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Promote Your Book By Writing Articles-Stories

Sunday, May 26th, 2013

This is an excerpt from class number 5 of my online Book Promotion Workshop. Sign up here: http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookpromotion.htm It’s a 6-week course for $200 and it will go a long way toward helping you understand more about book promotion and set up a personalized marketing plan.

Hopefully, you’ve been building on your platform through article and/or story-writing. I’ve been writing articles for magazines for 40 years. I earned my living writing for magazines for many years. I still promote my books through articles to targeted magazines, newsletters and websites.

There are a few things you should know before getting involved in submitting articles. First, your article is not a promotional piece. It should be designed as a useful, informative, educational and/or entertaining article, not blatant promotion for your book. So how do you benefit from articles published in key magazines and newsletters? In two ways. Your bio is published at the end of the piece. So anyone reading it will know that the author of this article was “John Johnston, author of The Fly Fisherman’s Guide to Lakes in the Midwest. www.xxxx.com” or “Hannah Able, author of 22 books, including Hannah in a California Kitchen. www.yyyy.com.”

Sometimes I include in my bio, information about a free report I’m giving away or about an online course I’m teaching, for example. When I receive requests for the free report, it gives me an idea of how many people are reading my articles and it also provides me with contact information for folks who might be interested in purchasing my books.

The second way you can benefit from an article published in an appropriate magazine or newsletter is through the obvious expertise in the article. In other words, if the reader learns something from your article and/or picks up some useful tips or resources, and, especially, if he or she stumbles across additional articles by you, this reader will begin to view you as an expert in your field or area of interest.

If you are promoting a novel, you can establish a wider scope of readers if you become known in your genre through your published stories. Anyone who enjoys reading your stories in a variety of magazines, would surely want to purchase your book.

Sometimes I appropriately sneak a mention of my book or my services into the body of the article. How? I might say, “When I was in the process of writing my 28th book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, one of my editorial clients mentioned to me……” Since I write about writing and publishing, it makes sense to use my books as examples from time to time. And it follows that I will occasionally mention an experience I had with a client.

You can also use excerpts from your book. Some magazines welcome excerpts. Always identify excerpts as such and don’t pass them off as fresh material. Say at the bottom of the piece that is excerpted from your book, “Excerpted from ‘Sky High Hawks,’ the story of paratroopers over Indiana, www.xxxxxx.com.”

There are thousands of magazines and newsletters seeking informative and entertaining articles on a variety of topics. While you may be able to eventually break into some general, association, senior, women’s and trade magazines with your articles on dog grooming, grooming tools, etc., I encourage you (and it makes sense) to start with pet and grooming magazines and newsletters.

You probably already know of magazines and newsletters you’d like to write for. Keep in mind that some of them pay quite well and others don’t pay at all. There are many variations between these two extremes.

Use Writer’s Market to locate magazines seeking articles or stories on your topic or in your genre. It’s around $30. You’ll also find it in the reference section of your library and online. Wooden Horse Pub is another magazine database. http://www.woodenhorsepub.com

Also do an Internet search to find other magazine directories as well as publications that use specific types of fiction or articles on a particular topic.

Posted in Article-Writing, Book Promotion | No Comments »

Why Does Your Wonderful Magazine Article Keep Getting Rejected?

Thursday, July 5th, 2012

Is there anyone still just writing for themselves? It doesn’t seem like it. Everyone wants to share their writing—to be read. Some just have one reason for writing and that is to make a difference, make a point or change minds.

Today, I want to touch on the importance of writing the right article for the right editor. If you want to break into writing through articles on your subject of interest, not only must you write in a way that your piece will be accepted by your proposed readership, but you need to write the type of article the particular magazine uses.

Article-writing is not the same as submitting a letter-to-the-editor for your hometown newspaper. There are rules and policies and requirements.

Sure, you might be able to get your opinion piece published somewhere. But typically, it is necessary that you follow guidelines with regard to the type of piece the publication accepts. There’s word count to consider (and most editors are strict about this). And, in case you haven’t noticed, articles come in many forms.

There is the essay (most popular with writers who have a grudge or something caught in their craw), the how-to, self-help, informational, Q&A, interview/profile, reporting and bulleted pieces, for example. Some editors require that you sprinkle your article with expert quotes and statistics for added credibility.

Few publications use a mix of article types—they might pulish strictly how-to pieces or only bulleted articles. It is your job as the writer to find the right magazine or newsletter and write your piece to conform.

I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met over the years who are passionate about an issue and who want to spread their word, but who refuse to accept the requirements and policies of the various magazines out there. They don’t understand why the magazines they’ve approached keep rejecting their opinion piece. They can’t see beyond their desire to be heard/read. They don’t realize that if they would just change the style of the article to suit the individual magazine, they would have a much better chance for acceptance.

Additionally, it is important to pay attention to what this magazine has previously published. And don’t forget to study the advertisers. If they’ve published a major article on this topic recently or they’ve covered it adequately over the years, they probably don’t need your piece on the same subject.

Likewise, you’re not going to land a contract for your article on how ridiculous and dangerous it is to have plastic surgery when the magazine’s biggest advertisers are plastic surgeons.

Is the business of article-writing starting to make more sense to you? Are you beginning to understand why, perhaps, your writings have been rejected? Maybe you’re not approaching this industry as a business. And believe me, it is a business.

For more articles on article-writing, go to http://matilijapress.com/articlespublishing.htm

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Find a Job as a Writer Part II

Tuesday, May 29th, 2012

Yesterday I blogged about how to work as a freelance writer. Today, I will continue with additional ideas.

If You Want a Writing Job in the Corporate World
• Study the materials from companies for which you’d like to work and see if you can improve upon them. Show your ideas to the appropriate department head.

• Join business organizations and service clubs where you can network with businessmen and women who might hire someone with your skills.

• Sign with a temp agency as a writer. This may be your foot-in-the-door.

If You’re Hoping for a Job With a Major Newspaper
• Hire on at a small newspaper while waiting for your big break. There’s an ongoing turnover at newspapers, so they’re always hiring. This is not a glamorous job, but it’s a step in the right direction.

• Cover a story on speculation for the newspaper of your choice. Watch for the opportunity to write about a local high profile issue and offer it to the newspaper for a fee. Attend meetings and events that aren’t being covered by staff and offer to report on them. Your effort is bound to get the editor’s attention.

Create Your Own Work
• Write articles for magazines. For this profession, you’ll need writing, organizational and research skills as well as patience and a great deal of self-discipline. You’ll also need the following tools: a computer, Writer’s Market and A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles for Book Promotion and Profit (Matilija Press, http://www.matilijapress.com

• Become an editor. Start by approaching busy freelance editors and see if they need help accommodating their clients. The editors I know often turn clients away because they’re too busy.

• Find a mentor and be willing to do the work necessary to reach your goals. Many people who ask me for guidance in the writing field are not willing to take the necessary steps.

• Don’t give up your day job. If you need the money and can’t keep waiting for THE job to come along, go to work and write in your spare time. “What spare time?” you might ask. This may be one of those situations where you have to make some sacrifices. I once wrote an entire book in 8 months while working full-time. How? I got up at 4 every morning and wrote for two hours before going to work. I also devoted my weekends to writing.

Use this checklist to generate other ideas. The point is to keep on keeping on. One writer friend earns a living for herself and two sons writing technical manuals. After struggling long and hard to find this job, she advises other writers, “You cannot win if you do not play.”

Posted in Article-Writing, Writing | No Comments »

How to Get a Writing Job

Monday, May 28th, 2012

I followed up my speech for the California Writers’ Club members in Sacramento last week by sending an article to be published in their newsletter or at their website. Since I spoke on freelance writing, I decided to continue with that theme. I thought you might be interested in my checklist for job hunters:

General Advice
• Subscribe to online writing-oriented newsletters and join online writing organizations that offer job listings for writers. Many of them also keep you current on publishing trends. Here are a few resources to get you started:
SPAWN http://www.spawn.org
Writer’s Weekly Newsletter and website http://www.writersweekly.com
Freelance Writer’s Report http://www.writers-editors.com
Writing-World http://www.writingworld.com
Working Writer http://www.workingwriter1.com

• Become familiar with job search sites for writers. These include,
http://www.sunoasis.com
http://www.writejobs.com
http://www.mockingbird.creighton.edu/ncw/jobs.htm
http://www.tjobs.com/new/writers.shtml
http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com

I often include new job boards and directories for writers in issues of the SPAWN Market Update. Join SPAWN at http://www.spawn.org

• Network constantly. Attend writers/publishers’ events and ask people how they got their jobs/assignments. Participate in interactive web sites for writers. Find local organizations through your library, bookstores and in the calendar section of the newspaper. Locate online sites using your favorite search engine. Type in “writers groups” or “writers,” for example.

• Volunteer your writing services. A little volunteer work might land you the job you seek. Offer to write the church bulletin, a company newsletter or a press release for a charity organization, for example. Not only are you gaining experience and adding to your portfolio, but you’re showing off your talent and skills to all of the right people.

• Read the classified employment ads every week and apply for every job that has “writing” in it. Post your resume on some of the major Internet recruiting sites such as monster.com. And search their databases for job opportunities.

• Create a portfolio and keep adding to it. Make copies of your published articles, brochures, etc. to show prospective employers/clients.

• Build a website and post your portfolio and resume there.

• Keep writing. Write every chance you get. Practice, practice, practice.

• Be open to all types of writing. You may have your heart set on becoming rich and famous writing your own novel or landing a job as the editor-in-chief for Reader’s Digest. In the meantime, however, accept the work that comes your way. Do some PR work for your neighbor, ghost write a book for a client, revise some technical manuals. Get paid and learn new skills.

Tomorrow I’ll continue by adding how to get a writing job in the corporate world or a newspaper and how to create your own writing job.

In the meantime, if you want to write articles for magazines, order my book, A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles. If you are thinking about writing a book, you’ve written a book for publication and/or you want to know more about how to promote your book by submitting articles and short stories to publications and the web, order my book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. Both are available at my website: http://www.matilijapres.com, at Amazon.com and other online and downtown bookstores.

And if you don’t think an author must be enterprising, that he or she does not need key resources and that he or she need not use or concern themselves with strategies, you are sorely mistaken.

Posted in Article-Writing, Authorship, Writing | No Comments »

The Plight of the Freelance Article-Writer

Friday, May 4th, 2012

Earlier this week, I told you that I am scheduled to speak to a group of freelance writers in Sacramento soon. I asked what you would want to hear from me if you were in that audience. Yesterday, I responded to someone who said that markets were always an issue for her—where to find new markets for your writing.

Another freelance writer told me in an email this morning that she has “zillions” of ideas and different slants on subjects and has no problem finding people to interview on the topics. But then she is sometimes unsure where to send the article.

I can see where that would be an issue for writers and I’ll be sure to cover that topic, too. Basically, that’s why I generally choose the market before I come up with the topic. Not always—sometimes a topic just begs to be explored. But if you know which publication you are going to approach with the idea before you write the article, you are free to slant the piece or your query letter to fit their particular requirements.

This writer says she is confused by the question, “What is your rate?” Don’t you hate when the editor of a magazine asks you that? If you quote a large amount, they may not even consider you. If you give them a lowball figure in order to get the work, you may be cheating yourself. It’s a problem! When I get that question, I begin researching that magazine’s typical pay scale. I have to admit it is not always easy to find this information. But if you can get an idea of what they generally pay—between 25 cents and 50 cents/word or $250 for a 1,200-word article or $125 to $500 for an article of between 1,000 and 5,000 words, for example—you have a starting place to work from. If you can’t locate that information anywhere—their listing in Writer’s Market or another magazine directory, at their website in their submission guidelines, etc.—ask them. Ask, “What is your typical pay scale for a 2,000-word piece on a trendy topic like this from an experienced freelancer?”

If you are left to wing it, consider what your goal with this magazine and this article is. Do you want to establish a relationship with this magazine? Do you need a certain amount for this particular piece in order to cover your time commitment and expenses? Look at the magazine—does it have a lot of advertisements, is it for an upscale or unique audience, or does it appear to be a home-grown magazine for a small readership? Do they look like they can afford to pay well or not? All of this could play into your decision on what to charge for your article.

Another issue for many, many freelance writers is how to organize our time. There’s a lot going on in a prolific freelancer’s office. That’s for sure. We’re juggling several ideas, magazines/ezines, interviews, invoicing, articles-in-progress, what to have for dinner, whether the piece we just finished will be accepted or rejected, when we’ll receive payment, keeping supplies on hand, etc. And many of you have an outside job, as well. So how does one keep it all organized? I’d like to hear from some of you on this subject.

I put it all in writing. I keep good records—I record everything. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years it is, if you forget to log something, that’s the one that will be in question eventually. It’s a Murphy’s Law thing.

I also work from a written schedule every day. In the evening, I go over that day’s schedule. Those things that I didn’t get to, I roll over into the next day’s schedule. It has worked for me for years and years. If circumstances are such that I don’t get a schedule written (it happens but very, very rarely), I feel a little lost.

I appreciate those of you who have sent me your questions and shared with me the issues you face in your freelance writing businesses. I should be able to finish up an editing job I’m working on today and start outlining my speech. You have helped a lot.

There’s still time to chime in—what questions would you ask of a speaker on the topic of freelance article-writing. And what tips would you share with this group?

On a Personal Note
Did you notice the new review for Publish Your Book at Amazon.com? Thank you, Sandy. Did you see that one of my articles appeared in the IBPA Independent this month?

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Markets For Freelance Writers

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

The overwhelming response to yesterday’s question: What do you want to know about freelance article-writing is, “where to and how to find markets.” Yes, all one of you who responded said that the most difficult part of article-writing is finding markets. So I will make that part of my program when I meet with writers near Sacramento in a few weeks.

One thing I would suggest to writers is to write on a wide variety of topics so that you have a wider base of potential markets. If you write just on feral cats, for example, your opportunities for sales are greatly diminished. Instead, expand your knowledge and take an interest in many things and you won’t be so limited in the types of magazines you can legitimately write for.

Sure, you want to make a difference for feral cats—you are passionate about educating people on this subject. But, if you want to make money, too, you really must expand your horizons.

Maybe you had an experience with a disgruntled customer at work. Do a little research and write an article for a business management or small business magazine on how to handle the irate customer.

Perhaps you had a touch of altitude sickness the last time you visited a mountain resort or you suffered heat exhaustion during a hike. Again, do some research and create an article for a hiking, health, travel or general publication.

Do you garden, work out at the gym, speak in public, teach, attend church, belong to a city commission or a family, sew or snowboard, make jam, do beading or are a secret shopper, for example? You should be able to come up with several articles in each of these topics for a variety of magazines.

My point is that sometimes the reason we have trouble finding the right market for our work is that we are too narrowly focused with our array of topics. We prefer to stay comfortable within a subject we know.

That said, here are my favorite magazine/ezine directories:

1: Writer’s Market http://www.writersmarket.com
2: Wooden Horse Pubs (online directory with editorial calendars) http://www.woodenhorsepub.com

Here are a few others:
http://www.magazine-directory.com
http://dir.yahoo.com/News_and_Media/Magazines/?skw=magazine+directory

http://www.magazineboard.com
http://www.mondotimes.com
 http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/magazines

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Tips for Coming Up With Article and Blog Ideas

Thursday, April 12th, 2012

Do you ever wonder how prolific bloggers come up with ideas to write about every week, every few days or, in my case, EVERY DAY? It can be a challenge. And it is something I’ve written about before—but not quite from this angle.

You see, at this moment, I don’t have an inkling of an idea for today’s blog topic. Sometimes a topic leaps out at me from an email I get in the morning, or I’ll have a note on my desk related to a question a client or blog visitor asked recently that would make a good blog subject. I’ll sometimes go through old posts and choose one to rewrite. And then there are days like today, when I will just start writing until something occurs to me.

Sometimes I create a blog post from start to finish just by rambling. Other times, I may delete the preliminary chitchat and post just the meat of the material I come up with. For example, while jotting down my thoughts, I might mention that I’ve been invited to speak and then I write a piece on how to get speaking engagements. I may doodle a bit about the work I’m doing to organize SPAWN members in the booth at the LA Times Festival of Books and end up writing a blog focusing on how to work a book festival so it works for you. This might remind me of a chapter in my upcoming book on public speaking for authors and I might treat you to an excerpt from the new book. Or my mind may wander and I might become pensive and end up writing about listening to your muse, turning thoughts into articles (or stories), changing a negative attitude into a positive one when it comes to book promotion, etc.

Coming up with a blog topic every day (or an article topic on demand, if you are a freelance article writer), is challenging. As some of you know, I started my nearly 40-year-long writing career writing articles for magazines. In fact, I supported myself through article-writing for many years. I still survive through my writing/publishing/consulting business. And part of the reason is that I had the courage to follow my dream—my passion.

My ramblings today, however, are not leading me into a discussion about the writing dream. Let me, instead, give you some ideas for coming up with article/blog/speech topics related to your book.
• Pay attention to what’s going on around you.

• Get out and socialize more, attend events and activities related to the theme of your book/blog.

• Be open to article ideas in every experience or conversation.

• Keep a hot file—when an idea occurs to you, write it down and file it away and refer to it often.

• Read the newsletters and magazines related to your industry or topic. Glean the germs of ideas from the articles, links, comments, events/activities listed, etc.

• Write about what you know as well as what you want to know.

• Eaves drop on the conversations of others.

• Practice creating many articles or blog posts from a single idea.

• Turn questions into blog or article topics.

Follow these few tips and your array and scope of articles and/or blog posts will multiply like unrestrained bunnies.

I have a neat little book designed for article-writers, but it is also a valuable tool for those of you who want to submit short stories for publication. And many of the same principles work for coming up with blog ideas. It’s A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles for Book Promotion or Profit.

Order my brand new book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author for $19.95 (for the rest of April, 2012) and receive a FREE copy of A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles. http://www.matilijapress.com

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How to Create Many Articles From a Single Topic

Friday, March 9th, 2012

Yesterday, I told you I would talk a little about how to break one article idea into several. It’s a matter of looking beyond the parameters of your original concept—viewing the topic from many different angles. Here are some examples from my own files:

From my piece featuring healing gardens that are planted in hospitals and healing centers, I created additional articles focusing on how to plant a healing garden at home, how various individuals use gardening as therapy, examples of how gardening helps troubled kids, an overview of programs that use gardening therapy and a piece on raised bed gardening for people who have limited movement, for example.

This theme could be expanded to include healing herb gardens, mental health and gardening, special tools for the disabled gardener, how to get your children involved in gardening, growing veggies for your mental and physical health and so forth.

I once wrote an article on long-distance grandparenting—how to bond with your grandchildren even at a distance. This was such a popular theme that I wrote a book on the topic. It was published by Liguori Publications. I also expanded this idea into several additional articles—tips for being a better grandparent, using your voice to bond with a long-distance child (through phone calls and recordings), activities for grandparents visiting their grandchildren, how to choose gifts for long-distance grandchildren, how to establish and maintain family traditions in today’s whirlwind world, scrapbooking for grandparents and grandkids, teaching values at a distance, teaching grandchildren money awareness, how to share religious principles with long-distance grand children and others.

I wrote about horses and their care for a long time when I first started out in this business. Anyone who isn’t involved with horses might wonder, what could you possibly write about after you share your favorite horse story—“I acquired my first horse when I was 12, we had these adventures together, I loved that horse.”

Here are some of the articles I wrote around the theme of horses: how to make chaps for horseshows, how to make an equitation suit, hairdos for horseshows, trail riding etiquette, a humorous piece about being a horseshow mom, what to do with all of those horseshow ribbons, the story of a harrowing horse accident, how to care for the older horse, how to place higher in horseshows, an interview with a horseshoer, how to prepare for your foal and others.

Are you getting the idea? You may want, more than anything, to write about your experiences as the caretaker of a feral cat colony. Cool idea. But this should not be a flash in the pan story. Expand on the topic by profiling the lives of a few individual cats in the colony, by breaking the stories down into several separate articles or by creating children’s stories from some of them, for example. Write articles featuring the plight of abandoned cats in the US using statistics and expert quotes. This is an important issue, so pitch it to regional magazines in many counties and states. Write a piece on animal control policies and how they are helping or could do better. Tell the story of individuals who are helping in the effort to prevent homeless cats.

Write for national magazines and then alter your piece to fit regional publications. Turn your topic every which way and, not only will you have the opportunity to make a lot more money, you’ll be getting more exposure for yourself and your pet topic.

If you have one topic and only one idea for an article, take time this weekend to rethink your options and the possibilities. I’d love a report after your session. How many additional ideas did you come up with when you really put your mind to it?

Patricia Fry Appears in New Book on Editing
Yahoo! I’m in another book. That must bring the number of books to which I’ve contributed to a dozen or more. The latest book was written by the founder of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), Mary Embree. It’s called, Starting Your Career as a Freelance Editor, A Guide to Working with Authors, Books, Newsletters, Magazines, Websites, and More. (Allworth Press)

Mary interviewed me about how I got started as a book editor. If you’re an editor or would like to be, you can purchase this book at amazon.com or at the publishing company’s website. I’m sure it is available (or will be soon) at bookstores, as well.

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Where Do You Get All of Those Article Ideas?

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

So you want to be a freelance article-writer. But what are you going to write about? Most writers start out with one or two pet themes that they want to or MUST write about. They have a gripe or a point they want to make and they plan to use their pen (or computer) to share their perspective with the world.

Then what? Once you find an editor who will give you a break and publish your essay, then what will you write about after that? Do you have a knack for creating more articles using different slants from the same topic? Most new writers haven’t mastered this technique, yet. It seems to take time and practice to get to the place where you can produce new articles from a single theme. It also takes time to achieve a mindset that sees article ideas wherever you go. But, if you want to earn your living or even some pocket money writing articles for magazines, you’ll need to train yourself to do this.

Coming up with article ideas is often difficult for the beginner. After a while, however, it becomes second nature. With practice, you’ll eventually hear yourself saying quite often during conversation, “Oh, that would make a good article.” You’ll find yourself thinking, while out walking, biking, swimming, picnicking, shopping, driving, traveling, working, working out, sewing, gardening, speaking or ????? “Hey, I could write an article about that thought, observation, experience, etc.”

In my book, A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles, I suggest finding article ideas everywhere and in every experience. Here are the basics:

• Write about what you know. This might include your skills, hobbies, interests.
• Write about things you want to know.
• Share your experiences.
• Relate the experiences of others.
• Eaves drop—get ideas from the conversations you overhear.
• Pay attention to the world around you
• Keep up with the news
• Pay attention to trends

If you are interested in knowing more, I can flesh out these basics for you in upcoming blog posts. Of course, these are all explained with samples in the book, which is only $6.50 at my website, by the way. Sign up for my online article-writing course and get the book for free. Learn more about the course here: http://www.matilijapress.com/course_magarticles.htm

Tomorrow, I think I’ll give tips on how to create new articles from a single theme. And you know what? Those of you with books should pay attention, too, because article-writing is a great way to promote a nonfiction book.

Posted in Article-Writing, Book Promotion | No Comments »

The Query Letter—the Most Misunderstood Letter of All

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

Query letters are probably the most misunderstood of all the writing we are required to do as freelance writers or authors. That’s probably because most writers are artists—or lean in that direction. And a query letter is a marketing tool.

Most of the query letters I see from new writers are lacking in the very elements that are most needed in order to successfully pitch their projects. Newby writers tend to describe their article or book idea in as few words as possible while filling the rest of the one-page space with unnecessary information. A writer might say, for example, “Many children overeat and sit around too much. I propose an article that explains how I handle this problem.” Then she goes into the fact that she has enclosed a sample of her writing from the local PTA newsletter and enclosed a stamped envelope for a response and can be reached at blah, blah and that her aunt loves her writing.

What’s an editor going to do with that? Sure, it’s a good subject, but the editor needs to know, who is this person? Can she write on this topic? What angle is she going to take? Will she involve expert quotes? What sort of research has she done on this subject? Does she understand our editorial requirements? Is she accustomed to adhering to submission guidelines? Is she familiar with our magazine?

That editor receives way too many query letters—good ones and bad—to spend any time chasing down the answers to these questions. If they aren’t in the initial query letter, she will move on and continue looking through her stack of query letters until she finds one that looks promising. She’ll wade through maybe 150 letters that day (or more) in search of couple that give her the assurance she’s is seeking. What does she hope for?

• A familiar name.

• A proposal for a good topic with a great angle presented with clarity.

• Arguments as to why this is a good and timely topic.

• Statistics and expert comments showing the value of this idea.

• An indication that this writer knows his/her audience for this piece.

• Assurance that the writer is familiar with the magazine and the type of articles they use.

• Evidence that this writer can write this piece and will follow through. (Clips on similar topics from other magazines.)

I know, I know, it is impossible to prove yourself when you are just starting out. That’s why I often suggest to writers that they consider some of the smaller—maybe regional—publications before they knock on the doors of the majors. Make friends at this level. Become known. Prove your ability to produce as promised. Here’s where you can gain some credibility to flaunt in front of editors of the larger magazines.

When I suggest this, writers often say, “But I want to sell this great idea to AARP or Reader’s Digest or Family Circle.”

Do you know what I recommend? “Then save that idea.”

Yes, set the great idea that you believe has huge potential aside and come up with a whole bunch of other ideas you can write about in your quest to get your foot in the door—to build some credibility and to gain some experience.

I’ve told many people this–I made my living writing articles for magazines for many years and a whole lot of the magazines I wrote for few people had ever heard of.

Unfortunately, this concept totally stymies many new writers. They have this one idea and can’t seem to look beyond it. What you need to know, if you have your heart set on becoming a freelance article writer, is that your biggest job will be coming up with things to write about. It’s rare that an editor will give you an assignment—it happens, but it’s rare. Being an article-writer means that you come up with the idea, you locate the appropriate magazine, you put the right angle on the article and pitch it to the editor. And you do this over and over and over again.

For those of you who need help with ideas, my little book, A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles, has a great section on how to come up with article ideas. And it’s only $6.50 at my website (see below). How about if I devote tomorrow’s blog to this topic—how to come up with article ideas? I’d like to hear some of yours, as well.

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

Posted in Article-Writing, Query Letters | 3 Comments »

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