While the prospect of making some extra cash from your art might be the motivation, most of us would settle for just seeing our work in print. After all, we can’t all be a Harley Brown or Daniel E Greene. There are several steps you can take to get your work published.

It is not a case of, if you work hard, having galleries showing your work and “they” will find you. You have to let them know you are there!

“They” are those art publications that we all flick through at the bookstore, or subscribe to and longingly look at each month. Have a look at the contents page of one of your favorite art magazines and if you scan the fine print normally at the bottom of the page, there will be some reference to unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and artwork or some “Editorial” contact details. This tells you that they accept submissions!

It takes a lot of work to put out magazines each month with enough content and most publications are more than happy to receive descent submissions with the hope that they can be used in upcoming editions.

So first you need to have an idea of what you want to submit. Or you might know what you want to do an article on, (yourself) but need to find the right magazine to submit it to.
It is important to know the style of each magazine and decide which one would be likely to accept your article. A bit of research will be required here. Go over the back issues to get a feel for the style of writing and the topics they covered. Let their previous articles be your guide. Some Ideas might be..

• Your art groups’ exhibition with images of your work?
• Step-by-step tutorials on a style of painting. (How about your style of painting!)
• Did you go on an art holiday and could write a review including your sketches/paintings?
• Attending a workshop
• Consider submitting something from a group.. A Society you belong to or with your holiday companions.
• A small piece on a winning painting you submitted in a competition?
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The Pastel Journal June'05

Leasure Painter Dec'04 issue

Now you need to put together your query. A what? A query is a paragraph or two (basically a summary of the article you intend to write) with some extra details about yourself, your contact details, website address etc. It might also include any articles you have had published before with your name and the article title, date and the magazine’s name highlighted to make it easier for the editor to see quickly.

This is your “sales pitch” so you will want to include any other information that is relevant to this submission, e.g. why you are qualified to talk about this topic, (you teach art, run workshops..) and/or the angle you want to cover.

While the query is short, it has to be good. Don’t think that you can get away with a quick few words. You have to sell your article and you have only a page to do it.

            The Artist, Sept'03
Let the editor know the content of the piece (with the details being expanded in the final work) and the viewpoint it will take so they know exactly what they will get in the finished article.

A basic query layout would be:

• Your opening line: The phrase that will grab the editors’ attention.
• The main section: Contains the articles viewpoint, any facts and the basic content.
• Your closing: It’s all about you! Sell yourself, include any experience you have (relevant to art, this article etc) and also tell the editor when you can deliver the piece and how long it will be. (This article is a 1000-words long). You would also note here any previous work published indicating the enclosed tear sheets.
• Sign off, inviting them to contact you if they are interested in receiving the article.
• If you send any photographs that you want to get back you will need to include a self-addressed envelope.

It seems like a bit of hard work, but once you have done the query you have your article! In the event that it is accepted, you will just have to expand on the points you made and include some images and you are done.

That does bring up another point worth mentioning. While a query is a summary of the article you want to submit, you might consider sending in the whole article if it is small. Something more along the lines of a short story or a step-by-step type article or a piece they can use as filler.

The Pastel Journal June'05
Now all you need to do is send it out. Thanks to the Internet this is the easy bit. Make a list of the magazines with their contact details and some deadlines of your own for how many you want to send out and go to it but make sure to keep a record of what story suggestion you send out and to whom.
You can send the one query to several magazines at one time, but you will need to tell them if it is a simultaneous submission, as some magazines don’t accept these. If that’s the case you can have a couple of ideas on the go and give them a time limit to consider your submission.. After which you can send it out again to others.

If your query isn’t accepted, doesn’t mean you are not good enough.. It might not be their style, or the topic itself is not something they want to publish.. but don’t give up keep trying.

             Watercolor Spring '03 Issue
Another way of getting your work into magazines is less direct but perhaps more attractive to those of us who don’t think they are writers..
Submit your work to magazine competitions. Some magazines advertise competitions in every issue. Even though you may not win, those in the publishing business and the magazines editorial staff will see your work.

Have a website for your work. It is a way of showing your work to an international audience, not just those who walk through the Gallery door. Watercolor artist Ron Hazells' article in American Artist Watercolor Magazine came about because the editor of the magazine came across his web site, liked what he saw, and contacted him asking if he would be interested in having his work featured in their magazine.

Become a member of a Society. A lot of societies have very prestigious exhibitions that you can only enter if you are a member. You will be able to note this as one of your credentials in any article you submit to a magazine and that would be a great topic suggestion anyway.. you can assemble pictures from the show, with a brief outline and there’s your query.

And if you win or place in any of these competitions or exhibitions that would be a great little article filler for a magazine. Your winning picture, a brief bit about yourself and best of all, not too much “witting” involved!

So, get your work out there.. don’t let rejection stop you. Your persistence will pay off in the end and it may be in an unexpected way.