Writing and Publishing News

According to my built-in MS thesaurus, freelance means “self-employed,” “temporary,” irregular,” “casual” and “ad hoc.” These terms describes freelance writing work fairly succinctly. The opposite word (or antonym) noted in my thesaurus is “permanent.” After 30+ years in this business, I can tell you that there is nothing permanent about freelance work, except for the constant need to promote oneself.

As a freelance writer, you may be busy one month and scrounging for work the next. There are no guarantees in this profession, just like there are no guarantees for the commercial fisherman, the restaurant owner, the building contractor, the real estate agent or anyone else who depends on certain circumstances for their wages. Many businesses ebb and flow according to the economy, the weather and world events, for example.

Most entrepreneurs, independent contractors and freelancers can take steps to secure their businesses in good times and bad. And this is true for writers. If you want to be a fulltime writer here’s what I suggest:

Don’t quit your day job until you’ve established adequate writing work or a regular clientele.

Determine what sort of wages you need. (If you focus on your needs in the beginning, you can always expand your services or your clientele, etc. in order to build the earnings you desire.)

Let’s say that you want to earn $25,000 the first year. You could, perhaps, generate $10,000 through magazine articles, $8,000 from corporate work (rewriting company manuals, writing letters, editing company newsletters and so forth) and $7,000 working with authors on their book projects. How would this look in real life?

That’s 25 articles per year (or 2 articles per month) at $400 each or 3 per month at around $275 per piece. It’s also around $660 worth of work each month for the corporate sector. Let’s say you rewrite one company manual at $1,250, create 5 brochures at around $2,500 and write 3 company newsletters per month at $300/month—that’s $7,350. And if you have the qualifications to work with clients, 5 authors needing proof work or a final edit, for example, plus a few clients with lesser requirements could add up to the $7,000 you need to meet your financial quota.

How does that compute into time spent on each project? An article will generally take you anywhere from an hour to a few days to complete. Add in the time you’ll spend soliciting article work and you’ll probably need 400 or 500 hours. As for soliciting and completing corporate work, add another 100 hours and for the work we outlined above, 100 hours (based on $50/hour). You’ll need to put in 140 hours with author clients. What’s the total number of hours you’ll need to achieve your $25,000/year? On paper, it comes out to around 840 hours. So you have 1,240 work hours leftover each year to build your business to the $50,000 level.

Of course, your success as a freelance writer depends quite heavily on your ability and willingness to get out there are solicit work–promote yourself and your business. This is an ongoing aspect to any sort of freelance work.

As I was computing the time elements above, I was struck by how different things are now as compared to when I started my writing business. I wrote for years using typewriters–first, a borrowed manual typewriter and later a snazzy new electric typewriter. Research work had to wait until the library was open. The only way to reach experts for an interview was by phone or mail. The work that I do in a few hours today would take me days or weeks back then.

I’d like to share a couple of great resources. Writing for Dollars has just completed two useful databases. They have a marvelous and FREE Guidelines Database which includes writers’ guidelines for a wide variety of magazines and other publications as well as book publishers. Check it out at http://www.writingfordollars.com/guidelines.db.cfm

They have also finished an Articles Database for writers and authors. You’ll find articles by Peter Bowerman of Well-Fed Writer fame, Hope C. Clark (Funds for Writers), Peggy Fielding (True Confessions author), Kelly James-Enger (Six-Figure Freelancing), Linda Perret, comedy writer and Patricia Fry (hey, that’s me!). They have 10 of my articles posted so far. Check this free database out at http://www.writingfordollars.com/articlesdb.cfm

Dana Cassell features one of my articles in the April edition of Freelance Writer’s Report. It’s on Book Promotion Tips (see page 5). Brian Jud’s April newsletter introduces me (Patricia Fry) as guest columnist. Subscribe to Jud’s Special-Sales Newsletter at http://www.bookmarketing.com

My piece focuses on stepping outside your promotional comfort zone.

We’re leaving our home and cats in the care of house/petsitters today as we leave on our 11 day trip. Remember, I’ll be conducting a book proposal seminar at the Hilton Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia this Saturday morning (March 29, 2008) 9-12 and I’m speaking on 2 secrets to publishing success at 2 at the Hilton. I’ll also be speaking to Nashville writers at Borders West End in Nashville, Monday, March 31 at 7: p.m.

I will be blogging while traveling, but probably not with the regularity you’ve come to expect. In fact, I know that there are many of you who hope to earn a living through your book or line of books. At my next opportunity, I plan to outline the possibilities for your success. Yes, I’ll include figures and timelines.

By the way, if you are interested in establishing a freelance writing business, you definitely need to know more about publishing, editing, article-writing, etc. Please order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Do you ever jot down an article, story or blog idea and then can’t figure out why?

I’m a great note-taker. If an idea comes to me while I’m involved with a client or in another project, I write that idea down. I typically hope to use it in my blog or, perhaps, as a base for an article. But often, when I take another look at my note later, it means nothing to me.

It’s not like that Seinfeld episode where Jerry wakes up in the night, jots an idea for a joke down on a pad next to his bed and then can’t read his writing in the morning. I can read the writing. I just can’t figure out why I wrote it.

Do other writers do this? Here are a couple of recent notes I’ve made and ended up tossing: “Go back to roots of writing.” What does this mean? What did I have in mind when I wrote this? I don’t know. Here’s one—“Ignorance can be an asset.” How about this one—“Writing in the dungeon.” What was I going to do with that idea?

Since my blog idea didn’t pan out for today and since my mind is on laundry and packing for our trip AND since the weather is much too pretty to sit inside at the computer, I’m going to let myself off easy today. Since this entry lacks substance, let me suggest that you go back—way back—into my blog archives and enjoy some of my former blog entries.

If you want to know more about me, my work and my books, visit my website at: http://www.matilijapress.com

March is the month that is supposed to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. Certainly, the lion has been active this month with flooding, tornadoes and violent snow storms tearing through parts of the country. Here in Southern California, we’ve seen more of the lamb. Except for some strong winds whipping things up, it has remained fairly calm and warm.

A writing career can have its lions and lambs, as well. While, for most freelance writers and authors, the lamb is most prevalent, the lion does roar on occasion. It is difficult to concentrate on writing work when you’re suffering an illness or injury, when there is emotional trauma in your life, when you’re distracted by things outside of yourself. It takes a monumental event to dissuade dedicated writers from writing, but some writers seem to use any excuse not to write.

Try writing in the emotional vein of your story while mourning the recent death of a loved one, while involved in intense testing for a job or credentials or while working 12 hours per day in a left brain job, for example. Your writing will, most likely, be affected. Even though, you know you’ll eventually get back on track, it can be disheartening to watch yourself struggle while trying to write a simple sentence. Be kind to yourself. It happens. And it’s probably only a temporary setback.

On the other hand, if there’s no good reason why you aren’t doing the writing you say you want to do, take steps to remedy the situation. If you want to write, but aren’t writing, I have an article that might help. It’s called, What Keeps You From Writing? If you’d like a copy, email me at PLFry620@yahoo.com and put the title of the article in the Subject Line: What Keeps You From Writing?

The orders are rolling in for The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and the Author’s Workbook. The awesome reviews, word of mouth and my promo work are certainly enticing hopeful and struggling authors to order this book combo at the special price of $28.00 plus tax (CA residents) and shipping. And I’m receiving wonderful comments from those authors. Read some of their testimonials at my site http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html After reading about the book, scroll down. The testimonials are on the left. Order buttons are at the bottom.

The process of writing can be daunting, difficult, gut wrenching or it can be joyful and pleasant. Writing is sometimes a release—it helps us to become free of our demons. Other times, it awakens within us, monsters that we would rather let sleep.

We each write for different reasons and we tackle various writing projects with varying motives. While some writers seek solace in their words, others create havoc with theirs.

The writing process isn’t always what we expect it to be. Sometimes an attempt to learn about oneself through the simple practice of writing can turn into a lesson in horror as the ugly truths begin to unfold. For some, the process of writing the story they’ve been tracking or living for years turns out to be, not a labor of love, but a most distasteful experience. The telling of the story, the research, the gathering of information, the dream of eventually writing the book is what keeps this potential writer going. But sitting down and actually doing the writing turns out to be anticlimactic—the enthusiasm and excitement are gone.

Some hopeful authors never finish their books because the story they want to tell becomes too painful to relive. Others discover that they don’t have the skill to write. Far too many write their books, anyway.

Where do you fit into the scheme of things? Are you like me and you can’t not write? Or are you experiencing emotional and/or mental pain at the thought of or when attempting to write?

Certainly, writing isn’t for everyone. Just because we learned to express ourselves through writing doesn’t mean that we can write eloquently enough to delight readers or clearly enough to teach/inform readers or interestingly enough to hold a reader’s attention. And if you don’t enjoy the process of writing—if you just can’t make yourself sit down and do it, even though you think this is what you want to do, probably you should avoid this profession. Tell your story instead of writing it. Hire a ghost writer, if you really want the story in book form. And know that it is okay not to write. Not everyone is meant to write and those who aren’t, shouldn’t.

If you have a writer’s heart and soul and you want to write a book, be sure to read Patricia Fry’s 5-star book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html And order the Author’s Workbook, too.

I guess all authors, if they live long enough, must occasionally kill off one of their books. Well, yesterday, I put one of my books to rest.

After 25 years of producing and distributing my 360-page comprehensive history, The Ojai Valley, An Illustrated History, I have decided not to do a reprint. I made my last deliveries to local outlets and I will sell the remaining few copies via my website: http://www.matilijapress.com/historypage.html

It’s not something we think much about, but a book certainly has a lifespan. Books produced by publishers live for as long as they are selling and then they are forced out of print. Sometimes this occurs within a matter of a year or less. Self published authors can keep their books alive for as long as they are willing to promote them.

The Ojai Valley, An Illustrated History was my first self-publishing venture. It didn’t start out that way. I had a local publisher interested in producing this book. But when I decided that I wanted to create a book for tourists and locals, he bowed out. He was all about getting that tourist buck. I wanted to offer something to the community, as well. With the help of a friend who knew a little about publishing. I established Matilija Press. That was in 1983.

I remember the day the book became available for sale—it was hot off the press. I’d done some promo prior to its arrival and had hundreds of copies sold even before it was a book. My husband, our daughters and I spent several days delivering stationwagon loads of books to locals who had pre-ordered copies.

We purchased our first answering machine to take all of the orders that were coming in day and night. I was an instant celebrity in town. Everywhere I went, people congratulated me, talked on and on about how much they loved the book and ordered copies right there on the street or in the restaurant or grocery store. And my celebrity status continued for years. Folks, if you ever want to experience fame, write a comprehensive local history.

I created the original version of The Ojai Valley, An Illustrated History on an electric typewriter. When we decided to do a second edition in 1999, I hired someone to type the entire book into a computer so I could revise it and commit it to a disk for publication.

The Ojai Valley, An Illustrated History is still mandatory reading for docents at the Ojai Museum. It is the first responder to historical questions at Ojai City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce and the Ojai Library. It is used in local schools. Because of this book and the 5 years I spent researching local history, I was invited to serve on the Ojai Historic Preservation Commission, which I did for about 12 years. I’ve delivered speeches on local history for just about every organization in town—Rotary, Kiwanis, Ojai Historical Society, Retired Businessmen’s club and others. I’ve participated in many events and at many venues, Ojai Day celebrations, Our Town series at the Ojai Museum, Ojai Art Center, Ojai Ranger Station and in the Nordhoff Cemetery, for example. I have given historical walking tours of the city and I’ve been the tour guide for Ojai Day on our charming trolley and on large tour buses for Elder Hostel groups and others.

This book is in many prestigious colleges, libraries and other institutions across the states, including Yale, Pasadena College, Toledo Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Library system and the huge genealogy library in Salt Lake City.

The Ojai book has taken me many places and introduced me to many interesting people during the research process as well as over those 25 years of distribution and promotion. It has been a good ride and I will miss this old friend.

Although, I wonder, do books, in this day and age, really die? When I do a Google search for my first book, Hints for the Backyard Rider, (A.S. Barnes, 1978), which has been out of print for years, it’s easy to find copies for sale. So I’m sure that there will be book dealers finding and selling copies of the Ojai book even after I call it quits.

Maybe I haven’t killed my books, after all. Perhaps, my decision not to reprint, has given this book a new life as a used book.