Quebec Writers' Federation Workshops

Spring Session 2009

Develop your writing with the mentorship of an acclaimed professional writer and feedback from your peers.

Workshops take place at the QWF office, Suite 3, Atwater Library unless otherwise indicated.

A MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS: TIPS ON WRITING FOR THE MAGAZINE MARKET

Saturday, April 18, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

1200 Atwater Avenue, Suite 3
Workshop leader: Arjun Basu

There are thousands of magazines in the world and all of them need content. Your content. That doesn't mean that writing for magazines is easy. But there is a market and it is vast and varied. What does it take to write for magazines? How does a writer approach an editor? What's going to make your work stand out, and make the world's editors take note of you? This workshop will deal with these questions and more by looking at the magazine market, discussing the realities of today's magazine business, exploring the best way to approach editors, and how to market yourself as a successful freelancer. The workshop is both for aspiring writers looking to break into magazines and for those who want to take the next step up and sell their stories to larger, more established publications. We will go over some of the harsh realities that freelancers face, but also discuss the potential rewards out there. Participants are asked to bring in clippings (if any) as well as some of their favorite magazines. Be prepared for frank discussion, some arguments and hopefully a whole lot of illumination.

Arjun Basu is the Editorial Director of Spafax, one of the world's leading custom publishers. Between 2001 and 2007, he was editor in chief of enRoute, Air Canada's inflight magazine. During this time, the magazine was twice named the world's best in-flight magazine, won North American travel magazine of the year and over 350 other editorial and design awards. He now oversees a stable of publications for Spafax in both print and digital media and is also a member of the board of the National Magazine Awards Foundation. Last year, he published his first work of fiction, a collection of short stories, Squishy.

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