A reader asked me to address this topic. She had an article to query to publications and didn’t want to wait for one answer at a time. Could she pitch to several markets at once, she asked. The answer isn’t a simple Yes or No. It’s actually Yes AND No. And I have my own personal anecdote for this lesson. Back in my earlier freelance days, I proposed articles on writers and grants to Writer’s Digest as well as The Writer. Each was a unique pitch, written differently, but on the same subject. I’d just gone full time as a freelancer and knew the odds of both nationally-recognized magazines accepting my pieces was slim to none. One of the publications accepted within a month but never stated when the story would come out. The other didn’t get in touch for almost a year but told me when the article would appear. They both came out in the same month. I received a contributor’s copy feeling completely ecstatic. Then I opened the other envelope in the mail and saw where the other publication sent me their contributor’s copy. The thrill of opening one was replaced with dread and despair. Sure enough, one More
Tapping into Local Businesses for Writing Work
/ 2018-11-02Here’s an optimistic thought: writing is a necessary part of every business. You read that right. Every business – big and small – has the need for written language. More good news: most businesses don’t have a full-time or even part-time writer on staff. Hint: here’s where you come in. Local businesses need your skills. They just don’t know it yet. It’s up to you to tell them. Identifying potential clients First you have to find them. Take a walk or a drive and make a note of locally-owned businesses in your town and the writing needs they might have. Browse the Yellow Pages online at yp.com. Identify potential clients by joining the chamber of commerce. Local rotary clubs also give you access to small business owners. (I’ve found small businesses better targets than large businesses, which are more likely to have in-house writers.) Compiling your information Once you’ve identified potential businesses, it’s time to give them something – for free. I’m not advocating you work for free. Instead, put together a brochure or letter that includes helpful writing-related information: how email newsletters benefit businesses, ways to generate social media content or writing for your target audience. Then remind them More
Writing for Hobby and Leisure Activity Magazines
/ 2018-10-19When I began my freelance writing career in 2007, I would never have believed I’d end up writing dozens of articles for hobbyist magazines. But today, my bylines include more than 20 special interest magazines for hobbies as diverse as gardening, gold prospecting, ham radios, four-wheel drive vehicles, classic cars, art and sculpture, wine tasting, hiking, brewing beer, living history re-enactments — even UFOs! My bylines in hobby and leisure activity magazines include Garden Answers, Pacific Horticulture, Lost Treasure, Monitoring Times, Popular Communications, National Communications, VHF Communications, Off Road Adventures, Collectible Automobile, Open Minds, Renaissance, Sculpture, Videoscope, Walking New Zealand, Washington Tasting Room, New Writer, The Writer, Writers Forum, Writers News, and Zymurgy. I’ve found hobbyist magazines among the easiest genres to break into. And I’ve found that once I’ve got my foot in the door with these publications, their editors have been highly receptive to repeat business. Leisure activity magazines exist in a mind-boggling plethora of topics; trains, quilting, motorcycles, automobiles, cats and dogs, dolls, scale modeling, yachting, cycling, running (and nearly every other sport imaginable), camping, hiking, video games, arts & crafts, astronomy, military history, stamp collecting, coin collecting, rock & gem collecting, antique collecting, and every other More
Writing for the Health Markets
/ 2018-09-14In case you had not noticed, America is getting older. And while that might cause alarm for some people, for freelance writers, it is time to dance a jig. Why? Because with the so-called “graying of America,” the opportunity to write for health markets has “exploded and reached an all-time high.” And it will continue to grow and grow and grow. Here are five tips to keep in mind when writing for the health markets: Find the latest health and fitness news. Think like an editor, who is always trying to think like a reader. What is happening in the world of health and fitness, and why is it newsworthy? Find a timely topic in the health world, and you are one step closer to landing an assignment. There are thousands of websites that are devoted to health and fitness information. A good place to start is the Federal Government’s own site, the National Institutes of Health. Visit them at http://www.nih.gov and you’ll find every health topic and late breaking bulletin there is. Target your audience. Know the audience of the magazine, newsletter or website, and your job as a health writer will be a lot easier. For example, does this More
Platform – It’s About Making Friends
/ 2018-08-11Who you know and how far you can reach. That’s pretty much the definition of platform. But so many people are writing that the competition is fierce. And there’s so much competition for entertainment that books aren’t everyone’s first choice. Which means putting a book on Amazon will not sell it. Someone told me their book was in Barnes & Noble, and they were excited. I asked if they were in the stores, and they said, no, not that they knew of. But they were online at the website. Sorry, but everyone is there. Jane Friedman, publishing guru and previous editor of Writer’s Digest and Virginia Quarterly, states that your platform is measured in three ways: Ability to reach new readers Ability to engage existing readers Ability to mobilize super fans At a recent conference, I changed this to read: Ability to reach new friends Ability to engage existing friends Ability to mobilize super best friends When you stop and consider that you are asking people to invest money and loads of time reading your work, it gives you pause. How do you convince these strangers to buy your stuff? But if you consider them friends, the effort has a More
Would You Write Daily If You Got Paid For It?
/ 2018-06-29A new UK company has launched offering aspiring novelists an alternative to publication: a salary from £2,000 per month to write novels. De Montfort Literature (DML) will pay writers a salary to write novels which DML will then design, print, publish and promote. After salary, production and marketing costs, authors will receive a 50 percent share of the book sale profits. https://www.thebookseller.com/news/start-publishing-venture-offer-aspiring-novelists-salary-793601 Imagine having to report to work every day, sit at your desk, and produce a certain amount of work. To earn a full-time writing income, you have to write full-time. A lot of people don’t like that. They think the rigorous schedule takes the fun out of writing. Well, guess what? When a hobby becomes a job, there are days you don’t want to come to work. Just because it’s writing doesn’t mean it’s exempt from a work ethic. Income success correlates with work production. Write every day. You get better. You get stronger. You get faster. You build confidence. You become dependable. You get to the point that whenever your butt hits the chair, your brain kicks into gear and your fingers itch to write. It’s called habit. It’s teaching your body what to instinctively do. And More
The Biggest Mistake You’ll Ever Make as a Children’s Author
/ 2018-05-27Every so often, a friend will hand me a children’s book manuscript and ask if I would review it and offer an honest opinion. I’m always delighted to do so, but, over the years, I’ve discovered that almost every one of those potential book projects suffers from a critical and quite frequent mistake. When I ask them about it, they will often hang their head and sheepishly admit that, yes, they are guilty of breaking this rule: If you are going to be a successful children’s author, you MUST read children’s books on a regular basis! Interestingly, many novice writers think that just because they’ve raised some children or read a book to their grandchildren, they are ready to write their own children’s book. Unfortunately, that alone does not adequately prepare one for writing juvenile literature. Prospective authors need to soak themselves in the culture of children’s literature, regularly! They need to know the language, the themes, the concepts, the tenor, and the presentation of children’s literature. And, the ONLY way to do that is to read children’s books on a regular basis…every day…every week…every month. If you are not reading children’s books, then you are putting yourself at a More
The Ins & Outs of Corporate Ghostwriting
/ 2018-03-21While I’m known as a journalist, writer and editor, I’ve also done a lot of corporate ghostwriting behind the scenes. It’s a potentially lucrative market for writers who don’t mind skipping the by-line. Here’s how to track down your clients. Defining Corporate Ghostwriting “Corporate ghostwriting” can include website content (blog posts or static pages), press releases, articles for print, advertorials and even inter-office letters. You are hired to turn source material – gathered through interviews, researched or sent by your client – into a shining end-product. Finding Clients through Referrals The key is contacts. Most of my corporate jobs were referrals – from previous clients, referrals or people I’d previously interviewed who needed something written. Build a library of writing clips and get to know your editors; sometimes sources will also pass on a good lead – but you have to ask, or nobody will know you’re looking. Job Boards When not referrals, clients are often hiding on job boards, message boards, forums, and newsletters. MediaBistro, All Indie Writers, ProBlogger, Freelance Writing, Writers’ Job Board, Craigslist, Indeed and Journalism Jobs are some up-to-date ones that I’ve met clients on. Other times, cold pitch a company by contacting them with some writing More
How to Connect with Book Clubs
/ 2018-03-12It can be difficult to find sources that allow authors access to book clubs. Clubs often like to choose their own books. So what’s an author to do if she doesn’t have a Top 5 publisher promoting her to clubs? Here are a few proven options that use a variety of methods and budgets to reach book clubs, plus free tips if you can’t afford the cost. For Book Club Lists: Where Writers Win Shari Stauch is CEO and creator of an online marketing site for emerging writers, Where Writers Win. The site puts authors in charge of their own marketing for a reasonable annual fee. “Winner Circle is a place where you can find a list of vetted book clubs that you may approach and pitch your book as a book club selection.” The clubs on this site are up to date and open to pitches, and a template for querying clubs is provided. Writers such as William Lobb and J.C. Sasser have used it successfully. Both were picked up by multiple book clubs, and Sasser’s book was selected for the popular Pulpwood Queen’s Book Club. Stauch is offering a discount: $20 off the first year of membership; use code More
Making Six-Figures as an Indie Author
/ 2018-02-24It may seem like a pipe dream, but indie authors can make serious cash. I know quite a few who bring in six-figures, and by next year I should join them. But how do they do it? What’s their marketing secret? After much research and observation, I’ve come up with seven key things needed to bring in the big bucks. 1. Treat writing like a job. If you want the money, you have to put in the time. All of the authors I know making six-figures have many books in their backlist. Most have thirty books or more. To get there, you need to be writing every day. Make a daily word count goal and make yourself accountable to it. It might seem impossible to publish as much as they have, but don’t cut yourself short. Writing is a skill. The more you do it, the faster and better you’ll get at it. 2. Stay positive. It’s going to take a lot of motivation to publish thirty books. Just remember, with every book you publish, you’re adding to your monthly paycheck. Don’t expect to get rich on one book. Take a more measured strategy and go for the long tail. More