Get Sample Copies Without Breaking the Bank
by Drema Drudge

"Send $4 for a sample copy..." the magazine website notes. I blink and consider how much I have left in my writing budget. One of the reasons I write is to be a financial blessing to my family. Sample copies can add up fast.

All freelance writers have budgets, yet we know to accurately target a market, we have to know it well. So getting sample copies is a must.

How can we get sample magazines without breaking the bank?

My local thrift shop sometimes give magazines away, and those they don't they sell for ten cents each. I went in when I first became serious about being a freelance writer and cleaned their magazine bin out.

But that's only one inexpensive way to get magazines. Following are other options.

1. Ask family and friends. Think about it: most people subscribe to multiple magazines. Multiply that by a couple of adults and maybe two children per household, and you may have more magazines then you can carry. Usually people don't save magazines when they're finished with them. If you ask, your family and friends may be glad to give you those magazines.
    
2. Visit the library. Many libraries either put their older magazines out for free or, like ours, put them in the annual book sale. I bought several magazines I hadn't even heard of at the last sale. Of course libraries are also ideal places to go read the magazines you can't afford or find a cheap enough copy to buy. And using the library has the added bonus of several copies to read at one time. If you want to write for children, don't forget to check out the children's department to see which magazines it has.
    
3. Shop garage sales. Garage sales are a natural place to buy magazines, especially since you can often buy them by the box cheaper than purchasing single copies. If you don't see any—ask. The hosts might just rush in and bring out their magazine rack.
    
4. Support fundraisers. Do you know any children doing fundraisers for school or organizations? If you, like so many of us, feel obligated to buy something for those children, opt for magazines. You can get a great price and help a good cause.
    
5. Search and Surf. Many magazines have websites. If they don't have entire issues online, they might have some of the columns open to freelancers available for viewing.
    
6. Get creative. If you brainstorm, you'll probably discover some unlikely sources for free or low-cost magazines. For example, our town has a recycling center. If you can find someone who works at your local one, chances are he or she can help you find what you're looking for free. And just think: you've just saved that person some time and effort while saving our earth some precious energy.
    
7. Ask strangers. Ask and you shall receive. Have you considered putting up notices on public bulletin boards asking for the magazines you're looking for? Freecycle is only one online community place that you can use to request free things—including magazines—that people want to unload.
    
8. Talk up your need. Put out the word if you are looking for a particular magazine. Looking for Grit? Think about their demographics and see if you know someone in that age range who might subscribe. If they don't subscribe, odds are they know someone who does. Another option: ask professionals if you can have older copies of magazines in their offices. My son has braces. During one visit, I asked his orthodontist if I could have her office’s magazines when the new ones came in each month. She said sure, and left it up to me to cull through them and choose preferred magazines before the cleaning crew tossed them. That day I came home with an armload of magazines with the option of getting additional magazines in the future if I need them. You could do the same thing with the eye doctor or dentist. I don't ask for them in clinics or hospitals because people touching them might be sick. A little caution is worth a little extra money spent.
    
9. Request gift copies. If a family member is clueless about what to get you for special occasions, steer them in the right direction. Give them a list of magazines you'd love to have a single issue of. By doing so, you'll have gifts you need—and love—rather than ones you won't use.
    
10. Pray. Above all, pray and ask the Lord to provide you with the magazines you need to do what He's put in your heart. Don't take advantage of people, but try to make it win/win when it comes to their used magazines—take something off their hands that is cluttering their house in return, but which you greatly need. God will honor that. And chances are, they'll thank you for cleaning house for them.

Occasionally you will have to bite the bullet and buy a magazine at the news stand price to get your sample to work from. But buying just a few sure costs less than buying a few dozen. Before you buy, consider all the above ways you can obtain inexpensive copies.