The following tip on self-publishing an e-book is from http://www.u-publish.com,
the Web site named for the compact guide to self-publishing and promoting books by Dan Poynter and Danny O. Snow.
I get their free e-newsletters and so should you. Go to their Web site to subscribe or
Subscribe at:news-request@u-publish.com
Subject=subscribe
Newsletter Excerpt:
===> Lead Story: e-Books going wild?Recent developments in e-publishing suggest that the growth of e-Books seen in 2008 - 2009 continues to gain momentum. Consider these recent reports:Amazon has started selling the Kindle in Europe. There are reportedly now more than 3 million Kindles in use, and growing.The iPhone and iPod Touch jointly boast more than 50 MILLION users. In October 2009, the Apple "Apps Store" reported more downloads of book-related items than game-related items for the first time. Rivalsmartphones like the G3-Android and the Palm Pre will add millions moreusers, hungry for content to download, in 2010. Smashwords.com has announced new deals that will let its users sell theirbooks at Fictionwise.com (a Barnes & Noble property) and Amazon, although for now they lack copy protection. Lulu.com now allows users to upload EPUB files (as well as Word files, PDFfiles and other formats) then sell COPY-PROTECTED e-Books in Adobe DigitalEditions format from their site. For now, Adobe Digital Editions with copyprotection won't run on the iPhone, but...
###
If you want my free e-book on "How to Get Published," visit the button to your right where it is available for downloading.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Networking to Get Published/Get a Job
I haven't been posting lately because I've been busy networking--telling everyone I know that my husband and his entire department are being laid off. While my husband is busy e-mailing his colleagues from over the years, I'm busy posting his resume on my Web site, resume sites and asking everyone I know that if they know anyone in the pharmaceutical industry, to please let us know. I've been surprised by some of the contacts that some of my friends have. This is also a great way to get published. Tell everyone you know that you have a story about "x,y,z" and that you'd like to know of any Web sites, magazines, newspapers, etc., that might be interested. You'll be surprised by the responses you'll get. That is how I got my first couple of stories published.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Famous: Tip #11--Approach Program Coordinators
When speaking to a program coordinator, it never hurts to ask, "Do you usually pay an honorarium?" Although they may have been hoping to save their budgeted funds for other events, your question will prompt them to consider it.
Program coordinators are willing to take a chance on you as a public speaker if they can sample your lecturing style. One program coordinator was kind eneogh to tape my lecture on "How to Get Published," edit it down and post on Youtube. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OjTb4sSaf8
See my tips on getting published in my free e-book listed under the buttons to the right.
Program coordinators are willing to take a chance on you as a public speaker if they can sample your lecturing style. One program coordinator was kind eneogh to tape my lecture on "How to Get Published," edit it down and post on Youtube. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OjTb4sSaf8
See my tips on getting published in my free e-book listed under the buttons to the right.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Famous: Tip# 10--Become a Public Speaker
Your potential publisher wants to know that you'll promote your books. Aside for online social networking, you need to get out from behind your computer and make yourself available as a public speaker. Ask libraries, bookstores, colleges, clubs, etc., if their group would like you to share your story or your expertise on a particular subject. At first I didn't charge, which made me a very appealing speaker. Soon I was getting so many invitations to speak that I began charging (only two of my talks are free, the rest I charge for unless it's for a club that I'm personally involved with). Program coordinators like to see exactly what you're available to speak on and your rates before they begin seriously considering you. I narrowed my topics to a one page flyer (see:http://myweb.ecomplanet.com/SAUN6703//Talkswithphotoandcontact.doc) and let them know that my rates are based on locations within 20 miles of my home in Suffern, N.Y., and that I'm negotiable for further distances:
“Writer’s Open Mike” (No charge)*
The first 20 writers to sign-in prior to the start time can read their work for up to five minutes. All genres are welcome including memoirs, fiction, essays, poetry, screenplays, etc. Writers will have a chance to network and authors will be permitted to sell their books. The event is coordinated by Lisa Saunders, writer for the State University of New York at Rockland and author of several articles and books, including the free e-book, How to Get Published. See her work at: www.authorlisasaunders.com
“Avoid Infections That Attack Unborn Babies” (No charge)*
The "kitty litter" virus isn't the only infection that pregnant women need to guard against. Learn the blood tests to ask for and how to protect unborn children from a variety of diseases including the #1 viral cause of birth defects--congenital CMV (cytomegalovirus), which causes more disabilities than Down syndrome. Few women have heard of it and half of OB/GYN's surveyed admitted they don't warn their patients about it. Presenter Lisa Saunders, Congenital CMV Foundation parent representative and author of Anything But a Dog! The perfect pet for a girl with congenital CMV, didn’t know about CMV prevention until her daughter, Elizabeth, was born disabled by the virus in 1989. Saunders will also discuss the other infections listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as hazards for pregnant women. See her work to stop CMV, as well as the work of doctors and other parents, at: http://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com
(CDC’s list of infections and precautions: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pregnancy_gateway/infection.htm)
“How to Get Published” ($150)*
Author Lisa Saunders will cover the publishing process for articles, memoirs, children’s fiction and adult non-fiction. She will discuss finding an agent, publisher, or self-publishing, and writing query letters, book proposals, and building an audience through Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Her free e-book, How to Get Published, is available on: http://howtogetthinandfamous.blogspot.com/
“Ever True: A Union Private and His Wife” (Talk: $150; Play $250)*
Charles McDowell married Nancy when she was 15 years old. Enlisting as a private in the New York 9th Heavy Artillery, he asked Nancy, then 17, to save his letters. Despite his grueling battles and marches, he was able to save hers as well. Together their letters include tales of desertions, hangings, prostitutes, venereal disease, bullets, typhoid fever, lying injured on the battlefield for days, and “clever women.” Lisa Saunders will either tell the “back story” to compiling the letters for her book, EVER TRUE: A Union Private and His Wife, or she can present the three-cast play. Visit: http://www.authorlisasaunders.com/
Children’s Workshop: “Ride a Horse, Not an Elevator” ($150)*
Author Lisa Saunders will present Cornell University’s 4-H program, “Horse Book in a Bucket,” which includes information on horses and her novel, Ride a Horse, Not an Elevator. Lisa will cover the process of writing and her experiences as a New York City girl living on the 16th floor and visiting her grandparents’ farm in upstate New York. Visit: http://rideahorsenotanelevator.blogspot.com
Lisa Saunders
saundersbooks@aol.com
Lisa Saunders is a writer for the State University of New York at Rockland, a member of its Speakers Bureau and the Congenital CMV Foundation parent rep. She is the author of the humorous book, Anything But A Dog! (true story about homeless canine and her daughter disabled by CMV); children's novel, Ride a Horse, Not an Elevator; book and play, Ever True: A Union Private and His Wife and FREE e-book, How to Get PublishedWeb: http://www.authorlisasaunders.com/Blog: "How to Get Thin and Famous (or at least published!)"
“Writer’s Open Mike” (No charge)*
The first 20 writers to sign-in prior to the start time can read their work for up to five minutes. All genres are welcome including memoirs, fiction, essays, poetry, screenplays, etc. Writers will have a chance to network and authors will be permitted to sell their books. The event is coordinated by Lisa Saunders, writer for the State University of New York at Rockland and author of several articles and books, including the free e-book, How to Get Published. See her work at: www.authorlisasaunders.com
“Avoid Infections That Attack Unborn Babies” (No charge)*
The "kitty litter" virus isn't the only infection that pregnant women need to guard against. Learn the blood tests to ask for and how to protect unborn children from a variety of diseases including the #1 viral cause of birth defects--congenital CMV (cytomegalovirus), which causes more disabilities than Down syndrome. Few women have heard of it and half of OB/GYN's surveyed admitted they don't warn their patients about it. Presenter Lisa Saunders, Congenital CMV Foundation parent representative and author of Anything But a Dog! The perfect pet for a girl with congenital CMV, didn’t know about CMV prevention until her daughter, Elizabeth, was born disabled by the virus in 1989. Saunders will also discuss the other infections listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as hazards for pregnant women. See her work to stop CMV, as well as the work of doctors and other parents, at: http://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com
(CDC’s list of infections and precautions: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pregnancy_gateway/infection.htm)
“How to Get Published” ($150)*
Author Lisa Saunders will cover the publishing process for articles, memoirs, children’s fiction and adult non-fiction. She will discuss finding an agent, publisher, or self-publishing, and writing query letters, book proposals, and building an audience through Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Her free e-book, How to Get Published, is available on: http://howtogetthinandfamous.blogspot.com/
“Ever True: A Union Private and His Wife” (Talk: $150; Play $250)*
Charles McDowell married Nancy when she was 15 years old. Enlisting as a private in the New York 9th Heavy Artillery, he asked Nancy, then 17, to save his letters. Despite his grueling battles and marches, he was able to save hers as well. Together their letters include tales of desertions, hangings, prostitutes, venereal disease, bullets, typhoid fever, lying injured on the battlefield for days, and “clever women.” Lisa Saunders will either tell the “back story” to compiling the letters for her book, EVER TRUE: A Union Private and His Wife, or she can present the three-cast play. Visit: http://www.authorlisasaunders.com/
Children’s Workshop: “Ride a Horse, Not an Elevator” ($150)*
Author Lisa Saunders will present Cornell University’s 4-H program, “Horse Book in a Bucket,” which includes information on horses and her novel, Ride a Horse, Not an Elevator. Lisa will cover the process of writing and her experiences as a New York City girl living on the 16th floor and visiting her grandparents’ farm in upstate New York. Visit: http://rideahorsenotanelevator.blogspot.com
Lisa Saunders
saundersbooks@aol.com
Lisa Saunders is a writer for the State University of New York at Rockland, a member of its Speakers Bureau and the Congenital CMV Foundation parent rep. She is the author of the humorous book, Anything But A Dog! (true story about homeless canine and her daughter disabled by CMV); children's novel, Ride a Horse, Not an Elevator; book and play, Ever True: A Union Private and His Wife and FREE e-book, How to Get PublishedWeb: http://www.authorlisasaunders.com/Blog: "How to Get Thin and Famous (or at least published!)"
Saturday, October 17, 2009
How to Get Articles Then Books Published | eHow.com
I posted the following article on e.how.com. That is a great way to build and audience.
How to Get Articles Then Books Published eHow.com
If you're just starting out, you might as well know the truth now--you have to be "famous" (at least well-known) to get published by a major publisher. At the very least, the magazine or book publisher needs to know you personally or know your best friend personally to consider your manuscript. It is difficult to convince them to take a chance on an unknown unless you have unique credentials to cover a topic that fits in with their general themes. One intern at a major, glossy magazine finally told me what I always suspected, "We never read unsolicited manuscripts."So, if you're not famous, or somehow "in" with a major publisher, you'll have to start with a small one. Follow these steps to work your way up to national magazines and book publishers:
Step 1
Build your portfolio by offering a story for free:
I finally began earning money as a freelance writer when I called a local magazine and offered them a story I did on a friend who beat the Guinness World Record time for paddling down the Mississippi River. The editor replied, "That sounds very interesting, but we have a limited budget and won't be able to pay you." I assured him that was fine. I just needed to get my foot in the door. The editor later assigned articles that paid. From there, other editors read my articles in the magazine and began calling me.
Step 2
Contact editors by name at national magazines:
It's almost pointless to send a query letter to an editor without addressing it directly to them. I find up-to-date contact information by sitting on the floor of bookstores and libraries and skimming through magazines looking for the names of the current editors, or I call publishers to find out who the submissions editor is.
Step 3
Write a query letter that proves to the editor you know their magazine:
The query letter introduces you and your work to a publisher. I've had the most luck when I begin the letter commenting on an article or book they've published or by launching right into my story. For example, one successful query letter began: "Inevitably, most kids ask for a dog. And who can blame them? Dogs like Lassie adore you, keep you warm when you're caught in a blizzard and drag you out of burning buildings when you're unconscious. But by the time we’re adults, we’ve learned the truth: dogs urinate on your new wall-to-wall carpets; dig holes in your leather recliners to hide their rawhide bones, and bite your neighbor’s kid."
Step 4
Learn how to use a digital camera:
Magazines and newspapers need images to make their pages come alive. I always offer to provide the photographs or image myself. In one case, for a historical piece, I told the publisher they'd find the ideal image to go along with Shays' Rebellion in the New York Public Library image database.
Step 5
Get out from behind your computer and network:
Meeting people in the industry is important. You can't spend all your time behind your computer and expect to be "discovered." Attending a writer's conference or taking a writing class improves your chances finding work. My journalism instructor at the community college helped me find work at her newspaper.
Step 6
Give readers topics they want--but stay true to your voice:
Only when you have developed an audience can you can branch out and truly say what you want to say. When it came time to write the humorous account of how a homeless dog found his way onto my disabled daughter's couch, I wanted to find a publisher first before finishing my harrowing search for just the right pet. Having learned that I needed to think about what publishers are looking for, I analyzed the market, including who my "readers" already were and who I thought they would be, and wrote a book proposal for my memoir, "Anything But a Dog!" The book proposal worked and "Anything But a Dog!", which is truly my "voice" telling the story I wanted to tell, found a publisher.
Extra Tip
If you are writing a non-fiction book, you'll need to learn how to write a book proposal--publishers want to see those before you submit your entire manuscript. My book proposal for "Anything But a Dog! The perfect pet for a girl with congenital CMV (cytomegalovirus)" is available for viewing on my blog, "How to Get Thin and Famous (or at least published!) at: http://howtogetthinandfamous.blogspot.com/
My book proposal incluces marketing ideas that you'll need for your fiction or non-fiction:
Excerpt of Book Proposal that secured a publisher for my memoir, "Anything But a Dog!"
Link to my e-how article:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5531986_articles-then-books-published.html?shared=true
How to Get Articles Then Books Published eHow.com
If you're just starting out, you might as well know the truth now--you have to be "famous" (at least well-known) to get published by a major publisher. At the very least, the magazine or book publisher needs to know you personally or know your best friend personally to consider your manuscript. It is difficult to convince them to take a chance on an unknown unless you have unique credentials to cover a topic that fits in with their general themes. One intern at a major, glossy magazine finally told me what I always suspected, "We never read unsolicited manuscripts."So, if you're not famous, or somehow "in" with a major publisher, you'll have to start with a small one. Follow these steps to work your way up to national magazines and book publishers:
Step 1
Build your portfolio by offering a story for free:
I finally began earning money as a freelance writer when I called a local magazine and offered them a story I did on a friend who beat the Guinness World Record time for paddling down the Mississippi River. The editor replied, "That sounds very interesting, but we have a limited budget and won't be able to pay you." I assured him that was fine. I just needed to get my foot in the door. The editor later assigned articles that paid. From there, other editors read my articles in the magazine and began calling me.
Step 2
Contact editors by name at national magazines:
It's almost pointless to send a query letter to an editor without addressing it directly to them. I find up-to-date contact information by sitting on the floor of bookstores and libraries and skimming through magazines looking for the names of the current editors, or I call publishers to find out who the submissions editor is.
Step 3
Write a query letter that proves to the editor you know their magazine:
The query letter introduces you and your work to a publisher. I've had the most luck when I begin the letter commenting on an article or book they've published or by launching right into my story. For example, one successful query letter began: "Inevitably, most kids ask for a dog. And who can blame them? Dogs like Lassie adore you, keep you warm when you're caught in a blizzard and drag you out of burning buildings when you're unconscious. But by the time we’re adults, we’ve learned the truth: dogs urinate on your new wall-to-wall carpets; dig holes in your leather recliners to hide their rawhide bones, and bite your neighbor’s kid."
Step 4
Learn how to use a digital camera:
Magazines and newspapers need images to make their pages come alive. I always offer to provide the photographs or image myself. In one case, for a historical piece, I told the publisher they'd find the ideal image to go along with Shays' Rebellion in the New York Public Library image database.
Step 5
Get out from behind your computer and network:
Meeting people in the industry is important. You can't spend all your time behind your computer and expect to be "discovered." Attending a writer's conference or taking a writing class improves your chances finding work. My journalism instructor at the community college helped me find work at her newspaper.
Step 6
Give readers topics they want--but stay true to your voice:
Only when you have developed an audience can you can branch out and truly say what you want to say. When it came time to write the humorous account of how a homeless dog found his way onto my disabled daughter's couch, I wanted to find a publisher first before finishing my harrowing search for just the right pet. Having learned that I needed to think about what publishers are looking for, I analyzed the market, including who my "readers" already were and who I thought they would be, and wrote a book proposal for my memoir, "Anything But a Dog!" The book proposal worked and "Anything But a Dog!", which is truly my "voice" telling the story I wanted to tell, found a publisher.
Extra Tip
If you are writing a non-fiction book, you'll need to learn how to write a book proposal--publishers want to see those before you submit your entire manuscript. My book proposal for "Anything But a Dog! The perfect pet for a girl with congenital CMV (cytomegalovirus)" is available for viewing on my blog, "How to Get Thin and Famous (or at least published!) at: http://howtogetthinandfamous.blogspot.com/
My book proposal incluces marketing ideas that you'll need for your fiction or non-fiction:
Excerpt of Book Proposal that secured a publisher for my memoir, "Anything But a Dog!"
Link to my e-how article:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5531986_articles-then-books-published.html?shared=true
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Famous: Tip #9--Post Articles on Web
Lately I've been coming up with stories to post on Web sites. I've been going through the procedure of getting articles published on ezinearticles and now on
ehow, which actually pays you (I think if people click on the ads on the page).
You can see my first "How To" article published on ehow at:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5527883_stop-birth-defects-virus.html
If you want to read my free "How to Get Published" e-book, look to the buttons on the right. My book proposal is also listed on the right if any of you have a non-fiction book you are writing.
ehow, which actually pays you (I think if people click on the ads on the page).
You can see my first "How To" article published on ehow at:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5527883_stop-birth-defects-virus.html
If you want to read my free "How to Get Published" e-book, look to the buttons on the right. My book proposal is also listed on the right if any of you have a non-fiction book you are writing.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Published: Tip #13--8 Tips For Getting Articles Then Books Published
How to Get Published
If you're just starting out, you might as well know the truth now--you have to be "famous" (at least well-known) to get published by a major publisher. Unfortunately, I'm not kidding. (Don't believe me? Then how did Paris Hilton's dog Tinkerbell get published?) At the very least, the publisher needs to know you personally or know your best friend personally to consider your manuscript. It is difficult to convince them to take a chance on an unknown unless you have unique credentials to cover a topic that fits in with their general themes. One intern at a major, glossy magazine finally told me what I always suspected, "We never read unsolicited manuscripts."
If you want to get paid (or at least read by more than your mother), then you need to find a way to start writing about topics of interest to readers. Once editors and readers get to know and trust you, then you can start branching out with your own personal stories.
If you have a message that will inspire, make your readers smile, or teach them a truth that can change their lives, then you need to know how to get published with the least amount of wasted time and money.
Here's how:
1. Build your portfolio--local newspapers and magazines WANT to print your words
The easiest way to get your thoughts into print and begin gathering "your" audience, is to submit letters to the editor (don't forget to include your hometown when you do) and to submit stories to those free weekly newspapers and monthly magazines you see lying around. They are short staffed and welcome free stories with a good photo or illustration (thoroughly caption your image and only send them work that won't violate anyone's copyright).
2. Call local editors directly, offering a story for free
I finally began earning money as a freelance writer when I called a Rockland County magazine offering them a story I did on a friend in the area who beat the Guinness World Record time for paddling down the Mississippi River. The editor replied, "That sounds very interesting, but we have a limited budget and won't be able to pay you." I assured him that was fine. I just needed to get my foot in the door.
That article lead to my very first assignment (though still unpaid) from the magazine: "Will you go to Nyack and find people to discuss Russell Crowe's stay there while he's working on his current film in New York City?" I have to admit, it was a bit exciting to walk into bars with a reporter's notebook and pen and ask around if anyone had seen Russell Crowe. After uncovering a few "Russell Crowe" sightings, the magazine offered me the chance to write the cover story, "The 7 Wonders of Rockland," and I was to be paid! The response to the story was great--not only did people call the magazine asking for several copies to use as a sightseeing guide, but a local developer contacted me with an offer to write about the towns where they were building. They paid my expenses to sleep in a bed & breakfast and eat in fancy restaurants in order to review them. They also paid for my husband Jim's expenses in exchange for digital photographs of our travels.
Although this magazine and developer were paying me to write on a specific topic, I was still able to share my personal insights and "voice" within. The local magazine went on to hire me to write reviews of hair salons (thus I got a free haircut from a lady who styles the heads of celebrities), and other places in my area.
3. Contact editors by name at national magazines
It's almost pointless to send a query letter to an editor without addressing it directly to them. You can find an editor's name by flipping through the pages of the big general books like the "Writer's Market" and "Literary Market Place," which are probably available at your library or local bookstore. I've always found my updated contact information by sitting on the floor of bookstores and libraries and skimming through magazines looking for the current editors, or I call publishers to find out who the submissions editor is.
4. Write a query letter that grabs their interest right away
The next step is the query letter, which introduces you and your work to a publisher. I've had the most luck when I begin the letter letting them know I've read their publication or I simply jump right into my story, hoping to catch their interest in the first sentence. For example, this query letter landed me a publisher for my memoir, "Anything But a Dog!" It began: "Inevitably, most kids ask for a dog. And who can blame them? Dogs like Lassie adore you, keep you warm when you're caught in a blizzard and drag you out of burning buildings when you're unconscious. But by the time we're adults, we've learned the truth: dogs urinate on your new wall-to-wall carpets; dig holes in your leather recliners to hide their rawhide bones, and bite your neighbor's kid. So when my seven-year-old daughter Jackie asked for a dog, I said no. Our younger daughter Elizabeth was disabled and wouldn't be able to protect herself from a frisky animal. But I did make Jackie a promise: 'If God brings a dog to our doorstep, you can have it.' In the meantime, I offered her a hamster..."
5. Learn how to use a digital camera
Magazines and newspapers need images to make their pages come alive--and many have had to lay off their photographers. Offer to provide images with your story, and if that's not possible, suggest in your query letter an image they might want to consider. In my historical story, "The Hanging of Henry Gale," I wrote to the magazine: "After reading the article about the Revolutionary War in your June issue, I thought you'd be interested in my story, 'The Hanging of Henry Gale.' My ancestor Henry Gale was a captain in the war who later became a leader in Shays' Rebellion. He was found guilty of treason and sentenced to hang. I can submit a photo of his headstone and suggest an illustration of Shays' Rebellion from the New York Public Library image database."
6. Get out from behind your computer and network
Meeting people in the industry is important. You'll never be "discovered" spending all of your time at a desk. Attending a writer's conference or taking a writing class improves your chances of finding work. At 45 years of age, I finally took my first writing class at Rockland Community College--Introduction to Journalism. Not only did I finally learn that periods should be placed before the end quotation mark, but the instructor was a copy editor who helped get my work published in her newspaper. I also joined the 18-19 year-old student staff of the College paper and learned how write and edit for that. When the College had an opening for a writer in their Camus Communications Department, I was offered the job.
7. Give readers what they want--but stay true to your voice
Why do you need to please your editors/readers first when starting out as a freelance writer? Only when you have developed an audience can you can branch out and truly say what you want to say.
When it came time to write the humorous account of how a homeless dog found his way onto my disabled daughter's couch, I wanted to secure a publisher before spending the time finishing the manuscript. So, I wrote a book proposal (required when seeking a publisher for non-fiction), sharing my harrowing search for just the right pet and analyzing the market, stating who my "readers" already were and who I thought would also be interested in my story. My query letter interested a few agents and publishers enough to ask for my book proposal. One publisher liked the proposal, so we signed a contract and "Anything But a Dog!" was published.
8. Write from your soul.
When you write, write from your heart--really share your soul. Don't write what everyone else is writing. If you lay your heart bare, your readers may just find a kindred spirit in you.
Lisa Saunders, Website: http://www.authorlisasaunders.com.
Author of the books, "Anything But a Dog!"; "Ever True: A Union Private and His Wife" (also a play); "Ride a Horse, Not an Elevator" and the free e-book, "How to Get Published." I am a full-time writer for the State University of New York at Rockland, a member of its Speakers Bureau, the parent representative for the Congenital CMV Foundation and a STOP CMV area representative. My books are available through me, from the publisher, or through Amazon.com. See links to my books on the buttons to your right.
If you're just starting out, you might as well know the truth now--you have to be "famous" (at least well-known) to get published by a major publisher. Unfortunately, I'm not kidding. (Don't believe me? Then how did Paris Hilton's dog Tinkerbell get published?) At the very least, the publisher needs to know you personally or know your best friend personally to consider your manuscript. It is difficult to convince them to take a chance on an unknown unless you have unique credentials to cover a topic that fits in with their general themes. One intern at a major, glossy magazine finally told me what I always suspected, "We never read unsolicited manuscripts."
If you want to get paid (or at least read by more than your mother), then you need to find a way to start writing about topics of interest to readers. Once editors and readers get to know and trust you, then you can start branching out with your own personal stories.
If you have a message that will inspire, make your readers smile, or teach them a truth that can change their lives, then you need to know how to get published with the least amount of wasted time and money.
Here's how:
1. Build your portfolio--local newspapers and magazines WANT to print your words
The easiest way to get your thoughts into print and begin gathering "your" audience, is to submit letters to the editor (don't forget to include your hometown when you do) and to submit stories to those free weekly newspapers and monthly magazines you see lying around. They are short staffed and welcome free stories with a good photo or illustration (thoroughly caption your image and only send them work that won't violate anyone's copyright).
2. Call local editors directly, offering a story for free
I finally began earning money as a freelance writer when I called a Rockland County magazine offering them a story I did on a friend in the area who beat the Guinness World Record time for paddling down the Mississippi River. The editor replied, "That sounds very interesting, but we have a limited budget and won't be able to pay you." I assured him that was fine. I just needed to get my foot in the door.
That article lead to my very first assignment (though still unpaid) from the magazine: "Will you go to Nyack and find people to discuss Russell Crowe's stay there while he's working on his current film in New York City?" I have to admit, it was a bit exciting to walk into bars with a reporter's notebook and pen and ask around if anyone had seen Russell Crowe. After uncovering a few "Russell Crowe" sightings, the magazine offered me the chance to write the cover story, "The 7 Wonders of Rockland," and I was to be paid! The response to the story was great--not only did people call the magazine asking for several copies to use as a sightseeing guide, but a local developer contacted me with an offer to write about the towns where they were building. They paid my expenses to sleep in a bed & breakfast and eat in fancy restaurants in order to review them. They also paid for my husband Jim's expenses in exchange for digital photographs of our travels.
Although this magazine and developer were paying me to write on a specific topic, I was still able to share my personal insights and "voice" within. The local magazine went on to hire me to write reviews of hair salons (thus I got a free haircut from a lady who styles the heads of celebrities), and other places in my area.
3. Contact editors by name at national magazines
It's almost pointless to send a query letter to an editor without addressing it directly to them. You can find an editor's name by flipping through the pages of the big general books like the "Writer's Market" and "Literary Market Place," which are probably available at your library or local bookstore. I've always found my updated contact information by sitting on the floor of bookstores and libraries and skimming through magazines looking for the current editors, or I call publishers to find out who the submissions editor is.
4. Write a query letter that grabs their interest right away
The next step is the query letter, which introduces you and your work to a publisher. I've had the most luck when I begin the letter letting them know I've read their publication or I simply jump right into my story, hoping to catch their interest in the first sentence. For example, this query letter landed me a publisher for my memoir, "Anything But a Dog!" It began: "Inevitably, most kids ask for a dog. And who can blame them? Dogs like Lassie adore you, keep you warm when you're caught in a blizzard and drag you out of burning buildings when you're unconscious. But by the time we're adults, we've learned the truth: dogs urinate on your new wall-to-wall carpets; dig holes in your leather recliners to hide their rawhide bones, and bite your neighbor's kid. So when my seven-year-old daughter Jackie asked for a dog, I said no. Our younger daughter Elizabeth was disabled and wouldn't be able to protect herself from a frisky animal. But I did make Jackie a promise: 'If God brings a dog to our doorstep, you can have it.' In the meantime, I offered her a hamster..."
5. Learn how to use a digital camera
Magazines and newspapers need images to make their pages come alive--and many have had to lay off their photographers. Offer to provide images with your story, and if that's not possible, suggest in your query letter an image they might want to consider. In my historical story, "The Hanging of Henry Gale," I wrote to the magazine: "After reading the article about the Revolutionary War in your June issue, I thought you'd be interested in my story, 'The Hanging of Henry Gale.' My ancestor Henry Gale was a captain in the war who later became a leader in Shays' Rebellion. He was found guilty of treason and sentenced to hang. I can submit a photo of his headstone and suggest an illustration of Shays' Rebellion from the New York Public Library image database."
6. Get out from behind your computer and network
Meeting people in the industry is important. You'll never be "discovered" spending all of your time at a desk. Attending a writer's conference or taking a writing class improves your chances of finding work. At 45 years of age, I finally took my first writing class at Rockland Community College--Introduction to Journalism. Not only did I finally learn that periods should be placed before the end quotation mark, but the instructor was a copy editor who helped get my work published in her newspaper. I also joined the 18-19 year-old student staff of the College paper and learned how write and edit for that. When the College had an opening for a writer in their Camus Communications Department, I was offered the job.
7. Give readers what they want--but stay true to your voice
Why do you need to please your editors/readers first when starting out as a freelance writer? Only when you have developed an audience can you can branch out and truly say what you want to say.
When it came time to write the humorous account of how a homeless dog found his way onto my disabled daughter's couch, I wanted to secure a publisher before spending the time finishing the manuscript. So, I wrote a book proposal (required when seeking a publisher for non-fiction), sharing my harrowing search for just the right pet and analyzing the market, stating who my "readers" already were and who I thought would also be interested in my story. My query letter interested a few agents and publishers enough to ask for my book proposal. One publisher liked the proposal, so we signed a contract and "Anything But a Dog!" was published.
8. Write from your soul.
When you write, write from your heart--really share your soul. Don't write what everyone else is writing. If you lay your heart bare, your readers may just find a kindred spirit in you.
Lisa Saunders, Website: http://www.authorlisasaunders.com.
Author of the books, "Anything But a Dog!"; "Ever True: A Union Private and His Wife" (also a play); "Ride a Horse, Not an Elevator" and the free e-book, "How to Get Published." I am a full-time writer for the State University of New York at Rockland, a member of its Speakers Bureau, the parent representative for the Congenital CMV Foundation and a STOP CMV area representative. My books are available through me, from the publisher, or through Amazon.com. See links to my books on the buttons to your right.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
