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If you are a self-publishing author who is breaking even and beyond, and you enjoy marketing and selling your work directly to your readers, then a literary agent may not be the proper route for you. But if you seek to publish your books via the traditional tract—meaning a publisher that will equip you with editors, public relations, book designers, marketing, distribution, and hopefully a generous advance against royalties, then most likely you will have to be represented by an agent to open that seemingly insurmountable gateway of a publishing house. It’s well known that most editors refuse to look at your queries or sample chapters without an agent soliciting on your behalf. I was very lucky—naively so—when my first novel passed through the slush pile without an agent and was picked up by one of the most prestigious publishers, but the odds were akin to winning the lottery. Because of the success of my first novel, an agent solicited me for my second book. I was flattered and yes, again naïve, when I signed on to her agency. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a terrible mismatch. I fell into a legal wrangle that imprisoned my book with them More

A gentleman wrote to me asking if he could write a feature piece for FundsforWriters about a site that took his money and didn’t follow through with the promised service. I try not to do that. I don’t mind warning about the characteristics of such sites, but I back away from calling a business out as crooked. Frankly, I’d rather not be sued. However, curiosity got the better of me, and I visited the site he referenced. In seconds, red warning flags waved in my head. That’s when I decided I might not be able to criticize a specific entity, but I can darn sure tell you about the red flags to watch for on any and all sites offering services for writers. Red flags frequently mean scam. Note these issues when wondering if a site offering writer/publishing services is legitimate. 1) The About page is either missing or too generic. The copy speaks in theory. History of the company is missing. Headquarters locale is missing. In other words, nothing specific is mentioned ABOUT them. They don’t want you to know who they are. You know, in case you want your money back. 2) No human beings. You have no More

A market I come across states it wants poetry, so I sort through my collection of unpublished poems and find one or two to submit. The same goes when I see markets requesting essays or short stories; I usually have one matching their need. Opportunities for more sales await the writer who writes a variety of content. There’s no guarantee each submission means a sale, but it can, at least, open doors to more markets to submit work to. If you want to have these opportunities as well, consider becoming a writer of assorted types of content. Two things are required in order to get started on this path: 1. Being the kind of writer capable of writing a variety of work 2. Having a collection of work ready to submit To achieve that first requirement, start writing other types of content that you don’t normally write. Poetry, essays, short stories, articles and blog posts. If you don’t know how to write them, books and online courses available to help you get started, not to mention reading those writers already successful in these areas. Take some time to learn how to write different kinds of content, and write it well, More

Each week someone (or several someones) writes me with something similar to the following: “I want to write about my life. It is very colorful and . . .” That color consists of abuse, drugs, alcohol, homelessness, bad marriages, adoption, traveling, rags to riches . . . you get the idea. Someone has overcome an obstacle and wants to shout it to the world if not teach others how to do it. The requests are usually: 1) How do I publish the story? 2) How do I get funds to pay for me to spend time writing my story? 3) How do I get funds to hire someone to write my story? No one has ever asked me how to learn how to write to get the story recorded properly. The assumption is if the story is a good one, it will sell. Trust me . . . it will not. Novice writers want to start with writing about themselves. The problem with writing memoir is the lack of market. My first question to anyone who wants to write memoir is, “How many memoirs have you read to learn how a successful memoir is constructed?” To this date, nobody has More

Travel can be exhilarating, especially when we can give back to that location. In America, the United States National Park’s Artist-In Residency (A-I-R) Program offers creative folks a chance to enrich the parks’ interpretive programs. Artists of all persuasions – writers, painters, sculptors, photographers, fiber artists, musicians, composers, glass artists, woodworkers, book-makers and more – are encouraged to apply. If you love to create, especially in a beautiful outdoor setting, you are a viable candidate. The residencies are both humbling and honoring. International applicants are encouraged. Artist-In-Residency opportunities for private, focused time are often based in some of the world’s most scenic locations. Most offer private living and are free of charge, and transportation costs are sometimes covered. You’ll be offered free housing for two-to-four weeks in most parks. They are searching for applicants who have: •    a clear vision of a creative project •    a personal history of intent and commitment •    a past record of productivity •    two letters of recommendation The U.S. National Park opportunities have expanded during the last decade. Now there are hundreds of opportunities each year. Most offer free housing for 10-30 days and some cover transportation costs. The accommodations are always more than More

A few weeks ago, I mentioned one of the questions I am often asked, one that I feel uncomfortable talking about. “What advice would you give another writer?” Similar questions in that arena are: 1) How do you avoid writer’s block? 2) Where do you get your ideas? 3) Don’t you run out of ideas? No two writers do much of anything the same in this business. Is it interesting to hear someone writes standing up or after they swam a mile at dawn or drank coffee if they wrote in the morning and tea in the afternoon? I want to turn around and ask a question of my own: “How does this apply to YOU as a writer?” Why do people want to know the tangible details of someone’s creativity? Because they hope that modeling something, anything, after a successful writer who’s gone before them, will similarly connect them to that creative genius. They are wondering if something tangible and readily reproduced can tap into a more imaginative well than they have now. It’s trying to find the 1, 2, 3 steps of writing successfully and publishing smart. Everyone has a left brain and a right brain. The left More

A key piece in the book promotion puzzle for authors/publishers is obtaining editorial reviews from an authoritative source such as a newspaper, magazine, or website. Freelancers often write these editorial reviews, oftentimes as a labor of love (i.e., a volunteer gig). However, if the review site charges authors/publishers for reviews, it most likely pays freelance writers to write them. Different from reader reviews, which focus on the individual’s experience with the story, editorial reviews lend the credibility of an expert opinion and are a valuable promotional tool. Many respected entities review authors’ books for a fee, others provide free reviews, and some have both options. Book promoters reprint these reviews, and they can be the source of pull quotes on a book’s back cover or Amazon product page. Big publications such as Kirkus charge authors significant reading fees ($450 or more), while smaller websites like Reader’s Favorite, Literary Titan, and Independent Book Review are lower in cost (less than $100) or even have free options. I write editorial book reviews for Independent Book Review (IBR). I started as a volunteer and then moved into a paid freelance position. Now they serve as a steady source of income as well as interesting reading material. And I learn as a More

Ten years ago, my husband and I moved from Massachusetts to North Carolina for a job he’d been offered. I’d always worked in publishing (for national trade magazines) and found work writing and editing for local lifestyle magazines in the area, but it was difficult to gain a sense of community in a brand-new city and I found myself craving new creative outlets and connections. Finding an Untapped Local Focus One of the perks of working at local magazines was that I received press releases about all the latest happenings, including new restaurants opening in the area. Since my husband and I are big foodies, I’d forward these emails to him, and he would then share the news with co-workers. I realized there was no central platform to keep up with food and beverage news across the city we lived in: Durham, NC, which at the time, was growing in popularity and getting put on the map as “The Tastiest Town in the South,” labeled by Southern Living Magazine in 2013. I decided to create a blog and website where I could curate and share the exciting local food news that was coming across my desk. This was the beginning More

Many book aficionados write reviews. That’s great. However, if you are interested in writing reviews for publication or payment, you might consider how to formally write a review. In my own search for guidance, I came across this site that actually offers templates to escort you through the process. And another site that has more book review templates in case you need guidance to get started is https://bookriot.com/book-review-templates/ But whether you write reviews for Amazon, blogs, magazines or newsletters/ezines, consider getting the formula right. Become known for your reviews and you might wind up as a paid reviewer, or as a minimum have a blog with advertisers knocking on your door. The University of North Carolina has a great post on this at its Writing Center. Basically, a reviewer gives the reader a concise summary, offers a critical assessment (good and bad), and ends the review with a suggestion as to whether the audience would enjoy the book. Dru’s Book Musings is a fine example of prolific reviewing. She leans toward the cozy mystery but isn’t limited by such, and, oh boy, can she cover ground. Not only does she review, but she allows writers to do A Day in the Life posts with More

And when you see those markets that do not fit your preference, pass them by. Here at FundsforWriters, we’ve had writers fuss, comment, opine to us about what we post and why we post it. There have been the Catholics who think we favor Jews . . . and Jews who think we hate them. There have been the LGBTQ+ folks who wonder why we don’t post more that favor them . . . and others who think we post too much. Some think we hate Democrats or Republicans, just depends on the day. We’ve been accused of disliking Africans and Middle Easterners. And recently we had someone scold us for posting a market for wildlife hunters, then unsubscribe because of what we were doing to the planet and all its sentient beings. Not all markets are for you. And markets don’t want to be all things to all people. They pick their niche and stick to it, molding their market. FundsforWriters posts markets that pay ten cents/word or more (six cents or more for scifi/fantasy markets per their professional rate level). Our focus is on payment to the writer. What markets don’t we post? Markets that don’t pay well. More