People might think of Google Alerts as something once upon a time helpful but not anymore. I’ve been using Google Alerts for quite some time. It’s enabled me to find submissions I wouldn’t ordinarily find, follow some successful authors, and make contacts to further my career.

By customizing Google Alerts, you can be notified for . . . well . . . just about anything you crave to know that will help build your career and your wallet. Once you are logged into Google, go to Google Alerts (https://www.google.com/alerts) and get started.

Set up alerts for publishers and sites that are closed to submissions. 

When they open, you’ll get notified quickly, and won’t forget to check back. I followed several publishers and sites and was able to sell a guest post to a blog often closed to outside submissions because I had an alert set for an open submission period.

You can simplify the alert with something like “The Writer submissions” or “Re:fiction open submissions,” so when the publisher updates the submissions page, you’ll get an alert.

Alerts can let you know when there is a special call for submissions at your dream publisher. 

For instance, you’re trying to publish a young adult novel. Suddenly, you see one of your favorite publishers has an open call for an anthology for young adult short stories. That very well could be your way into the publisher. At the very least, it’s a chance to get your work in front of an editor’s eyes.

Say you’ve been trying to sell to Hallmark Publishing. A good alert would be “Hallmark Publishing anthology” or “Hallmark Publishing short stories.”

Set up alerts for an editor/publisher/agent you’re interested in working with. 

Google Alerts will let you know if that person shows up at a favorite blog or is interviewed. Just put their name into an alert. Meeting them provides opportunity to comment and potentially start a dialogue. You might even be able to ask questions that will get you one step closer to working with them.

Narrow your focus. 

Though you can set up alerts for book marketing or book promoting tips or tips for social media marketing, I would suggest you narrow the focus for better results. For instance, tips for Instagram marketing, tips on promoting your book backlist, etc. This will save you time from having to remember to Google for tips and updates.

Set up alerts for writing contests. 

You can specify contest type like “romance writing contest” or “horror writing contest.” I was notified immediately about a contest hosted by an author, outside the normal listing of writing contests. I entered and won first place. That wouldn’t have happened without Google Alerts.

I usually keep at least two alerts running for contests. One is “short story contests,” and the other is “writing competitions,” but you can also use “niche writing contests” or a topic like “science fiction writing contests.”

Don’t forget your own name. 

Lastly, every writer should have their name set up in Google Alerts to learn what is being said about you on the web, when an article you’ve written is being published, and will give you the opportunity to correct any misinformation that is posted on a website, blog, or even social media.

With Google Alerts, you can filter for best results or all results. (I choose all results.) You can choose how often you want to be notified like once a day or once a week. You can even choose to be instantly notified, to keep you ahead of the game with topics like writing contests and submission calls. And you can even select where you’d like the information to come from, like news, blogs, or the web. Though it’s an older app, it is still one of the handiest and most helpful for writers.

BIO:
As well as being a published author of fiction, Rachel Carrington is also a nonfiction writer and has written for the New York Times, Startrek.com, The Writer, and many others. She is also a writing instructor at Women on Writing and a contributor to Red Shirts Always Die. You can visit her on the web at www.rachelcarrington.com and Instagram @rcarrington2004.