 5 ideas or 15 or 99 or 365, always have more
handy in case the editor dislikes a few and wants them replaced.
When I sold "77 Safe and Fun Family Internet Sites" to
Christianity Online, I found that the editor felt uncomfortable
about putting 16 of the original 77 in the conservative
publication. I spent many hours one weekend searching for and
replacing those 16 rejected ideas. By being prepared with extra
items in advance, you can quickly respond to a request for
changes or additions, and show the editor that you are reliable
and quick to respond.
Another way of being prepared is to think of all possible
problems with your piece ahead of time. With the Christianity
Online piece, I hadn't considered that, although the sites I
included were all "safe", some had gray areas that might not be
appreciated by a largely conservative audience. And would I have
sold the Ooey Gooey ideas if I'd have sent them first without
querying? After all, I hadn't considered the need for giving
parents cleanup tips. Thanks to the editor's request for this
information, I was able to come up with those helpful hints and
send them in with the samples.
Craft the Article
Once you are ready to write your list article, you will need to
decide on the format. Should it be a straight list? A humorous
list, such as David Letterman's "Top 10" may be a series of one-
liners. Does it need to be broken into sections? In "30 Ways to
Amaze Mom on Mother's Day" (Straight, April 2000), I broke the
ideas into sections: Create, Do, Say.
Always make sure your facts are correct, especially if it's a
list of how-to's or a service list (12 Ways to Tornado-Proof Your
Home). Check with experts when necessary. You may even learn
enough information about one of your areas to give you enough
material for a full-length article later.
List articles are a great way to break into a publication. By
using what you already know or can easily research, your own
"list" of bylines and checks will grow.
Copyright © 2001 Kathryn Lay
Kathryn Lay has had over 1000 articles, essays, and short stories published in magazines and anthologies such as Woman's Day, Cricket, Guideposts, CHICKEN SOUP, and more. Her first children's novel for ages 8-12, CROWN ME! is out from Holiday House Books. She is also the author of The Organized Writer is a Selling Writer, which can be purchased through her website at http://www.kathrynlay.com. Her writing classes are offered online at http://coffeehouseforwriters.com.
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