Writers: Sell Your Life Experiences.

Writers: Sell Your Life Experiences.

Have you ever read an article or a book and found the writing style to be awkward? Did it appear that the author was standing outside the circle of knowledge and simply reporting facts? This is too often the case when writers gain their subject matter solely from research.


Authors who know their subjects convey that confidence in their writing. Far too many novice writers seek publication through topics that they do not have a full grasp of. There is no need for this. You can do very well by writing about what you know.

People have varied backgrounds. While I might write about fly fishing, you may be more comfortable publishing a piece on skiing. It would not make much sense of us to swap topics to write about. Both pieces would come off as cold research.

When you know your subject matter first hand, your writing can be conversational and informative at the same time. This is a sign of an accomplished non-fiction writer. What is your favorite hobby? Why not write a compelling article about it? You could write about your job, your experiences in college, or your love of gardening. Stick to what you know and your writing career is far more likely to blossom.

Writing a Book

Writing a book is a big undertaking. If you have not been published previously, I believe that you should cut your teeth on articles. It is much easier to prepare a manuscript of 2,000 words than it is to prepare one of 100,000 words for a book.

Book authors are expected to be experts in their field. If you do enjoy expert status, a book project might be right for you. There are a number of different opportunities in authoring a book. You can go for a book that will be published by a mainstream publisher. Expect this to be a difficult deal to make. Competition for large publishers is immense. Your credentials for writing a book have to be outstanding in order for a publisher to offer you a contract.

Many large publishers will not work directly with writers. These publishers want to deal with literary agents. The problem a budding author faces is that agents want published authors to represent and publishers want agented writers to publish. If you write how-to books for consumers, you are far less likely to need agency representation.

Modern technology makes it possible for writers to self publish themselves with either Ebooks or Print-on-Demand (POD) books. There is a lot more to this than just writing a book and sending the manuscript to a printer or burning a PDF.

Good books require professional editing, page composition, proofreading, art manipulation, indexing, and cover design. Most individuals cannot afford to pay for all of these professional services. But if you cut corners on your publication it will show.

Books are big-ticket items. Articles are much easier to break into and much more accessible to unknown
writers.

Articles

Articles used to be published mostly by newspapers and magazines. It could take a year to see your work in print with a magazine. With online articles, you can be up and running as a published author in one day. The credibility is not quite the same, but published is published, and it all helps. New writers need examples of their work and online articles are a great place to get your feet wet.

Article length generally ranges from 750 words to 2,000 words. Magazines seem to be paying an average of ten cents per word. Some magazines pay thousands of dollars for articles with photos included, but the heavy-hitting pros are pounding this market.

How much will you make from an online article? You are not likely to see much income from your writing effort. However, the exposure these articles bring to your name and your web site can be quite valuable. This is a side benefit of gaining experience and adding to your portfolio of sample works.

Life Experience

Whether you choose to write articles or books, concentrate on your strengths through life experience. Make your readers feel as if they are sitting across a table from you exchanging information. Endear yourself to your readers. Believe in what you are writing. It will show in the finished work. Concentrate your efforts on topics that you have a passion for and tell your stories from the heart. Don't make the writing too flowery. Remember that you are talking in a normal conversational tone to an old friend on the other side of your words. You are not writing a press release for the Department of Tourism.

Okay, Where Do I Sell My Work?

Selling your work and seeing your work published are two very different goals. Magazines are known for "paying" rookie writers with copies of the magazine where the article is published. This doesn't put food on the table, but it is a strong step in building a foundation for yourself as a published author.
You can do online research to see which magazines are buying articles and what they are paying. For example, if you are into fishing, check out all the fishing-related magazines for opportunities. Don't hold out for big bucks in the beginning, be happy with getting published.
Online articles might not pay you a penny for your submission, but the exposure can be very valuable down the road. These articles tend to be short and you can get some much-needed experience while seeing your byline on articles almost right away.

If you have a full book project in you, check online for publishers who publish the types of books that you want to write. You can do this at online book stores. Type in "fishing" and look to see who published the books listed. Then find the publishers and learn about their submission guidelines. Expect a lot of rejection here, but one win is an awesome experience.

Changes in the Internet, Ebooks, PODs, and other new technology has created tremendous change in the old-fashioned style of publishing. If you are just starting out, this could be the perfect time for you. Old grey-beards like me have trouble transitioning from traditional publishing to modern publishing. Fortunately, you will be getting in near the ground floor and with enough effort and ability your writing future should be quite bright.

Now stop reading and start writing.

How important are photographs when trying to sell a magazine article?

How important are photographs when trying to sell a magazine article?

How important are photographs when trying to sell a magazine article?

Good photos can make or break a deal. Photographers who don't write and writers who do not capture great photos have a long row to hoe when it comes to getting most magazine articles published.

It is possible to use stock photo agencies to illustrate an article.

Some writers and photographers team up from time to time to get published.

Ideally, you should learn to do your own photography and writing if you want to have repetitive sales in the major magazine markets.

Dodge

Writing an article query

Writing an Article Query: Copyright © 2011, R. Dodge Woodson.  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

Disclaimer

Information contained in this work has been obtained by R. Dodge Woodson (herein referred to as “the company”) from sources believed to be reliable. However, R. Dodge Woodson, Roger Woodson, authors, employees or freelancers of the company do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published by the company. R. Dodge Woodson, authors, employees and freelancers of the company do not guarantee any work offered by the company to be free of any errors, omissions, or damages arising out of the use of the information. All work is published with the understanding that R. Dodge Woodson, authors, employees and freelancers of the company are supplying information but are not attempting to render advice or professional services. Anyone requiring services or professional advice should seek such services and/or advice from qualified professionals who offer the advice or services being sought. The publisher and all its associates hereby state that they are not offering tax or legal advice. R. Dodge Woodson is not providing legal, tax, or other professional services as a result of this work.

Any comments or questions can be directed to rw@rdodgewoodson.net.

Writing an Article Query

 Writing a query to sell an article is about the same for a print magazine as it is for an online source. Potential authors have only moments to capture, and hold, the attention of decision makers. There is not a lot of time or room to make a long, slow pitch. You have to put all you have into the first paragraph. Many editors will not read much past this point.

The use of bullet lists that following your opening paragraph is a nice touch. This keeps the query open and easy to scan. Dense text with your excellent idea hidden in it is not as likely to sell.

A lot of rookie writes run out and join as many organizations as they can find. This may be helpful to you in some fashion, but it will mean little to a publisher. Unless you are in a “gated community”, like American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) or The Writer’s Guild.

Don’t make the mistake of trying to dress up your letterhead or correspondence with the word writer or author. This makes you appear inexperienced. Focus of what you want to sell, which is a terrific article that your audience will want to buy.

Online articles are often only 500 words in length. Magazine articles tend to run closer to 2,000 words. There are plenty of exceptions, but this is a good rule of thumb.

Open your query with the first paragraph coming from your story. Don’t brag about who you are or what you have done. Sell the article first. Use up to two paragraphs to lead into your bullet list.

The bullet list should outline key elements that will be covered in the complete article. Most magazine queries are only two pages long. You don’t have a lot of space or time to sell your idea, so sell it well and sell it fast.

Write a paragraph about yourself to follow the bullet lists. Play up your credentials for writing the article. For example, if you are writing an article on photography and happen to teach photography at a school, make this known. Now is the time to blow your own horn. Maybe the article is about making crafts and you have spent years making and selling crafts. This could be your strength as an author.

The next paragraph should provide specifications on the article. How many words will the article contain? Will you be providing photographs? What type of illustrations are needed and will you supply them? How much time do you need to deliver the work? What program will the article be written in? Flesh out as many details as an editor will need to make a decision.

If you have samples of your work, include them for editorial review. In the old days these were clippings or photocopies of published pages. In today’s world it can be an electronic file.

Don’t be afraid to present queries if you have not been published. Once you find the right idea to match your credentials and a suitable outlet for it, you will get published. Being able to provide your own high-quality photographs will give you a definite edge in many types of articles that range from how-to subjects to travel topics.

A lot of people are working hard to get published. Many of them will give up before they make it to the big leagues. Those who don’t quit always have a chance. Today’s online article could lead to a print article that will take you down the path to writing a complete book.

Try to pick topics that you enjoy writing about. The enthusiasm will show in your work. Keep the queries flowing and you will get published. Don’t write entire articles and then try to sell them to the print media. You will do far better with a quality query in that market. Now stop reading and start writing!

Dodge