Starting Out Right
As you can see, one magazine writer's goals may be vastly different from another's. In every scenario, you will want to seriously consider the advice the rest of this chapter contains regarding administrative, financial, and legal concerns. However, you need to be careful not to overdo things right out of the gate. If, for instance, your entire goal is to sell a couple of stories a year to your favorite gardening magazine, you probably don't need to organize yourself into an S-corporation. Start by deciding what your goals as a magazine writer are, and then make a written outline of the plan that you will follow to achieve them.
Outlining a Plan
Creating a plan for your magazine-writing business is no different from creating a plan for any other kind of business. Your plan should include everything you need to acquire to get started, everything you believe you will need to achieve your goal after your first year, and an idea of where you would like your business to be headed five years down the road.
Start by listing the things you will need to begin working as a magazine writer. No matter your goals, these items will include a computer, an Internet connection, a telephone line, and a quiet space from which to work. A fax machine is probably a good idea, too, because billing and invoices are often handled via fax. (Nowadays, you can buy a decent combination fax/ printer/scanner at most office-supply stores for somewhere in the range of $300.) Depending on how serious you want your magazine-writing career to be, you might also consider adding the following things to your startup plan:
Business cards
Stationery
A business telephone/fax line separate from your home phone line
A high-speed Internet connection for doing research on the Web
Professional office furniture
Upgraded computer software
Setting Your Startup Budget
Your budget will of course dictate just how much you can invest in your writing business from the start, but making a list of what you will actually need to get the job done can help you determine whether you've set a realistic budget and plan from Day One. If your goal is to become a six-figure freelancer and you don't have enough money to make a simple business card, then it may be time to reevaluate either your goal or your initial startup budget. On the other hand, if you have $5,000 put aside to invest in your writing business and you already have all the tools you need except for some new computer software, then you probably will be in a better position right out of the gate. No matter what your overall plan ends up including, expect one of your biggest initial costs to be setting up a suitable home office.
