Writing Information |
|
Hunting for Markets Over the Holidays
Chances are, you'll be busy over the next several weeks. Between preparing for, celebrating, and unwinding from the holidays it may be difficult to maintain your regular writing routine. And if researching potential homes for your work is part of that routine-as it is for many of us who regularly submit stories, essays, poems, articles, and reviews for publication-you may be worried about falling behind. But it's time to put those worries to rest. In truth, there are many ways to keep up with your market-hunting over the holidays. Here are just four possibilities: 1) When you visit friends and family, peruse the magazines they may have on their coffee tables or stacked in their recycling bins. Chances are they may subscribe to some that you don't receive. Who knows how many new markets you may discover? (Just be sure to ask for permission before you start rummaging!) 2) Be bold with your gift list. If someone close to you should ask what you might like for the holidays, go ahead and say it. Go ahead and tell that person: "I'd like you to bring me/send me all the magazines you've received for the past six months-and haven't yet thrown out." That person won't need to shop, and you will be able to spend the rest of the winter researching markets. 3) If you'll be traveling, take advantage of any complimentary publications that may come your way: inflight magazines, morning newspapers at hotels, and so on. Again, these may provide you sample issues for markets that you haven't considered before. 4) If you're visiting anyone out-of-town, stop by the local library, and check out the magazines the library keeps stocked. It's quite likely that you'll discover some-especially regional publications-that you won't be able to research as easily back home. Can you think of other possibilities? Add them to the list! Happy holidays, and happy market-hunting. (C) Copyright 2004 Erika Dreifus. All rights reserved. Article reprint permission is granted provided that the entire article, including the "About the Author" information--remains intact and unaltered. Please send a courtesy copy of the reprint to erikadrei (at ) yahoo (dot) com Erika Dreifus (Ed.M., M.F.A., Ph.D.) edits the free monthly newsletter, "The Practicing Writer," and has published several resource guides, including "The Practicing Writer's Directory of Paying Short Story Markets" and "The Practicing Writer's Directory of Paying Poetry Markets." Visit her website at http://www.practicing-writer.com to learn more.
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How To Co-Publish For Profits! The Benefits of Co-Publishing Review of A Classic: Finneys Invasion of The Body Snatchers To keep it simple and basic: Jack Finney's Invasion of The Body Snatchers succeeds first and foremost because it's a great story. If there was nothing else to be said about it, just that it's a great story, that should be more than enough to keep it on the bookshelves for the next generation to enjoy as much as the last. Writing for the Internet -- How To Give the Readers What They Want In this article you will find tips on: How to intrigue your readers from the very start-the most important part of your piece isn't the content, Once they're hooked-reel them in, How to keep them reading through the entire piece instead of scanning for information, Break it up!-How to keep their attention span from reaching its limits, and How to keep your readers from becoming distracted while reading your well crafted articles. Keep your Book Dream Alive Is your book nearly finished, finished, published, or even in its early stages? Do you want to know how to promote it with ease and low cost? Writing Internal Newsletters: How to Build Your Network and Your Reputation To help build your profile and reputation within a large company create or contribute to, an internal newsletter. Your company collegues are an excellent network for you - lift your internal reputation by writing an internal newsletter that people will read. This article is full of tips to help you get started. Top Seven Ways to Write your Print or eBook Fast Want to write your book? But, need a blueprint on why it will help your profits and brand your business? Need to know each step so you can delegate it to an assistant or do it yourself in just an hour a day for less than a month? Mexican Living: Pasatiempo It occurred to me one day that I needed something to do with my time when I wasn't writing. You know--something to divert myself so more writing ideas could come to mind. One cannot sit in front of the computer screen all day waiting for an idea to come knocking at the door and say, Writing Short Info Reports People want information, they want it quick, frequently in short form, and straight to the point. Its no wonder that they go straight for a computer connected to the internet to find anything from how to grow tomatoes to choosing a web host. Proof Positive: the importance of proofreading Last week I was having a quick browse on eBay when something caught my eye. "Black patient shoes!" screamed the headline. "Must see!" Writing Dialogue That Make Your Characters Come Alive Characters in a good novel really carry the story along more than any other concept in writing. A problem I too often see in my clients' writing is stale dialogue; the kind that sounds like every character is the same person. Basic Word Processing Tips for Writers Word processors are so widely used now that I tend to take it for granted that most writers know how to perform basic tasks (e.g. double space their work, count the number of words, and indent a paragraph automatically). Every so often, however, I see a manuscript that reminds me that there are a lot of writers who are still using a word processor as they would an old-fashioned typewriter. Weaving Your Personal Statement Together 1. SECRETS TO SUCCESS How to Have an Effective Writing Group The works you've written are numerous, ranging from short stories to even the novel, hidden in a storage bin (under the bed) collecting dust. But there comes a time when you must wipe away that dust, regain your pride, and prepare your babies for publication! But, how do you get such a critical, unbiased eye to analyze your works, offering both praise and criticism? Effective Collaboration - Working With Your Ghostwriter Using a ghostwriter to craft your free reprint articles and marketing materials is an excellent way to maximize your time and profit. The fastest and most effective way to find a freelance ghostwriter or editor is to post your writing projects on an on-line service like Freelance Work Exchange at http://tinyurl.com/3v69r. This allows interested writers to submit their proposals to you. It makes short-order of a needle-in-a-haystack task. Celebrating Writing and Life Every morning I excitedly get out of bed. Just a few minutes of goals and visions for the day swirl in my head. No lingering for me, no alarm, no wishful notes too. Just me in my night gown with no hat. Five Keys To A Successful Query Letter Do you know what a query letter is? If so, you are of a rare breed-a writer. Most people don't. I discovered this when I created "Instant Query Letters" software. "What's a queer letter?" they ask. The sad thing-they aren't joking. Write That Down! Compulsively Collecting Content for Your Writing Have you ever read someone else's writing and thought one of the following things: How I Became a Syndicated Columnist -- And You Can Too! Real Estate has "Location, location, location," and writing has "Clips, clips, clips." The Untold Secrets of Writing Best Selling Childrens Books Ever wondered how the most successful children's book writers get their ideas? The answer may surprise you. Writer?s Web Resources The Internet has truly revolutionized the careers of writers worldwide. Now you can work for publishers, corporations and a whole range of other clients on a truly global scale. Whether you are in the heart of a big city, or in a remote mountain village, all you need is an Internet connection to run your writing business. |
home | site map |
© 2005 |