Welcome to Writers Talkback. If you are a new user, your account will have to be approved manually to prevent spam. Please bear with us in the meantime

Ideas for market for Dr Crippen and his women?

edited July 2010 in - Writing Problems
I'm planning on writing an anniversary piece for my next WB assignment with the title 'The Women in Hawley Harvey Crippen's life. It's the anniversary of his death on 23 November and I thought it would be interesting to look more closely at the wife he was supposed to murdered and the mistress he ran away with. I'm stuck for a market for this, though. Do you think this is the sort of thing The Lady might possibly be interested in? Or any ideas for any other markets? I did think of a crime magazine, but can't seem to find one that would be suitable. The only crime mags I came across on the net are looking for fiction. Nothing in Writers' and Artists' Year Book - nothing I could find, anyway. Any help gratefully received. :-)

Comments

  • If your article is well written and carefully researched, one of the history magazines might take it: History Today or The BBC History Magazine. Both do feature this kind of thing. In any case as this is a WB assignment there's nothing lost by saying that one of these is your target magazine.
  • The Lady has changed drastically under its new editor and I don't think it would find a home there.
  • Thanks both of you. You're quite right, Neil, as it's an assignment, it doesn't have to be submitted, but I'm quite enjoying researching and writing this, so would like to place it somewhere, if possible. I'll have a look at the history mags, thanks for the suggestion.

    I was rather hoping that The Lady was a bit spicier under Rachel Johnson, Carol.:-)
  • Well you never know...:)
  • edited July 2010
    Isn't there a monthly crime magazine? I thought I'd seen one in WH Smiths.
    And try newspapers the DM often have articles like this in their weekend supplements.
  • Thanks, Kateyanne, I never thought of a weekend supplement. I'll also have a further look at crime mags - I did find True Crime magazines - True Detective and Murder Most Foul - but can't find any submission details anywhere, so I've sent them an email to ask if they accept articles.
  • They quite often do pieces like this in the weekly DM anyway, especially if it's an anniversary.
  • This topic might appeal to a more general but older readership. You could look at The Oldie, or Saga magazine? I did wonder about Best of British but I think they prefer the happier nostalgic side of Brirtain's past rather than the crime aspects!
  • Where did Crippen come from?
    I had an article that I'd written about the acid bath murderer Haigh published in our local paper once ,my dad had met him though, which helped.
  • He was American, Kateyanne - born in Michigan 1862. Belle Elmore, his wife, was American, too, born in New York. Her original name was Kunigunde Mackomatzki, although she was known as Cora. Belle Elmore was her stage name.
  • But his murders took place in London, Kateyanne. In Holloway.
    Maybe try one of the London papers at the time of the anniversary you have in mind - Evening Standard, or one more local to the Holloway area? Local papers rarely pay though!
  • edited July 2010
    That's a good idea, Viv, thank you. Not worried about the payment for this - I've just found it all very interesting and would like to see it out there somewhere, rather than languishing in the filing cabinet like other pieces I've written for WB

    eta - I've just checked the address where they lived and it's Hilldrop Crescent, London. The house has since been demolished. I'm afraid I don't know London at all - is that Holloway?
  • Good luck Megrose.
  • Just googled that address and it says Holloway on one of the refs.
  • Megrose, don't leave that work mouldering in the filing cabinet! Get it out, revise it and see if it can go out somewhere as a short article, a readers' letter, a lengthy article, turn it into a story, anything but waste it!
  • You could also try the family history magazines. They sometimes run articles in one issue on the same theme and love skeletons in the cupboard. You could sub it with the suggestion that it could accompany a piece on crime, black sheep, Old Bailey, capital punishment etc.

    Good luck, whatever you choose to do!
  • It's different, so should certainly make an editor look at it.
    Good luck.
Sign In or Register to comment.