Published on July 4, 2007
specialty markets for writing
Magazines for musicians have been around in their present form since the early 1960s. Every kid with $25 for an acoustic guitar or $150 or so for a really nice, American-made electric was forming a rock ‘n’ roll band, while other kids played orchestral instruments such as flute, violin and double bass. The folk revival was on and magazines like Sing Out and Broadside supplemented the incomes of the popular players of the day by publishing their compositions. Kids who were really rebellious played jazz. Music was everywhere, and the magazines covered it.
Published on July 4, 2007
I came to the world of self-publishing with some pretty clear ideas about what I wanted to do with my writing project. I didn’t want it over-hyped (something the Christian market is really good at – you know, turn a book into coffee mugs, cheesy little key chains, etc.); I wanted to exercise a great deal of control over editorializing the work to death; and I wanted the e-book option. After looking at all the self-publishing outfits out there, Booklocker was the obvious choice. So many of the others’ packages were filled with fluff. No matter how much they layer your printing package with marketing ploys and multi-layered extras, the hard word of promoting your project is up to you.
Published on June 27, 2007
Mason’s birthday was great fun…even though he had no idea what was going on! He just kept looking at all the people in the house with big eyes. He was friendly and let a couple of people hold him. Max (age 5) opened Mason’s gifts for him. That didn’t bother Max one bit! I guess we at least have photos of the party for Mason to see some day…when he knows what birthdays are. 😉
Published on June 27, 2007
At BookLocker, we sure are tired of our competitors giving Print-on-Demand (POD) publishing a bad name! From poor quality books, to horrible customer service, to unnecessary costs in the thousands, to refusing to answer new authors’ questions about prices, enough is enough!
Published on June 27, 2007
This Week:
- Kudos
- Writers Digest Freelance Pay Rates
Published on June 27, 2007
A member of the online writers’ group I participate in recently posted that she’d been advised by a friend never to include a Prologue as part of the chapters she sent to prospective literary agents. I worked as an acquiring editor at a major publisher for years and know and still work with many agents, but I have never heard this rule. I cautioned her that people giving this advice may be unduly influenced by the new author’s tendency to rely on a Prologue – learning where to begin your novel can be difficult, and it’s common for new, inexperienced writers to feel nervous that readers won’t “get” their set-up, so they create Prologues that explain far more than necessary. They end up over-telling the story before it’s even begun!
Published on June 27, 2007
This may not be the correct venue, but I wanted to reach you. I followed a “market” ad from your listings,and submitted an article to a magazine. The ad stated “payment upon publication”, and the item was published. I have yet to be paid, and wonder what to do next. I wrote two “gentle” e-mails to the editor asking about payment, and suddenly no one’s home.
Published on June 27, 2007
If you want to write about parenting, it makes the most sense to pitch parenting magazines, right? The same logic suggests food writers target food magazines and travel writers try travel magazines. Not so, in my experience.
Published on June 20, 2007
In just two days, Mason will be turning one year old. We can’t believe a whole year has gone by! The days when he was in intensive care seem so very long ago, thank heavens. I wanted to give you an update on how he’s doing.
Published on June 20, 2007
Angela, Mason and Max all have a cold. Her column will return next week.
So your click will not have been in vain, here’s an interesting tidbit sent in by author Burt Close:
