Ragland, Margit Feury

PERSONAL:

Female.

CAREER:

Writer and editor. Freelance writer; worked as editor at Woman's Day, Family Circle, Walking, Cornell, and Natural Health magazines.

WRITINGS:

Get a Freelance Life: Mediabistro.com's Insider Guide to Freelance Writing, foreword by Laurel Touby, Three Rivers Press (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including Self, Fitness, Health, Marie Claire, Parenting, and Boston Globe.

SIDELIGHTS:

A longtime magazine editor and freelance writer, Margit Feury Ragland provides a look at the freelance writing life in her book Get a Freelance Life: Mediabistro.com's Insider Guide to Freelance Writing. The author not only addresses the day-to-day issues of freelance writing—such as paying taxes, negotiating fees, and setting up and maintaining an office—but also presents advice on cultivating relationships with editors and pitching article ideas to magazines. The author includes tips from freelancers and editors, as well as resources such as professional writing association Web sites. In a review in the Writer, Steve Weinberg noted that many books about freelancing have been published but added that "this new entry is worth reading for beginners, intermediates and big-time freelancers." Weinberg went on to write: "Why? A big reason flows from the vast knowledge and refreshing voice of author Margit Feury Ragland. She has written and edited for big-time magazines and newspapers … and she knows the book-publishing world firsthand, too."

Other reviewers also commended the book and author. "Aspiring freelancers will appreciate this authoritative and comprehensive resource," wrote Vanessa Bush in Booklist. Judy Solberg commented in the Library Journal: "This work is well written and contains many useful ideas and examples."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 2006, Vanessa Bush, review of Get a Freelance Life: Mediabistro.com's Insider Guide to Freelance Writing, p. 21.

Library Journal, April 1, 2006, Judy Solberg, review of Get a Freelance Life, p. 106.

Writer, September, 2006, Steve Weinberg, review of Get a Freelance Life, p. 47.

ONLINE

Kristina's Book Blog,http://bookwormkiki.wordpress.com/ (October 17, 2006), review of Get a Freelance Life.

Mediabistro.com,http://www.mediabistro.com/ (May 2, 2006), Dylan Stableford, "Q+A: Margit Feury Ragland."

Random House Web site,http://www.randomhouse.com/ (May 22, 2007), brief author profile.