I had an idea for a new book – but the nagging, negative voice inside my head kept telling me I could never get it published. It was about weddings, and why would any publisher consider me for a book on weddings? Other than being married myself, what were my qualifications? Zilch. Zero. Nada. Nonetheless, the idea was always in the forefront of my mind.
This Week:
This week, I’m getting one of my Christmas presents – a trip to a small inn that has a fireplace in every room and great shopping nearby. Yea! There are lots of winter activities, too, so the children are very excited. We’ve already pulled out all the snowpants, waterproof gloves and extra socks.
I’ll be officially “on vacation” from Wednesday afternoon until Sunday. During that time, I’ll only be online checking for emergencies.
Hugs to all!
Angela
P.S. Want to read real query letters that landed these contracts? Woman’s Day – $2,800; Redbook – $3,500; Ladies Home Journal – $3,000; DiscoveryHealth.com – $2,000; Lifetime Magazine – $3,000; Life Extension Magazine – $6,480; Natural Remedies – $11,300; and many more! See: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/1409.html
I would be remiss if I didn’t write and thank you for your article on January 12 with the sample letter “encouraging” deadbeat editors to pay up. When the e-zine with that letter arrived, I sat down and composed an email to a publisher along the same lines as your letter, but adding to the list of those I was notifying was the local chamber of commerce since the magazine I wrote the article (advertorial) for is interested in having area businesses contract for their services.
Any business might occasionally take on contracts that it later regrets having accepted. Other companies may offer too-good-to-be-true terms in the hopes of obtaining free labor. Avoiding these risky “opportunities” is a challenge, especially for the freelancer. The following warning signs should make you think twice about pursuing a particular freelance assignment.
Sitting at my computer I proudly smile at a book. That may seem unusual, but on the cover of that book – in bold, yellow, capital letters is my name. After four years of research/writing, countless queries/rejections from publishers, regular advice from Angela’s WritersWeekly, a surprisingly short contract negotiation, and a release date delayed for over a year, my book is out.
This Week:
We had a humdinger of a snowstorm last Wednesday night! We were still trying to find the car in the drifts (okay, that’s a slight exaggeration) when we heard about the “Blizzard of 2005” that was heading our way. However, that little weekend blizzard wasn’t anywhere near the intensity of the Nor’Easter last week (for us, anyway).
This Week:
For most gardeners, winter is the time to pore over seed catalogs and plot (figuratively, at least) next year’s garden. It’s a time to both assess the past and plan for the future.
Writing gardeners can do the same. Since it’s too cold in many parts of the country to be outside playing in the dirt, now is the perfect time to dig up new writer’s guidelines and craft succulent queries. And assignments landed now will lead to articles published during the all important sowing, growing and harvesting seasons, when any gardener worth his or her salt would rather be outside, anyway.
