WRITING CENTER "INFORMATION PICK-UP" (S.S.C.C.)
GET PUBLISHED!
• WHAT CHARACTERISTICS MAKE FOR A FINE FREELANCE WRITER?
• CHOOSING TOPICS THAT WILL SELL & WHERE THE MARKETS ARE
• CHOOSING A TITLE
• PREPARING A MANUSCRIPT:
LENGTH AND STYLE
• SUBMITTING A MANUSCRIPT--HARD COPY OR DISK COPY?
• WRITING A QUERY LETTER:
WHAT INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT?
• ESTABLISHING COPYRIGHT (AND THE SALES OF FIRST-TIME NORTH-AMERICAN
PUBLISHING RIGHTS)
• SUBMITTING TO MULTIPLE PUBLISHERS
• CASH FLOW ISSUES
• ON-CAMPUS PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITIES: THE SENTINEL AND ANTHOLOGIES
• WHAT CHARACTERISTICS MAKE FOR A FINE FREELANCE WRITER?
1) DEADLINES MUST BE RESPECTED: Writers must meet deadlines. Publishers work under high pressure not only to make a profit but to have a camera-ready publication at the printers by a certain time in order to have the publication to subscribers by a certain day. (Some magazines, for example, are planned months ahead of time in order to meet publication pressures.) Writers must do their part in order to have a manuscript in to the editor for critique and revision, layout, and other "treatment."
2) DAILY WRITING HONES THE TALENT. Writers write daily, no matter how little time they have to invest in their craft. Writers who do not stay on top of their field will become woefully lost and creaky; they will have a much harder time maintaining a high quality level of writing.
3) WRITERS READ AND READ. Writers read daily. Reading not only feeds the soul, but it helps develop a writer's skill and body of knowledge from which to write. Writing, after all, is thought made tangible and highly public. A huge social responsibility lies in the act of writing, and writers must acknowledge that responsibility by continually developing themselves and evolving with the times (socially, politically, in a literary way, and so on).
4) WRITERS MAKE A RECORD OF INFORMATION THEY COME ACROSS: Writers take notes and lists in order to have a record of information that they've come across. Much cross-fertilization occurs in good writing, so writers need to bring their knowledge in various fields to bear on their writing.
5) WRITERS WORK ON THEIR MEMORY: Writers learn to memorize direct quotes, conversations, "tones of voice, visual details, sensory stimuli, portentous facts," sources and other information. They must be resourceful in the gathering and retention of information.
6) WRITERS WORK THROUGH INFORMATION SYSTEMS OF ALL KINDS--PEOPLE, SOCIAL, CYBER- or ELECTRONIC, AND PRINT. Writers learn to manage and work through information systems--through files, libraries, Internet, and their own computers.
They must be able to garner information from real-life interviews, libraries, the Internet, files, personal records, and other sources. They must have a hound dog's sense for good information and the tenacity to thoroughly research for information.
7) WRITERS LOVE THE LANGUAGE AND WORDS AND PUNCTUATION (OH, GOSH, AND EVEN GRAMMAR!): Writers usually love the language they write in. They have developed their abilities to revise and edit.
8) WRITERS KNOW THE MARKETPLACE FOR WRITING: Writers must know their markets (the demand, the focus on certain topics, the readership) and their niche or special place in that market. They must take their business seriously and continue to develop their own abilities and potential. In this highly-competitive business, writers have to know the "lay of the land."
Writers must have a network of supporters (co-writers, peers, editors, publishers) for their wares and professional development.
9) HARD WORK AND TENACITY AND EXACTITUDE ARE MAJOR REQUIREMENTS. Writers (and spies!) are only as good as their information. They must be industrious and constantly evolving and growing mentally. Stagnation and self-satisfaction are death knells for professional writers.
• CHOOSING TOPICS THAT WILL SELL & WHERE THE MARKETS ARE
The best way for a freelance writer to begin to sell a piece of writing is to investigate the market. This means reading much both within one's field of specialty and outside it. If you are interested in publishing in a certain publication, make sure that you've read a number of back issues and also know what the cutting-edge contemporary issues of interest are.
Indeed, besides books and magazines, there are a number of markets open to freelance writing today. They include the following fields:
MARKETS OPEN TO FREELANCE WRITING TODAY:
Television scripts Company publications
Film scripts Brochures
Audiovisual scripts Advertising campaigns, songs
Newsletters print ads
Political or other speeches Political campaigns & ads
Trade publications & manuals Documentaries
Publicity releases Interviews
Market research Promotional booklets
Teaching, tutoring Technical manuals
Television commentaries Medical journals
Company histories Scientific journals
Lobbying Ghostwriting, collaboration
Seminar planning & presentation Cartoons and jokes
Article fillers (& entertainment pieces) Self-syndication
Consultation Self-publishing
Grant-writing Internet sites (Cassill)
WHAT ARE MAJOR MARKETS? WHAT
ARE MINOR MARKETS?
Major markets are those that accept a majority (51% - 95%) of freelance writing and are in constant need of text.
Minor markets are local publishing arenas such as specialized publications, specialized businesses, local agencies and governing bodies, charitable and non-profit organizations, community newspapers, churches, and so on. These are usually unlisted and often may be reached only through personal contacts.
Magazine and newspaper feature articles may be categorized in the following approaches according to subject matter:
academic adventure art of living
business family relations finance
historical literary medical
professional psychological safety
science seasonal sociological
sports success trade
travel
Magazine and newspaper articles may also be categorized according to treatment (among others):
as-told-to (oral history) book review controversial essay
expose how-to humorous
inspiration nostalgia personal experience
profile protest question-and-answer
round-up letter & response (Q&A)
column subjective essay first-person narration
• CHOOSING A TITLE
A title must meet the following criteria:
• represent article contents and the direction or thrust or theme of the writing;
• be eye-catching and attractive;
• include some modern tie-in or connection; and
• reflect the tone (humorous, academic, technical), purpose and/or scope of the article.
While the author may suggest a title or two, the editor makes the final choice on what goes in print.
• PREPARING A MANUSCRIPT:
LENGTH AND STYLE
Verify this information with the would-be publisher. Make sure that you understand the "angle" that the editor would like you to take with a piece of writing, the tone and voice, the audience, and the length of the manuscript. Editors often want their writers to "hit the mark" without much revision or editing required.
Yet,
you also need to be flexible regarding a piece of writing. All
editors will change an original piece of writing, and professionally, you
should not take such revisions or editing personally.
Even if you dislike the layout (headline, graphics, subtitles, photo captions) of your article once it is published, you technically have no say in these matters. An editor even has the right to cut off portions of your article and rearrange your information.
Sometimes, editors will even send a manuscript back for improvements or final editing! Ego and personal feelings should not come into play here. Even rejection of a manuscript may occur at any point in the process up until the moment of publication.
• SUBMITTING A MANUSCRIPT--HARD COPY OR DISK COPY?
Make sure to read the publisher's guidelines on the submission of manuscripts, such as on whether it should be in "hard copy" (printed on 8 1/2" x 11" paper) or on disk (e.g. and in what format--DOS/IBM-compatible or PRODOS/Mac-compatible).
If you do submit on a disk, be sure to specify what word-processing program you used and what version it is (e.g. WordPerfect 6.0 or Microsoft Word 6.0).
Sometimes, editors may want you to submit in both formats. Do not hold your breath in expectation that anything you send out will be returned to you.
Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE). Due to the volume of manuscripts sent, most publications will not return materials unless an "SASE" (self-addressed, stamped envelope) has been enclosed with the disk/manuscript/letter. As a professional courtesy, ALWAYS include an SASE with plenty of postage attached.
Always keep a backup copy for your own files. You cannot trust the postal system to get your material there 100% of the time or guarantee that a manuscript is never lost along the way.
• WRITING A QUERY LETTER:
WHAT INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT?
A query letter asks the potential publisher whether a writer may send a manuscript for consideration of publication.
A query letter needs to do the following:
• connect in a professional and friendly way with the current editor;
• clearly describe the proposed article, book or piece of writing;
• strive to stimulate the editor or publisher's interest in the writing;
• establish the timelines of the topic (and its contemporary aspect);
• show or prove readership interest for the topic;
• provide a sampling of the piece of writing;
• offer information on the author's background and credentials;
• describe the status of the up-to-date manuscript (e.g. multiple submissions?);
• provide a return address and phone number and e-mail address (if applicable) and fax number; and
• ultimately "sell" a piece of writing.
A query letter should be concise, not longer than a page. No information should be repeated in it. In addition, it should be well-revised and edited correctly. The language used should be clear, professional and accessible.
• ESTABLISHING COPYRIGHT (AND THE SALES OF FIRST-TIME NORTH-AMERICAN
PUBLISHING RIGHTS)
It is said that one may show copyright (ownership of intellectual property) on a piece of writing by writing a c and drawing a circle around it and then writing our names next to that copyright symbol--on a piece of writing.
One cheap and pragmatic way to apparently establish when a piece of writing was written is to send one's manuscript (with the name and copyright symbol) back to oneself in a sealed envelope and use the postmaster's indicia (or dated stamp) as proof that will stand up in court.
Another way, probably the more professional way, is to send a manuscript and apply for copyright with the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Oftentimes, writers sell the "first-time North American publication rights" to a publisher for a first-time use of a text. This means that all other rights--e.g. foreign language rights, publishing in markets outside North America, reprints (albeit with giving credit to the first publication)--revert to the author.
A piece of literary writing--a short story, a poem--often may be published in an anthology, the author's personal book and a magazine--often once in each.
• SUBMITTING TO MULTIPLE PUBLISHERS
STRATEGY: The usual modus operandi regarding manuscripts is to submit only to one publisher at a time. Yet, given the long turn-around time for some publishers, you may wish to submit to several at one time.
PROFESSIONAL COURTESY: The usual rule on this is that you must notify all publishers that you are submitting a particular manuscript to several potential publishers. Once your manuscript has been accepted by one of the publishers, it is incumbent upon you to notify the others that you have submitted to that this manuscript is no longer available. Such professionalism will add to your reputation and smooth the way for future work.
• CASH FLOW ISSUES
Get a contract in print and the publisher's name signed on the dotted line. The pay for freelance writing needs to be clarified in writing before anything is published. Oftentimes, there is "lag time" between when work is accepted and when it finally reaches publication--sometimes up to a year or two--especially for book manuscripts.
A "kill fee" may be paid for articles which are commissioned but which are not run. Be sure to know the publication's policies before you invest much time and effort in a piece of writing.
Payment for articles for small newspapers and local magazines ranges from $10 - $50 per article, depending on the length and subject matter as well as the writer's level of expertise and name recognition. Articles for the "slick" national magazines range from $500 - $3,000 per piece depending again on the length (sometimes upwards of 3,000 - 5,000 words) and author investment (e.g. in time, travel, hardships, interviewing, research, information collection, risk-taking, and level of expertise, etc.).
The average earnings for a book published in the U.S. is a mere $1,710. Usually, authors do not make more than the advance given by the publisher.
Never pay to be published. Some "vanity presses" are run on the sweat of writers--and their money! Therefore, writers should make sure to be paid for their work (even if it is sometimes only in copies of the publication, especially for beginning writers publishing in literary or arts or college publications).
Volunteer to write? Writers who contribute their work for free may not take any tax write-offs for their efforts and should probably keep such contributions to a minimum--unless they do this as part of an apprenticeship of sorts.
• ON-CAMPUS PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITIES: THE SENTINEL AND ANTHOLOGIES
Pay attention to announcements of national literary contests which involve college students. (Several students at South Seattle Community College have won financial prizes for essays and literature and been published both locally and nationally.)
The campus has also published Tides, a student anthology of writing--which should be an encouragement for students to write and publish. Future versions of Tides may well be published.
Submit timely and newsworthy articles of interest to the college community and larger neighborhood (of West Seattle) to the campus student newspaper The Sentinel which has a press run of 2,000 +. Call 764-5333 for The Sentinel, or visit them at the Jerry M. Brockey Building. A small fee may be paid to contributors.
If you join the student newspaper staff as an editor or other type of staff member, you may well get a regular quarterly salary!
If you are interested in writing, contact one of your English teachers who writes and publishes and learn more first-hand, one-on-one. Upon publication, bring your work to the Writing Center for posting!
Sources:
Note: Publishers suggest that you refer to The Writer's Market, Working Press of the Nation, and Literary Market Place as resources.
Cassill, Kay. The Complete Handbook for Freelance Writers. Cincinnati:
Writer's Digest Books, 1981.
Henson, Kenneth T. The Art of Writing for Publication. Boston: Allyn
and Bacon, 1995.
(Revised 1998)