7 Time Management Ideas 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, meals, phone calls, errands, and details I handle or take care of every day and how friends and family often express their amazement that I can crank out articles and ebooks while homeschooling my kids.

And it came to me.

We all have the same amount of time every day (see Laura Vanderkam's book, 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think). The difference is what we prioritize and how we spend our time budget.

Here are 7 tips for fitting it all in:

Start a freelance writing career for about the cost of a fancy coffee and a muffin!

Yes, I am all done perfecting The Mother of All Writing Market Books PDF instant download and you can get it on eJunkie now! Here's the introduction so you know what's going on!

The Mother of All Writing Market Books: 600 Homes for Your Family, Parenting, & Women's Articles, Essays, & More

So you have a pretty original and awesome idea for a parenting and family niche magazine article. Or—look at you go!—maybe you’ve written the entire thing already and you just know it’ll be a perfect fit for a publication somewhere in the world. Now what?

 

Like any normal person, you hit “the Google” and are quickly overwhelmed. You remove your face from your Internet-enabled device and realize you’ve gone down a two-hour online rabbit hole filled with blog posts that scream titles like “Top 10 Parenting Magazines for 2021” and “19 Popular Parent Magazines Paying Parents to Write Stories” … except that when you started clicking on the links, you found that half of them aren’t even publishing anymore.

 

Does anybody ever go back and check/update these posts? It doesn’t seem like it, which is beyond frustrating. But you have to realize that the publishing industry changes DAILY.

 

Okay, fine. Surely that Writer’s Market you’ve heard of as the gold standard for submission information will be the answer. So you order it up from Amazon (because you can’t get an online subscription anymore, not since 2019, when writersmarket.com sold to Penguin Random House). There goes $21.49 and now you have a fat resource on your shelf taking up space.

 

But wait. The parenting and family section is really so very… small. Like maybe 50 markets TOPS small. That’s 43 cents a market! So you fall into a dream…

 

« Wouldn’t it be great if you knew someone who was actually writing for and submitting to these markets and could find out pretty quickly when a magazine went out of business or if an editor was replaced?

« What if this brilliant middle-aged female someone compiled all the most current markets in one spot (saving you time, money, and space on your bookshelves) and then worked tirelessly to find more?

« What if this rockin’ chick also updated her resource regularly (well, every few years anyway because she gets a little busy with her brood)?

« Oh, and what if this hypothetical groovy writer mom unicorn offered COMPLETELY FREE UPDATES to said resource on her lil blog?

« And then what if this supportive and non-competitive human also had a Facebook group where current and aspiring writers and editors could all hang out and vent and discuss and explain and ask for help?

 

What a magical fairy tale world that would be, right?

 

YES! Only this friendly person who loves to work from home (and travel) and write exists! And she created the resource in 2009...and has been updating it ever since. FREE UPDATES on her blog. TOTALLY accessible in her Facebook group. She has been writing for magazines since roughly 2006, not too long after her third of five kids was born. (Now I’ll switch back to first person for ya…)

You bought this resource (thank you!), downloaded it, maybe even printed it out. You’re reading through it and hopefully you have already joined the FB group. And let me guess… you are one of two kinds of people.

 

You are either someone who knows about this resource already and are excited to dive in and get all the updated information and hit the pavement RIGHT NOW, submitting many older pieces for sale as reprints.

 

Or you are someone who didn’t know you could write one article and sell it over and over again for money to dozens and dozens of different magazines all over the world. And yes, the editors know we are doing this. It’s not a secret, just something not very well known.

 

Maybe you are a little wary of me in general. Like, “Who does she think she is, charging this kind of price for a download? It’s not even a physical book!”

 

Well, writer friend, let me first speak to your question about the price. You are probably going to make somewhere around $40-50 on your first article or essay sale. Then you can pitch it to dozens of other places that love reprints and make anywhere between $15 and $150 per sale FOR THE SAME EXACT PIECE. (kinda like residual or passive income)

And then there might come a day when you have so many great pieces that you decide to REWRITE some of them and turn them into an ebook or print book that you can self-publish or traditionally publish.

 

And then there might also come a day when you can turn some of those expert-status pieces into a lil paid speaking engagement which also helps sell your books, which also gives you more life experience to write about, which helps you create even more articles for more niches and it’s just a great big unlimited world of writing for you and me.

 

Now to speak to the question of who I am. I’ve worked with all of these magazines, many of them multiple times. Some of them buy my reprints on a regular basis and some ask me to write original pieces. Some have paid me for the exact same article every few years because it just fits with what they need for a particular season.

 

I’m The Published Parent, I love words, and I most definitely enjoy helping others launch their freelance writing careers while working another job, while raising a family, while homeschooling, while traveling, while grandparenting...you name it.

 

Whew. I get a little excited talking about all of this. Okay, so now a few things you need to know about the 8^th edition (2022):

 

1.   The title of this resource has been many things over the years (see below). If you have purchased this resource in the past, rest assured that it is completely different this time around. It contains many more markets, but it does NOT contain the how-to-get-started information. I’ll be working on that in the coming weeks, along with more market books (see the end of this book for what that’s going to look like).

2.   In the past, I have tried my best to only include paying markets in my resources. This edition contains markets which DO NOT pay. Submit at your own discretion after checking out the website, the digital edition, the print edition, etc. Some writers enjoy submitting a free essay here and there for the credit when they are just starting out, some think that’s the dumbest thing they have ever heard of, and this is a topic we can discuss in my Facebook group!

You gotta get this book now and get your freelance writing career going! (use promo code WRITER20 for 20% off now). And the FREE UPDATES are posted here as I get them!

Write for Clubhouse Magazine

Focus on the Family Clubhouse is a 32-page magazine designed to inspire, entertain and teach Christian values to children ages 8-12. The magazine, which has a circulation of over 60,000, reaches young readers and their parents all over the world. Parents trust Clubhouse to provide wholesome, educational material with Scriptural or moral insight. The kids anticipate stories with excitement, adventure, action or humor. Your job, as a writer, is to create work that pleases both parents and children.

Fiction
Focus on the Family Clubhouse is a 32-page magazine designed to inspire, entertain and teach Christian values to children ages 8-12. The magazine, which has a circulation of over 60,000, reaches young readers and their parents all over the world. Parents trust Clubhouse to provide wholesome, educational material with Scriptural or moral insight. The kids anticipate stories with excitement, adventure, action or humor. Your job, as a writer, is to create work that pleases both parents and children.

Write for The New York Times Parenting Outlet

*Read below knowing that Jessica Grose is not the lead editor at this time and informed me of this personally via email. She also says these guidelines are not what they are looking for anymore, but she doesn't know exactly what they need. This is the post that is still live, unfortunately!

Jessica Grose, Lead Editor, Parenting, The New York Times

"I am thrilled to announce the NYT Parenting newsletter! For the next month or so, we'll be publishing the newsletter and a handful of articles each week. Then in early May, we will launch a beautiful, robust website. We'll be covering fertility and pregnancy up through kids age 5 or 6 and your lives with them, and giving you evidence-based guidance, news, and personal stories every day. It is my sincerest hope that the site will prevent you from a panicked 3 am google that lands you on a BabyCenter message board telling you that crystals and essential oils will heal your baby's rickets. The full site launches in May.

Pitch guidelines:

For general submissions please send to: parenting_submissions@nytimes.com

Rates depend on the type of piece.

What is NYTParenting?

Modeled after what the Times did with NYTCooking, NYTParenting will be a robust section of the Times website (parenting.nytimes.com) with new and archival content and a newsletter. NYTParenting is set to launch in Spring 2019.

We will mostly cover topics ranging from fertility and pregnancy to kids through ages 5 or 6, but we'll also be doing a lot of coverage on issues that affect parents of young children. 

We will have articles and essays, as well as guides — which are a content form with a specific structure and which are meant to answer thorny parenting problems in a service-y, research-backed way. For now, we’re mostly coming up with ideas for guides in-house.

A bit about us, philosophically:
• We are for parents who want evidence-based solutions to problems with their kids or with their own lives. We recognize that you had a baby — not a lobotomy. Your wants and needs still matter.
• We are for mothers AND fathers. Almost all parenting products are explicitly or implicitly gendered. Through design, editorial choices and framing, we will not be. We recognize that every family is different, and we are mindful of that.

What we're looking for:

Essays and articles in the 1,000-1,200 word range.

For articles, we're looking for timely ideas, whether they're cultural or trendy (What's the next baby shark? Why is everyone feeding their kid European formula?), based on new studies and how they affect parents (Are you really supposed to monitor your kid while they brush their teeth til they're 8?), or second-day stories on news events (How does family separation affect brain development?).

While we cover fertility through age 6, and will assign on topics affecting kids and parents in that range, we are especially focusing on the following topics in the near term for essays:

--How parenting has changed your identity, or how your identity has intersected with your parenting experience
--Relationships (with your partner, with your parents or in-laws, with your friends, with your first child when you have a second...)
--Life with babies and toddlers

We're also trying out an essay series called The Hardest Part

The Hardest Part will be a series of essays about the parts of parenting that you’ve found to be the most unexpectedly difficult, and how you worked through them (or didn't).

The tone can be as serious or as funny as the subject matter requires. It can be as straightforward as, "The hardest part of parenting is dealing with my kids during the winter," or "The hardest part of parenting is handling my kid's severe allergies," or as esoteric as, "The hardest part of parenting is how emotionally spent I feel at the end of each day.""

3/29/19 originally posted

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 resource with 600 markets! (use promo code PPBLOG20 for $10 off) You can order "The Mother of All Writing Market Books" here.

NO LONGER PUBLISHING: Ladies' Home Journal

UPDATE: As of 2016, this lovely magazine is officially no longer publishing. Please check out other markets here, and you can also download my book here for 600 more markets!

So sad to see Ladies' Home Journal changing after 131 years! Back in 2014, it went to a quarterly print edition with an online digital presence. You can read the USA Today article here. 

According to Wikipedia: On April 24, 2014, Meredith announced it would stop publishing the magazine as a monthly with the July issue, stating it was "transitioning Ladies' Home Journal to a special interest publication". It was then available quarterly on newsstands only, though its website remained in operation. The last issue was published in 2016.

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 resource with 600 markets! (use promo code PPBLOG20 for $10 off) You can order "The Mother of All Writing Market Books" here.

UPDATES to The Mother of All Writing Market Books

So we're all literally on the same page here, you can grab this rockin' resource here at this link: The Mother of All Writing Market Books. Thank ya. Oh, and use promo code PPBLOG20 at checkout for a lil surprise!

I know that you know how fast the publishing industry changes. Especially in the year 2020. Holy cow!

One day you're submitting your article on the "10 Best Birthday Party Ideas for Teens" to your favorite regional parenting publication, and the next day that magazine is sending you an email to let you know they are printing their final issue next month. 

Or maybe you submit that same article to a bunch of magazines as a reprint option so you can make bunches of money on just one submission, and then a couple of the emails bounce back.

What's a writer to do?

Well, you've come to the right place! This is where you'll find updates to the 8th edition of my parenting, family, and women's writing markets book. Yes, for free. You didn't see anybody taking money at the door or checking ID, didja? Nope. And by the way, thanks for purchasing my instant-download PDF book, The Mother of All Writing Market Books: 600 Homes for Your Family, Parenting & Women's Articles, Essays & More. (If you haven't bought it yet but want to, please use the discount code PPBLOG20 to save 20%.)

So scan this list regularly for all the updates, bad and good, and you might also consider signing up for an email subscription because I like to send out a power-packed email when I find a bunch of new markets. And I'm ALWAYS looking for new markets!

Updated Email Information

9/12/22 from Jill M. in the FB group: For editorial matters concerning Baltimore's Child, Baltimore Style, Frederick's Child, MetroKids and Washington FAMILY, please email editor Lindsay VanAsdalan at lvanasdalan@midatlanticmedia.com

Deceased Markets

Just-Born or Just-Found Markets

I Thought We Were On a Break!

So help me, if Maritime Family's website keeps saying they are "launching soon"—well, I don't know what I will do but it won't be good 😂

Writer Beware

Reader's Digest Magazine Submission Writers Guidelines

Check out this post on The Adventurous Writer/Writing Blossoms titled 10 Things You Need to Know About Writing for Reader's Digest.

No Manuscripts

Don't send the completed manuscript of your article. The editors will not read it or mail it back. Instead, write a summary of no more than one page. If you will interview the hero of the story, be sure to mention it---it may help you sell your story. Email your proposal to articleproposals@readersdigest.com.

Funny Stuff

If writing an entire article is too daunting, try something shorter. Reader's Digest encourages its readers to send in funny true stories, jokes and humorous quotations. Keep your submission within the 500-word limit. If you submit an anecdote originally published elsewhere, include the name of where and when it was published, including the page number.

Given the volume of funny stories the magazine receives---approximately 250,000 a year---the editors won't acknowledge that they have received your piece unless they decide to publish it in the magazine. In that case, you will be paid $100. You will not be paid if it is published only on the magazine's website, RD.com.

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 resource with 600 markets! (use promo code PPBLOG20 for $10 off) You can order "The Mother of All Writing Market Books" here.

Write for SheKnows: Parenting, Food, Home, Travel and Lifestyle + Black Mind & Body

SheKnows is looking for parenting, food, home, travel and lifestyle pitches. 

A fellow writer shared this about the pay rate: 

"The rate for lifestyle stories is $75-125 depending on length and whether or not the piece requires reporting."

Send an email to Lifestyle Editor Kenzie Mastroe: kenzie.mastroe@shemedia.com.

Or Parenting Editor Rita Templeton: rtempleton@shemedia.com

This piece on Talking Biz News has some guidelines for the Black Mind & Body section, and rates start at $250.

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 resource with 600 markets! (use promo code PPBLOG20 for $10 off) You can order "The Mother of All Writing Market Books" here.

How Do Illustrated Children's Books Promote Holistic Learning?

 

Illustrated children's books are rich sources of information. They facilitate rich engagement and text construction, promote interaction between parent and child, and allow for meditation. These benefits can be attributed to recurring visual themes. In this article, you will learn how recurring visual themes in picture books promote holistic learning. 

Increases Reading Interest 

An illustrated children's book offers multiple sensory experiences that help children develop a strong sense of story. Children hear the story and see the pictures, and they can touch and smell the pages, all of which contribute to developing their sense of narrative. In addition, children can relate to stories about events and situations relevant to their age. Ultimately, picture books are an excellent way to promote holistic learning.

Write for Girls' Life Magazine

Girls' Life Magazine Writer's Guidelines from their website

Writer's Guidelines

For freelancers…
Want to get your pitch accepted? Read our “How to Pitch” article, courtesy of mediabistro.com!

The Rules
1. Girls' Life accepts unsolicited manuscripts on a speculative basis only. First, send an e-mail or letter query with detailed story idea(s). No telephone solicitations, please. Please familiarize yourself with the voice and content of Girls' Life before submitting.

2. Girls' Life magazine does not accept poetry submissions.

3. Every story should have a title, blurb and byline. Author's complete name, address, phone number and e-mail address must be provided on submission. Referrals for art sources are appreciated, if applicable.

4. Girls' Life conforms to The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual. Manuscripts can be e-mailed in Microsoft Word. Documents should be double-spaced in 12-point Verdana font.

5. All research must rely on primary sources. Manuscripts must be accompanied by a complete list of sources, telephone numbers and reference materials, if applicable.

6. E-mail queries are responded to within 90 days. Girls' Life cannot be held responsible for the return of any unsolicited material.

7. Unless submission is stated to be a possible work for hire, submission will be considered property of Girls' Life magazine.

8. A memorandum of agreement is to be executed by both parties before payment is made.

Send all Girls’ Life magazine queries to:
Karen Bokram
Founding Editor and Publisher
Girls' Life magazine
3 S. Frederick St. Suite 806
Baltimore, MD 21202
writeforGL@girlslife.com

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 resource with 600 markets! (use promo code PPBLOG20 for $10 off) You can order "The Mother of All Writing Market Books" here.

Write for Fit Pregnancy and Baby Magazine

As of the February 2016 issue, American Baby is no more and has merged with Fit Pregnancy to form ...

FIT PREGNANCY AND BABY!

Here are the submission guidelines from their website! 

FIT PREGNANCY  is a website covering health, nutrition, exercise, psychology, food, fashion and beauty issues related to pregnancy. It also includes editorial for parents of babies up to 2 years of age.

Queries should be specific. Read our website and be clear whether you are presenting an idea for a feature or a specific column.

Features (1,000 - 1,800 words) cover broad, timely topics. Features for which we accept freelance writing include:

Prenatal Fitness:
Pregnancy-safe workout programs

You and Your Baby:
• A feature story about postpartum issues.
• A postpartum exercise story (often includes weight loss).
• A story pertaining to breastfeeding issues.
• Baby Pages (baby-care issues, with emphasis on the first six weeks)

Kerrie McLoughlin References and Recommendations

"Kerrie's book has been a springboard for my writing career! I wish I had known this information when I started. I would be so much further along! I'm so grateful that Kerrie is willing to share the secret to her success!  When I was in training to become a stockbroker, I had to take a crash course right before the Series 7 licensing exam. Kerrie's book is the crash course for getting published in regional parenting magazines! I wish I had found it years ago!" — Kelly Stilwell, writer

"Thanks for your wonderful ebook! If it wasn't for your wonderful advice, I wouldn't be getting these articles accepted!!!" — Dr. Anne Zachry, writer

"Kerrie's book has been a go-to resource for me in finding out information about parenting magazines throughout the United States. One of her talents is a willingness to share what she's learned with other writers so that they can make progress in their careers." — Liz Sheffield, writer

"A dandy book about a very specific topic and market (parenting) that should help lots of writers get in print and fatten their larder, modestly. I like that you explain reprints and why it makes huge sense to sell and sell good copy until it expires or you do. A fun book to read too, as is your website." — Gordon Burgett, author of 40 published books and 1,700+ articles

"Kerrie has put together a fabulous resource for beginners as well as seasoned writers. She tells you all you need to know for pitching your work to publishers and editors. Her database is fantastic. And her tips for "behind the scenes," like keeping track of submissions are spot on." — Jessica Fisher, freelance writer and author, blogger/owner at LifeAsMom.com

Write for Hopscotch Magazine

Hopscotch Submission Guidelines from the website http://funforkidzmagazines.com

Every HOPSCOTCH contributor must remember we publish only six issues a year, which means our editorial needs are extremely limited. An annual total, for instance, will include some 30 to 36 nonfiction pieces, 9 or 10 short stories, 18 or so poems, six cover illustrations, and a smattering of puzzles, crafts, and the like.

It is obvious that we must reject far more contributions than we accept, no matter how outstanding they may seem to you or to us.

With that said, we would point out that HOPSCOTCH is a magazine created for girls from 6 to 13 years, with girls 8, 9, and 10 the specific target age.

Our point of view is that every young girl deserves the right to be a young girl for a number of years before she becomes a young adult.

As a result, HOPSCOTCH looks for articles, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that deal with timeless topics, such as pets, nature, hobbies, science, games, sports, careers, simple cooking, and anything else likely to interest a young girl. We leave dating, romance, human sexuality, cosmetics, fashion, and the like to other publications. Each issue revolves around a theme.

Writers

We are looking for lively writing, most of it from a young girl's point of view, with the girl or girls directly involved in an activity that is both wholesome and unusual. Examples have included girls in a sheep to shawl contest, girls raising puppies that are destined to guide the blind and girls who take summer ballet lessons from members of the New York City Ballet.