Wider audience

The audience opportunities for online publication are astounding. Not only is it huge, but it's also very diversified. There are websites for just about any niche market or interest group. Chances are if you've written an article, there's a website that's perfect for it. Plus, you have a chance of getting pulled up in search engines, which means that even people who don't know about the site where you're published can find you.



I recommend: Visit http://www.ezinearticles.com to browse categories available for article distribution.

Flexible space

With print publication, space is limited. You have to hit a certain word count in order to fit into the space they've got designated for an article. Though online publications will still have word counts, chances are it's a little easier for them to make space for a larger article or compensate for a shorter one.



I recommend: Writer's Digest offers writer's guidelines for many online and offline publications. You can view them here: http://www.writersdigest.com/guidelines.asp.

Start collecting clips

Imagine having a page on your site where you could link to all your published articles. That would certainly give your credibility a boost, and having a bevy of published clips would make you more attractive to traditional magazines.



I recommend: Look at this guide for tips on picking samples for your clip file: http://advertising.about.com/od/careersource/ss/perfectptf_4.htm

Faster turnaround

Have you ever looked at the deadlines for print magazines? Most of them require you to submit material a month in advance at the absolute latest. With online publications, you can usually query at any time, and while seasonal material should still be submitted early, chances are that you'll see publication much quicker than you would with print.



I recommend: Read this article for a better understanding of editorial lead time: http://writersontherise.wordpress.com/2007/04/17/learn-the-secret-language-of-editors-%E2%80%93-lead-time/