April 7, 2011

Submitting to Magazines

beadstyle
You'll have to check out the May issue of BeadStyle magazine to see the cutest woodland charm necklace by designer Jamie Hogsett!  She combines Green Girl Studio connectors and a clasp with my little hedgies and disk beads.  They also show a sweet alternative featuring my gnome.  Guess what I'm making more of today!

Remember, if you have work published in a magazine send me an email and I will send you a $25 gift certificate to my website. 

Here are some links to magazine submission guides.
  
Stringing - Currently accepting for Winter 2011, deadline is June 17th.  Submitting bracelets & earrings to this publication is a great way to get your feet wet in the world of magazines.  You don't have to write the step by step directions for bracelets or earrings - just design something amazing.
Bead Trends - They are currently accepting work for their October issue, deadline is April 25th.
Bead Unique Magazine - Currently accepting submissions for October 2011, deadline is April 15th.
Jewelry Affaire - Next deadline is May 15th.
Belle Armoire Jewelry - Next deadline is April 15th.

Lori Anderson wrote a great article on Tips of Getting Published in Magazines.  And Lorelei Eurto also shares some tips on her blog for getting your work in magazinesTips on submitting to Stringing Magazine from Editor Danielle Fox.

Basically:
1. Design something you love and want to share with the whole world.
2. Decide which magazine it would best fit in - each magazine has it's own slant.
3. Follow the submission guidelines and send it in!

Rights & Compensation - Read the contract carefully - some magazines ask for all rights and may publish your design again and again without further compensation.  And make sure you ask if you can still teach a design if you publish it in a magazine, for some all-rights contracts the answer is surprisingly no.  If you are a beadmaker and publish as an advertiser you can retain all rights to your project, but you also most likely won't be compensated.  Some magazines will ask that you not have a piece online until after it's published. In general, magazines can pay anywhere from $0 - $300 for a project.  It depends on the magazine and the rights you are giving away.  For magazines that don't pay, ask if you can have a copy of the high resolution photos to use for your promotions and website.  Sometimes having your work professionally photographed and being able to use those photos on your website is worth more than you would get paid for a project. 

You won't get rich submitting your work to magazines - but if you are building a career in the bead world it is a great stepping stone.  It can increase your clout as an instructor, it will impress your customers and it can lead to new sales. 

3 comments:

Rosanne said...

I hear you speaking to me in this post...thanks for making it easy.

Malin de Koning said...

Excellent post! You know I will scrutinize it, and keep coming back to it. Thank you very much!

Unknown said...

I love Jamie's design. I think she is posting about this on the SoftFlexGirl blog today. :)