There are a growing number of children and teens who are connected to the information superhighway. They're online. They're web savvy. And they're looking for entertainment. Publishers know this, so many (if not most) magazines have a web version and some magazines exist only on the web. This makes electronic magazines well worth a writer's time to seek out, become familiar with, and sell to. Let's look at the different ways electronic magazines exist.

E-VERSIONS OF PRINT FAVORITES

Because most magazines have some kind of online presence, a smart magazine writer seeks out magazine websites. These sites often include (1) information on the most recent issue of the magazine, (2) sample content that gives you an idea of what the magazine is running right now, (3) guidelines for writers and illustrators, and (4) information about the magazine's vision, readership, editors, etc.

For example, if I check out the GIRL'S LIFE website, I see that the magazine is adopting a hip teen look. The cover looks much like any you would see on TEEN or SWEET 16 -- this partly reflects the growing trend of 'Tweens (girls ages 10 - 12) to see themselves as more like teens than children. So, a writer can assume GIRL'S LIFE will want a tone or voice similar to that found in other teen magazines - not like the voice found in HOPSCOTCH or HIGHLIGHTS.

But what about content? In the Feb/March 2006 issue, GIRL'S LIFE covered how to have a healthy diet and why you can be too thin. It also cautioned against over-exercising to lose weight - so GIRL'S LIFE is concerned with keeping readers healthy and helping them avoid unhealthy trends. But, unlike magazines like AMERICAN GIRL and HOPSCOTCH, GIRL'S LIFE does talk about boy friends and crushes. The magazine puts its advice columns online which will show what level of relationship information the magazine accepts. GIRL'S LIFE is much more into first kisses than teen pregnancy issues.

Like many magazines, GIRL'S LIFE also puts their writer's guidelines online http://www.girlslife.com/newgl/writersguidelines.php - and like many writer's guidelines, they are a bit under-informative. Nothing beats getting to know the magazine and seeing what they print. The guidelines do offer an interesting side note - they publish original material on the website from writers under 18.

PAYING MARKETS THAT EXIST ONLY ONLINE

At least one high-recognition market moved from print to electronic only: GUIDEPOSTS FOR KIDS. GP4K is one of the better paying online-only magazines with features running over $100. Since all of their content is online, the site is a one-stop education in what to write for them. The GP4K editor still tells me that she gets preachy stories, church stories, and other fiction that clearly shows writers submit without reading the magazine. When the magazine is free and in your home in seconds through the magic of the Internet - it's essential to read it. Print magazine editors might make some allowances for the reality that it can be expensive to create a sample magazine collection - but online magazine editors get very frustrated by inappropriate submissions.

One online magazine that has grown tremendously in its industry credibility is WEE ONES. WEE ONES buys fiction, nonfiction, and poetry - making it a valuable market for poets, though the poetry editor is often a bit overwhelmed by submission volume.

Some tiny electronic magazines pay very little because the payment comes out of the magazine owner's pocket. Many of these magazines are started and run by writers and they know how important it is go get paid for your work - even if you don't get paid much. The boost of receiving payment can help overcome a lot of rejections. So magazines like DRAGONFLY SPIRIT are good for your morale, even if it doesn't do a lot for your wallet.

NONPAYING MARKETS

Some nonpaying markets settle in and stay a while - many others do not. It's easy to start up an electronic magazine on a whim. So the first thing to do is find out how long the magazine has been online. Has it changed name, format, vision, etc frequently? If so, it may be a market to consider hesitantly because chances are it's not a credit that will impress future editors. Stability and an editor with some industry experience are hallmarks of a market that will have some value as a clip.

Sometimes, though, we aren't so much interested in having another credit as we are in making a story or article available for people to read. If you have a story that you like but that has been impossible to place anywhere else, it won't hurt your career to give it to any online magazine, but it's probably not a "credit" that you want to mention in your subsequent cover letters to print magazines unless you're sure the online magazine is competitive and professional.

When you judge the viability of an online market as a potential publishing credit, ask yourself these questions: (1) who is behind the magazine and what are that person's credentials? (2) How long has the magazine existed? (3) How professional does it look - is it appealing to your eye? Does it have a lot of pointless clip art? Do the graphics look good? Do the colors look good? Is it readable? How easy is the site to navigate? All of these things go a long way to demonstrating a professional quality magazine. (3) Also, What quality articles and stories are online right now? Would you be proud to be seen as a writer of that quality? If the market passes those tests, then it's one you can use as a credit.

ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE PLUSES AND MINUSES

One problem online magazines face is funding. Advertising on websites simply doesn't bring in much revenue. And selling subscriptions to online magazines hasn't been successful either. Many (if not most) web users don't expect to pay to read websites. There is too much information available for free. Thus, web magazines that are not backed by a strong parent (such as GP4K), can be perilous markets long term. So, it's good to read their guidelines regularly because payment, publication schedule, and types of items sought can change frequently.

Overwhelmed editors happen in every area of publishing, but it's a particular issue in online magazines because finances often demand the magazine editing be done by as few people as possible. Thus, even a bad case of flu can put an editor seriously behind on reading queries and submissions. Thus you'll sometimes see reports of online magazines that respond in hours or days, then suddenly dropping to weeks for response.

Because online magazines virtually always want submissions sent via email - they're a real boon for writers selling outside their country since postage can quickly become a serious financial problem. However, email tends to be unreliable. Thus, watch stated response times carefully and if you don't get a response - resubmit. Editors get mountains of spam pouring in along with submissions and it's easy to delete the wrong email - especially if subject lines aren't clear. If you're sending a query - write QUERY in the subject line and follow it with the type of query you're sending. If you're sending a submission - again, specify.

Many online magazines do not want attachments sent with emails because - again - they get a lot of spam and viruses. That's the nature of publicizing your email address. So editors prefer to work with your submissions pasted directly into the email. The normal format would look like this:

Dear Editor's Name,

Cover letter…blah, blah, blah. Single spaced with double space between paragraphs.

Sincerely,

Your Name
Your contact information (including address - you can't email checks), phone, and email address. I know your email address is in the "return" spot…but be safe, include the email.

------- a dividing line to show you're about to add stuff

Manuscript Title (Don't try to center it, let it flush left and type in ALL CAPS.)

By Name You Want Published with the Story

First paragraph - no indent. Flush left. Single spaced within the paragraph.

Second paragraph - no indent. Double space between paragraphs.

And so on.

If you're cutting and pasting from a formatted word processing program (like WORD, WORD PERFECT or WORKS), you're going to get format codes that an email program cannot decipher. This will make the submission look very strange when the editor gets it. For a busy editor, this can be very bad. One way to solve the problem is to open your document that you want to paste from, save your document as a text file, close it. NOW, open the txt version. Fix any weird format issues (like your document becoming one big paragraph or other icky bits). Now you can remove indents, and fix paragraph spacing. THEN you can cut and paste into your email program safely.

The Internet has been a huge help to magazine writers - so dive in. Don't skip your e-homework. You'll be glad to be an e-Magazine guru.