Finding the right place to publish requires you to answer these GAPS questions:
Genre - What type of nonfiction do you want to write? What are the features of that genre?
Audience - Who are you writing for? Who gets your insights: your hometown or industry leaders?
Purpose - What are you trying to achieve in the text? Persuade, argue, advise, or inform?
Style - Is the text formal or informal? Relaxed or serious in tone? Simple or complex?
Nonfiction writing includes personal essays, call to action, reviews, humor, memoir, history, commentary, journalism, travel writing, food writing, biography, politics, and other general topics found in non-scholarly outlets.
Outlet |
Control |
Visibility |
Effort |
Career |
Money |
Target |
Timely |
Newspapers |
2 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
Trade |
4 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
Popular |
3 |
5 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
2 |
3 |
Blogs |
5 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
Scholarly |
1 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
1-negative 5- positive
|
Scholarly Journals |
Trade Publications (Industry Magazines) or Blogs |
Popular Magazines or Newspapers or Social Media |
Appearance (Cover) |
Plain |
Exciting industry-specific scenes |
Flashy |
Appearance (Inside) |
Black and white with few pictures |
Colorful with pictures |
Colorful with many pictures |
Purpose |
To report research findings and build on the academic literature |
To help professionals keep up with changes in their field (new products and trends) |
To inform, entertain and grab your interest |
Audience |
Researchers and professionals |
Professionals |
Regular people |
Author |
Researchers, usually associated with a university |
Professionals in a field (dentists, law enforcement officers and HVAC professionals) |
Journalists
|
Title |
Sounds “academic” and usually includes the word “journal” - New England Journal of Medicine - Journal of Clinical Child Psychology |
Sounds “professional”. May include the word “journal” in the title but does not look like a journal. - Massage Today - Community College Journal - Foodservice Equipment & Supplies |
Short title that usually sounds general or “fun”. - New York Times (newspaper) - Washington Post (newspaper) - People (magazine) - Time (magazine) |
Advertisements |
None |
Industry-specific ads (kitchen equipment, massage tables and dental hygiene instruments) |
Flashy ads for products that would interest most people (cars, food and clothes) |
Editing Process |
Peer Review |
Basic editing |
Basic editing |
Pros |
Reliable, high-quality academic research |
Easier to read and more current than scholarly journals |
Newspapers are printed daily and magazines usually monthly |
Cons |
Peer review process takes time, so articles may take months to publish |
Written by professionals in the field but does not go through an extensive editing process |
Not very reliable and could include opinions. Some newspapers and magazines are better than others (Wall Street Journal and National Enquirer) |
Non-scholarly Publications from Georgetown
Then search the web: How do I publish in ____________ magazine?
Read the Author or Submissions Instructions when pitching an article/story
Learn more about the tone and audience of the publication.
Search: "media kit" _________ [name of publication]
example: "media kit" "progressive grocer"
Publishing opportunities from Georgetown
About Predatory Journals
Scholarly Publications that accept undergraduate submissions
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