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wrong categOry `sorry
i really wana work for a magazine.. ive always wanted my own collumn in one for girls..like an advice column or something.. any ideas on how i can get there? i dont know where to start.
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Maybe give some free advice about: Random Weirdos?
The best thing to do is work on your advice skills now. Being on this site will give you a good idea of what you're getting into as well as give you a chance to work on your skills. Check out other columnists both here and online. Dear Abby, Ann Landers, Ask Claire, Ask Alison, Dear Hana (for teens and young adults), Direct Answers, Help me Harlan (also for teens and young adults), and Lisa Daily are all good ones to take a look at. If you need links to these columns, let me know.
Taking psychology classes, writing classes, and communication classes will all help you. Business classes will also be an asset to you since it will teach you how to better promote your product (your column) and how to negotiate compensation for it.
Know what you're giving advice about. If you don't know about something or you only know a little, don't be afraid to do some research on it. Make a list of commonly needed resources (planned parenthood location, rape hotlines, etc) so you'll have them handy.
If your school has a newspaper, journal or newsletter, try to get on the staff. It will give you a background in the business as well as give you an opportunity to suggest an advice column written by you. Ask your local newspaper if they will consider letting you do an unpaid internship. It will give you a better idea of what goes into something being published. Ask them if they will consider letting you write an advice column for teens on a trial basis.
Once you have examples of your published work and a background in the business, send out some copies of your columns with polite business letters explaining that you noticed that they did not have an advice column and ask if they will take a few moments to look over your work and let you know if your column would be an asset to their paper. Make sure to mention the fact that with a teen advice column, sales to teens will increase. In the business world, they often look at the bottom line, and if your column will increase their sales, they'll be more likely to take you on.
Good luck with your advice column. I wish you the best. If you have any questions about newspapers in general, feel free to drop a note in my inbox. I've been in and around newspapers all my life so I have a pretty good background in the business.
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start here at this web site
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I want to do the same thing! I think it would be really fun. I'm not exactly sure on how to get started either, but I know you should take all the journalism/English courses you can. In college you would probably major in journalism. Definitely look for an internship at a magazine while you're in college, that's where most editors get their start.
X0C0URT
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