The Writer turns 125 this year. I wasn’t 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’t see much for the serious writer interested in writing for a living or the author. It appears, however, that The Writer has evolved over time to include useful articles and resources for all writers. Would you agree?
Which is your favorite writers’ magazine? Does anyone subscribe to Writer’s Digest? You are probably aware that Writer’s Journal quit last year. Those writers’ magazines left standing certainly have more competition than they did when I started writing for publication. How many writers’ and authors’ newsletters and enewsletters do you think are being circulated in 2012?
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 is free http://www.spawn.org. The SPAWN Market Update is posted in the member area each month for members only.
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!
I actually cut my writing teeth on Writer’s Digest (occasionally The Writer) 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—as 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—as 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.
Today, many of you wake up one morning and say, “I think I’ll write a book,” or you see an author being interviewed on TV and announce, “I could write a book!” I’ve 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’t know, and ask, “Why not me?” They wonder, “Why can’t I get published in my favorite magazine?” It might be an easy way to make a little money, right? Plus, they believe their idea is fresh, interesting and timely.
What they don’t understand is the big picture. They don’t even stop to consider it. When these hopeful writers come to me for help—sign up for my article-writing course, for example—some of them become disheartened to learn about the extreme competition and what it takes to rise above it. I hear them say often, “I didn’t know it would be so hard.”
Yes, it’s hard! The world of publishing has absolutely exploded with the advent of the personal computer and with advanced printing technology. It’s easy to write something. Now everyone also wants to be published in some form or another.
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’t all that hard these days. What is hard is becoming successful as a published author or a freelance writer—making any money—being recognized as a writer or an expert in your field through your writing. And it’s hard because of the competition.
I’m going to let you mull this over. I’ll continue tomorrow.
In the meantime, visit my websites: I am in the process of updating. I’ll 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 and Promote Your Book.