There are more markets for magazine nonfiction than ever. To sell to most, however, you need to equip your manuscripts with input from
appropriate sources.
It can initially seem scary to think about approaching an “expert.” Just remember that they’re people first, ones who like to talk about
the topic, and most are happy to help you make information about it accessible to readers. How you prepare before you ask for their time
will make all the difference.
Some writers learn of sources from assigning editors but of us most find them ourselves and, thankfully, key-word internet searches make
this easier than ever. These also help us do the background research that can prepare us to talk with those sources.
Before you make contact to request and schedule an interview, equip yourself with basic information about the topic and, when possible,
the interviewee. You want to be able to recognize and understand the topic’s terminology and frame open-ended questions that will be
interesting for your source to answer. For experts, especially, it’s troubling to be asked the same things and over.
“Have your list of questions prepared and on paper,” reminds freelancer Kimberly Ripley, author of
Write Now: What Are You Waiting For? .
“Don't waste time—theirs or yours—by merely chatting. Be specific. Conversations will flow from there.”
And, she cautions, “Make sure those questions NEVER provide the opportunity for yes or no answers. Word your questions carefully to
encourage your interviewee to elaborate.”
Having information up front will help boost your source’s confidence about your ability to handle the topic and also help you outline
what you hope to address in the article. This is useful because when you first make contact, many sources want to know what you’re going
to ask about. More than one busy expert has also told me, “I can give you a few minutes right now.” If I hadn’t done some homework first,
I’d have looked like an amateur, or missed a window of opportunity with someone I might not easily reach again.
This part of preparation can also pay big dividends as it may reveal something about the source or topic that you’ll want to bring out in
your article. As I worked on a story about lupus, I discovered that one of my sources had been involved in recent breakthrough research
about the disease, information that had surfaced just days before. I was also able to locate a timely support resource is one part of the
country that helped me localize the article for a women’s magazine published there and sell them a version of the story, too.
Armed with background information, plan on making contact with prospective interviewees as far in advance as possible, particularly if
you have a story deadline. Not all may be available so have a list of potential sources in case some don’t respond. Even in our
instant-communication age of cell phone and email, folks get buried under an avalanche of contacts and requests or go on vacation.
Another reason to have more than one possible source is that you may eventually have to make several contacts in order to get enough
information for a story. You can always include several sources, or save for a future story or resale input from an interviewee that gets
back to you late.
Because the interviewee is the one doing you the favor, show utmost consideration for that person’s time. Whether you email, telephone,
or fax a potential source, state your request clearly and specifically: “I’ve been assigned by
Baby Crazy magazine to write an article
about how infants are affected when their mothers watch too many soap operas. Are you willing to be interviewed and answer questions
for this story?”
If you don’t have an assignment, simply state what you intend to write and request the interview. If the person asks where a story will
be published, name the publication(s) you plan to query about it (information you’ll need to research and have on hand).
State clearly the deadline by which you’ll need information in order to include it in your story and make that deadline far enough in
advance of the one by which a story must be filed. Offer an estimate as to how much time you expect you'll need for a face-to-face or
telephone interview. Decide together what the best type of interview format will be for your mutual convenience, though the interviewee’s
should take precedence. All contact should be made at your own expense, although sometimes, the person may prefer to call you back for
her own convenience.
Email interviews have made the whole process more accessible–and often faster. These are a particular blessing for writing parents, who
must otherwise budget time (and possible baby-sitting expense) for an in-person interview, or figure how to schedule a phone interview
that won’t be interrupted by small voices or big surprises. If an email interview isn’t possible, you can still offer to email, fax, or
mail questions for your source to see ahead of time.
However you make your interview request, plan to follow up by phone or email at least once if you don’t receive a reply in anywhere from
two business days to a week. (Decide what your limit should be according to your deadline, and be sure to state in your request that you
will follow up, and when.)
So, you’ve conducted the interview and all’s gone well. Then your source says, “You'll send me a copy of the article for review before
it's published, right?”
Most editors agree that it's unprofessional to ask and unprofessional to comply. I usually respond politely that the publication I'm
writing for doesn't allow this, as most don’t. If interviewees insistent on seeing what I write before publication, I send them the
quoted material I plan to use, but nothing more.
Sometimes writers choose to accommodate this request in a modified way for their own benefit if the topic is an especially complex one.
Health writer Tracey Meloni sometimes runs a manuscript past experts she’s interviewed, especially when they contribute a significant
amount of content. This helps ensure accuracy and equips her in advance in case an editor's changes somehow jeopardize that accuracy.
“I always set firm deadlines, saying that the copy must be returned by a certain date or that I will otherwise assume everything is OK,”
she notes.
Perhaps most important of all when working with those who supply information for your articles is to be courteous and appreciative in
all of your communications. In our fast-forward world, whatever its sped-up communication options, niceties such as these can sometimes
seem in short supply.
About The Author:
Phyllis Ring’s articles and essays have appeared in a variety of magazines. She runs a freelance editing business from her
home and is also an instructor for the Long Ridge Writers Group of the Institute of Children's Literature. More information
about her work is available at PhyllisRing.com.
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