Cosmopolitan Magazine is published for women 18 to 35 and, according to Writer's Market online, is "for young women for whom beauty, fashion, fitness, career, relationships, and personal growth are top priorities. Nutrition, home/lifestyle and celebrities are other interests reflected in the editorial line-up." The editors request that potential writers contact them only after amassing writing samples from other national publications and proving their abilities. Current editorial needs include book excerpts, how-to articles, humorous essays, opinion pieces and personal experience stories.
Research what Cosmopolitan focuses on
Read several issues of Cosmopolitan Magazine to be sure you are familiar with their style and the type of articles they print. Look for patterns from issue to issue to see if you have an idea that would fit their format. Articles should focus on high-end fashion, sex, dieting tips, beauty ideas and relationship quizzes. Note the length of articles.
Search past issues of Cosmopolitan to be sure the article you have suggested has not been written about in the past year. Write a query letter to one of the editors and describe the article or story you have written, or would like to write. In this letter tell her a little about your article and the sources you have for references.
- Read several issues of Cosmopolitan Magazine to be sure you are familiar with their style and the type of articles they print.
- Write a query letter to one of the editors and describe the article or story you have written, or would like to write.
Submit an outline of your proposed article and the estimated word count. If you are submitting it for a specific column, include that information. Write in a style that would suit Cosmopolitan, with trendy words, and evidence of knowledge about the world of a fashion-minded young woman.
Detail your background as a writer and mention other national publications where you have been published. Include your credentials and degrees that apply either to your writing or to the topic on which you would like to write.
Include at least three copies of articles you have written in other publications. Send your query, the article outline and the writing clips to:
Cosmopolitan Magazine
Editorial Offices
300 West 57th St., 38th Fl.,
New York, NY 10019
TIP
Writer's Market online says that Cosmopolitan suggests the following: "Combine information with entertainment value, humour and relatability. Needs information and emotion, and fun-packed relationship and sex service stories, first-person stories that display triumph over tragedy." Edit your submission to be sure it is grammatically correct and free of errors.
WARNING
Don't include a lot of extraneous personal information in your query letter unless it applies directly to the article you are proposing.