Okay, it’s resolution time. You’ve been a hopeful author or an aspiring freelance writer long enough. Now it’s time to fish or cut bait. (Excuse the cliché.) Is this the year that you will shift from would-be/wannabe published to happily, successfully published? What is your plan?
Here’s a concept: how about writing something that will sell and then actually submitting it? Can you handle the pressure? Can you overcome the fear of failure? Can you commit to an agenda that will facilitate your publishing dream? Let me help you get started on your path to publishing success.
Make the Time
1: Set a schedule and stick to it. Even if you can only eke out an extra hour each day, use that hour to develop your writing project.
2: Sacrifice something. Everyone is busy. But, if you’ll notice that you’re never too busy to do the things you really want to do. If you are serious about writing, make some sacrifices. If not, stop whining about lacking time to write. For example, give up clubbing on Friday nights, Desperate Housewives on TV and/or sleeping in until 7 or 8 every morning.
Get Started
3: Research the publishing avenue of your choice. If you want to break into magazines, study appropriate books, articles and blogs related to writing for magazines. For example, A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles http://www.matilijapress.com/writingpage.html Read some of my articles at: http://www.matilijapress.com/articles.htm#writing Sign up for my online article-writing course at http://www.matilijapress.com/course_magarticles.htm
If you want to write a book, read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html I recommend also using the Author’s Workbook. Customers tell me it is highly effective in guiding them through the writing and publishing process. http://www.matilijapress.com/workbook.html Also consider signing up for my online book proposal course, http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm and/or the self-publishing course, http://www.matilijapress.com/course_selfpub.htm
4: Study your particular topic/genre. Whether you’re writing articles, short stories or a book, you must have some sense of the market. Who publishes material on your topic/genre? What is already out there? What can you add that is new, different and needed? Before choosing a slant or focus for your piece, become familiar with your market. Rather than pushing ahead with your brilliant idea, make sure that there is a market. Many many authors and freelance writers can’t get a foot-in-the-door because they are too attached to how they want to present the material without giving a thought to what will actually sell.
5: Write a proposal. For an article, you need only write a query letter, but you want it to include the purpose, scope, slant and style for your proposed article, names of any experts you’ll interview or quote, number of words, something about you and your expertise in the topic/genre and your expected date of delivery.
For a book, write a book proposal, first and then approach the publisher with a well-written, succinct query letter. Learn how to write a book proposal by reading my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book (see link above). Let the companion Author’s Workbook (link above) walk you through the steps. Sign up for my online book proposal course and get one-on-one help writing your proposal. (See link above.) For help writing a query letter for a book, refer to The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. For help writing a query letter for an article, read A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles (see link above).
Note: For help fine-tuning and editing your book proposal, contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com. Learn more about my credentials at http://www.matilijapress.com/consulting.html
Write It
6: Now start writing your book or article. Freelance writers, wait until you receive an acceptance letter and then write the article. Too often, the editor will request a little different slant or word count or style than you have suggested.
Authors, you can start writing your book as soon as you complete your book proposal. In fact, you’ll be surprised how easily your book will go together after having written a book proposal.
7: Work with an appropriate editor. If you’re new to the world of magazine writing, it’s wise to hire someone who knows the business to look at your finished piece. Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com. Authors, please, PLEASE hire an editor who is familiar with book editing (not your child’s high school English teacher or the retired college professor down the street). Also make sure your editor knows something about your genre and/or subject matter. I work with authors in all stages of their projects and in many areas of interest. I also know other editors I can recommend for those projects that are outside my realm of expertise.
If you dream of being published, make this the year it actually happens. Follow the 7 steps I’ve outlined here which involve—scheduling time, making sacrifices, studying the industry, researching your market, writing a proposal (authors)/query letter (freelance writers), sitting down and writing the piece and working with an editor. Do you want it? You can have it. It’s entirely up to you.