Hunting for Markets Over the Holidays

Chances are, you'll be busy over the next several weeks. Between preparing for, celebrating, and unwinding from the holidays it may be difficult to maintain your regular writing routine. And if researching potential homes for your work is part of that routine-as it is for many of us who regularly submit stories, essays, poems, articles, and reviews for publication-you may be worried about falling behind.

But it's time to put those worries to rest. In truth, there are many ways to keep up with your market-hunting over the holidays. Here are just four possibilities:

1) When you visit friends and family, peruse the magazines they may have on their coffee tables or stacked in their recycling bins. Chances are they may subscribe to some that you don't receive. Who knows how many new markets you may discover? (Just be sure to ask for permission before you start rummaging!)

2) Be bold with your gift list. If someone close to you should ask what you might like for the holidays, go ahead and say it. Go ahead and tell that person: "I'd like you to bring me/send me all the magazines you've received for the past six months-and haven't yet thrown out." That person won't need to shop, and you will be able to spend the rest of the winter researching markets.

3) If you'll be traveling, take advantage of any complimentary publications that may come your way: inflight magazines, morning newspapers at hotels, and so on. Again, these may provide you sample issues for markets that you haven't considered before.

4) If you're visiting anyone out-of-town, stop by the local library, and check out the magazines the library keeps stocked. It's quite likely that you'll discover some-especially regional publications-that you won't be able to research as easily back home.

Can you think of other possibilities? Add them to the list! Happy holidays, and happy market-hunting.

(C) Copyright 2004 Erika Dreifus. All rights reserved. Article reprint permission is granted provided that the entire article, including the "About the Author" information--remains intact and unaltered. Please send a courtesy copy of the reprint to erikadrei (at ) yahoo (dot) com

Erika Dreifus (Ed.M., M.F.A., Ph.D.) edits the free monthly newsletter, "The Practicing Writer," and has published several resource guides, including "The Practicing Writer's Directory of Paying Short Story Markets" and "The Practicing Writer's Directory of Paying Poetry Markets." Visit her website at http://www.practicing-writer.com to learn more.

express cleaning service Lincolnshire ...
In The News:

A clean credit report doesn't mean your identity is safe. Six ways criminals can steal from you without triggering a credit monitoring alert.
Carolyn Marvin, a 78-year-old retired professor, was arrested after blocking an Uber Eats delivery robot on a Philadelphia sidewalk for months.
The Midnight Mimosa malware campaign hides inside cheap Android phone firmware, giving attackers powerful access before owners even turn devices on.
The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Meta's Muse AI was built to manage tasks, but users are developing romantic AI relationships and even calling the AI companion their girlfriend.
A Minnesota murder suspect's notebook listed 11 people search websites, raising urgent questions about data broker opt-out and online privacy risks.
Google Universal Cart tracks price drops, surfaces promo codes and uses Google Wallet to match your best credit card rewards before checkout.
Safari's Notify Me feature and Google's price-tracking tools can monitor products and send alerts when prices drop on your iPhone or Android.
George Weiner built PACspam.org to trace who sends nonstop political fundraising texts after blocking numbers repeatedly failed to stop the messages.
A dedicated VPN IP address may reduce frustrating CAPTCHAs and bank login security checks by giving websites a consistent connection to recognize.
Apple Wallet in iOS 27 lets you create digital passes from physical cards using a photo or screenshot, but not every card in your wallet qualifies.
Anthropic's Claude AI submitted a fabricated eyewitness tip about an unsolved murder to a Philadelphia police website during automated testing.
P7 DarkSword iPhone spyware can steal saved passwords, photos, Apple Notes and cryptocurrency wallet data by checking for commands every 15 seconds.
Cybersecurity experts told Fox News Digital that a cyberattack on French supermarket freezers should warn the U.S. about critical infrastructure gaps.
The Oracle Health breach exposed medical records, Social Security numbers and diagnoses of nearly 20 million patients across multiple states.
The new Tesla Roadster drove upside down and launched into the air at SpaceX's Texas facility, but a 2028 production target remains unconfirmed.
Apple's iOS 27 lets you add keywords to iPhone photos, while Samsung Gallery tags and Google Photos search offer similar organization tools.
A fake Claude AI download scam uses Google ads, and Bing redirects to trick Mac users into pasting a hidden malicious command in their Terminal.
Ahold Delhaize's cybersecurity incident knocked online ordering and digital coupons offline at Stop & Shop, Food Lion, Hannaford and Giant Food stores.
The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Amazon's About You feature includes personality details from your shopping history, and some shoppers are finding hilariously awkward results.
Identity theft recovery starts with securing bank accounts, freezing credit and enabling two-factor authentication within the first 24 hours.
Apple's $299 HomeView smart display uses facial recognition to personalize screens for up to six household members and show live security camera feeds.
Domonique DuBose spotted red flags when a man on Hinge with 85,000 followers and a blue checkmark claimed to be a San Francisco 49ers player.
Your phone's location data can expose visits to doctors, pharmacies and places of worship. The FTC took action against data brokers selling this data.

Should You Write a Book?

One morning, you open your inbox and find several e-mails... Read More

You Can Be An Author

"You should write a book." For years, I had been... Read More

Business Writing: 10 Great Authors

Great business writers combine narrative skills with sound judgment to... Read More

Mexican Living: Lets Be Perfectly Clear

Readers often send me interesting and exciting e-mails about the... Read More

Home Business Writing Made Simple

Have you ever written a letter to a friend? Ever... Read More

Self-Examination

Self-examination sheds light on a writers motives, goals, and aspirations,... Read More

Knock-Out Writers Block: Listening To Your Inner Voice

When I was young, I used to talk to myself.... Read More

Editorial Freelancing: 5 Must-Know Tips to Getting Your Foot in the Door

So, you want to freelance as an editor, writer, copy... Read More

Hero?s Journey ? The Herald

Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's... Read More

Local Knowledge: Background and Historical Setting in Novels

You're writing a story set in your local city, but... Read More

Why Every Freelance Writer Needs A Website

What do you mean, you don't have a website yet?... Read More

Write That Down! Compulsively Collecting Content for Your Writing

Have you ever read someone else's writing and thought one... Read More

Plotting Problems - Episodic Writing

The rejection letter says: "Your story, on the surface, appears... Read More

Making Money from Freelance Writing

Making Money from Freelance WritingIt's the question that every aspiring... Read More

Ten Tips To Get Started Writing Your Book

You are far more likely to successfully write and publish... Read More

The Value of Adding Images to Technical Documentation

It's clich?, but true-a picture does paint a thousand words.... Read More

Screenwriting, Screenplays, Screenwriters - Writing a Screenplay Using Structure

Effective screenwriting relies on the good understanding and use of... Read More

Screenwriting ? The Lone Wolf Story Structure Template

Story Structure Templates are the fastest way to write screenplays.... Read More

Writing Secrets You Must Know

Writing better is critical for students. But it's even more... Read More

Applying KISS Principle in Writing

I have added a new word to my vocabulary. Logorrhea.... Read More

Crime Writing Beckons

If your cash is running out fast and you have... Read More

The Bottomless Notebook

Reading through a writer's notebook or journal is like discovering... Read More

Spiritual Journaling

Whether you keep a separate spiritual journal or just want... Read More

Plagiarism Through The Eyes Of College Students

Plagiarism has been condemned lately by all types of experts,... Read More

A Perfect Day for Writers

In one of the exercises in my "Getting Started as... Read More

one time home cleaning Mundelein ...