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Have you cried “Uncle,” yet? Have you thrown in the towel? Are you finished with trying to write for a living or promoting your book? Has the economy and personal circumstances simply made it impossible for you to continue along the path of your heart’s desire? Are you just too frightened to live your dream?

Or are you still hanging in there? Are you pushing through the obstacles and finding new forks in the road?

I’ve been riding the tumultuous highway toward writing and publishing success for over 35 years. And don’t you know that there have been wildly wonderful times and those that tend to bring you to your knees. It’s another lesson demonstrating that nothing stays the same in writing or in life.

Even if you put the same number of hours in and expend the same amount of effort, a writing career or book sales are bound to fluctuate depending on what else is going on in the world.
But, what happens to you and your business is totally up to you.

I think that many of you have found this out already. You have either given up because you are just tired of the constant hassles—the ongoing need to promote yourself and your work—or you are stretching to the limit, putting in longer hours and even experimenting with new options and ideas.

Which scenario describes you?

If you’re still sitting on the edge—unsure of what way to go—perhaps it is time to reexamine your ultimate goals. Here are some questions to consider. Ask yourself:

• What does the process of writing mean to me?
• What am I trying to achieve or prove as a writer or author?
• Do I have what it takes to support myself through my writing?
• What steps can I take in order to keep writing or promoting my book?

Is writing so much a part of you that it hurts you to think of giving it up? If so, can you make the decisions and sacrifices necessary to make your writing pay?

Are you trying to build credibility in your field or expertise through your writing or through your published book? Or are you simply trying to show off to your friends? Make sure that your motives are pure and realistic.

Do you have the energy, imagination, creativity, stick-to-it-iveness, persistence and so forth necessary to make your writing pay? Or have you run out of steam?

Are you willing to take the steps necessary to stay in the game of writing or book promotion? You might want to consider taking my course on establishing a freelance writing career, for example. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_magarticles.htm.

If your book promotion well has run dry, consider reading my ebook, The Author’s Repair Kit, http://www.matilijapress.com/author_repairkit.html or sign up for my Book Promotion Workshop at http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookpromotion.htm

If you are finishing up a book and don’t want to spend the money getting it edited, please reconsider this decision. Some of the best money you can spend on a book is money spent on a good editor. Contact me for an estimate: PLFry60@yahoo.com

This is no time to hoard your money when you need the education in order to pay your bills. Think about it. And I’d love to read your comments.

Sometimes my clients fret and fuss over the fact that their stories are not conforming to their original plans. They tell me, “It’s taking on a life of its own and I don’t know how to stop it.” This week, a client said that she feels she is losing her sense of self as she gets deeper into writing her memoir. I’ve known nonfiction authors who became worried when the shape of their how-to or informational books began to change before their eyes.

As the writer of articles, short stories or even book manuscripts, have you ever experienced this phenomenon? Have you noticed that sometimes your end result doesn’t even remotely resemble your original article or book concept? If you’re like most writers, you may even begin to feel helpless as you sit by and watch your manuscript pretty much write itself.

What to do? When my clients come to me with fear in their eyes and desperation evident in their emails and ask, “What shall I do? This is not the story (article or book) I sat down to write.” I tell them, “Get out of your way and let the writing flow.”

Don’t fight those strong writing urges, even if they seem to be taking you in what you consider to be “the wrong direction.” Give yourself over to them. Let them lead you and see where you end up. Often—I mean, very often—you end up with a piece of much more acceptable and exceptional work than the one you originally drafted.

Have you ever had this happen to you? Do you remember a time when something inside of you overpowered your senses, sensitivities and the etched-in-stone outline for your fiction or nonfiction work? What did you do? What were the results? Let me know: PLFry620@yahoo.com.

As I said, I recommend letting the story lead you. Follow your muse (if that’s what is orchestrating your writing). I believe that, in most instances, if you allow the natural flow of words and concepts rather than giving in to what your brain dictates, you’ll probably have more fun and end up with something of greater interest and value.

What About Your Audience?
While you stand back and let the words flow also keep your audience in mind. Focus on fulfilling their expectations. What is it that your audience requires or desires? Will they read your story or book in hopes of being entertained, educated, informed or enlightened, for example? Before you consider your piece complete, make sure that you have responded to these needs.

Yes, you can write from the heart—allow your story or nonfiction book to flow from you, but rely on your brain to tune it up for readability and ultimate value. This is where a good editor with years of eclectic experience within the publishing industry and the world of writing can assist you. You’ve heard it said many times, every writer who is writing for publication needs an editor.

Contact me, Patricia Fry today for a free evaluation of your article/story or book manuscript. And consider working with her to fine-tune your project in order to make it the best that it can be. PLFry620@yahoo.com.

Learn more about me, Patricia Fry, at http://www.matilijapress.com/whopage.html and http://www.matilijapress.com/consulting.html

Also check out the testimonials from clients, students and customers at http://www.matilijapress.com/testimonials.html

FYI, I have been writing for publication for over 35 years. I have 29 books to my credit–some published through traditional publishing companies and some through my 26-year-old publishing company, Matilija Press. See my book showcase at http://www.matilijapress.com

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.