As a writer, I know that hitting “send” can feel like throwing your work into a frightening void. Now, as a magazine editor, I’ve collected scraps of insider info that I wished I’d known before I became an editor. So — I give them to you. 1. I want you to succeed. Every time I open a new piece or pitch, I’m rooting for it to be great. It’s not just that it makes my job easier. (Though it does, immensely.) It’s just a delight to read good work — and that’s what our readers want, too. I’m on your side. 2. When pitching, express enthusiasm. Pretend you work for the publication and want to see it succeed and do great work. (You’re on our side, too, right?) Say, “I’m fascinated by this question, and I haven’t seen it covered. It might be a fit for your readers because of x.” 3. Sometimes I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for. That is, until I see it. If you can anticipate what our readers will respond to, or what our coverage is missing, you’re golden. 4. Add voice and life to essays and articles. This is the number one thing More
How Do You Do It?
/ 2021-03-20In the writing world, writers hang on understanding how another writer found success. They want to know the secret, the magic, or the inherent talent required to duplicate that success. We want to know the right path out of the woods. No two writers find success the same. That is the wonder and the bane of this profession. A writer’s career is as unique as writing itself, and what works for one person is not going to work for many others. Yet there are so many how-to-become-successful classes out there, and they do quite well. The eager and the excited, the desperate and the seeking-short-cut folks, sign up these classes thinking this is how to keep from having to do the research themselves. The best way to become successful is to get down in the mud and figure it out on your own. Why not capitalize on someone else’s experience? Because you cannot duplicate it. Writing success depends on: -the ability to write -the ability to write a specific genre -family composition -other income -health -place of residence -mobility -technological savvy -connections -introvert vs. extrovert -age -education -experience -upbringing -simple luck -the discipline to sit in the chair I am More
Author Royalties 101 (Self-Published)
/ 2021-03-12A question I get asked frequently, especially when I launch a new book, is: What is the best way for me to order your book? What these kind and supportive people are attempting to politely ask is, which way do you make the most money? I know pre-published writers are curious about this too. They want to know, and rightly so, before they put in the blood, sweat, and tears, how much will they really make in author royalties when all is said and done. And the answer is, it’s complicated. In the spirit of both learning and total transparency, I’d like to share with you the different royalty amounts a few of my books earn via their various sales paths in hopes of educating future self-publishers and also for those of you who want to support me in the best possible way. A Few Reflections • While Amazon does not make me the most money in royalties, it is less work on my part to fulfill an order, and sales/reviews on that platform allow me to reach a worldwide audience that I am (at this time) unable to do on my own. • While I make the most money per More
Slow Down and Let It Rise to the Top
/ 2021-03-12If you keep a blender going, the ingredients swirl and combine until you have a product that looks little like its original parts. But if you shut off that blender, and you let the pitcher sit there for a few hours, something will usually settle to the bottom . . . or float to the top. Someone asked me in a Zoom meeting not long ago how I juggled my life. I sounded energized, which was probably more nerves from presenting, but still, they asked and wondered how I did all I did. I do not see myself that way, but I pondered a second and said that I know what my priorities are in life, and when something comes along that detracts from that, I decline it. Someone in a chat asked me who does the cleaning and cooking first to gain those hours of writing, those times when someone can write their 1,000 words a day that I preach. I clean when someone visits or I tire of looking at it, because my writing is a higher priority. I cook when I have a desire to. Elaborate meals are only for special occasions . . . because I More
Six Rookie Mistakes to Quit Making
/ 2021-03-05If your middle school years were anything like mine, the cafeteria was a dangerous place. Where to sit? What to say? And just when you thought you figured it all out, everything changed. Entering the writing world gave me a déjà vu of walking back into the middle school lunchroom. Even if I knew the names of the people at the tables, they definitely didn’t know mine. Worse than that, we didn’t even seem to speak the same language. Today I want to offer you six rookie mistakes to quit making as you enter that writing lunchroom. Are you ready to move up and sit with the big kids? Good, because here we go. 1. Stop talking about the length of your manuscript in pages. In the publishing industry, length is measured and discussed in word count. Also, you should know there are guidelines for how long each type of book, genre, and age level text should be. Yes, there are exceptions, but as a newbie, you should stick to these highly recommended suggestions. 2. Publishers, agents, and editors use Microsoft Word. Do not send anyone a Google Doc. Yes, I use Google personally and within my academic professional life, More
Reviewing is an Honor
/ 2021-03-05With every release of a novel, the author and publisher seek quick reviews so that others will buy. Receiving a review copy is an honor, frankly. You have been entrusted with a book, a free book, often ahead of others, and you have been asked for your particular opinion. The author and publisher want you to be part of a driving force of educating the world about that new book. Regardless the number of stars, you are helping to inform readers. That publisher didn’t print those books for free. That author lost out on royalties on those books. One or the other paid postage so the review would not have to read an ebook . . . unless they just wanted to. Yet most people who receive review copies do not review. They take the free book and are never heard from again. That is why NetGalley (professional reviewing distribution site) and many publishers only release ebooks. Not only are the books easier to distribute, but they are less of a loss when they disappear into the ether with no review. But some authors still distribute print review copies upon request. After the cost of printing, handling, and postage, the More
Selling Your Unemployment
/ 2021-02-26How do you find the good in the bad when you’ve lost your job? Whether that job was your dream job or a paycheck, it paid the bills. Now that you’re unemployed, however, you’re thinking about how much you’ve always wanted to write. You never had the time, though. Well, the time is here, you need the income, and you can put this loss to work for you. After having lost my job, I struggled to build my freelance writing to equal the income I made. Then I turned my frustration into cash by writing about my loss. Fifteen years later, I still write about that period of unemployment because the topic pays. There are sites interested in hearing about job loss, advice for those seeking work, and experiences in my chosen career field. One such place is Unemploymentville which provides detailed guidelines. They desire personal stories about the hardships of unemployment as well as unique job search methods. The pay is anywhere from $25-$75 for 350 words, but be prepared to wait a while for a response. Elite Personal Finance is always on the lookout for stories about how to save money, and if you’re unemployed, you already learned tricks about the More
A Different View on Rejection
/ 2021-02-26Not long ago, I was reviewing submissions to this newsletter (which also go on my blog), and something happened I’ve never had happen before. Every single one of them fell short of an acceptance. After a marathon review session, I rejected nine submissions in one day. Nine submissions may not sound like a lot; however, that reviewing process took me well over an hour, closer to ninety minutes. And at the end of it, I’d expended all that time with nothing to show for it. There I was unpaid for my time with slots still open in my newsletters and blog. Some writers might say that rejection is worse for them than me, but when you consider the editor has to read through all these, offer feedback, then have nothing to use . . . the editor has lost income and wasted time. These are the steps in my review process. Assuming submissions meet the word count and requested topics (see www.fundsforwriters.com/submissions) and write as if English was their first language (breaking either of those rules merits instant rejection), then I begin the following: I read them. I do a mini-edit to try to make them work. I determine whether the time More
Is There Something Else You Can Write About?
/ 2021-02-12We often hear write what we know. There is some merit in those sage words, but is there a market for what we know? Absolutely. The first thing you need to do is make a list of what you know. What are your passions? As a writer of historical fiction, fantasy, creative nonfiction and memoirs, I’ve accumulated a lot of published credits, but that’s not all I write. Perhaps my greatest passion is creative nonfiction, or rather, writing stories about peoples’ lives, and, there are a lot of paying markets out there to support this passion. Where? For me, it’s been small, local publications, like Curious Tourist Guide. This is a local guide for the Georgian Bay and southwestern Ontario region of Canada and, having grown up in that geographic area, I have plenty of stories to suit the niche. Not the biggest paying market, but the best part is the byline which advertises my books. Study freebie guides in your local area and see what opportunities there might be for your stories. Another passion I have is gardening. When I’m not writing, or reading, and when the weather is good (mostly spring and summer), I’m in my garden. When the More
Finding Your Writing Pleasure
/ 2021-02-12But pleasures are like poppies spread, You seize the flow’r, its bloom is shed; Or like the snow falls in the river, A moment white—then melts forever. –Robert Burns (1759–96) Mankind is forever in search of pleasure, and writers are forever seeking some sort of sweet spot of success that works forever. I know, that sounds a little Nirvana, but it is true. When I was traveling to signings and conferences, some of the most common comments I received were: 1) When I get done with fill-in-the-blank, I will write full time and really enjoy myself. 2) I hope to one day be like you and travel to events with my own work. 3) I keep trying to finish my book, but once I get fill-in-the-blank out of my way, I intend to dive into it. Read Robert Burns’ poem above. Pleasures are like poppies or like snow. In both cases, the moments are fleeting. In the case of snow, you wait around, hoping for another delivery. Might be days, weeks, a year, even several years, but you look forward to that pleasure. In the case of poppies, you touch the flower, enjoy it, then it’s gone. But also in More