Getting your layouts published in scrapbooking magazines

Getting published in scrapbooking magazines is not the main reason we scrapbook – it’s to preserve the memories of our families, friends and events in a creative and attractive fashion. And so the layouts that we produce are primarily for our own use and amusement as well as sharing with our own circle of friends.

But there does come a time when we’ve been scrapbooking for some time that a few of us would like to share our layouts more widely through scrapbooking magazines and perhaps even obtain some recognition for our creative talents (not to mention the many hours of hard work we’ve put in!).

So sometimes thoughts turn to getting our layouts published in one of the many scrapbooking magazines that are published. It’s certainly not impossible for an ‘unknown’ to get published but there are some things you can do to increase the likelihood of that happening.

Just imagine the buzz of opening your favourite mag and seeing one of your layouts there!!

Many of our team has had layouts published and we’ve gathered the top tips to share with you.

1 Plan ahead!! Be mindful of magazine publishing schedules – it’s no good submitting a Christmas layout in October for example, it should be done in June. So use your pictures from last Christmas and cool down by remembering the cold as you scrap in high summer!

2. Be innovative but not weird. The editors are always looking for slightly different takes on familiar themes but nothing that is too ‘out there’. So by all means try something new but make sure you think it will fit with the magazine.

3. Make selective use of new product. If you can get your hands on some new product and incorporate it into your layout quickly you may get a good reception. So keep an eye on what’s coming from the top suppliers (especially if they are your favourites).

4. Develop your own style. This is one of the hardest things to achieve but well worth spending time doing. Spend time thinking about what you like and what you don’t like in the work you see and hopefully your ‘voice’ will develop. Of course your style may well be influenced by others you have seen but spend some time making it your own.

5. Don’t get too carried away when that first one appears!! It doesn’t mean that they’ll all be published from then on. ‘Second layout syndrome’ might be similar to those bands trying to complete their second album.

Moving on from initial publication you might like to target design teams offered by your favourite suppliers. This will probably take pleny of extra time and work!

Good luck with getting published but if you don’t, remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And it’s the magazines who are out of step!

Cliick here for help in getting your layouts published in scrapbooking magazines