Getting Published

Find a niche and become and expert

I am a cellist. As my sensitivity to nuanced tone and response grew on my instrument, I realized that my bow did not match my glorious Italian cello. However, I found no information on how to choose a bow. I became a detective but was left unsatisfied. It occurred to me that if I needed more guidance, others might as well.

So, I interviewed a handful of cutting-edge bow makers in the US, England, and France, then compiled the results of my findings, which became my first article. It was published in Strings Magazine as the cover story of July/August 1995.

I attended a cello festival in Manchester, England where I met the editor of the British string magazine, The Strad. She accepted my pitch and before long I was a regular contributor. Assignments included festival, concert and CD reviews, profiles of violin makers, super-star string players, teachers, product tests and eventually my own column on cello technique. My journalism assignments led to travel throughout Europe, the US, Russia, the UK, China, and South Africa.

I had found a niche, was passionate and became an expert.