The Road to Continuous Publication
By Moira K. Wiley
Keywords: niche, genre, expert, nonfiction article, trade journal
Finding your niche, genre or area of expertise can be both difficult and a lengthy process. Some fiction writers discover they write well in a particular genre and spend most of their time writing in this field. Nonfiction writers look for a niche that will allow them to write multiple articles. Although there is no rule stating you must pick only one genre or niche and stick with it, it can be helpful to gather much needed experience and published clips when you're first starting out.
New writers should try their hand at several different genres to help glean what they do well. Unfortunately, sometimes what you're better at may not be what you enjoy writing the most, but once you find a niche (that pays the bills), you can branch out. I write in several genres, but my nonfiction articles are what keep me in my chosen career. I spend a great deal of time in this genre, but I also dabble in various fiction areas when time allows.
The all-important niche goes hand-in-hand with finding areas of expertise. This is especially important if you plan to write nonfiction articles that could someday lead to a book deal. I've heard everyone has an area of expertise; you just have to figure out what it is. I didn't believe this until I discovered I knew a lot about urinary tract infections in neutered male cats, due to my cat having had several. This one incident spawned an article idea. Although I never considered myself an expert and though it didn't result in multiple articles, I did get the opportunity to write a piece on the subject.
If you have a good nonfiction article idea and you're not an expert, do some research and you soon might be. This is how I found one of my niches when I got a gig writing about emus. I found a small trade journal looking for a writer on a topic I knew nothing about. So, I researched it, did several interviews and I soon became an "expert." The knowledge I gained landed me a regular contributor spot with the same publication that also published other magazines that I was able to write for as well. I then applied these same techniques and pitched article ideas to other small publications, especially trade journals, which are one of the best places to look for a writing niche.
You can also utilize the information that an expert you know can provide. When the state of Oklahoma legalized tattooing, my boyfriend opened a tattoo shop. I picked his brain and wrote several pieces about what all is entailed when undergoing such a venture. These nonfiction articles appeared in trade journals and online publications and were an enjoyable change of pace after writing countless pieces on large, flightless birds from Australia.
Topics you're already familiar with can also quickly give you a niche to write about if there's a demand for the information. These areas of expertise can be the easiest to write about since you're already well-versed in the subject matter. The hard part often is finding a suitable market for your ideas.
You may find niche markets hiding in the strangest places and all it takes is some imagination to use these ideas to your advantage. Though they say to write what you know, you can also learn new things that may be more in demand and provide you with the niche you're seeking.
Moira K. Wiley has been a freelance writer and editor since 1999. She has 400-plus published articles to her credit appearing in various magazines, trade journals, newspapers and online publications. Mostly writing nonfiction, she also enjoys writing poetry and short stories and had both included in the cozy crime anthology, Almostly Murder.with pets published by Padlock Mystery Press. She's a former president of Oklahoma Writers' Federation, Inc. and currently resides in Stillwater with her big, lovable pit bull, Achilles.
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