Shilpa KarhikTOP TIPS
May 12th 2007 16:36
Some people dismiss writing to the letters pages of magazines as beneath them. True – it's never going to earn you a fortune, but we know many writers who make enough money to fund their leisure activities, or win themselves interesting and useful 'gifts'. One of our students, James Hendrie, says, "Writing letters to newspapers has given me experience in writing and disciplined me to work to a weekly plan. I currently earn between £70 – £100 a month from such letters and, over 21 months, have totalled a staggering £1500 from this source of writing." So, here are some tips to make the most of your letter writing.
Keep your letters short and to the point. Study letters in past editions of the magazine you are targeting and write to a similar length.
Make sure letters are chatty, but they must still be grammatically correct and be free from typos.
Stick to one main point. For example, the letter could be in response to a previous letter or an article that has been published in an earlier edition of the magazine; it may recount an amusing incident that happened to the writer or their family; it might tell about something funny that has been seen or overheard or it can give a helpful tip on how to do something more effectively and save money.
Injecting humour into your writing, if appropriate, can make your letter more saleable.
Most magazines now accept letters by email as well as by post – but very few welcome hand-written offerings!
However you send your letter, make sure you include full contact details, including your phone number(s) – daytime and evening.
Even if you are writing to a reader's column that usually only prints initials at the end of each letter, the editor will expect you provide your full name.
Get the tone of your letter right. The 'Disgruntled of Dagenham' style doesn't go down too well nowadays. So don't carp and criticize or lecture the readers. Instead, make your letter positive and punchy.
If writing on local issues don't attack people personally – you're just wasting the price of a stamp. There are libel laws – and editors won't risk their paper's reputation.
And finally, don't send your letter to more than one magazine at the same time. You can write on a similar topic (if appropriate) to a number of magazines, but make sure each letter is original.
Keep your letters short and to the point. Study letters in past editions of the magazine you are targeting and write to a similar length.
Make sure letters are chatty, but they must still be grammatically correct and be free from typos.
Stick to one main point. For example, the letter could be in response to a previous letter or an article that has been published in an earlier edition of the magazine; it may recount an amusing incident that happened to the writer or their family; it might tell about something funny that has been seen or overheard or it can give a helpful tip on how to do something more effectively and save money.
Injecting humour into your writing, if appropriate, can make your letter more saleable.
Most magazines now accept letters by email as well as by post – but very few welcome hand-written offerings!
However you send your letter, make sure you include full contact details, including your phone number(s) – daytime and evening.
Even if you are writing to a reader's column that usually only prints initials at the end of each letter, the editor will expect you provide your full name.
Get the tone of your letter right. The 'Disgruntled of Dagenham' style doesn't go down too well nowadays. So don't carp and criticize or lecture the readers. Instead, make your letter positive and punchy.
If writing on local issues don't attack people personally – you're just wasting the price of a stamp. There are libel laws – and editors won't risk their paper's reputation.
And finally, don't send your letter to more than one magazine at the same time. You can write on a similar topic (if appropriate) to a number of magazines, but make sure each letter is original.
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