You want to get published as a freelance writer, but you don’t have any clips (published writing samples). It’s the freelance writer’s catch 22. So, what do you do? There are several options.
1. Offer a previously UNPUBLISHED writing sample on a topic closely related to the publication, just so they can see your writing style. (Some editors are only interested in how well you can write, not in how many bylines you’ve had, so this one is wholeheartedly worth a try.)
2. Write for free (once or twice) for a RESPECTED publication to get the clips.
3. Use some “samples” of your writing which aren’t necessarily clips, but which showcase your writing talent, such as:
- a letter to the editor
- school papers or essays
- reviews you’ve written
- website or blog content
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Great information, Amy! This is no longer a problem for me, but I had a dickens of a time trying to figure it out when I first started out.
You always share such wonderful advice for new freelance writers and are such an encouragement to all writers.
Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the good advice - it was exactly what I was looking for!
My quandry is that I’m a published magazine writer (national animal magazines and local interviews and essays). I want to submit a query on etiquette to a national magazine. None of my clips are pertinent. I noticed that you place blog content as a way to showcase. I do have relevant blog entries, but they’re shorter than the magazine requires. Would that work?
I’d say it’s worth a try. A lot of times editors simply want to see your writing style. Other times, they want to see what you can do on a related topic. If it were me, I’d send the most relevant clip (or two) you have from a national magazine (in case they want to see you have had the responsibility to capture a story and meet deadlines for a national magazine), along with a link to relevant blog posts (in case they want related samples). Good luck!
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