By Chryselle D'Silva Dias
It may not be humanly possible, but on some mornings you could wake up and think that you've run out of potential markets to write for.
If you've had such a morning, despair not! There's hope for you yet.
If you're tired of going through the magazines on your newsstand and or are inundated with rejections, why not look beyond your country's border?
Outside of the UK, US and Canada lie a whole planet full of English speaking countries, most of which have publications looking for freelance writers to fill their pages and come up with fresh ideas for each issue of their newspaper or magazine. Take a map and point a finger at a random spot. Chances are that you will pick a country that has a high English speaking/reading population. Why not target those markets?
Writing for foreign markets is not as exotic as it sounds, however. The same rules often apply : queries, submissions, meeting deadlines and word-counts. You are still expected to show professionalism irrespective of whether you have been published there before or not.
What can you write about for foreign markets?
Well, how about travel articles? Your neck of the woods may seem boring to you, but to someone on another continent, it may well be an exotic destination on their top-ten list of places to see. Take advantage of the distance and keep the allure alive. Destination, travel and lifestyle pieces are always wanted.
Taking off from that idea, pick your speciality and take a spin on it. Like food? Why not dish out some quick regional recipes? For example, if you're Indian, cash in on the wide appeal of spicy curries and show the world a new trick or two. Indian food is not only about curries; recipes that move away from the standard fare will also be welcome. Write about your country's history, food, festivals and holidays.
Other ideas could include writing about events in your target market, profiling people in your target audience (how about profiles on expats living in your country?)
Finding an appropriate market
This should ideally be the first thing to do. For me, finding a market and then tailoring an idea to it is usually a sensible option. Occasionally, the reverse works. Pick the one that works for you.
The usual places to look for markets online are the online market listings. Thanks to the internet, it is not too hard to locate a newspaper or magazine in your target country. Most of these will also have an online edition which will give you a clue about their contents and style. When you can't afford to import sample copies, study the online versions carefully instead.
Then, you can always ask friends and relatives to keep copies for you. Even better, find a friend on a writers forum to swap magazine copies.
For reference and more ideas, take a look at these articles :A whole list of articles on International writing at Writing-World.comWriting for International Markets by Raymond WellsHow to study a magazine you've never seen by Mridu Khullar
Chryselle D'Silva Dias is a UK-based freelance writer who blogs at The Inspired Writer.