Writing and Publishing News from

I spent a good portion of the morning responding to interview questions. Jennifer Minar over at Writer’s Break sent me a bunch of questions about my new book, “The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book” and about my writing life and philosophy. It was enjoyable. I especially had fun reliving my experience last year when reorganized my office while on crutches with a broken foot.

I was going crazy after two months on crutches. I was especially feeling an uncomfortable lack of control–as though I was no longer in control of anything because I couldn’t do anything. About that time, a massive, HUGE five-drawer side-filing cabinet came into my life. I had a willing painter and willing movers, so I hobbled to Ace and picked out the brightest, warmest burnt orange color I could find. This is the sort of thing you do when your life seems a bit dull. Well, I certainly took control and gave my life some color.

Once the big “guy” was painted and in my office, I went to work. I emptied the five smaller filing cabinets I’d been using, went through all of the file folders, tossed a LOT of stuff (in the recycle bin, of course) and reorganized mountains of material ito the new filing cabinet. How did I do this with a broken foot? I scooted around the office in my office chair–sometimes sitting and sometimes on one knee like we used to do when riding a scooter or a wagon. I also rearranged all of the cabinets, shelves, desks, I could reach. Boy did I feel in control, then. I was a happy camper.

I find interviews–even when I’m the interviewee–enlightening. I interview writers from time to time and they almost always say to me, “I’m so glad you asked these questions because they made me think about things I haven’t thought about before.” Sometimes our answers surprise us and often they help us to reevaluate our goals.

Jennifer asked me , “Why do you write?” or “What motivates you to write.” I ask this question in my book, “The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.” It’s a question for the reader to think about. Not only is it important to know what motivates, drives, inspires you to write, it is essential that you understand your underlying reasons for wanting to write/publish a book, for example, or seek writing work.

Why? Because if it is for the wrong reasons, you will fail. What are potentially wrong reasons? Fame and fortune may not be realistic reasons for writing/publishing. An author who writes just to change minds might also fail.

Do you know why you write? I write in order to earn a living and I chose writing as that method because it is my passion. It’s just a good thing that my tastes are modest and my lifestyle expectations resonable or I would not have succeeded in this profession for so many years.

If you have a book to promote, I would recommend that you seek opportunities to be interviewed. It’s fun, it’s thought-provoking and it affords you a measure of publicity/exposure. How do you discover such opportunities? Of course, I seek them at writing/publishing-related Web sites. If you have a book on parenting, visit parenting, family, children’s and general book-related Web sites. Some of them will conduct and post interviews. Maybe you have a novel. Check out general writing and fiction Web sites. Also visit those related to reading.

Of course, you can get gigs on radio and TV. And some magazine editors interview authors. I give resources for finding appropriate magazines as well as radio and TV interview opportunities my new book, “The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.”

http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Visit Writers Break at http://www.writersbreak.com

December is supposed to be the busiest month of the year. But it can be the slowest for working writers. Sure, I can keep busy buying gifts, decorating my home, baking goodies and planning our holiday meals. I can also keep busy in my office as long as it doesn’t involve input from anyone in the outside world. Everyone else is busy buying gifts, decorating their homes, baking goodies and planning their holiday meals.

Clients say, “Let’s knock off for a few weeks.” Editors are “out of the office” throughout the holidays. Publishers don’t respond during the month of December. What’s a working freelance writer to do? Anything we want to do!

I’ll probably spend the month working on my book of cat stories because I’m having fun with it. Yesterday, I organized the stories in a logical order and worked on story titles. Some of the stories are written, some are just outlined and I’m still waiting for a couple of good stories. I want a story about a cat burglar and a really touching or humorous story about a shop cat.

This month, I’ll also work on new article ideas and submit recycled articles both for money-making purposes and to promote my upcoming book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. I hope that before the month is over, I’ll be busy shipping copies of the new book all over the U.S. to eager readers. The orders are coming in at a steady pace. Of course, I’ll be promoting The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book almost every day.

December is also a good time to take inventory of ones writing business and, perhaps, reevaluate goals. I like to figure out what aspect of my business was most lucrative during the year and adjust my goals in that direction for the coming year. For example, I worked with a lot of clients this year. So I’ll probably promote my editorial business a lot in 2006. I will also be seeking (and making) opportunities to do workshops and lectures in order to promote my writing/publishing-related books. Monday, I learned about a writers’ conference in Oklahoma that sounds worth applying for. I’m waiting to receive an invitation.

It’s also a good month to check the job listings in the wide variety of writing/publishing-related newsletters produced now and writing/publishing Web sites. Locate new magazines to write for. Go in search of new publishers you may want to approach with your upcoming book project. Create a promotional brochure for your next book festival or to mail out after the first of the year. Apply for writing work at local businesses. Visit Web sites and offer to edit those that are poorly written. Likewise, you can collect business brochures and offer to rewrite those that aren’t well structured. Build or redesign your Web site.

There’s a lot of work out there and sometimes we have to get in assertive mode to locate it.

Oh, I was published this week in Writer’s Weekly—the newsletter that boasts the largest circulation of any other writing-related newsletter. That’s Angela Hoy’s newsletter. She published my new article called, Stop Writing and Start Establishing Your Promotional Credibility. The article was posted just yesterday and already I’ve received comments, inquiries and even a few book sales. You can read the article at http://www.writersweekly.com/this_weeks_article/003114_11302005.html/

That’s it for today. I’m going to finish my Christmas shopping later today and need to get something done so I can leave feeling a nice sense of accomplishment.

http://www.matilijapress.com/

I’m in development mode again. My latest book is finished. In fact, the printer (Fidlar Doubleday) is putting the blue line for The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book in the mail today. Once I proof and okay it, we’ll go into production. The publication date is January 1, 2006.

I’ve done tons of promotion already and the book isn’t even out of the hopper. I’ve contacted all 500 (or so) people on my mailing list to offer them a prepublication discount for The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. For those of you who missed it, this offer is good through 2005.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html/

I’m talking the book up everywhere I go. I’m adding a signature with a link to my ordering page at the end of my emails. I’ve submitted about 3 dozen articles to over 20 writing/publishing-related magazines, ezines and newsletters. And I’ve run ads in a few of them.

Did you know there were so many publications related to writing and publishing? There’s Writer’s Digest, Writing-World, Writer’s Weekly, Authorship, SPAWNews, PMA Newsletter, National Association of Women Writers Newsletter, SPANnet, Writing for Dollars, Working Writer, Book Promotion Newsletter, Writers Write, Women on Writing, Writer’s Apprentice, New Writer Magazine, Christian Writer’s Fellowship Newsletter, Absolute Write, Freelance Writers Report, Byline, Publishing Basics. Which writing/publishing-related mags did I miss?

Of course, there’s The Writer. However, while I have a good rapport with Writer’s Digest and many of these other publications, I’ve never been able to break into The Writer. In fact, yesterday, I received requests from two of the newsletters mentioned above requesting more of my articles.

Okay, so I’ve done all of this promotion for The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book as well as the book that we came out with a few months ago—How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less. And I continue to promote some every day while also trying to get back into a routine of producing—you know, writing new things and pitching them. I pitched two new article ideas to Maria over at Writer’s Digest, yesterday. I’m also working on some rewrites for my Catscapades book. What is Catscapades? It’s my play-on-words title for my upcoming book of cat stories.

I mentioned my title to a fellow-writer last week and she said, “What is this, cats at the Ice Capades?” I was going more for cats escapades, thus, Catscapades.

Writing stories is sure different than writing “give me the facts, ma’am” type stuff. It’s a real stretch for me to write in this sort of creative mode. But I’m learning. I keep referring back to the poetry I used to write before I discovered my niche as a nonfiction writer. It’s fun—but it is also a lot of work trying to squeeze artistic phrases out of my more structured mind. And that’s okay. I know people who write lovely prose and cannot write clear directions or instructions. They can describe a scene and an experience beautifully, but they cannot easily make a clear point when writing something instructional, for example.

So this will be a day of creativity for me. I’ll be seeking creative ways to attract new writing assignments and I’ll be tapping into my latent creative abilities in order to work on the cat story book. In the middle of all this, I’m taking a hike in a local river bottom with a photographer friend. And I’m taking my camera just in case we spot the young mountain lion that’s been hanging out down there. Now this could turn into something to write about.

Good Morning,

I’m sitting here in traditional writing position at my computer this morning with a large cat curled up in my lap. For all of you cat people out there (and aren’t most writers cat people?), this is Max. He’s a handsome chocolate brown and white formerly feral cat. He and Sophie take turns warming my lap all thoughout the morning. Sophie is a year-old tortie who, had it not been for a caring soul in a nearby town, would still be living on the streets. We also have Winfield, a white odd-eye cat (one blue and one green). He isn’t a lap cat unless you are lolling near the fireplace or sitting in a spotlight of sunshine. All three of the cats have been fodder for some of my articles to cat magazines, pet trade magazines and others. I guess that makes them famous.

I woke up to a new world of writing this morning–a mode of writing called blogging. Personally, I don’t care what the activity or process is called, as long as writing is involved. I think this is true for most writers who were born with the passion to write.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve been writing articles for magazines for over 30 years. I am also the author of 24 books. Read about my latest book, “The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book” in a former post. I am also the president of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). www.spawn.org. We have oodles of information and resources for freelance writers and authors here.

It isn’t easy building a business as a writer. And it is rare for a working writer to claim a large measure of fame and wealth. It takes constant work and a lot of time just to maintain a modest lifestyle. But what most would-be writers don’t seem to understand until they take the plunge, there’s more to being a writer than just being a writer.

The first thing I ask a hopeful freelance writer do to is to explore his/her reasons for wanting to write. Make sure that your motivations are reasonable. Fame and fortune are not reasonable motivations. Neither is “So I can work at home.” There has to be an underlying passion for writing in there somewhere. Not to mention a level of skill. Here are some additional qualifications for working successfully as a freelance magazine article writer:

1. Time management skills.
2. The ability to discipline oneself to write even amidst distractions.
3. A knack for coming up with good article ideas.
4. A talent for slanting an article appropriately for a particular magazine.
5. Enough assertiveness to keep swimming even in a sea of rejections.
5. A business sense–working writers must use both the right and left brain.
6. A sense of follow-through.
7. Research and interview skills or a willingness to develop these.
8. Patience.
9. Persistence.
10. Writing skills.

My book, “A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles,” is a complete guide to magazine writing. This book, along with all of my books, can be ordered at www.matilijapress.com. Most of them are also available at amazon.com

Well, that’s it for my first blog. Thank you for reading.

Patricia