{"id":1780,"date":"2012-03-10T05:43:20","date_gmt":"2012-03-10T13:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=1780"},"modified":"2012-03-10T05:43:20","modified_gmt":"2012-03-10T13:43:20","slug":"is-competition-spoiling-your-writing-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=1780","title":{"rendered":"Is Competition Spoiling Your Writing Dream?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Writer<\/em> turns 125 this year. I wasn\u2019t a fan of The Writer<\/em> over the years. It was too literary for me. It seemed as though they catered to those who wrote fiction for fun. I didn\u2019t see much for the serious writer interested in writing for a living or the author. It appears, however, that The Writer <\/em>has evolved over time to include useful articles and resources for all writers. Would you agree?<\/p>\n

Which is your favorite writers\u2019 magazine? Does anyone subscribe to Writer\u2019s Digest<\/em>? You are probably aware that Writer\u2019s Journal <\/em>quit last year. Those writers\u2019 magazines left standing certainly have more competition than they did when I started writing for publication. How many writers\u2019 and authors\u2019 newsletters and enewsletters do you think are being circulated in 2012?<\/p>\n

Not only are professionals and even newby writers producing newsletters for other writers, but many clubs and organizations circulate them to their members and beyond. SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) has two. SPAWNews<\/em> is free http:\/\/www.spawn.org<\/a>. The SPAWN Market Update<\/em> is posted in the member area each month for members only.<\/p>\n

There is certainly a lot of competition for the primary print magazines now. But there are still authors and freelance writers who try to break in without bothering to read any of the publications available to them. Big mistake!<\/p>\n

I actually cut my writing teeth on Writer\u2019s Digest<\/em> (occasionally The Writer<\/em>) when I decided I wanted to write for publication. I subscribed to them and read them from cover to cover and back again as often as possible for ten years before I finally felt I had the time and space to pursue my writing career. I had also been studying the magazines I wanted to write for\u2014as you may recall, my dream was to write articles for magazines. You may also remember my telling you that the first article I wrote, sold\u2014as did many after that. And the first book I wrote sold to a New York publisher. One reason is that I was prepared. I knew something about the industry and the process.<\/p>\n

Today, many of you wake up one morning and say, \u201cI think I\u2019ll write a book,\u201d or you see an author being interviewed on TV and announce, \u201cI could write a book!\u201d I\u2019ve also known people to decide on the spur of a moment to submit a pet story to a magazine without any thought as to the procedure. They see articles published in magazines attributed to writers they don\u2019t know, and ask, \u201cWhy not me?\u201d They wonder, \u201cWhy can\u2019t I get published in my favorite magazine?\u201d It might be an easy way to make a little money, right? Plus, they believe their idea is fresh, interesting and timely.<\/p>\n

What they don\u2019t understand is the big picture. They don\u2019t even stop to consider it. When these hopeful writers come to me for help\u2014sign up for my article-writing course, for example\u2014some of them become disheartened to learn about the extreme competition and what it takes to rise above it. I hear them say often, \u201cI didn\u2019t know it would be so hard.\u201d <\/p>\n

Yes, it\u2019s hard! The world of publishing has absolutely exploded with the advent of the personal computer and with advanced printing technology. It\u2019s easy to write something. Now everyone also wants to be published in some form or another.<\/p>\n

Opportunities abound for those who want to hold their own books in their hands and for those who want to see their writing in print (whether on paper or on the screen). Getting published isn\u2019t all that hard these days. What is hard is becoming successful as a published author or a freelance writer\u2014making any money\u2014being recognized as a writer or an expert in your field through your writing. And it\u2019s hard because of the competition. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to let you mull this over. I\u2019ll continue tomorrow.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, visit my websites: I am in the process of updating. I\u2019ll let you know when this has been done. I plan to update my massive resource list for one thing. This might be a good weekend to order my two newest books: Publish Your Book<\/em> and Promote Your Book<\/em>.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com<\/a>
\n http:\/\/www.patriciafry.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Writer turns 125 this year. I wasn\u2019t a fan of The Writer over the years. It was too literary for me. It seemed as though they catered to those who wrote fiction for fun. I didn\u2019t see much for the serious writer interested in writing for a living or the author. It appears, however, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16,4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t