How to Find Magazines that Publish Cartoons
Finding magazines that publish cartoons (or "markets") is one of the keys to becoming a successful gag cartoonist. The more magazines you know of that publish cartoons, the more cartoons you can submit and the more likely you are to sell them. Veteran cartoonists have spent years compiling their own secret lists of markets. What isn't a secret, however, is that you don't need to spend years searching for markets... All you have to do is visit your local bookstore and find the magazine aisle. Then, follow the steps below to quickly scan through the magazines and find out whether or not they publish cartoons.
1. Flip Through Front and Back of Magazine
Cartoons are usually placed in the beginning or end of a magazine—away from feature articles. If you only have a few seconds to check whether a magazine publishes cartoons, check the first and last several pages.
2. Check Table of Contents
Find the table of contents (usually one of the first several pages). Look for features that may have cartoons in them, such as "Laughs," "Humor Page," or simply "Cartoons." These titles will usually be separated from the feature article titles and placed under a headline such as "In Every Issue" or "Monthly Features."
3. Look at the Masthead
Lastly, find the magazine's masthead--a list of the magazine's editors and their contact information. Scan the masthead for either the submission guidelines or instructions on where to find them, or anyone with the title of "Cartoon Editor."
No guidelines to be found? Find the art director's or editor's e-mail and ask them how they prefer to receive cartoon submissions.
Time's Up!
The key is to do this as fast as possible. The more magazines you check, the more likely you are to find some that publish cartoons. And by using the tricks in this tutorial, you'll be able to scan through more magazines in less time. If you're really pressed for time, just use the first trick and skip the other two—you'll fly through an entire row of magazines in minutes! Happy searching!