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!

"How to Get Published (and Paid!) Writing About Your Kids: The Ultimate Guide for Selling Your Stories to Parenting Magazines"

Get those articles and ideas out of your computer, out of your brain, and out of your paper files and into the email inboxes of editors! Result = get published, collect tearsheets, and watch the money hit your account and mailbox from reprint sales!

How to Get Published (and Paid!) Writing About Your Kids: The Ultimate Guide for Selling Your Stories to Parenting Magazines will change your writing life! The 7th edition of this invaluable resource that has already helped so many writers get published includes information on how to get started selling your original and reprint articles and essays. It goes on to cover everything related to writing for this market, including keeping good records, setting up a freelance writer website, invoicing, and so much more. Then comes the best part: the 384 paying markets. Writing success is waiting for you!

Check out what previous buyers had to say:

"Kerrie's book was my introduction to the world of writing for regional parenting publications. Her encouraging tone comes through to readers ... She is helpful to readers who ask questions, funny as can be on her blog, and doesn't hesitate to share her real-life experiences to help her readers succeed. Who doesn't want that?" — Rhonda Franz, writer, CaptainMom.net

"[How to Get Published (and Paid!)] is a phenomenal resource for both those just beginning to toy with the idea of trying to get published and experienced writers alike. Kerrie McLoughlin's advice launched my writing career to a whole new level." — Rachael Moshman, writer, ShrinkingMomster.com

"Kerrie makes it easy for aspiring writers to break into regional and national parenting magazines. Full of information, awesome tips, and positive energy, this book was a great source of inspiration and encouragement. I sold four articles quickly and easily as a result of her timely tips. And that's just for starters!" — Christine Shuck, author and blogger, TheDeadlyNightshade.com

"Are you a writer who wants to be published in regional parenting magazines? Then this book is for you. No question. The information in it is worth every penny and as soon as you make ONE sale, it pays for itself." — Jan Udlock, writer/virtual assistant, JanUdlock.com

This version is available only in PDF format, so you can print it, 3-hole punch it, pop it into a binder, and get working. Refer to the PDF on your computer for the helpful bonus content hyperlinked from the document. Links include: sample cover letter, sample query letter, freelance writer site info, how to generate ideas for articles, podcast interviews and posts with editors by Susan Maccarelli of Beyond Your Blog, and so much more!

It also includes:

225 regional parenting magazines, most of which take reprints and know that your work has been used somewhere else and they are fine with it.

159 national and online markets which can't wait to see your work, mostly original pieces, often you query them first.

FREE updates ... you just have to keep track of them in your printed version of the book in your Get Published binder :-)

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.

How I Got My Start as a Paid Parenting and Family Magazine Writer

Everybody is different, so how we go about launching a writing career is going to be a different story for everyone. For some of you, a quick query to Working Mother might be the first you’ve ever written. You nervously hit the SEND button on your email program and go about your life. You check your email later that day and find an acceptance of your pitch at a pay rate of $1.00 per word! You create an article based on that piece that’s just different enough to send to the regional parenting magazines, and you sell nothing … for a week. Then the acceptances come pouring in.

Or maybe you always got As in college writing classes and everyone you know says you rock as a writer. But you are having trouble getting any of the RPMs to give you even so much as a nibble. Then you try an online literary magazine that pays and you have found your niche. You go on to sell many pieces to Chicken Soup for the Soul, then try the regionals again and find even more success.

This is my Writing Story because I think it’s important to remember how you started doing something you are very passionate about.

I always thought of myself as a writer growing up, but I didn’t think I was that great at it … nothing special. I got good grades in English and Creative Writing classes in school and even wrote some decent papers during my community college years. I was always observing, journaling, venting on paper. Interesting things happened to me, but I didn’t know how to craft them into something people would want to read.

I had three kids when I started writing for money and was a 35-year-old stay-at-home mom with a husband who traveled frequently for long periods of time. I loved being a mom more than anything in the world, and I also loved recording every thought in my head while I held my nursing baby during her naptime and her big brothers watched TV nearby. Trying to not let Caillou suck out all my brain cells with his whining was a top priority back then.

We had a little paper in my city called Mother and Child Reunion that was like a regional parenting magazine only smaller and more like a little newspaper. I always found helpful parenting articles in there and wondering if I could offer them something of value. In 2006, I submitted a series on how to make money with your kid on your hip. They were only used online, and I was too chicken to ask for money. I was just happy to have a writing credit.

Next I went after my local RPM, Kansas City Parent. I had whipped up a piece about stocking up on meals (kind of a passive aggressive vent, unfortunately!) and sent it off. It ran in the January 2007 issue, I received a $25 check, and I was on top of the world.

Next up was New Beginnings (La Leche League’s magazine), and I sent off an essay on how much I love having my kids nap on me. It ran in the March/April 2007 issue, I got 2 free copies, and I was ecstatic again.

Then I stumbled upon an article online about selling reprints and started trying to send out my Stock-up-Mentality article. I made many submission mistakes, receive one kind rejection, and didn’t hear from anyone else.

After that, I got fired up about kids and fundraising, pounded out a piece, submitted it to my local newspaper, and saw it in print 6 months later, in January 2008. The pay was the satisfaction of my family knowing I could write and hearing my name on a local radio station when the host agreed with my stance.

Time to head back to the regionals, I told myself, because I loved writing articles and decided I should be writing for an income. I enjoyed some success with various magazines and kept collecting information for new markets.

Then I got pregnant with this guy, my fifth child (below) in 2009 and thought it might help other writers to learn from my mistakes and to have the list of markets, guidelines, and pay information I had compiled.

I headed into the land of ebooks while also submitting magazine articles and doing some other things on the side, like writing for Contently.com and Scripted.com and proofreading on Fiverr.com and Scripted.com.

Honestly, some of my most successful paid parenting articles came about because of annoyance at other people. I channeled my frustration into my writing, as I had done since I was a little girl, and I found that sometimes venting pays. Some examples:

·         I thought my friend was nuts for grocery shopping daily with her small children in tow, so I wrote called Stock-up Mentality, sharing tips for meal planning and stocking up on groceries and meals to save time and money.

·         I was getting frazzled about expectations put on my family to be several places at once on Christmas morning, so I wrote 8 Tips for Holiday Sanity. I have since earned $954 from this one article, selling it as a reprint all over the United States. And it still sells every year. Talk about residual income!

·         Even though my kids were not in school, I was still affected by fundraisers through activities they were in. Instead of giving up on the whole process, I wrote Rock the Next Fundraiser and also Fundraising Life Lessons Learned. These were to put a more positive spin on that newspaper op ed.

From there, I headed in a more positive direction and started penning informational pieces: conquer the kid clutter, how to get started homeschooling, traditions (birthdays, seasonal, holidays), and so much more. Now I’ll write just about anything, including humorous listicles (Parenting by the Numbers is an article I wrote that’s humor + list + article = listicle), essays, and informational pieces on things that have zero relevance in my life (Co-Parenting Best Practices, Kindergarten Separation Anxiety, etc.).

My love for words remains all these years later. I love writing ebooks and want them to be as helpful as possible. I love writing regional parenting magazine articles and working with amazing editors. I also love connecting with other writers J

What’s your Writing Story?

*This was an excerpt from the PDF and ebook versions of my book, but it had to be omitted from the print edition due to space!

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!

Keep Writing Despite Rejection

I'm watching my 10-year-old daughter draw in front of me at the dining room table while I'm writing on the laptop across from her. She is being critical of her flowers, but to me they are beautiful. They are nothing like anything I could ever do. I am no artist for sure. But she has talent and is so hard on herself. And I tell her, "I could never do that. You are so amazing. Don't stop because you will only get better and better with practice."

Sometimes in my Facebook writing group there will be someone who just isn't getting articles accepted. And I ask some questions like, "Are you sending to just a few at a time or doing a BLAST to like all 200 regional parenting magazines on the list? (it's a numbers game) Are you following the general submission guidelines? Don't stop because you will get better and you will get a piece accepted and then the snowball will start."

And I wondered ... how do you get someone to stop being self-critical? How do you convince them to keep going?

Then I realized that the same things I say to my kids and to my writing group members to be encouraging, I should also be saying to myself.

I have 175 publishing credits to my name over the last 12 years. I have clearly not given up, but I feel like I should have MORE publishing credits, and some of them should be national magazines. Then I attempt to go easy on myself. "Kerrie, you homeschool 5 kids and make that your priority. You are married. You have other family and friends you love spending time with. You have to keep up with This Is Us and blow through The Haunting of Hill House. Oh, and you proofread for income to help your family. Go easy on yourself. Slow and steady."

It's easy to get caught up in the things we ARE NOT DOING. I am not publishing a book a month. I am not writing an article a week. I am not writing features for Parents Magazine at $1,000 a pop.

Ah, but I am still making a small income from reprints that are 10 years old. I am enjoying life and writing when I can and putting love and spirit into it.

What one small thing can you do each day to keep your writing career moving forward? Can you write 100 words today? Then again tomorrow? You could have an article written by the end of the week and ready to submit. Then you can take a week off and do NOTHING. Or you can do another 100 words and keep up the momentum.

If magazines aren't picking up your work or paying what you think you are worth ... keep going anyway. You know in your heart that this is what you are supposed to be doing, so keep doing it no matter what.

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!

How to Make Over $500 for Each Regional Parenting Magazine Article Reprint

Let me start by saying not EVERY article I write makes this much money. I've written and submitted over 100 in the last 10+ years since I started doing this (that's only 10 per year, people, so consistency counts), and a handful of them did very poorly. By poorly I mean sold to one or two magazines then went into oblivion.

Some have sold a total of a few hundred dollars. But today I want to share with you the 

ARTICLE ROCK STARS

I'm sharing this not to say, "Woo hoo, I am awesome and check out how much money I make doing this." Instead, I'm sharing to say, "Wow, I didn't realize that it all added up like this! I mean, I knew my Christmas Peace piece did pretty great, but it might hit $1,000 in sales in 2017 if I tweak it a bit! This can happen for other writers as well, and there seems to be plenty of room for all of us!"

You might also say, "I could do better than that!" and then I would reply, "Be my guest! Write on, friend, and I wish you success!" Please feel free to share with me in the comment section about your successes! I'd love to visit your links and author pages! I love to follow and like all over social media!

Here are the article titles and links and I'll update them as I improve my record-keeping from days of old and sell more:

Benefits of Sending Teens to Camp, written in 2016, $798 with 24 sales as of March 2019, including one I had pitched to for 12 years and had never been published by!

Homeschooling 101, (link goes to BC Parent), $602

Birthday Party Etiquette, written in 2013 (link goes to Westchester Family), $515

Pregnancy Sleep Disruption Solutions, written in 2009 when I was pregnant with my 5th child (link goes to Palm Beach Parenting), $533

10 Meaningful Birthday Traditions, written in 2011 (link goes to Black Hills Parent), $638

8 Tips for Holiday Sanity, written in 2009 (link goes to Playground), $954

Conquer Kid Clutter, written in 2010 (link goes to Hudson Valley Parent), $530

Forming Friendships from Toddler to Teen, written in 2010 (link goes to Kansas City Parent), $564

I've written over 100 articles and continue to write more. Some have made over $500 in reprint sales and are still selling. I still get checks from articles I wrote 10 years ago!

So how do I do I this thing where I make money by recycling articles?

1. Come up with an idea.
2. Do some research, get some links, get some personal quotes if the piece needs them.
3. Write the rough draft of the piece.
4. Sit on the piece for a while then come back to it for editing.
5. Send the piece to all the markets in my book and do so with prayers and good vibes. You may go another route and send your piece first to the national magazines that pay extremely well (also in my book), and then revamp them later for the regionals. You could make double what I make!
6. ****Send out your reprint list every couple of months, and season-specific pieces when needed. If it's a holiday piece, for instance, resend it again in a year around back-to-school time. If you have a bunch of birthday pieces, send them all in one email to all the editors on my list and say, "Hey, here are my birthday pieces for you to check out. Hope you can use one or all of them ;-) Please let me know if you would like to use one of them because I want to make sure I maintain market exclusivity where needed." 
7. Check out other markets that take reprints other than the regional parenting magazines. I have so many markets in the book ... so many to try and your piece has to fit in with at least one of them! Some of the nationals and onlines take reprints and I specify that in the book.

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!

Highlights for Children Magazine Submission Writers Guidelines

*Update 6/16/18: Highlights magazine is closed for a reading period from June 16 through September 16, 2018. Any submissions received during this time period will be declined. Highlights magazine submissions that are currently in process will receive a decision by August 31, 2018. When we reopen for submissions on Monday, September 17, we will invite submissions on specific current needs only, which will be listed here.

Please note: Highlights magazine is not holding a fiction contest in 2018. Any manuscripts we receive for that purpose will be reviewed as regular submissions to Highlights. Thanks for your interest in writing for us!

We do not accept work through Submittable (or through e-mail) from writers younger than 16. Young writers and artists may send their work to: Highlights for Children, 803 Church Street, Honesdale, PA 18431. 

Highlights is a general-interest magazine for children ages 6-12. By publishing stories, puzzles, articles, and activities that are fun and engaging (and secretly purposeful!), we aim to inspire kids to be their best selves - creative, curious, caring, and confident. Highlights was founded in 1946 by Dr. Garry Cleveland Myers and Caroline Clark Myers, and is still owned and run by their family. The magazine accepts no outside advertising and has no religious or organizational affiliation.
Highlights has a circulation of about 1.2 million and is published monthly.

Please upload only one manuscript per submission. We welcome multiple submissions, but we prefer that each be submitted separately. Please include your name as you would like it to appear in your byline.

• We encourage writers to read several recent copies of Highlights before submitting work. Writers can also visit HighlightsKids.com to see examples of previously published content.
• We pay on acceptance, and we buy all rights, including copyright. We do not consider previously published material.
• We accept material at any time of the year, including seasonal material.
• For submissions that require research, please include references and correspondence with experts.
• Please submit each manuscript only once, to the most appropriate Highlights magazine, keeping in mind the different age ranges. The editors work together closely and will share a manuscript if they feel it's better suited to a different magazine. 
• Please note that after declining a submission, we delete your manuscript file. In this way, you can be assured that we are not keeping or storing creative work that we have not purchased.

Fiction should have an engaging plot, strong characterization, a specific setting, and lively language.

• Stories for beginning readers should have fewer than 475 words and should not seem babyish to older readers. 
• Stories for independent readers should have fewer than 750 words and should be appealing to younger readers if read aloud.
• We accept all genres appropriate for young readers (no romance, crime, or violence).
• Payment: $175 and up.

Verse is purchased sparingly at the moment. However, if you'd like to submit poetry, it should be appealing to kids and no longer than about 16 lines. We look for poetry of all genres and types, but we are currently most in need of non-rhyming verse, humorous poems, and holiday-themed poems. We are buying very little nature-themed poetry at this time. Payment: $40 and up.

Nonfiction can include science, arts, sports, how-to's, world cultures, history, What a Pro Knows articles, and Gallant Kids articles.

• Articles for beginning readers should have fewer than 400 words. 
• Articles for independent readers should have fewer than 750 words.
• Articles with a tight focus are most successful. We prefer research based on firsthand experience, consultation with experts, or primary sources.
• Articles about cultural traditions and ways of life should reflect a deep understanding of the subject.
• We prefer biographies that are rich in quotes and anecdotes and that place the subject in a historical or cultural context.
• Digital images should be no less than 300 dpi.
• Payment: $175 and up.

Crafts can include gifts, toys, games, and decorations. They should appeal to boys and girls.

• Crafts should have concise, numbered directions, up to 5 steps.
• Please submit step-by-step photos of a well-made sample of the craft.
• Craft materials should be inexpensive and easy to obtain.
• Crafts that celebrate holidays, cultures, or religious traditions are welcome.
• Payment: $40 and up.

Puzzles should not require readers to write in the magazine (no crosswords or word searches). Our current needs include math puzzles, code activities, and visual puzzles. Word puzzles and logic puzzles are purchased more sparingly at the moment. Puzzle instructions should be concise, but playful themes and language are welcome. For visual puzzles, please include puzzle instructions and art suggestions. Payment: $40 and up.

Cartoons should be fresh, original, and geared to kids. They can be single-panel or multiple-panel, black-and-white or full-color, with or without a caption, and with either human or animal characters.
Payment: $40 and up for black-and-white, $50 and up for full-color.

For more tips and information of interest to writers, visit www.HighlightsFoundation.org.

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!

FamilyFun Magazine NO LONGER PUBLISHING

Unfortunately, FamilyFun Magazine is no longer publishing :-( See my resource for 383 other  markets that pay you to write about parenting and family topics!

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!

Kerrie McLoughlin's Books

How to Get Published (and Paid!) Writing About Your Kids: The Ultimate Guide for Selling Your Stories to Parenting Magazines will change your writing life! The 7th edition of this invaluable resource that has already helped so many writers get published includes information on how to get started selling your original and reprint articles and essays. It goes on to cover everything related to writing for this market, including keeping good records, setting up a freelance writer website, invoicing, and so much more. Then comes the best part: the 384 paying markets. Writing success is waiting for you! Check out more about the book, including reviews, here.

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.

GET THE KINDLE VERSION FREE WHEN YOU BUY THE PAPERBACK (MATCHBOOK)

FULLY UPDATED with recipe descriptions/stories and meal planning advice in general plus more desserts and a new tater tot recipe!

What could be better than 35 tater tot casserole recipes all in one place? In addition to the naughty versions like Bacon Ranch, Fully Loaded, Buffalo Bleu Cheese, Chicken Alfredo and all sorts of other happy deliciousness, this amazing cookbook also contains dairy-free, skinny, gluten-free and vegetarian options for those times you want to (or have to!) eat in a more healthy manner!

And of course you have to top off a tater tot casserole meal with one of the 13 bonus easy dessert recipes, including Chocolate Suicide, Tutu's Chocolate Stars, Mock Apple Pie and Heavenly Sinful Bars. Your family will love you for this!

These recipes will have your family asking for seconds!

P.S. Make it for dinner, then heat it up in a pan with scrambled eggs in the morning for leftover delight!

 Head to Amazon here to purchase the ebook or print version.


TWO FREEBIES for signing up for an email subscription to The Published Parent

Sign up here :-)

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. You’re going to want to send out that 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.

Head here for an abbreviated 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 July 17, 2018

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.

Find Out If Your Work Was Published By Using Issuu.com

I stumbled across Issuu.com when I was hunting down my name and wanted to share it with you. It's a publishing service like BlueToad, only you can put in your name (best to put it in quotes), and magazine covers will come up that most likely contain an article of yours because you may have simultaneously submitted a regional parenting magazine. You can then click on the cover and see your piece! Using Issuu.com I was able to find a piece of mine that was published in 2010 that I wasn't aware was going to be used at that time. I usually find at least one piece per month that was used without my permission.

So you'd put your name in the search bar like this: "Kerrie McLoughlin"

If I find what I call “borrowed work,” I pop off an email to let them know I found it and I include my invoice, usually for $35-$40, because I think that’s a pretty fair rate currently. Of course I do check my book 1st (7th edition coming soon) because I don’t want to send a $35 invoice if there a publication that pays $50 for reprints! I make sure to thank them for using my work and ask them to please next time ask me first just in case there are competitors in the area who might have also snapped at the same piece only they were considerate enough to let me know first.

Happy searching!

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.

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Generating Ideas for Articles and Blog Posts

Sometimes I think it would be cool to be able to pop a software program into my brain and automatically and immediately know how to cook, clean, care for kids, teach them, guide them, help them, as well as be able to calculate the exact time it will take to get this kid to soccer without being late to getting that kid to dance. Okay, so we don't all know how to do the same things. It's alright, because that's what other parents are for and that's what these parenting magazines and blogs are for: your valuable advice!

Some days ideas flow out of you like money flows out of my household bank account and food is sucked out of my refrigerator. Other days you might stare at a blank page, trying to figure out something that you can write about that might be remotely interesting to editors and magazine readers. 

Half the battle of seeing an article in print is coming up with an idea editors want to publish. Set aside some time to brainstorm article and essay ideas using the list below. Then choose your best ideas and work the 12-step process for getting published!

Keep files of ideas: I have a physical file of scraps of paper, things printed out from online, even the cliche napkin with scrawled ideas. If my idea well ever dries up, I can always hit that file. I also have a folder on my computer called ARTICLE IDEAS and it's full of half-started and barely started articles. 

Eavesdrop on conversations everywhere you go. I have gotten so many great ideas just by accidentally hearing snippets of momversations while out with my own kids. It's the best way to get your finger on the pulse of the parenting world.

Go through your old blog posts, email messages, and journal entries to find essay or article material.

Read letters to the editor in your local newspaper.

Rework something you have now that you've abandoned. Something you already wrote that needs a new life. I often do this with pieces I wrote 10 years ago that are dated. Something you have now that you've abandoned. Maybe inspiration will strike this time.

Write the birth stories of your kids for some inspiration. I know it sounds a little weird, but you might come up with an article idea, as well as have a cool keepsake for your child. I wrote my youngest son's birth story and out of it came two articles: NICU parents and after the NICU.

Come up with some inspirational stories.

Solve a problem you have now or have had in the past. Something you personally struggle with but don't think is a huge deal might be a VERY big deal to other moms and maybe you can pop off an article full of ways to help with the problem. A few of my own personal article examples include pieces on having a husband who travels for work, how to bounce back after having a baby (not just physically, but in several other ways), and what to do with yourself once you become a stay-at-home mom or during your maternity leave. Have you had a problem, posted it on Facebook, then received so many great replies you could have written a helpful article using the quotes and advice? Write that article! If you have a problem, many others probably also do, and editors will want to publish your piece! Something past or present.

Write about something you wonder about. When I was curious about virtual school, I researched and wrote an article about it.

Write about something you know how to do. Oh, the things parents know how to do that they don't even think are a big deal.

Write the opposite of your experience with a subject.

Report on a negative or positive trend.

Read editorial calendars.

Read writer's guidelines.

Read magazines you want to write for. Now this is easier than ever with so many magazines available online. So many are free online using platforms like Issuu.com, BlueToad, and more. Gone are the days of sending off for a paper copy. The world is in your computer (or phone!). Not all RPMs are created equal. While some may seem almost identical from coast to coast, you'll find some are more liberal, some more conservative, more crunchy, more emphasis on humor, etc.

Think about what's missing from publications you read. Think about what's missing from publications you read. Should there be more articles about single parenting? Attachment parenting? Special needs? Adoption? Large families? Homeschooling? Daycare issues? Pet care? Chores? Meal planning?

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.