“Know your market.” A deceptively simple phrase, this, as if it were as easy as chumming with your favorite candy bar. The good news is that getting familiar with a target magazine’s flavor and editorial needs needn’t be mystical.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Pretty much every publication has writers’ guidelines, and some even have theme lists and editorial calendars. Almost every book on writing well treats the subject at length. So why bring it up here?

Because it’s that important!

If you don’t take the time to get the writers’ guidelines, you might as well save yourself the postage and the trip to your mailbox. The odds of shooting a manuscript into the competitive world of publishing without first finding out if the magazine in question even publishes your kind of story is similar to shooting into the sky and hoping a wild turkey will fly by and volunteer for dinner.

But just reading the writer’s guidelines doesn’t guarantee that you have a feel for editorial needs. You need samples. So, being the diligent writer you are, you run to your library to check out the last six copies -- plus, a stop to buy the most recent copy from your local bookstore or newsstand. You'll need a copy of your very own so that you can write in it as you do your analysis.

Now you’re home, cup of coffee in hand, ready to “familiarize” yourself. Here to assist you are some basic steps that can take the mystery out of magazine analysis.

THE NITTY GRITTY

Don’t just jump in and start reading.

Believe it or not, reading the articles and stories is not the first step. Instead, it is important to fix in your mind what kind of reader this publication is targeting. Study the demographics to learn the magazine’s readership and focus of interest. Middle-graders? Young-adults? Skate-board fanatics?

Look at cover—who is it aimed at?

Read the ads—what sector of the population are they hoping to attract?

Next, do what few readers (including me) usually do. Read the editorial, if there is one. This is a great way to get an idea of how the magazine looks at its world and how you’ll need to look at it if you want to sell to that particular publication. For the same reason, read any letters to the editor. These reinforce the ordinal idea of the magazine, and give a writer opportunity to assess what the readers are concerned with. Then look at article titles. Are they catchy, punchy or poetic? Study the graphics and pictures to gain yet another clue to the tone of the publication.

Okay. By now, you should have a much clearer idea of the magazine’s focus. Keep that in mind as you finally read the articles and/or stories. These display the approach, style, and language used by the particular publication. As you read, notice categories—what general subjects can most of the articles can be classified into?

Now dig deeper. Photocopy articles/stories from several issues, so you can feel free to mark them up, unless you own the sample copies. With each piece, analyze the writer’s approach. Is it technical or practical, playful or serious? Look for a pattern through several issues. Perhaps the magazine prefers a particular slant—say, health oriented rather than a compilation of facts. Check out the balance of fiction to non-fiction. Maybe it favors a first person POV over third person.

Next, find the type of leads used: Anecdote, quote, striking statement, question, etc., and note this in the margin. Do you see one type more than another throughout the publication?

Highlight the capsule sentence. Mark anecdotes, quotes, statistics, and dialogue next to each paragraph in which they appear.

Underline negative phrases—those that contain don’t, none, not, etc. Most magazines try to keep these to a minimum, preferring articles that are geared more positively. (For example, “Don’t play in the street,” is a negative statement. “Play in the yard,” would be considered positive).

For non-fiction, determine what kinds of authorities are used. One publication may lean toward information from experts and primary sources, while another prefers quotes from national or more famous figures.

In another color, highlight all exposition and explanation. Then count these passages and compare the total to overall paragraphs to get an idea how much exposition/explanation your target magazine prefers.

Is the style formal, or informal? Look at the structure of the sentences, noticing whether they are long and complex or short and conversational.

And finally—study how each story or article ends. Does the writer tend to use a question, summary quote, or bring things full circle to tie the endings back into the lead?

YOUR TURN

We’ve all heard the statement, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Well, imitation is also a good way to up your chances of acceptance with the magazine of your choice. Now that you’ve thoroughly analyzed several issues, it’s time to put your own idea on the page, then mark it up in the same way you did the magazine’s material to see how your creation reflects their preferred approach.

Remember though: Keep your own voice. Imitation is not to rob you of creativity, but to assist in crafting a story or article tailored for a specific publisher. With the knowledge of how to better analyze magazines, you’ve got a greater chance than ever to stand out from the slush pile. So grab your coffee, assemble your guidelines, study your sample issues, and you’re well on your way to publication!