Pssst. I shouldn’t be telling ya this. Now ya gotta promise, whatever’s discussed here stays between you, me, and the billions of others who prowl the internet. It has to do with money. Ya know. Scratch. Dough. Moolah. Bread. Got that? OK. So. Ya ever pass those magazine stands – maybe in a train station or over there by Michigan Avenue, and you see all these magazines with names ya never heard of? Names like, “Plants.” Or “Cereal.” And ya wonder, “Who the heck reads that stuff?” Yeah, well, they're called “trade magazines.” And here’s the dirty little secret: there’s money to be made between them pages. Pages that a whole lotta people read. Yeah. That’s right. Now shut up and listen...

So ya got these trade magazines. All kinds. I mean, like there’s gotta be a trade magazine for every kinda -- what’s the word – oh yeah. Trade! Think I'm just gummin’ my chops? Hey. You wouldn’t believe what I just found. A list – that’s right – an entire list of a gazillion (give or take) trade magazines on just about every subject you can think of.

Pick a trade. Or even a hobby. Say you like dancin’. Well guess what, my friend. There’s a trade magazine for that. Ok. Pick another one. Ya like cows? Wa-laa. There’s a trade magazine for that! Pretty cool, huh? And guess who these trade magazines hire. Yup. Writers. Not just that. The pay is darn good, too. Who knew???

I’ll tell ya who knew. The three panelists who’ll be at the next meeting on March 9. They go by the names of Craig Barner, Jeff Steele and Lisa White. And they’ll be spillin’ the beans on “Writing for Trade Magazines” – gonna tell all the secrets of how to land assignments, what they pay, the opportunities – that sorta thing.

“But I’m not interested,” ya say? Quit your whinin’, will ya? Ya like food, don’t cha? Ya like trucks, don’t cha? I mean, there’s gotta be some subject you’re interested in. And if not, then get interested. Hey listen. I know a guy who knows a guy who was given an assignment by a tile magazine. You heard me right. Tile. And this guy says, “What do I care about tile? Yawners!” But he took the assignment anyway ‘cause he has this thing about money: He likes it. Turns out, this was one heckuva fascinatin’ assignment. And the article turned out to be one heckuva great piece for his portfolio.

I got a fancy name for this “phenomenon,” if you will. It’s called finding the “intrinsic drama” in a subject. Everything’s got it. I don’t care if it’s toothpaste, dog food – or tile. There’s something interestin’ in every subject. Something that separates it from everything else. It’s just up to you, the writer, to find it and make it bloom. Like a flower. Aw, listen to me. Ain’t I poetic? (Or is that pathetic?)

Anyways. Now you know at least some of the secrets about “the Trades” (as they say in the biz). Come to the program and find out more. In the meantime, members may wanna check out that list I mentioned earlier. There's a link to it on this page. Just let’s keep it between you and me, OK? Oh alright, and maybe the lamppost. But that’s it!

Bada-bing, bada-boom.

-- Laura Stigler