Hello, Renegade Writers! I have a new free teleclass scheduled. But before we get into that, I wanted to remind you of a couple of Very Important Things:
1. My next Write for Magazines 8-week e-course starts on Monday, March 7. The Premium version includes 8 weeks of unlimited e-mail support, and I offer very thorough critiques of ideas, the markets you choose to pitch, and your query title, lede, body, and conclusion. Previous students have landed assignments from Spirituality & Health (with a cover story!), SELF, Woman’s Day, E: The Environmental Magazine, Washington Parent, and more.
Here’s what one student had to say:
At the very end of 2006, I decided to take one of your courses with hopes of starting a freelance career. In January 2007, I bought Query Letters That Rocked. I completely changed the way I did things…the first story I sold this year was to USA Today! Since then, I have sold stories to The New York Times, American Cheerleader, Wondertime, American Baby, Discover, Yoga Journal, Spirituality & Health, Web MD, Mother Jones, Fit Pregnancy, Delicious Living and Plenty. I’m now having people come to me– have signed on to do some niche blogging and just accepted a trade article today.
—Rachel Mosteller
I limit the class to 10 participants — so I can give each student the attention he or she needs — and there are five signed up now, so if you’re interested please sign up soon! Get details, download the FAQ, and sign up on the e-course page.
2. My new e-book Get Unstuck! For Freelancers: A 6-Week Course to Boost Your Motivation, Organization, and Productivity—So You Can Do More Work in Less Time, Make More Money, and Enjoy the Freelance Lifestyle has been getting a great response! I turned my popular Get Unstuck e-course into an e-book, so you can learn to become a productive writer at a fraction of the cost (just $9.95!). To get more details and to purchase the e-book, go to the e-books page.
Now, on to the teleclass:
Five Reasons Why Editors Won’t Buy Your Great Ideas, taught by Diana Burrell
Date: Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 8:30-9:30 pm ET (Note that this is East Coast time; please check for the correct time in your time zone. Also note that this is PM, not AM!)
Topic: Five Reasons Why Editors Won’t Buy Your Great Ideas: You’ve come up with one of the best story ideas of your life. You’ve researched the subject thoroughly, read six back issues of the magazine you’re pitching, and you’re so sure this idea will sell, you’re already booking interviews with your sources. But then your editor writes, “I’m sorry, it’s a great idea but not right now.” Has she lost her marbles? How can she leave such a perfect idea on the table like that?
In this teleseminar, freelance food journalist, author, and ghostwriter Diana Burrell will share with you the five surprising reasons your editor may be giving your great ideas the thumbs down. And by the way, none of these reasons will be that you haven’t read six back issues of the magazine or that you spelled her name wrong. Once you understand what may be happening behind the scenes, you’ll be better prepared to turn the nays into yays with future ideas. There will be time after the presentation to ask questions about generating story ideas for articles and other fr
As I mentioned one week ago, my January 10 Write for Magazines 8-week e-course got super full, and there was so much interest that I was considering starting a new session in February instead of waiting until March or April as usual.
Well, I heard from enough interested writers that I thought I would give it a shot: The new session is set for Monday, February 7, 2011. Because I’ve never run two sessions at once, I’m capping the February session at 10 Premium students (with e-mail support) so I don’t become overwhelmed, and so I can be sure to give each student the attention he or she needs. I already have three Premium students signed up, so there are seven spaces left as of today.
In Write for Magazines, you’ll learn step-by-step how to generate a salable article idea, find markets, sleuth out editors and their contact info, and write and send a killer query. The Premium version of the course includes eight weeks of unlimited e-mail support. Previous students have landed assignments in magazines ranging from Washington Parent to Woman’s Day.
I offer a two-week refund policy, and out of close to 400 students, I think only two have ever asked for a refund — and those were due to changes in the writers’ situations. So if you’re nervous about spending your hard-earned money on this e-course, rest easy…I want everyone to feel confident that they’ll get their money’s worth, which is why I offer a generous no-questions-asked, two-week refund policy. (Well, I might ask you a question, but I’ll still give you the refund. 
Interested in investing in your freelance writing career in 2011? Check out the e-course page for more info and to sign up. I look forward to working with you! [lf]
This is the season when I plan for the coming year…I think about how I did, career-wise, in the past 12 months and what I want to change in the next 12. I’m also busy planning the next free teleclass for writers, which is tentatively scheduled for January 6…stay tuned for more details.
If you’re like most freelancers, your 2011 business plan probably includes selling more articles, becoming a more confident writer, generating more salable ideas, making more money freelancing, or ditching the 9-5 to become a full-time freelancer. That’s why this is a great time to sign up for my January Write for Magazines class or schedule a phone mentoring session for the New Year.
My next Write for Magazines e-course starts on Monday, January 10 — perfect timing for those of you who have made resolutions to improve your writing career in 2011. In eight weeks, this course walks you through everything you need to know to create and send a knock-your-socks-off query letter to your dream markets. Students of this course have landed assignments in Woman’s Day, SELF, Graduating Engineer, Rhode Island Home, Wines & Vines, Writer’s Digest, E: The Environmental Magazine, Spirituality & Health, and more. I limit the number of students I take in the Premium class (with full e-mail support) because I give such thorough feedback on assignments that I can handle only so many! If you want to break into magazine writing — or, if you’re already freelancing, to break into your dream market — get more details and sign up today here.
Want even more personalized help? I offer half-hour and full-hour phone mentoring sessions, and my clients have been extremely happy with the results. One of them broke into higher-paying markets within 10 days, another sold an idea I helped her develop that very day, and my most recent client got a positive response from an editor within two days. You can get more info on my mentoring here.
I hope to help you become even more successful in 2011!
I want to give a big thanks to everyone who submitted entries in the ‘Strangest Trade Magazine’ title contest. It was a tough, tough decision to pick a winner. Some of the titles were playful, such as Spudman for people working in the potato industry, and Sheep! for sheep farmers. Miniature Donkey Talk was right up there as a finalist, but in looking at the editorial content, I thought it was more geared to hobbyists and pet owners than professionals raising miniature donkeys as a business.
In the final analysis, I went with “Flow Control,” submitted by Baltimore-based freelance writer Ami Spencer. In her entry, Ami wrote that “Flow Control” serves process, manufacturing and engineering industries with the primary end products and services in Food & Beverage. “Sounds more like something you’ll find in the personal hygiene aisle, though,” she wrote. What I loved was that it demonstrates how narrow a niche a trade magazine can cover. And you just can’t beat the innuendo. I’ve made calls on behalf of many odd-sounding publications, but just can’t imagine myself saying, “Hi, I’m Pat Curry from Flow Control Magazine,” with a straight face.
Ami’s prize is a free premium version of my e-course on writing for trade magazines, which is a $240 value. As my way of saying thank you to those who submitted titles, everyone who entered is eligible for a 10 percent discount on either version of the course.
Thanks again, everyone.
Pat
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Hello, Renegade Writers! I have a new free teleclass scheduled. But before we get into that, I wanted to remind you of a couple of Very Important Things: 
