Writing and Publishing News from

Over the weekend, I spent a good part of a day updating my “Writing Magazines/Newsletters List” That is, my list of magazines and newsletters related to writing and publishing. I keep this list in a binder along with lists of the articles I’ve submitted to each of them. Whenever I get a spare moment or two, I write new articles or redirect reprints and submit them to magazines and newsletters on this list.

I maintain a list of around 60 appropriate publications and I submit to the various magazines and newsletters as often as possible. Why do I keep my fingers in this pie? It is part of my platform. I want to keep my name out there before hopeful authors and freelance writers. When an author is seeking an editor or good counsel with regard to his or her project, I want them to consider contacting me. When a writer is ready to move his/her career up a notch and they need guidance, I want them to think of working with me. I want to spread the word about my expertise, the online writing/publishing-related courses I teach and my array of books for sale, for example.

You should consider compiling your own organized list of publications that solicit articles or stories on your topic or in your genre. And make sure that you keep it updated. But beware, things are a-changing. Have you checked out submission guidelines, lately? If not, you may be in for a surprise when you do.

Submission guidelines are becoming extremely detailed, to the point that some of them are even restrictive. Some of them are so complex as to actually discourage submissions.

I’ve also noticed that publishing houses are asking for much more from their potential authors. Many of their submission guidelines are much more detailed and explicit than ever before. This may be a good topic for a future blog—let me know if you’d like me to do the work to bring you more information about publishers’ submission guidelines and how they differ from those of yesteryear.

But today, I want to talk about the changes in submission guidelines for newsletters and magazines. Of course, this is not across the board—but Mama Mia, some of the guidelines are so complex as to discourage submissions. Here’s what I mean:

One newsletter accepts submissions only in PDF format. Oh, you can submit your article in the body of the email, only you must remove all formatting. And they tell you how to do this—copy and paste your text into Notepad first and be sure to put a blank line between paragraphs so they will know where new paragraphs begin, etc…

Another set of guidelines gives you specific and unusual codes to use where you would like to indicate italics or bold. And don’t forget to turn off your “smart quotes.”

And be sure to type the right words in the subject line or your submission may be deleted.

Where submission guidelines used to be contained within a paragraph or two, now they can run on for pages and pages. I printed some out this morning—one ran 7 pages—another one filled 8 pages.

Some actually give you major tips for writing to the magazine’s specifications—which are things you used to discover only after reading their magazines. Some of them want you to use bullets, bold headings, write in third person or whatever. It’s all useful, helpful information, but when there is so much of it and when some of it actually goes against a freelance writer’s grain because it means falling back on the learning curve again, I am sure that many people are just rebelling and choosing not to comply.

The result is probably fewer submissions and especially fewer submissions that are acceptable.

So what is my point? Maybe this opens the door wider when it comes to opportunities for you. Yes, if you dream of being published in magazines or if you are on a mission to establish your author’s platform by contributing articles/stories to numbers of publications, maybe this is a good time to do it. While it may not be super easy, it is simple. Here’s how:

• Come up with some excellent stories, article-ideas.
• Locate appropriate publications.
• Read their submission guidelines.
• Comply with their submission guidelines

For more about establishing and building on your platform, order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html If you need help in establishing a freelance writing career, order A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles. http://www.matilijapress.com/writingpage.html

If you are looking for a good editor for your manuscript, you need coaching help with your book proposal or query letter, or you want to consult with regard to your book marketing plan, contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com

I’ve covered a lot of topics, issues, scenarios, examples, experiences, processes and ideas in the last nearly 450 blog posts. I’ve attempted to educate, inform and entertain you with each and every post.

While some of my posts are inspired by the comments, experiences, questions, mistakes and successes of you, my clients, my colleagues and my customers, I’m on my own when it comes to selecting other topics. I strive to choose topics of interest to you as well as those subjects you need to know more about. Hopefully, you are drinking in the information, ideas and resources I present. What about those themes that you believe don’t apply to you? Please don’t discard them. If you plan to write a book or establish a career as a freelance writer, you will, most likely, need to know this stuff sooner or later.

I have to tell you that denial, in this business, can be deadly to a potential career. So I recommend studying every blog post and filing many of them away for future reference.

Of course, there are other methods of collecting or attaining the materials you need in order to succeed as an author of freelance writer. How? Through my books: http://www.matilijapress.com

• The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book
• The Successful Writer’s Handbook
• How to Write a Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less
• A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles
• Over 75 Good Ideas for Promoting Your Book
• The Author’s Repair Kit

I also recommend that you join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org

As a member of SPAWN ($45/year) you will have access to the monthly SPAWN Market Update—absolutely, the best newsletter out there for authors and freelance writers. You’ll also be able to join in on our online SPAWN Discussion Group and discuss your questions and suggestions with other authors and freelance writers.

There’s something else that you can do to help yourself and your peers. Let me know what questions you have and what topics you’d like to see discussed here.

Leave a comment at the end of this blog post. And/or contact me personally at PLFry620@yahoo.com. Put “Publishing Blog” in the subject line.

What are the chances that your author annals will be empty?

Odessa, Texas came up in conversation yesterday and I remembered that I had a great aunt, whom I never met, named Clara Odessa Robison Davenport. She was one of five sisters—my great grandmother, Julia, being one of them. They were all involved in things that now interest me—sewing and needlework projects, books and education. Two of them were teachers, one was a librarian, my great grandmother was a seamstress most of her life and Aunt Odessa was a writer. I don’t know what other works she may have done, but I have a copy of a book she is supposed to have ghosted in the 1940s.

Yesterday, I decided to pull the nearly 70-year-old book from my overflowing bookshelves and discover what kind of writer Aunt Odessa was. Actually, she was pretty good. The book features the adventures of a woman who, at the age of 80, found new life in the wilds of the Siskiyou Mountains of California. It’s called Dear Mad’m by Stella Walthall Patterson (actually, supposedly, ghostwritten by Aunt Odessa.) The copy of the book I have was in its 4th printing with Norton Publishing and had been reviewed by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New York Herald Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune a, Pittsburgh Press and others.

So what kind of writer was my great aunt? Pretty good, if she actually wrote this book—which seems to be disputed by the research I did this morning. If she wrote this book, it certainly is a well-kept secret.

I wonder how many ghostwriters are never acknowledged in history for the excellent work they may have done over a lifetime. Does it matter? Is it enough to just get paid well for a job? Or is there a part of the ghostwriter who would like to live on publicly through his or her work? I wonder, where is the satisfaction for having been published if you aren’t recognized as the author?

Of course, I’ve done a little ghosting. But my name is usually included amongst the acknowledgements inside the book. Even if it isn’t, I don’t think it would bother me. But then, I have tons of other credits. I’ve been published hundreds and hundreds of times under my own name over the last 36 years. Aunt Odessa was thought, by family, to have contributed to many publications during her life. I have handwritten notes from now deceased family members attesting to this. But I cannot locate any proof of it.

What will you leave behind for your grandchildren, great nieces/nephews and others to remember you? If you’re a ghostwriter and you wish to be remembered, you might step outside of the shadows and produce some significant writings in your name. If you only dream of being published, maybe it’s time to make it happen.

I suggest this, not only for posterity—not only to fulfill your dreams and meet your goals—but also for the joy of it. If you absolutely love the process of creating word pictures, making up stories, exploring emotions and personalities through the written word, sharing and or teaching through writing, etc., why not allow yourself to experience the joy NOW?

Start today living your dream of writing for publication. If you also enjoy the process along the way, you will have given yourself and your descendants an incredible gift.

In order to learn the ropes before getting involved in the daunting world of publishing, study my books: The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

If you are interested in article-writing–submitting your works to periodicals, read A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles. http://www.matilijapress.com

Most hopeful authors think that the query letter is purely a means of letting a publisher know that their book exists. It’s their way of introducing and describing their books to publishers. But a query letter is so much more.

It is your sales pitch.

It is through your carefully written, thoroughly researched, precisely organized query letter that you will capture the attention of a publisher.

Here’s what the publisher probably doesn’t want to know:

• Your complete educational background.
• How many of your friends love your book.
• How long it took you to complete your book.
• That there are no other books like this one.
• That this book is for everyone.

What does the publisher want to know?

• That this is a viable product—it’s up to you to prove that it is.
• That it is a good investment—what’s in it for him?
• Who comprises the audience for this book and how many people does that include?
• The purpose of your book. (For nonfiction.)
• The reason why you wrote this book. (For nonfiction.)
• Exactly what your book is about and what it is designed to accomplish.
• Why are you the person to write this book?

Are you in the process of writing a weak query letter? Are you struggling to give it more strength? Maybe you’ve already studied Chapter Eight in my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and you’re still having trouble writing your query letter. Or you have written one, but it isn’t landing you a publishing contract. For the rest of March, 2009, I’ll open up my offices to your query letters on a one-time evaluation basis.

Send me your query letter after giving it your best effort and let me see if I can help you to give it more strength and power.

If you want to read about query letters and see examples of query letters, order The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book today. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Send your query letters for evaluation to PLFry620@yahoo.com. This offer is good through March 31, 2009.

People often ask me what my work day is like. I don’t think that the working writer concept is as foreign as it used to be. Entrepreneurism is more commonplace even within the realm of the arts (graphic art, writing, etc). But some non-writers are curious about just what the creatives do all day. Even writers want to know how other writers manage their work. With this in mind, I thought I’d share a little about one of my typical busy days in the office.

While I started out writing 36 years ago in a corner of my bedroom with a kitchen chair, small desk and borrowed manual typewriter comprising my “cubicle,” I now have a full-blown office with way too much paper. And I come to work here, along with my two cats, Max and Sophie, daily. A lot happens in this office. This is where we get creative and where the business decisions are made. This is my writing room, meeting place, warehouse and shipping department. So what goes on here on a typical day?

Yesterday I handled the following:

• Wrote a new post for this blog.
• Fielded three SPAWN member’s questions—two membership questions and one about distribution.
• Arranged meetings with two clients, which included several email discussions about the topics we would discuss, etc.
• Sent announcements to my addressbook regarding the new illustrated version of Catscapades, Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats.
• Negotiated with an editor regarding an article to be published soon.
• Sent a job opportunity that I happened across to a writer friend in St. Louis.
• Talked to a local writer about an upcoming writer’s workshop.
• Talked to a potential client on the phone for about 30 minutes.
• Evaluated two book projects for authors and wrote detailed recommendations for each.
• Sent two clients new information I happened across regarding publishers for their work.
• Went into the shipping department and prepared about a dozen books for shipping.
• Did a little bookwork with regard to the books sold.
• Drove to the post office and shipped books.
• Picked up a few supplies downtown.
• Cleaned house in preparation for a client meeting.
• Logged a check that came in the mail.
• Retrieved more computer-generated book orders.
• Contacted one customer to clarify her order.

Yup, I’m a writer, but this day left no time for any kind of creative writing and this is common for me now that I am working with other writers. My writing consists of responses to questions, evaluation reports, promo material for my books, a few articles here and there and my blog posts. Oh how I love this blog. It keeps me writing while still, hopefully, helping other freelance writers and authors succeed.

Are you a fulltime writer or a serious author? How do you spend your days? We’d all like to
know.

Be sure to visit my website. There’s a magnificent resource list available there and dozens of articles you can learn from. You’ll find valuable books to purchase on aspects of writing and
publishing. If you are a writer or hopeful author and you want to be published, you will find my books extremely useful. Check them out at: http://www.matilijapress.com

Announcement
I’m now a dual blogger. Yup, my Catscapades blog is up. I hope to post my first entry later today and it will probably include an announcement featuring the revised edition of the book, Catscapades, Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats. You’ve “read” me talk about the fact that we are adding photos to the cat stories book. Yup, we have added over 80 photos involving over 40 cats. I’ve included cats with attitudes, dress-up cats, lazy cats, cats at play, cats of color, curious cats, clever cats, busy cats, helpful cats, formerly feral cats and cats that are simply hanging out waiting to be admired. Come on over and see what we’re doing at the new blog. Visit often and join in on the fun. http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades

On the Writing and Publishing Front
Have you been living up to your expectations so far this year? Are you meeting your writing/publishing goals? You know, we’ve already burned two months of this year. What do you have to show for those 59 days in January and February? Are you making progress on your book manuscript? Have you discovered new outlets for selling or promoting your already published book? Have you submitted the number of articles you hoped to by this time? If you can say, “Yes,” to any of these questions, CONGRATULATIONS! We’d all love to hear how you did it. Details please. (Just leave your comment at the bottom of this blog post.)

If, on the other hand, you have to respond negatively to these questions, what is your Plan B? Will you recover and move forward so that you can meet your goals this month? You still have 30 days to accomplish something on your list in March.

For those of you who need guidance or motivation, consider this your kick in the pants. If you are at a loss as to how to achieve your lofty (or even miniscule) writing or publishing goals, maybe the following will help.

If your goal relates to writing:
• Set a strict schedule. Figure out when you have or can set aside an hour or more during your day—everyday—and make writing your priority during this time.
• “Ink” in this activity and honor it as important.
• Learn to say “no” to anything that threatens to interfere with your writing schedule.
• Set yourself up for success rather than failure.

If you are promoting a book:
• Study everything you can find on book promotion. Read books by Patricia Fry, Brian Jud and other industry experts.
• Subscribe to pertinent newsletters: “Book Promotion Newsletter,” “Book Marketing Matters,” “Publishing Basics…”
• Join appropriate organizations: SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org. And read the monthly SPAWN Market Update from cover to cover every month! This newsletter is for members only. (Membership $45/year.) Also consider joining IBPA and SPAN.
• Devise a promotional plan that is reasonable for your particular book.
• Begin implementing your plan little by little and continue in this vein—contacting book reviewers, sending press releases, setting up live presentations, blogging, etc. throughout the year and beyond.

If you are trying to create a freelance article-writing business:
• Study the process of submitting articles to magazines. Read my book, A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles. http://www.matilijapress.com. Subscribe to “Wooden Horse Publications Newsletter,” “Writer’s Weekly” and “Freelance Writer’s Report.”
• Join SPAWN in order to have access to the “SPAWN Market Update,” which includes markets and opportunities for freelance writers each month. http://www.spawn.org
• Set aside time every day or one or two days each week and focus on your freelance writing career. Don’t skimp on time. It takes time to research markets, research and write the article and involve yourself in the submission process.

You cannot succeed in this field if you remain on the sidelines looking in. The writing/publishing business requires high participation throughout the writing, publishing and marketing processes.

For more guidance and guidelines, read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

For a personal consultation contact me at: PLFry620@yahoo.com.