Dads Can Write for Parenting Magazines Too!

If you think of a parenting and family magazine writer sitting around in HER jammies while kids run underfoot or that same writer dropping HER kids off at school then going home to write and take care of the house, you are just a little off in your thinking.

It does appear for now that the parenting and family market is dominated by females, but there are plenty of heartfelt and funny and dead-on awesome writers in this niche who also happen to be fathers! Here's why I think dads do great in this market:

Perspective
Dads have such a unique perspective, that's for sure. Something that would send me to seek out a Xanax prescription has my husband saying, "The kids are fine!" And they are. Mostly :-)

Where I feel guilty having the kids help me with chores sometimes (they have so much homework plus activities!), my husband has no problem asking them to pitch in. And they do. Happily. As they have grown into teenagers who volunteer in the community and at church, and gladly help out on our 8 acres, I see he had a point.

Many magazines actively seek out submissions from fathers for just this reason. They love the stories dads tell about parenting, whether poignant or humorous.

Write-at-home Dads
The stay-at-home dad is becoming more common, and so it would follow that we have the write-at-home dad making his appearance in magazines around the world more often!

We also have the dads who write in their free time ... late at night, early in the morning, dictating into their phones during a commute, etc.

Check out Patrick Hempfing here. And a fabulous guest blog post by him on my site here.

Here's William R. Bartlett from my own local Kansas City Parent.

Have files of article reprints that you own but have no clue where to start reselling them? Have ideas for some fantastic new pieces but no idea who might want them? Check out my thick 441-page print book of tips, tricks, and insider information, as well as 384 paying parenting and family markets! You can order "How to Get Published (and Paid!) Writing About Your Kids" on Amazon here.

Sign up for an email subscription to The Published Parent and get two amazing freebies: 10 Parenting Markets That Pay $100+ and 10 Markets That Pay Writers to Write About Writing! And join my Facebook group called Parenting Magazine Writers ... it's FREE and full of tips and tricks and markets and like-minded writer friends!

Time Management for Writers at Home

Tonight I was doing random household tasks and thinking about how much writing and proofreading work I still had to do. I thought about all the laundry, dishes, homeschooling, meals, phone calls, errands and details I handle or take care of every day and how often people are amazed that I can crank out articles and ebooks while (mostly) keeping my sanity, maintaining marriage and having a blast with my kids.

And it came to me.

We all have the same amount of time every day to with what we want/need to do.

So how do I fit it all in?

SLEEP
I start by making sure I get enough sleep so I am in premium condition. I don't try to get by on 6 hours when I know I need 7-8 to be a kind, functioning human being.

PLAN MEALS
I plan our meals in advance so I'm not scrambling at the last minute for something for us to eat. I try to double meals when I make them so I have another in the freezer for another time.

WORK SANDWICH
I do a chunk of my work in the morning when the kids are asleep, then fill up the Attention Tanks of my kids the rest of the day. At night when they are worn out and watching a movie, I flop down by them with my laptop and crank out another hour or so of work.

FOCUS!
I do things as fast as I can and try to focus on one task at a time. It's hard! But if I keep getting distracted, ADD-style, the job takes FOREVER! I put my phone out of sight and turn it off!

MAKE A LIST
I keep a list in pencil of everything I need/want to do and put a number priority next to each thing up to only 10. As I finish something, I erase it. That leaves room for something else to fill its spot, but hopefully only after I've finished two more things!!!! Update: I use Pilot FriXion Clicker Retractable Erasable Gel Pens now and use a cheap spiral notebook for a bullet journal!

GET HELP
Oh, and of course I have the kids help out around the house. After all, I'm working to pay for gymnastics and other fun things, so they can certainly toss the dry laundry in a basket and bring it up to my bedroom, right?

I'd love to hear how you get it all done! Even if your kids are in school during the day while you work from home (or maybe they are up and out of the house), I'm pretty sure you still have some challenges with keeping on task. How do you power through?

Please consider signing up for an email subscription to this site and get two amazing freebies: 10 Parenting Markets That Pay $100+ and 10 Markets That Pay Writers to Write About Writing! Please also consider joining my Facebook group called Parenting Magazine Writers ... it's FREE and full of tips and tricks and markets and like-minded writer friends!

Have files of article reprints that you own but have no clue where to start reselling them? Have ideas for some fantastic new pieces but no idea who might want them? Check out my thick 441-page print book of tips, tricks, and insider information, as well as 384 paying parenting and family markets! You can order "How to Get Published (and Paid!) Writing About Your Kids" on Amazon here.

The Published Parent 2019 Income Report

Writer friends, the McLoughlin household is healthy and happy and ready for 2020 and I wish the same for you!

I am still blessed to be able to work from home proofreading, blogging, writing articles, and writing books and to be able to do it in my sweatpants or swimsuit, out on the deck or at the dining room table, at my house or traveling with my kids and husband for his work to places like Wyoming, Arizona, Texas, Chicago, Florida, and more.

I like to share my income with you to show you that I am a real person with real challenges and successes. No, it is not a full-time income, but I am not aiming for that. I am thankful and grateful that my husband has a good job, and my main job is homeschooling. 

Words are my part-time job for now. When the kids are grown I foresee working more hours with my word career and helping to pay for travel and retirement. But that's at least 8 years away :-)

First quarter 2019 went well and you can see those figures by clicking the link.

Second quarter 2019 was down a bit (click the link).

Third quarter 2019 contains September, my most successful month of the entire year, but I ended the quarter as the lowest quarter of the year. That's how it goes! Had some lovely time off to prepare to teach at our homeschool coop and to teach my own kids :-) Lots of pool time and fun with the kids as well. 

Fourth quarter 2019 came and went quickly!

Excited to see what 2020 brings. 

And if you want to work on Fiverr, please use my referral link!

Have files of article reprints that you own but have no clue where to start reselling them? Have ideas for some fantastic new pieces but no idea who might want them? Check out my 441-page print book of tips, tricks, and insider information, as well as 384 paying parenting and family markets! 

You can order "How to Get Published (and Paid!) Writing About Your Kids" on Amazon here.

Sign up for an email subscription to The Published Parent and get two amazing freebies: 10 Parenting Markets That Pay $100+ and 10 Markets That Pay Writers to Write About Writing! And join my Facebook group called Parenting Magazine Writers ... it's FREE and full of tips and tricks and markets and like-minded writer friends!

2019 4th Quarter Work-From-Home Income Report

Writer friends, the McLoughlin household is healthy and happy and ready to head into Q1 2020 (January, February, and March) and I wish the same for you!

I am still blessed to be able to work from home proofreading, blogging, writing articles, and writing books and to be able to do it in my sweatpants or swimsuit, out on the deck or at the dining room table, at my house or traveling with my kids and husband for his work to places like Wyoming, Arizona, Texas, Chicago, Florida, and more.

I like to share my income with you to show you that I am a real person with real challenges and successes. No, it is not a full-time income, but I am not aiming for that. I am thankful and grateful that my husband has a good job, and my main job is homeschooling. Words are my part-time job for now. When the kids are grown I foresee working more hours with my word career and helping to pay for travel and retirement. But that's at least 10 years away :-)

First quarter 2019 went well at $5,757. We had a lot of snow days, so I was able to pick up extra proofreading jobs. I didn't have time to focus on the creation of more books, but I did still work a bit on the Busy Parents on the Go Cookbook and Homeschooling with Less Stress and More Fun. Articles took a backseat. Homeschooling, proofreading, and running a household took priority this quarter. 

Second quarter 2019 was only down by roughly $200 but I felt like I spent a tiny bit less time working, which is my goal. I want to work less and make more. I really don't charge enough for proofreading, but I love it so much that I keep working with my regular clients, who I love so much!

Third quarter 2019 contains September, my most successful month of the entire year, but I ended the quarter as the lowest quarter of the year. That's how it goes! Had some lovely time off to prepare to teach at our homeschool coop and to teach my own kids :-) Lots of pool time and fun with the kids as well. 

Before you wonder where all my money goes because I live a regular life, consider $1,200 spent on Catholic camp for husband/daughter (had to pay for him as a chaperone) combined with husband/teen sons going to a Catholic conference. Put that together with payments on braces for three kids, dental implant payments for me, paying off a credit card (woo hoo!), and keeping up with some other fun things we might want to do (drive-in!), my working really does contribute to the household expenses and "extras."

Fourth quarter 2019 ended nicely, even though I was also homeschooling, running a household, and my husband was in Kuwait for 7 weeks of it. Plus Christmas, Thanksgiving, our 21st anniversary, and a couple of birthdays! So much was going on and it was stressful.

Excited to see what 2020 brings. 

See you back here on April 1st! And if you want to work on Fiverr, please use my referral link!

Have files of article reprints that you own but have no clue where to start reselling them? Have ideas for some fantastic new pieces but no idea who might want them? Check out my thick 441-page print book of tips, tricks, and insider information, as well as 384 paying parenting and family markets! You can order "How to Get Published (and Paid!) Writing About Your Kids" on Amazon here.

Sign up for an email subscription to The Published Parent and get two amazing freebies: 10 Parenting Markets That Pay $100+ and 10 Markets That Pay Writers to Write About Writing! And join my Facebook group called Parenting Magazine Writers ... it's FREE and full of tips and tricks and markets and like-minded writer friends!

UPDATES! Writing Market Additions/Updates to 7th Edition (ALWAYS CURRENT)

Updated as of November 22, 2019

Buy the book in print! Get published! Make money!

UPDATES:

About Families will print their final magazine in December, then the magazine will be retiring :-( (November 5, 2019)

Arizona Parenting: 

From Kim Fischer: "I’d like to introduce you to Erin Acuna. Erin has been with us here at Arizona Parenting Magazine for 10 plus year and will be taking over the duties of editorial planning. I will be assisting her over the next few months during the transition but wanted to encourage you to email her directly moving forward. If you have a complete list of editorial pieces that you offer or seasonal lists, she would appreciate you sending them over to her, so that she can file them for potential use. I’ve enjoyed working with all of you and know that I am leaving you in capable hands." new email: erin@azparenting.com

Central Penn Parent: "My last day is Dec.6 as my parent company has decided to discontinue our print product. You should go ahead and remove us from your contact list. Thanks." Leslie Penkunas, Editor, Central Penn Parent

Charlotte Parent email mhuggins@charlotteparent.com (9/10/18)

Cincinnati Family, North Cincy Family, Northern Kentucky Family (Daycom Media) editor is Amanda Hayward (Sherry is gone), and her email is amandahayward@daycommedia.com (9/10/18)


City Parent Canada: as of September 19, 2019

"The last issue of City Parent will go to press next month. Your contributions have been most welcome and appreciated. You’ve provided great information for our readers. I am no longer in need of parenting content and regrettably request that you take City Parent off your mailing list. Thanks

JANE MULLER | Editor-in-Chief"

Curious Parents: 7/16/17 seems to no longer be publishing.

Dayton Parent: Nicole Sipe, Editor: nicolesipe@indyschild.com

Family Fun (Meredith) is no longer publishing :-( however...

Family Fun in Omaha is a market addition! familyfuninomaha@gmail.com

Family Times: kelli@familytimesmag.com

Family Times New York: rsullivan@familytimescny.com

Frederick's Child acquired by Mid-Atlantic Media

Giggle is now renee@irvingpublications.com (4/18/19)

Jersey Shore Family is not accepting articles at this time ... updated February 2017

Kauai Family addition: editor@kauaifamilymagazine.com

Little Rock Family magazine update 2/19/19 new owner

Metro-Parent.com in Oregon is now PDX Parent: Julia.silverman@pdxparent.com

Minnesota Parent … editor@mnparent.com bounces back. Try info@mnparent.com

New Jersey Family try angel@njfamily.com (instead of editor@njfamily.com)

+New York Times Parenting Outlet (click here for information)

Omaha Family magazine has recently merged with Family Fun in Omaha. I will have Julie follow up should she have interest in running any of these  features. Please add Julie’s direct email to your list (familyfuninomaha@gmail.com) and remove mine. Thanks so much! Lauren Hathaway lauren@hathawaypublishing.net

Palmetto Parent is now estevenson@indexx.com

Parenting OC is now jessica@parentingoc.com 8/7/18

ParentsCanada amyb@parentscanada.com bounced back. Try katie@parentscanada.com

Parents and Kids Mississippi: Our invoices are usually processed within 30 days after the month of publication. So for the month of May, please expect to be paid by the end of June.

PDX Parent: We do no use reprints because we try to make sure each story has a strong local angle. Also we keep our freelancers to parents in Portland Metro Area

Piedmont Parent editor email bounced back. Try the publisher at katie.reeves@morris.com (9/10/18)

Playground ... heather@playgroundmagazine.com.

Red River Family publisher@redriverfamily.com (9/10/18)

Sacramento Parent: "I am sad to inform you that the publishers have decided to retire, July marks the last issue of Sacramento Parent.

Best, Shannon Smith, editor" 7/29/19

+SheKnows (click here for information)

Syracuse Parent editor Jennifer Wing jwing@eaglenewsonline.com

The Village Family Magazine is currently on hiatus and thus, will not be accepting reprint materials at this time

Upstate Parent: email has changed to chris@worthyplace.com or khassold@greenvillenews.com

Volusia/Flagler/St. John's can be found here now.

Wilmington Parent seasidemedia1@gmail.com

Wiregrass Parents is another publication affiliated with DeAnne Watson of Montgomery Parents (10/30/18)

Wisconsin Family email aschwabe@gannett.com (9/10/18)

Davler Media acquires Staten Island Parent so delete SI Parent email from your contacts since Davler will be taking over all of that and will handle your submissions :-)

NEW:

Growing Up Roseville (sister to Growing Up Chico) ... pays $35 reprints for each publication. Writers are reporting $35 per reprint per publication.

Self-Sufficient Kids pays $75 per article (1,250 words long) and their guidelines can be found here.

Sprinkles: miglesias@sprinklesmagazine.com

DELETED FROM BOOK FOR NONPAYMENT

Utah Family: They used my pieces without permission and then did not pay. I have heard from several writers about this as well. I’m not going to recommend a magazine that does business this way.

Valley Parent Oregon: They have used my pieces without permission and then did not pay.

Have files of article reprints that you own but have no clue where to start reselling them? Have ideas for some fantastic new pieces but no idea who might want them? Check out my thick 441-page print book of tips, tricks, and insider information, as well as 384 paying parenting and family markets! You can order "How to Get Published (and Paid!) Writing About Your Kids" on Amazon here.

Sign up for an email subscription to The Published Parent and get two amazing freebies: 10 Parenting Markets That Pay $100+ and 10 Markets That Pay Writers to Write About Writing! And join my Facebook group called Parenting Magazine Writers ... it's FREE and full of tips and tricks and markets and like-minded writer friends!

A Sample of the Magazine Article Reprint List I Send Out

Once you’ve been writing for a while, you’re going to get a nice body of work to resell (I personally have over 100 articles in circulation). You’re going to want to send out that edited version of your body of work to editors from time to time, and you also want to keep this list for any new publications you find who might want to see your work.

Below is an example of what I normally send to publications on a regular basis, sometimes monthly and sometimes more like quarterly. This is discussed in more detail in my book, including when to send it, how often, what to charge, etc. 

Kerrie McLoughlin Reprint List

Updated October 17, 2019

mommykerrie@yahoo.com

Below please find my full reprint list, including word count and synopsis of each article. All pieces are available as web-only articles at your normal rate plus 10%. Please contact me if you would be interested in reviewing one of these articles for possible purchase so you don’t overlap coverage in your area without realizing it. If you love it, I can send out an invoice!

I appreciate working with regional parenting magazines and always love to share articles from various publications on social media. I would love to work with you, and thank you for taking the time to consider my work!

New pieces since my last reprint list update:

·        14 Grandparent Traditions (902 words) — Grandparents, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how important you are to your grandchild(ren). You are so much more than an occasional babysitter. You teach without it even seeming like you are, and your wisdom is soaked up better than any lecture from a parent. You may not realize just how profoundly you affect your grandchildren. To keep your connection with them alive, read on for 14 traditions you can start with your grandchildren. Most of them are pretty adaptable so you can continue them as your grandchildren grow.

·        10 Fall Traditions (661 words) — Ah, fall! Hopefully it means a break from oppressive summer heat, and it definitely means fun time are ahead. Fall might find us grabbing my mom and heading to a local pumpkin patch. Another weekend we might be sampling banana-flavored milk at our nearby dairy farm. Below are 10 ideas for fall traditions to start with your own family. Pick and choose a few each year — or try to sneak them all in every year!

By category/month:

Homeschooling

Homeschooling 101 (812- and 1,180-word versions) — Synopsis.

11 Terrific Benefits of Homeschooling (779 words) — Synopsis.

Evergreen

8 Ways to Combat Distracted Driving (731 words) — Synopsis.

10 Slumber Party Dos and Don’ts (542 words) — Synopsis.

October

·        10 Fun Halloween Traditions (625 words) – Here you would write a little bit about the article, give a couple of the traditions.

·        10 Traditions to FALL For (661 words) – Here you would write a little bit about the article, give a couple of the traditions.

December

·        8 Holiday Traditions for Everyone (802 words) — Here you would write a little bit about the article, give a couple of the traditions.

·        10 Special Christmas Traditions (629 words) — Here you would write a little bit about the article, give a couple of the traditions.

Please consider signing up for an email subscription to this site and get two amazing freebies: 10 Parenting Markets That Pay $100+ and 10 Markets That Pay Writers to Write About Writing! Please also consider joining my Facebook group called Parenting Magazine Writers ... it's FREE and full of tips and tricks and markets and like-minded writer friends!

Have files of article reprints that you own but have no clue where to start reselling them? Have ideas for some fantastic new pieces but no idea who might want them? Check out my thick 441-page print book of tips, tricks, and insider information, as well as 384 paying parenting and family markets! You can order "How to Get Published (and Paid!) Writing About Your Kids" on Amazon here.

2019 3rd Quarter Work-from-Home Income Report

Writer friends, the McLoughlin household is healthy and happy and ready to head into Q4 2019 (October, November, and December) and I wish the same for you!

I am still blessed to be able to work from home proofreading, blogging, writing articles, and writing books and to be able to do it in my sweatpants or swimsuit, out on the deck or at the dining room table, at my house or traveling with my kids and husband for his work to places like Wyoming, Arizona, Texas, Chicago, Florida, and more.

I like to share my income with you to show you that I am a real person with real challenges and successes. No, it is not a full-time income, but I am not aiming for that. I am thankful and grateful that my husband has a good job, and my main job is homeschooling. Words are my part-time job for now. When the kids are grown I foresee working more hours with my word career and helping to pay for travel and retirement. But that's at least 10 years away :-)

First quarter 2019 went well at $5,757. We had a lot of snow days, so I was able to pick up extra proofreading jobs. I didn't have time to focus on the creation of more books, but I did still work a bit on the Busy Parents on the Go Cookbook and Homeschooling with Less Stress and More Fun. Articles took a backseat. Homeschooling, proofreading, and running a household took priority this quarter. 

Second quarter 2019 was only down by roughly $200 but I felt like I spent a tiny bit less time working, which is my goal. I want to work less and make more. I really don't charge enough for proofreading, but I love it so much that I keep working with my regular clients, who I love so much!

Third quarter 2019 contains September, my most successful month of the entire year, but I ended the quarter as the lowest quarter of the year. That's how it goes! Had some lovely time off to prepare to teach at our homeschool coop and to teach my own kids :-) Lots of pool time and fun with the kids as well. 

Before you wonder where all my money goes because I live a regular life, consider $1,200 spent on Catholic camp for husband/daughter (had to pay for him as a chaperone) combined with husband/teen sons going to a Catholic conference. Put that together with payments on braces for three kids, dental implant payments for me, paying off a credit card (woo hoo!), and keeping up with some other fun things we might want to do (drive-in!), my working really does contribute to the household expenses and "extras."

We'll see what 4Q2019 brings.

See you back here on January 1st! And if you want to work on Fiverr, please use my referral link!

Have files of article reprints that you own but have no clue where to start reselling them? Have ideas for some fantastic new pieces but no idea who might want them? Check out my thick 441-page print book of tips, tricks, and insider information, as well as 384 paying parenting and family markets! You can order "How to Get Published (and Paid!) Writing About Your Kids" on Amazon here.

Sign up for an email subscription to The Published Parent and get two amazing freebies: 10 Parenting Markets That Pay $100+ and 10 Markets That Pay Writers to Write About Writing! And join my Facebook group called Parenting Magazine Writers ... it's FREE and full of tips and tricks and markets and like-minded writer friends!