There are a few freelance markets I regularly consider, and WOW! Women-on-Writing is one of my favorites. So when I read about the topic for an upcoming issue, I let it rumble around in my brain for a while.
And my brain eventually spit out a couple ideas for an article. But my brain also spit out a “Not so fast, sister.”
Sometimes, a query idea may be really great—except when it’s not great enough. Which sounds a little crazy so I’ll try to explain.
If you’ve ever read the submission guidelines for WOW!, then you’ll know exactly what the editors look for in an article. You know important details like word count and fonts and where to pitch the idea. But there’s another step that is just as important as reading submission guidelines, and that’s reading the market.
Reading the market where you want your idea/article to find a home is absolutely necessary. It gives you the depth, as well as the edge you need to catch an editor’s eye. Think of when you meet someone for the first time. You can see whether she’s short or tall, or if her eyes are green or blue. But when you talk to her, you find out the really interesting stuff, the juicy details that you remember much longer than how she wore her hair.
Your submission guidelines are like that first meeting; they give you the facts. But reading the market content is like getting to know someone better; you get details like style and tone, and what an editor likes.
So when I came up with my splendiferous WOW! ideas, I knew they fit the topic, but I wasn’t so sure they’d work for the ezine. One didn’t have enough take-away information (a big plus if you want your query accepted at WOW!) and the other idea was much more suitable as an essay rather than an article.
Still, I’d written down plenty of notes about those ideas. One might be sent off to Chicken Soup for the Soul. Another might morph into a children’s poem. And one might even show up here at The Muffin.
Because I never waste a great idea. Including the one about when a great idea for a market isn’t great enough.
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By: Cathy C. Hall,
on 6/23/2012
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By: Margo Dill,
on 5/29/2012
If you are a WOW! newsletter subscriber, you probably saw a recent article I wrote about the difference between cover and query letters. (If you are not on the WOW! mailing list, go to our home page and put in your e-mail address. It's free!) In cover and query letters, you usually include a bio paragraph. This is the last paragraph of the letter, where you include information like all of your publication credits and your website or blog address. But what do you do if you have NO publication credits? What if you are a brand new writer, but you have written a novel and you want to start sending it out? What if you have great ideas for articles, you have constructed a query letter to a magazine editor, but you don't have anything to put in your bio paragraph yet?
Never fear. Here are some tips!
1. Do you have any experience that makes you an expert in the topic? So, if your query letter is about working for zoos, and you are a zookeeper, that should go in your bio paragraph. If your query letter is for a parenting magazine about helping picky eaters and you are a nutritionist, that should go in that last paragraph. However, if you wrote a romance novel and are seeking representation, you don't want to state something like: I've been married for 20 years and every bit of it has been romantic. That's not professional.
2. Start a blog and/or a newsletter. You actually have to do this before you are getting ready to query. If you do not have any publication credits, then one of the easiest ways to establish a publication history is to create a blog or a newsletter. You don't want to throw something up there though. You want the blog to center on a topic that you plan to query about, and you want it to be well done. For example, if you want to write for the health care industry, then you may start a blog that dishes out health care tips, interviews doctors and nurses, and reviews new books on health topics. In your last paragraph in your query letter, you can state something like: "I have been blogging at http://margodill.com/blog/ for almost four years, covering children's and YA books and how to use them in the classroom or in a home school environment."
3. List a few professional things you do. One of my writing friends doesn't have any publication credits, but she organizes shop talks for her local SCBWI chapter. This shows that she is involved in the children's writing community and cares enough about her career to join the most well-known and respected organization for children's writers. You don't want to list that you are a member of your church choir--unless your query has to do with singing in the choir--but you do want to list that you were the conference chair for your local writing conference.
4. Get on Twitter and Facebook. Agents and editors are looking for people who are in to social media. If you have no publication credits, then become active on these--start a Facebook page or take part in a Twitter hashtag chat. Then in your bio paragraph, you can write: I have been on Twitter for one year and have 2,345 followers at http://www.twitter.com/iamwriter. I also have a Facebook fan page with 400 fans. This shows that you are already into marketing and networking. Publications and publishers LOVE this!
The number one thing you don't wan
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By: Margo Dill,
on 2/1/2012
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4 Comments on When a Great Idea Isn't Great Enough, last added: 6/23/2012
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by paul-simpson.org (Flickr) |
Never fear. Here are some tips!
1. Do you have any experience that makes you an expert in the topic? So, if your query letter is about working for zoos, and you are a zookeeper, that should go in your bio paragraph. If your query letter is for a parenting magazine about helping picky eaters and you are a nutritionist, that should go in that last paragraph. However, if you wrote a romance novel and are seeking representation, you don't want to state something like: I've been married for 20 years and every bit of it has been romantic. That's not professional.
2. Start a blog and/or a newsletter. You actually have to do this before you are getting ready to query. If you do not have any publication credits, then one of the easiest ways to establish a publication history is to create a blog or a newsletter. You don't want to throw something up there though. You want the blog to center on a topic that you plan to query about, and you want it to be well done. For example, if you want to write for the health care industry, then you may start a blog that dishes out health care tips, interviews doctors and nurses, and reviews new books on health topics. In your last paragraph in your query letter, you can state something like: "I have been blogging at http://margodill.com/blog/ for almost four years, covering children's and YA books and how to use them in the classroom or in a home school environment."
3. List a few professional things you do. One of my writing friends doesn't have any publication credits, but she organizes shop talks for her local SCBWI chapter. This shows that she is involved in the children's writing community and cares enough about her career to join the most well-known and respected organization for children's writers. You don't want to list that you are a member of your church choir--unless your query has to do with singing in the choir--but you do want to list that you were the conference chair for your local writing conference.
4. Get on Twitter and Facebook. Agents and editors are looking for people who are in to social media. If you have no publication credits, then become active on these--start a Facebook page or take part in a Twitter hashtag chat. Then in your bio paragraph, you can write: I have been on Twitter for one year and have 2,345 followers at http://www.twitter.com/iamwriter. I also have a Facebook fan page with 400 fans. This shows that you are already into marketing and networking. Publications and publishers LOVE this!
The number one thing you don't wan
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A problem freelance writers and editors often have when clients approach them or they answer an ad is what to charge. If you're a freelancer, how much is your writing expertise worth? If you charge too much, you might lose the client. If you charge too little, then you are working for pennies and not paying your bills.
Luckily, we have a solution, and it's Laurie Lewis! She has written two books about this common problem. She is here with us today to tell us all about her books and how freelancers can use them to figure out what to charge or even to discover if your clients are offering you a fair fee for your work!
Even better, Laurie is giving away one copy of What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants! If you are interested in winning this book, in either print or digital form, then leave a comment or question below by Monday, February 6.
Here's a little about Laurie: she has enjoyed life as a freelance medical writer and editor since 1985. Her freelance business has been so successful that she can live comfortably in New York, one of the most expensive cities in the country. She has shared her expertise in editing and freelance fee setting in workshops and presentations from coast to coast. We are lucky enough to get to pick her brain right on The Muffin today!So, let's go.
WOW: Welcome, Laurie, to The Muffin. We are so glad you are here with us today to talk about your books. Your subject is one that many freelancers need to know. Tell us, who do you recommend should read What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants?
Laurie: Every freelancer, whether she is just starting out or has been in business for many years, will find What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants a useful, even an eye-opening book. I'm not being immodest. This is what readers have told me. I'm especially moved when I hear this from writers who have been freelancing for decades. They'll often say something like, "I wish I had this book when I started out;" or "Thanks to your strategies, my business has really taken off."
WOW: That's great news! No matter what your level of freelancing is, you can find value in this book. Why do you think freelancers have such a hard time knowing how much to charge?
Laurie: If you ask most freelance writers for a one-
17 Comments on What To Charge if You Are a Freelancer: Advice from Laurie Lewis, last added: 2/4/2012
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Wonderful post, Cathy. Comparing guidelines and getting to know a market to a first meeting and getting better acquainted with a person makes your point crystal clear. (And check out my post yesterday. It's about you ;)
Excellent advice, as always!
Thank you, Cathy! This is great advice and something I was just thinking of the other day as I was tackling our queries and submissions. Many writers fail to actually read the e-zine, and we can tell!
You also figured out the number one problem we see in submissions: it reads more like a personal essay or blog post than an in-depth article with a lot of take-away info.
I hope that anyone thinking of submitting to us read the post I wrote on New Year's Day about how to write and pitch to us: How to Write for WOW! in 2012: An Editorial Guide
It has a list of editorial themes; and another main reason for rejection is that writers didn't submit to a theme. =/
Right now we have one or two spots left in the Blogging/Social Media issue, but both The Gatekeepers and Editing & Revision are wide open. We also haven't received a query for our Inspiration column in a while, so we're open to highlighting a great woman who has given back in some way.
Great post, thank you.