Writer to Writer June 2008

Writer to Writer - June 2008 - Issue Two

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EDITORIAL:

What a fortnight!

Last issue I talked about some copywriting work I picked up. I had a lot of emails about this subject, and because of that realised I've not done enough in the way of education on this subject. I'm trying to rectify that now.

Since that keyword article I wrote about, I've done another keyword article for the same client, a re-write of an article, plus four 'letters of introduction'. To get the full story on these, check my latest blog article. (Rather than repeat myself here.)

Last time I talked about earning $100 per day from copywriting. I am not at that level, far from it, but I can tell you I've earned $540 for less than seven hours of copywriting since the last issue. Yesterday hubby and I decided to take our three grandchildren on a little holiday (three days) next week, and this work has paid for our accommodation with a couple of hundred left over. Without it, we probably wouldn't be going.

I'd be very happy if I could earn this sort of money each fortnight because I don't want to stop writing non-fiction books, and I also want time to work on my novels. This sort of copywriting income would make my accountant happy, and not overload my schedule. (To save you working it out, it would be around $13,000 per year in extra income. Not too bad.)

Last week I told you about my writing group's annual retreat. It was a wonderful weekend of learning, fun, and friendship, but I was totally exhausted, and to be honest, I'm still quite tired.

I ran a workshop on editing, we had marketing news, we talked about our goals and where we wanted to be in two years time and much more. One of our members was a chef in a past life, so there was heaps of scrumptious food as well. Freshly baked muffins for morning tea, scrummy date loaf, and Beef Wellington for Saturday night dinner. I made the dessert, which was my own version of Trifle. (Infamous in my family circle!)

There were laughter sessions, senses awareness activities, and time to watch movies - good and bad.

We do this once a year and come back ready to move forward with our writing careers. Our retreat group is usually made up of 10-13 people, which is perfect. Any more and the house would be crowded. (We go to the same place each year.)

If you are part of a writing group, I highly recommend you suggest a retreat. You won't be sorry.

Very quickly, I wanted to let you know that I haven't had much time to play around with Xsite Pro, but in the little time I have spent on it (2-3 hours), I found the program relatively easy to use. Obviously I'm no expert, and it will probably take a while before I can say I am, but I certainly didn't stress while using it.

At this point in time, the special price is still applicable, but I honestly have no idea how long the $100 discount will last. I highly recommend you watch the video to get a better idea of what this software can do. I'm really glad I did. (Here's the link to check it out: http://www.writer2writer.com/xsitepro )

Time to get onto this issue: this week Judy Bagshaw has written an article about Surviving the Slush Pile, and Beth Morrow continues her four part series on freelance writing with 4 Ways to Get Freelance Writing Jobs Part 2: Real-Life Jobs.

Okay, that's it from me - time to sit back and enjoy this issue.

Til next time…

Cheryl

p.s. In the last issue I shared a small gift for you. In case you missed it, this ebook gives hints and tips on writing headlines, for both your own writing and also when you're working with a client. You can grab it here - there's absolutely no cost, and you won't be asked to leave any details.

You can also read this issue online here:

http://www.writer2writer.com/Newsletter_2_June_2008.htm

If you missed the last issue, you'll find it here:

http://www.writer2writer.com/Newsletter_June_2008.htm

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Quote of the Month:

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

- Mark Twain

25 Ways to Write for Money

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Go here to read my review of this book

Please support Writer2Writer.com and the Writer to Writer newsletter by purchasing through the affiliate and advertising links in this newsletter. This keeps the newsletter and other information (such as fr*ee courses) at no charge to subscribers. Some similar publications are now charging a yearly fee - I'm constantly fighting against that trend.

Surviving the Slush Pile

I recently began working as a slush reader for a publisher and with the first few manuscripts that crossed my desk it quickly became apparent that a refresher was needed on how to survive this crucial step on the road to getting published.

Let’s start with the query letter. First of all, send your submission to the right person in the company, in most cases an acquisitions editor or senior editor. If possible, research a name. But if one is not available, use best business letter writing practices. You are not writing to a friend. This is not a casual email exchange. This, in effect, is a job interview. Treat it with that kind of seriousness.

Make sure you have read the submissions guidelines and follow these guidelines to the letter. With the growth of small press online, there are a plethora of romance publishers out there. Each one has their preferences for romance "heat levels". It would be a waste of your time, and the editor’s, to send an erotic romance to a company that primarily deals with sweet romances, or a Regency to a company that specializes in paranormal romance. Almost all companies now post their guidelines right on their websites. There is no excuse for this kind of error.

Already with these two little steps you’ve shown that you are a professional who does your homework.

Read the entire article here

55% of ALL Fiction Sold World-Wide is Romance - Why not CA$H IN on that Market?
	Lynette's Rees e-book Crafting the Romance Story is an interactive workbook for aspiring romance writers, as well as containing useful information and links, it also contains character and plot worksheets. Check it out here

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4 Ways to Get Freelance Writing Jobs
Part 2: Real-Life Jobs

One of the biggest challenges to becoming a successful freelance author isn’t completing your articles and copywriting projects by deadline but learning to balance actual writing time versus time spent searching for new gigs. Get caught up in searching for jobs and you might find days or weeks have passed since you’ve written. Concentrate too much on the writing and you’ll soon find your work-in-progress finished and few future prospects.

There must be a happy medium somewhere…

Knowing where to look for freelance jobs is half the battle of being a productive writer. In last month’s article, I shared how to find jobs online using a variety of internet resources. This month, we’re going to be looking for freelance jobs in four old-fashioned ways: real life.

Community Connections

Finding freelance jobs in your community is a terrific way to not only add work to your calendar, it’s a simple, inexpensive and free way to get your name circulating in public arenas. Once you label yourself as a writer, many people will begin to look at you through a different lens, especially other business owners.

One of the best ways to do this is to get to know your local chamber of commerce. Comprised of business owners from all types of venues, chambers of commerce address economic, civic, social and community issues, but the major focus of these collaborative groups is business in general, small business in particular. Most business owners prefer to work on growing their business, not writing press releases, direct mail campaigns, even employee memos and newsletters. Look up your local chamber of commerce information in the phone book and inquire about their next meeting. Take plenty of business cards and observe their protocol for networking with members. Introduce yourself as a writer and let members know you’re seeking new clients. Even if they do all their writing in-house, encourage them to keep your contact information should they need something on short notice or out of the area of expertise of their current staff.

A second idea is contacting local businesses with whom you already have an established relationship as a customer or client. Last month, I took my dog for her annual check-up and noticed how much new material and information had been added to the bulletin board since my last visit. Lost pet microchips, warnings for foods and plants that harm pets, the importance of doggie dentistry…you get the idea. My immediate thought was that this office needed to send out a newsletter to pet owners to keep them abreast of all these important changes. The same thing happened when I visited my dentist and found all kinds of new treatments and services that had become available since my last appointment. Not only might these smaller businesses be looking for a way to keep in touch with customers, they might also need ideas for improving employee communication. Newsletters, advertisements, website copywriting are some avenues you can use to approach these markets.

Read the entire article here

Fre^e Gift for You!

This is another of Jimmy D Brown's excellent reports.

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Subscriber News:

No news this week.

**If you have any news, please send it along.

Click here to email Cheryl

Contests:

No new listings this month.

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Anthology Calls for Submissions:

This is a paying market:

The bestselling A Cup of Comfort book series is now seeking submissions for new anthologies. Stories must be true, original, positive, narrative essays (creative nonfiction), and 1,000-2,000 words. Entrants pay no fees. Writers' guidelines: http://www.cupofcomfort.com/share.htm

SHARE SOME COMFORT

A CUP OF COMFORT FOR FATHERS

The connection between father and child can be as deep as the ocean, as strong as a mountain, and as uplifting as fresh air. For all its rewards, though, fatherhood is not without its challenges. And for all the gifts dads bring to their kids' lives, dads sometimes falter and fumble. Yet, the father-child bond forms, holds, and grows. A Cup of Comfort for Fathers will feature inspiring and insight true stories about the life-defining and life-enriching relationships and experiences shared by fathers and their children. These personal essays will be of varying topics and tones (heartwarming, humorous, poignant, provocative, etc.); about fathers and children of all ages and varying circumstances; and written by fathers, daughters, and sons.

Submission deadline: August 1, 2008

A CUP OF COMFORT FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

For this very special collection, we seek uplifting true stories about the ins and outs, ups and downs, blessing and challenges of parenting children with special needs. The stories will cover children of all ages (birth to adult) and a wide range of developmental, physical, and mental delays/disabilities. No matter how difficult the experiences/emotions conveyed in a story might be (we want them to be authentic, after all), the story must reveal a positive aspect, resolution, or outcome and must be of comfort to parents of children with special needs. Stories may be serious, humorous, insightful, heartwarming, or inspiring. The majority of the stories will be written by parents of children with special needs; we will also consider stories written by adult children with special needs. (No articles or commentaries by clinicians, please.)

Submission deadline: September 15, 2008

A SECOND CUP OF COMFORT FOR DOG LOVERS

Oh, how we humans love our canine companions -- for so many reasons and in so many ways that one Cup of Comfort collection of uplifting dog stories just wasn’t enough. So we’re giving all you dog-loving writers another opportunity to share your personal stories of canine comfort with a growing legion of dog-loving readers. This volume will feature both serious and humorous anecdotal stories covering a wide range of topics and perspectives and varying breeds of dogs. We do NOT want sad stories about a dog’s illness, injury, or death, though we will consider stories that weave a beloved pet’s illness or death into an otherwise positive story. The story should focus on the dog’s remarkable attributes and/or actions as well as on the special relationship between the dog and his/her human(s).

Submission deadline: December 15, 2008

A CUP OF COMFORT FOR THE GRIEVING HEART

When a loved one passes away, comfort is often fleeting and hard to come by. Yet, even a small comfort, like a personal story of how someone has faced a similar loss, does help to ease the sorrow. This volume will feature uplifting personal stories that reveal the special relationships and extraordinary experiences shared by the deceased and his/her loved one(s) immediately before, during, and after the loved one’s passing; it will also includes stories about the internal and external processes by which one deals with and heals from the loss of a loved one. The stories will vary with regard to subject matter, circumstances of death, and the relationship of the author to the individual who has passed away. The book will not include eulogies, profiles/memoirs of people who have passed away, or clinical depictions of death and dying.

Submission deadline: February 1, 2009

Please note that deadlines are sometimes extended by one to four weeks.

BASIC GUIDELINES

All Cup of Comfort stories must be original; true; appropriate for mainstream Americans (adult, primarily women); inspiring, comforting, and/or uplifting; and 1,000 to 2,000 words.

Creative nonfiction and narrative essays preferred (that is, incorporating such fictive elements as scene, dialogue, character/plot development, imagery, and literary word usage). Whether serious or humorous, the story should be authentic and engaging.

Electronic submissions preferred. One submission per email. Copy and paste (or type) into body of email. No formatting (no indents, centering, doublespace, bold, underline, etc.). To: wordsinger@aol.com.

Mailed submissions are acceptable. Standard typed manuscript (double-spaced, indents). Send as many submissions per envelope as you’d like, but include one SASE per submission. To: Colleen Sell, 71563 London Rd., Cottage Grove, Oregon, 97424, USA.

Each submission must include: author’s full name, mailing address, email address, phone number, story title, story wordcount, and theme of volume for which it is being submitted (i.e., Grieving Hearts).

For more detailed writers guidelines: http://www.cupofcomfort.com/share.htm

How Do I?

No questions this month.

If you have a writing-related question, send it here.

FEEDBACK:

If you have any feedback about this newsletter; comments, criticisms, (praise!) sections you'd like to see added, tell me

Submissions:

We are a paying market. Full guidelines are available here, along with current needs. *Note: We are again open for submissions, but waaaay behind in responding. (So what's new? lol)

Disclaimer:

Inclusion of a market, contest, anthology or similar is not necessarily an endorsement. It is strongly suggested that you do your own legwork in checking out any markets etc you decide to approach. If you feel wary or uncomfortable, there's probably a reason!

Advertising:

Guidelines for advertising, and ad rates can be found here

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