Here’s an interesting article from the current issue of Writer’s Digest magazine. Do you subscribe to the WD newsletter? It’s free and contains many of the same articles as the print edition.

In this article, Cast a Wider Net, you’ll read this facts like this:

The web now monopolizes a shocking 25 percent of consumers’ overall media time, according to the Online Publishers Association. Readers are downloading webzine content onto their iPods, PDAs and cell phones. And some magazines, notably Teen People and Elle Girl, have ditched print editions altogether in favor of their more cost-effective webzines.

The article is full of tips for freelancers trying to break into the online market. Here’s a bit of advice from one of the editors interviewed:

The biggest thing is to really polish the work. Time is of the essence for editors, and often I’ll see a piece that has potential but needs work and time to bring it to fruition. In a perfect world, I’d have that time to work with a writer to help him shape that promising piece, but the truth is, if I have to choose between a piece that needs little (if any) work, and something that’s a diamond in the rough, I have to take the one that’s ready to go.

This is something to remember if you’re starting to send work out (queries and submissions) and you’re discouraged by rejections. Polish, polish, polish. If you need a little refresher course on English grammar or on magazine writing, I highly recommend the courses from Writer’s Digest.

As with anything, you get out of it what you put into it!