Tactics for gaining entry into editorial/commercial work

I have shot portrait photography for most of my short career as a photographer but i want to take it to the next level. problem is i dont exactly know how to do that.

when in search of working along side magazines how does one break in? is it really as simple (or hard) as calling magazines in the area and offering your services?

or is there certain industry guidelines that one should follow when looking for this type of work?

First and foremost, you need to be able to meet a publication's deadlines. That means delivering images when an editor wants them, usually within hours of an assignment.

Getting these jobs means actual human contact with another person, getting to know then and convincing them that you can produce what they want and when they want it. It also means showing you're better than the competition for what appears to be a shrinking number of openings.