Are you using article or story submissions to build on your platform and/or to bring attention to your published book? If you plan to come out with a book within the next few years, this is a good time to start. If you have a book that you are promoting, it is never too late to start.
Why write articles and submit short stories when all you really want to do is to get your book published or sell more copies of your published book? Because this is one really good way to become known to a wider segment of your audience in your topic or genre. It’s a way of gaining credibility with your potential readers.
People who happen across your articles in magazines and newsletters related to the theme of your book will be more interested in purchasing your book. Those who are accustomed to reading your wonderful stories in their favorite literary magazines, for example, will likely go out in search of your novel.
As you may know (or sense) writing short stories and articles for publication is a whole different profession requiring different tools, skills, rules and timing than does writing/publishing a book. You might want to read some of my articles on article-writing to get up to speed: http://www.matilijapress.com/articlespublishing.htm
Order a copy of my book, “A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles.” It’s $6.50. http://www.matilijapress.com/writingpage.html
Read past blog posts here related to article/story-writing. Use the search feature.
You’ll also find information about article-writing in my books, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and my latest one, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. http://www.matilijapress.com
Basically, you are going to:
• Locate publications related to the theme or genre of your book. Use Writer’s Market. Do an Internet search. Visit a newsstand or your local mega bookstore and scour their magazine rack.
• Study each magazine or newsletter from cover to cover (these might be print or online publications).
• Go to each appropriate magazine’s website and print out their submission guidelines.
• Dig into your stockpile of stories and articles—or write new ones—to fit the requirements of the magazine or newsletter you want to approach.
• Following the submission guidelines, submit your material. The editors may require a query letter first (often for articles) or they might want to receive the completed piece (typical for fiction).
Submit many articles/stories to scads of appropriate publications and include your bio at the end of each one. I might write in my bio for a piece on publishing or book promotion, “Patricia Fry is the author of 34 published books and the executive director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). Her latest book is Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author (Allworth Press, 2011).
http://www.matilijapress.com/promoteyourbook.html
Become known in your field or genre even before you become a published author by submitting your articles or stories to the publications your audience reads. You’ll find that name recognition will go a long way toward selling copies of your book now and in the future.