make cash from magazines
Make an income by submitting suitable images to magazine publishers
Submitting your shots to magazines can be a great way of starting out making a little money from your photography, as there are publications on every single subject you could think of. Many photographic magazines have a readers’ gallery or showcase section, which is a great place to begin. These won’t offer the highest rewards, but they can be a stepping stone to getting your images published elsewhere in the magazine, or even in other publications. If you have some great seasonal images of your local area, you could also try submitting a small selection of images to a local interest magazine or publication, rather than starting out with a large organisation. If your photos are up to scratch, getting your foot in the door of any publication is pretty simple, as they will all be on the lookout for new and striking images. For your initial submission try sending a small selection (up to 10) of low-resolution JPEG images, along with a link to your website if you have one, via email. This initial contact is pretty crucial, so make sure that the images that you send are your best work, and don’t include any ‘fillers’ to make up the numbers.
Also, don’t be tempted to write a long letter to introduce yourself or your images. Keep your email reasonably brief, but include any relevant information, and if the magazine likes your images they’ll be in touch to get more detailed information. Remember that most magazines are planned and put together several months in advance. This is particularly important if the images you are submitting are seasonal, such as landscapes, wildlife or even sports. Submit images that have to be taken at a specific time of year a few months before this season starts. For example, images of spring flowers probably need to be at the magazine in December to stand the best chance of being considered.
Other interests
Remember that it’s not just photography magazines that could publish your images. If you have another hobby or interest that you shoot, there is almost certainly a magazine or publication that covers this activity. You’ll need to do a little research to investigate the possibilities within each magazine, and identify how and where they use images, then try getting in touch with the magazine to see whether they are interested in publishing your images, and whether it’s worth sending them a selection of your work. Getting your work published can take a little time and effort
on your part, but there’s a fine line between being persistent and being pushy. Most magazines don’t have time to go through all of the submissions they receive every day, so it’s often done around once a week, and it then takes some time for the final decisions to be made. So once you have sent off your photographs you may not get a reply immediately, but if you haven’t heard anything in a couple of weeks it’s worth following it up with another email. Don’t be too pushy, or bombard them with emails demanding to know what is happening, though, as this can make it less likely that they will use your images.
It’s also tempting to send the same images to several publications, to maximise your chances of getting published, but this is best avoided: if you get featured in two rival magazines, neither is likely to deal with you again.
To get regular work with a publication you’ll need to prove that you can provide consistently high-quality images, and be easy to contact and deal with.
next steps
There are several ways that you can use these first published images to help further your photographic ambitions. Once you’ve had some initial work accepted, you can move on to submitting article or editorial ideas, particularly if you are able to write to a reasonable standard as well as shoot photos.
The better your photography is known, the more likely it is that you will get published, and eventually you may even get commissioned for specific features or images. This can also help you achieve the most prestigious (and sometimes lucrative) position for one of your photographs: on the cover of the magazine.
Along with simply getting published and paid for your work, getting your images printed is also a great way to advertise your photography to a wider audience. This can lead to getting commissions for other publications, or other commercial work.
Getting your images and submissions ready to enter a competition or send to a magazine can easily be done in an evening or two. There may be some additional time needed to add any detail needed for a magazine article or send in high-resolution images if your images are selected for either. But as long as you have organised your images so that you know where to find this information and the high-resolution images, it won’t take you very long.
When you work with magazines, it’s also worth understanding that you won’t get paid immediately. Most publications work on standard terms that can be up to three months after publication, and you will also often have to sign a rights agreement that states how and where your images can be used.