If you were to take a look at a brochure for a writers' conference, you might find that only one-third of the seminars had to do with the actual craft of writing. Another third of the seminars are likely to focus on networking and building writer-editor relationships, while another third are about the business of dealing with contracts and pay negotiations.

These are the kinds of conferences the best magazine writers attend year after year, always keeping abreast of the newest developments and opportunities. All the while, they nurture the contacts they already have at their favorite magazines, and they continue to submit queries for future work even when they are fully booked with assignments for the next few months.

Why do the professionals devote so much time to worrying about their magazine-writing futures if they are successful in the present? Because they know that to truly be among the best of the best — to continually land assignments — they must always stay at least a few steps ahead of newcomers like you.