ArtSites Updates

5 Things to Consider Before Responding to an Unsolicited Art Magazine Inquiry
(posted on 14 Aug 2014)

Recently, we've received a few emails from some artists asking our thoughts about unsolicited "Art Magazine" inquiries that they have received.

So, today, I thought I'd share some of our thoughts ...

First, let me state that many of these inquiries are legitimate.

However, you do need to think about whether the magazine and the offer work well for you.

In most cases, the magazines are looking to get you to "advertise" in their magazine.

In other words, they will be charging you a fee to get published.

Now, this is not necessarily a bad decision, but you should keep a few factors in mind.

Here's our list of 5 Things to Consider Before Responding to an Art Magazine Inquiry.
  1. Is the Opportunity an Article or Ad?
    In many cases, these opportunities start off as a "profile" or "article". But, when you get more details, you find out it's really just an advertising opportunity.

    Please note that there's nothing wrong with paying to get your artwork advertised and hopefully, discovered. However, you also need to do your own research to see if this is a good investment of your money. For example, I'd also look at other Art Magazines to see what their advertising rates are.

  2. Is the "Article or Ad" Curated or Juried?
    In many cases, these "opportunities" are not curated or juried. This means that potentially any artist will be published, which also means you probably will not have any control over the quality of the other artists being published with you. This is not a reason to NOT do it, but is something to keep in mind.

  3. Where and How Many "Articles / Ads" Will Be Published?
    You probably want to know how many pages of "articles / ads" will be included in the issue and where will they be located. If these "opportunities" are all at the end of the magazine or bunched up together, readers may very well just ignore them.

  4. Is It an Art Magazine You Like / Value?
    Do your research! Take a close look at their online website, social media channels, and ask your fellow artists what they know / think. Based on your research, see if it's generally the kind of art magazine you'd like your work to appear in. If not, perhaps there's another one that you already know that would provide you with a similar opportunity.

  5. Are They Pressuring You?
    As your can see from the image above, there are LOTS of Art Magazines! So, don't let a pushy salesman force you to make a bad decision! ;-)
In the end, it's really up to you to decide if this is a good use of your time and money. (And, unfortunately, we can't really answer that question ;-)

If you have any thoughts about spending money on advertising, it makes much more sense for you to sit down and decide where to advertise on your own, not based on what a salesman says.

When someone reaches you in a relatively random way, you really need to be cautious in proceeding.

However, if the connection is made through a friend or other traceable way, you can feel a little better that it's probably something to seriously consider.

As always, we really do want the MOST publicity for our artists!

We simply want to make sure your expectations and the possible exposure are well-aligned! ;-)

Here's to getting published where, when and most importantly, how you want! :-D

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