Tuesday Tip… July 31, 2007

The blogging world is abuzz with posts about whether it’s right for writers to write (hey, aren’t I poetic!) for free and/or paltry pay. And though everybody has to start somewhere, we want to make sure new and new-ish writers understand that not all clips are created equal, and neither are all paychecks.

So you’re starting without a clip to your name, and you want to get some published work under your belt before you approach national magazines. What to do, what to do? With the explosion of sites out there that promise to publish your work–and sometimes, even pay you for it, if people click through or if you mention certain products in your posts–it might seem like a great place to get your start.

 But will editors take a clip from one of these sites seriously? I wouldn’t count on it.

First of all, unless you’re hoping to make a career as an essayist (all articles written from your personal point of view instead of investigative or how-to articles, often called “service journalism”), magazine and newspaper writing and sometimes pro-blogging writing is about more than, well, just writing. You also have to have reporting skills, the ability to understand editing suggestions and a temperament that will allow you to work closely with an editor without flying off the handle if they cut out even your most precious phrases. If you’re trying to pitch a long, research-heavy feature to a major magazine, they probably aren’t going to be impressed by a clip on a “content provider” site (for more info about these sites and why they aren’t a good idea for writers, read this fabulous post) that’s never been vetted by an editor, was written entirely from your own point of view, cites no research and quotes no sources. Of course, you could produce a really well-written, intensively-reported article for one of these sites, but…why would you? If you’re willing to put in time and work for free or cheap in the hopes the article gets published, it would make more sense to pitch the idea to a small, but respected online publication–you know, one where you actually work with an editor and they care about the quality of the work–small local newspaper, or regional parenting magazine while you learn the ropes. This kind of market is often willing to take a chance on a new writer, but you have to leave your comfort zone long enough to put yourself out there–and face possible rejection, which can be a scary thing.

There’s nothing wrong with writing for any outlet as long as you get really clear about your eventual goals for your work. On this site, we focus on magazine/newspaper journalism, but there’s also professional blogging. But that requires a pro-active approach, too–you can’t just wait to be discovered. And some of the websites that newbie writers flock to because they see it as a chance to get published really aren’t doing them any favors. Yes, it’s possible an editor could be impressed by a really well-written blog post or article on a content-provider site. And certainly there are plenty of people who write solely for the love of it, and getting paid for it would just be gravy.  But if you want to make a living in freelancing, it just doesn’t make sense to linger long in the writing-for-pennies-or-less ghetto.  

So this Tuesday’s tip? Put one foot in front of the other. If you’re writing for no or low pay, aim higher. Research a writer you admire and reflect how they got to where they are. Is the kind of writing you’re doing now going to impress an editor enough to take you to the next level? And are those clips going to impress the next editor? And so on, until you land a great assignment with Much-Admired Market? If not, how can you get from here…to there?

 Know where you’re going and make a plan. Everybody has to start somewhere, but that doesn’t necessarily have to mean writing for peanuts or less. And even if you’ve chosen to do just that, you don’t have to stay there for long.

Happy writing!

–Meagan

If an editor you are dying to work with Googled your name right now, would you be proud of what they’d find?

Edits, Shmedits July 30, 2007

Here’s something I didn’t give much thought when I was a newbie writer: where there are assignments, there will (usually) be edits.

 I was in for a rude awakening the first time I turned in a story to an editor, who was also a friend of mine, and she turned right back around and said (in so many words, and very nicely) “Yeah, umm, this has got some issues.”

 She was totally right, but it still stung. I’d worked hard on that article; every little phrase had seemed to flow. Now I was being told that not only was my prose imperfect, but so was my basic thesis. Oh, and my biases (everybody’s got ‘em) were showing in a too-major way, and compromising the helpfulness of the article.

 I was grateful that the first edits came from a friend, because I didn’t freak out and think “Oh no! She hates me, I suck!” I knew this editor liked me personally AND thought I was a good writer. It made it much easier the next time around, and the next, and the next, to face edits from other faceless editors on the other side of an internet connection somewhere, without taking them personally. Still, I didn’t exactly relish getting my story back all marked up, so to quell the dread I sometimes felt when facing a lot of suggestions and questions in CAPITALS or red type, I started going through a little edit ritual: first, I’d open the document, scan it quickly to get the jist of the suggestions, and deal with anything I thought seemed very easy to fix right off the bat. Then I’d close the file and give the meatier edits a little time to sink in. The next day, I’d re-open the file and work my way through the edits, point by point. If there were more interviews to be done or major changes to be made, I usually found I could face them much more easily when I’d given myself a bit of time and distance from that original read-through. I don’t need to do this every time anymore, but sometimes I still revert to this old tried-and-true technique for facing a big revision with confidence instead of dread.

Revisions still aren’t my favorite part of the job–in fact, both Toni and I are in the middle of edits that are making us tear our collective hair out–but the more I do them, the more they become just another part of the process, and not a big, hairy, “Why don’t they like my writing?” ordeal like it once was. All stories can benefit from a good editor, and it’s important to look at your relationship with your editor as just that–a partnership that will produce the best possible story, not them trying to throw their weight around, or a battle of you-against-the editor in a fight over which words actually make it to the page. On the other hand, sometimes magazines are well-known for putting writers through an editorial wringer due to too many cooks (editors) in the kitchen (passing the story around for their own shot at marking it up). The more stories you revise, the easier it becomes to tell the difference.

 Anyway, feel free to steal my method for easing into edits, or if you have your own process or philosophy, we’d love to hear about it–so comment away!

–Meagan

Follow-Up Friday: Filing Fun July 13, 2007

Fun? Did I just call filing fun? Well, it can be if it’s pretty. Bear with me here.

Even though I’ve been freelancing at least part-time since 2003, this is the first year I feel I’ve developed a handle on tracking expenses and filing receipts. I really don’t enjoy keeping track of this sort of thing, so it tends to fall by the wayside in favor of chasing dust bunnies or returning phone calls–anything to avoid attending to numbers. Then spring rolls around and I pay dearly for my avoidance behavior when it comes time to meet with our accountant.

Here’s one very tiny, simple thing I’ve started doing this year. It’s no secret that I’m a slave to Target and its pretty, shiny offerings. One day I spotted one of those clear plastic envelope thingies with tabbed dividers you could label for each month. It’s a bit bigger than a checkbook and closes with a rubberband. And it’s purple. I labeled each tab by month, and every time I incur an expense or drive somewhere, I drop the receipt or (colorful, of course) Post-It note tracking mileage into the slot for that month. Like the receipt for buying the cool purple filing thingie. That was so January. Had I shopped now, I likely would’ve snagged one of these instead.

As for July, I think I’m going off in search of some of these to file market research and contracts. Or do you like these better? I’m betting Meagan would be all over these.

Share what works for you when tracking expenses. No method is too geeky, no storage space too purple.

Three Conferences Worth Attending July 12, 2007

Freelancing gives us the freedom to work from home in our PJs, a babe in arms, Cheerios and notes from school strewn about the office. While this freedom enables us to support our families while remaining close to home to raise those families, writing is ultimately a solitary endeavor. Sometimes it’s too easy to forget the value of meeting face to face with colleagues and editors.

Therefore, in honor of the Writers and Editors One-on-One conference in Chicago this weekend, we’d like to share three writers’ conferences worth jetting off to.

Yeah, yeah, we know; conferences are expensive, you can’t afford to travel, who will watch the kids, yadda yadda. We’ve both heard it all before and said some of the same things ourselves. But as your writing business grows or if it’s well established, consider investing in a writers’ conference. First off, it’s a tax writeoff. Second, landing even one feature article based on networking or meetings from a conference can cover the cost of attending. Third, two of the conferences listed below offer opportunities to meet face to face with magazine editors, a huge bonus for those of us residing outside of New York City. Finally, you never know what lasting professional connections you might make by attending a writer’s conference.

Here’s our Thursday Three–writers’ conferences worth attending:

1. One-on-One, held each July in Chicago. You must be an established writer with the clips to prove it in order to attend.

2. The annual conference hosted by the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) is held every April in New York City. Non-members are welcome to attend, but members gain access to all events, including the personal pitch sessions.

3. For those among us who write or want to write books, attending the Book Expo America/Writers Digest Books Writer’s Conference is a great way to learn from seasoned authors and hone writing and marketing skills.

How long does it take for editors to respond? November 29, 2006

From now on, we’re going to be answering reader’s letters at D2D. If you’ve got a question that has to do with the craft or business of writing or freelancing while raising a family, please sent it to us at info at diaperstodeadlines.com and we’ll do our best to answer it!

Our first question comes from a writer mom who’s befuddled by books she’s read that say that e-mail queries lead to immediate responses. She asks:

I keep reading about these e-mailed pitches that get accepted “immediately.” Well, after 4 weeks I haven’t heard a peep about mine. Do I assume the editors didn’t like them? Follow-up on them? It’s
frustrating to read about how great e-mail is for pitches and then not get a response, leaving me to wonder if I know what the heck I’m doing.Thanks,
Lonely Inbox

Dear Lonely:

I am a fan of the e-mailed query. Though it does frequently take a while to hear anything back–and sometimes, you never hear anything back at all–it is far preferable to the responses I got during my short-lived period of only sending snail mailed queries (read: a handful of form rejections and no response at all to the vast majority of my queries, despite my care to always include a self-addressed stamped envelope.)

Do e-mailed queries guarantee immediate responses? Absolutely not. But in most cases, an e-mailed query is superior in several ways: first, the message is far more likely to get to the editor you’re targeting, rather than a slush pile on an intern’s desk. Second, if the editor likes your idea, he or she CAN respond immediately. This doesn’t always, or even usually happen. More often, he or she has to think about it, figure out if he has space for it, or pass it around to colleagues. But IF the editor is in an assigning mood and your query comes across at JUST the right moment, the opportunity is there for near-instant gratification. Third, if the editor DOESN’T like your idea, you are far more likely to get a prompt response with a rejection, and you can use that opportunity to pitch again quickly. Because of the ease of e-mail, you may even find that editors are more willing to give personalized feedback in their rejections.

But along with all this possibility comes an increased sense of frustration when you don’t hear anything back right away–or at all. You send off a query before lunch, and during lunch you wonder if they’re reading it. Maybe due to the magical speed of the Internet, you’ll have an acceptance in your inbox by the time you finish your sandwich!

Then the response doesn’t come, and it doesn’t come, and it doesn’t come. You think, “All they would have to do is hit reply, type “no”, and click “send”–how hard is that?” For some editors, the answer seems to be “impossibly difficult”. There are some editors I have categorized as “non-responders”; they never get back to you unless they want to assign something no matter how many times you follow up. Other editors need a few nudges. For the most part, editors are just like the rest of us–busy people who get lots of e-mail and sometimes lose track of it. Sometimes e-mail doesn’t get where it’s supposed to go–the editor may truly not have gotten it. For this reason, I do recommend following up on a regular schedule (I follow up at between 2 and 3 weeks after a query goes out–no sense leaving it languishing in Cyberspace forever).

I don’t know what has become of Lonely’s waiting queries. She may have been unlucky enough to stumble across a few non-responding editors at once. Following up is a good idea; it certainly can’t hurt. But people whose e-mailed queries are consistently ignored, even after follow ups, may want to ask themselves a few questions:

• Does my query’s subject line make it clear what I’m offering? Editors may mistake a writer’s query for a PR pitch and delete it. Or maybe there’s something about your header that’s getting your message picked up by spam filters. Or maybe you aren’t descriptive enough and the query’s not getting opened. I usually put “QUERY:” followed by a catchy title, in the subject line.
• Are my queries targeted to the publication? Do they indicate to the editor that I know how to do research, that I am capable of fleshing out ideas, that I can organize a paragraph, that I have a lively writing style? Remember, you’re selling more than this one idea–you’re selling yourself. If the editor can’t assign your idea but the query catches his or her eye because of excellent writing or a unique understanding of the subject matter, you are much more likely to get an encouraging response. Note: Not all assignments come from fully-fleshed-out queries, but when it’s your first time approaching an editor–particularly if you’re a new writer without a lot of clips–think of your query as an opportunity to wow them by demonstrating what a great writer and reporter you are. (For more help with crafting queries that sell, pick up a copy of the just-released Query Letters That Rock, by the Renegade Writer duo Linda Formicelli and Diana Burrell!)
• Am I targeting the right editor? Make sure he or she assigns for the article type or department you’re querying. And if you never hear boo from an editor, it’s OK to take your pitch to another editor at the same publication.
• Is this pitch the right season? Magazines have varying lead times. Some nationals are making assigments for December 2007…or beyond.

Don’t give up! The other nice thing about e-mail? It’s free. There’s no need to ponder whether those SASEs are personally funding the mail room departments of all those national mags you so diligently pitched. If you don’t hear from an editor after a few weeks, follow up. If you still don’t hear, you can follow up again or move on. Re-tool your idea to make it perfect for a new publication, and get it out there again. And remember–the best way to keep from obsessing about the fate of the queries you’ve got out is to be querying all the time. There will come a time when you can’t even remember how many you’ve got out at once–and that’s when you get those surprise responses in your inbox. Lonely, I hope I answered your question. Please, ask more–that goes for all of you.

Readers: how “instant” are the responses you get to your e-mailed queries? Have you found any tricks or tips for getting more, or faster acceptances? Please weigh in in the comments!

Happy writing!

–Meagan

Giving Thanks November 21, 2006

This year, as my writing business grew by leaps and bounds, I found myself feeling grateful for the generosity and guidance of my editors. I decided that rather than sending holiday cards in December, I’d send Thanksgiving cards to say thanks for the business. An editor friend told me that it feels like a leap of faith for an editor to take a chance on a new writer. Who’s to say they’ll make deadline, or that they’ll turn in work that meets the needs of their publication and the specific instructions for the assignment? I’m thankful to those editors who not only gave me a chance, but came to me for repeat business. And I have to say it just feels good telling them so.

It’s both important and smart business to acknowledge that trust and to solidify the existing working relationship. It doesn’t take a lot of time to do, and it likely won’t get too lost in the shuffle with the end-of-year landslide of mail. I think this also works well if timed as a New Year’s note – a lovely way to brighten an editor or colleague’s day during that inevitable post-holiday slump.

Next year, I plan to also send notes to fellow writers, colleagues who went the extra mile to send a lead or insights into a market they write for. I love that there is a vast sea of writers who are generous with their virtual Rolodexes, contrary to the classic image of the writer who must live in fear of idea theft.

Networking is essential to entrepreneurs, and while this is a valuable form of networking, it’s also a terrific way to do the right thing and spread a little gratitude and joy. Plus, it’s simple enough to write, address, and stamp thank you cards while the kids sit nearby, duking it out with the cold virus du jour.

Is there anything about your writing life you’d like to give thanks for? What are you waiting for? Share your stories in the comment section.

Fall Cleaning September 7, 2006

In my last entry, I asked about what seeds–or flowering bulbs, if you will–we might plant that could blossom into the next year?

For me, the thing that needs planting most is better organization.

The other day, I proudly photographed my 4-year-old boy, monogrammed tote bag in hand and brand spankin’ new Stride Rites over his sandal-tanned feet, to commemorate his first day of pre-kindergarten. Boy, were we ever surprised to hear the teachers asking where Nolan was the day before–the actual first day of school.

It seems I’d written the wrong day on my calendar, a weekly book with insufficient space to hold the myriad doctor’s appointments, school events, interviews with sources for articles, and myriad other reminders. Said calendar is surrounded by a quasi-filing system of sorts, featuring current work-related projects, unpaid bills, and school-related papers. And magazines–always magazines. Still, it’s a daily fight to keep the clutter at bay, and beyond that, I’m finding that I need to have a good system in place to keep key events from falling off the grid as they increasingly do lately.

So while I’m working on digging out of my paper tunnel here, allow me to share a couple of great resources for getting–and keeping–things together both at work and at home.

The Smart Woman’s Guide to a Simple Life, crafted with care by freelance writer Gretchen Roberts, is a calming starting point for those of us seeking to avoid the chaos. And there’s no magazine clutter involved–just sign up for her e-mailing list and receive weekly doses of wisdom and great ideas for living closer to your core being right in your inbox. Gretchen is no stranger to juggling diapers and deadlines, and her style is approachable and readable, like stopping by a friend’s tastefully decorated, cozy home for a welcome visit.

And then there’s attorney/journalist Heather Greenwood Davis’ story in the Toronto Star. When I read of her original means of organizing home office clutter: "Step 1: Dump your papers in a pile in a corner until they are about to topple. Step 2: Start new pile," the familiarity with my own methodology sent my jaw hurtling toward my desk. Fortunately, the huge stack of papers (and, of course, magazines) sitting there cushioned its fall. Read about how one paper hoarder found her way to the light here. Put your coffee or tea down when reading, though; Greenwood Davis’ writing is really funny.

In our next entry, we’ll talk more about workflow, efficiency, and maybe I’ll have made some headway on the miles of piles here. I might even share some "before" photos for you to <strike>laugh at</strike> learn from.

Until then, please use that comment box and share what works for you, and what doesn’t, in your workspace and work life.

–Toni

Effective Emailing… April 4, 2006

So you’ve read The Renegade Writer–or are just sick of waiting for your SASEs to show back up in the mail–and have decided to give e-mail submissions a shot? Good for you! Make no mistake, e-mail can be a convenient and quick way to pitch ideas and essays, hammer out assignment details or introduce yourself to an editor. But sometimes, the ease and informal feel of e-mail can lead to some less-than-professional behavior. Though you can’t make an editor love your ideas, the least you can do is make sure he won’t be able to find fault with your presentation. So, in keeping with April’s Best Foot Forward theme, we’ve decided to give a few tips for making a good impression on any editor’s inbox:

Be Adequately Formal:

Miss Manners I’m not. You should see some of the e-mail exchanges between Toni and I–sometimes consisting of nothing more than a one-word reply, uncapitalized, with no punctuation. But Toni and I are friends, and our relationship has moved past proper and is now decidedly colloquial.

Contrast that to the pitches I get every so often from PR representatives and expert sources that contain no greeting, no capitalization, and no closing. If those pitches raise the eyebrows of even a Casual Cathy like myself, I can only imagine what a similarly-laid-back query might do to the eyebrows of an editor who values propriety–not to mention punctuation.

You don’t have to copy a business letter’s style–in fact, a return-address block on an e-mail might look a little strange–but at a minimum, any e-mail contacts with someone you’re not on a familiar basis with yet should contain a greeting; proper capitalization, punctuation, and grammar; and a closing. Whenever I can reasonably ascertain an editor’s gender, I use the rather formal "Dear Ms (or Mr.) Smith". I know that some, to be on the completely safe side, prefer to write "Dear John Smith", but to me, that looks stilted and awkward: if I absolutely can’t find out whether Terry, Chris or Pat are male or female, I just go with Dear Firstname (PS: One way to figure out an editor’s gender is by asking writer acquaintances for a tip. Our message boards are a good place to start).  For closings, "Best" seems to be a standard in magazine journalism; but "best wishes," "sincerely", or "regards" will do as well. Save XOXO (hugs and kisses), TTFN (ta-ta for now), and CYA (See ya) for your grandmother or best friend.

And while we’re on the topic of cutesy acronyms, please keep in mind that not everyone in the world knows what KWIM, BRB, or ROFLMAOPIMP stand for. Leave them out of work-related correspondence unless you know they’ll go over well. Same goes for smileys–yes, even if your e-mail program lets you do fun variations like the Throwing Up Smiley or Drinking Beer Smiley. Moving on…

Address Success:

Okay, so you really love Scooby Doo. I get it. But an e-mail address like velmalovesshaggy29304@hotmail.com isn’t going to "wow" your editors. It looks unprofessional, and let’s face it–it probably says more about you than they need to know. If you have your own URL, some variation on yourname@yourname.com is great. As for whether free mail hosts are acceptable, I think they’re OK as long as the address looks professional: I’ve had a Yahoo account for years, and have found it more reliable than the various @meaganfrancis.com accounts I’ve had through hosting companies, so I’ve stuck with it. But I’m meaganfrancis@yahoo.com, not ilovemycutiepatootie@yahoo.com. See the difference?

Signing Off:

It’s a great idea to create a signature line containing your contact info (phone number, e-mail address, mailing address, and website URL if you have one–more on that later this month) so that if an editor wants to give you a quick call to discuss an idea or wants to pop a contract in the mail, he or she won’t have to go digging around to find your contact info. The easier you can make an editor’s job, the better your relationship will be.

Don’t Abuse It.

Keep in mind that in many offices, opening unsolicited attachments is strictly verboten. Don’t send ‘em unless you have a working relationship with the editor, and even then, you may want to ask him or her first if attachments are OK. And if you get a request from an editor to send future pitches via snail mail, don’t take it personally–a lot of editors still prefer to work with hard copies. You can decide for yourself whether you want to continue to pursue the editor, but whatever you do, don’t continue to flood his or her inbox with unwelcome e-mailed pitches after being specifically asked not to. There’s a line between being assertive and ambitious–and just plain annoying.

One last thing–don’t expect anyone to drop everything they’re doing to reply to your message. Yes, the lightning-fast speed at which you can carry out conversations via e-mail might make you impatient with those editors who take their time responding. But remember–just because somebody theoretically could answer an e-mail within thirty seconds doesn’t mean they’re obligated to. Wait a while–I usually give it anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on my relationship with the editor–before following up on an unanswered e-mail, and don’t act put out if your e-mail gets missed. Spam folders, itchy delete fingers and slammed inboxes can make the job of keeping up with e-mail difficult, and you’ll make a much better impression with a light, casual check-in than an obnoxious "Didja get my e-mail? Huh? Huh? Didja?"

Using e-mail has made my writing career 100 times easier–and it can do the same for you. Just use common sense and follow the guidelines above and you’ll make a great electronic impression.

Want to discuss e-mail submissions and queries? Visit our message boards to ask questions and give advice and encouragement. Until next time, keep putting that best foot forward!

–Meagan

Know Your Markets February 13, 2006

When non-writers find out that I write for consumer magazines, I often get a response that sounds something like this: "How do you decide which magazines to send which ideas to? They all look the same to me."

Ah, but we all know that they really aren’t.

Yes, even I often joke with my sister that all a successful writer has to do is come up with new ways to "walk off the weight". But going beyond a casual look, a reader who’s paying attention can see that style and tone ranges from magazine to magazine, even if the subject matter is similar and the covers look almost exactly the same. Are the articles written to "you" or do they take a more formal third-person approach? Or a combination? Are they friendly and casual in tone or authoritative and heavy on "expert" advice? How long are the articles? How many sidebars does each one have? How photo-driven are the stories? Are there regular departments that appear each month? Are they written by freelancers, staffers, or regular contributors? Does the magazine run first-person essays? Two magazines can sit side-by-side on a newsstand, have similar cover lines, similar-looking cover art, and the answers to the above questions could be very different.

That’s why market research is important. Researching a market–whether it’s a magazine, newspaper, web publication, literary journal, or publishing house–to find out what sort of writing they publish and when, is smart business. Not only will you hit the mark more often when you really understand the publication you’re submitting your work or pitching ideas to, but on those times that you don’t make a sale, you’ll at least make a positive impression upon an editor–that even if this idea doesn’t work out, (because: it’s in the works, it’s already been done, they aren’t running articles by writers whose first name begins with "A" that month…) you’ve done your homework, and you understand the publication. Impressing the editor makes it more likely that you’ll get one of those "this doesn’t work for me, but I’d love to hear more from you" responses.

If you’ve read a beginner’s book on freelancing, no doubt you’ve been advised to send away for writer’s guidelines. I have noticed that many guidelines say something along the lines of "reading the magazine is the best way to find out what sorts of things we publish". It’s true. Writer’s guidelines are helpful, but they usually won’t tell you everything you need to know–which editor is in charge of this section and that one? How many words does the back-page essay run? Is there a back-page essay–or any essays at all? How cutting-edge, timely, or "evergreen" (meaning, one of those topics that never really stops being relevant) are the articles?

Similarly, book publishers all have a different feel when it comes to the titles they publish. Some publishers have lots of celebrity titles. Some publish really art-driven books that are packaged in a certain way. Some publish narrative nonfiction, or only serious fiction, or only genre fiction. You’ll get the best feel for which houses are appropriate for your project if you see what else they’re publishing first.

For those working on book projects, getting an up-close-and-personal feel for what different publishers are putting out might mean many trips to the library or bookstore, seeing which other books are out there and who’s publishing them. Magazine and newspaper writers can also utilize the library: many will allow you to check out back issues of magazines and newspapers. Sites like www.mags4cheap.com offer dirt-cheap subscriptions. Or, ask freelancer friends to participate in a magazine or newspaper swap–just tear out the departments you’re interested in and the masthead to avoid paying shipping on page after page of advertising! (Visit our message boards to find out if there are any D2D members interested in swapping magazine or newspaper pages with you!) Lots of newspapers now offer their content online–sometimes for free; sometimes for a fee.

So how much reading should you plan to do? All writers have different approaches when it comes to market research. For example, traditionalists may say that magazine freelancers should study a minimum of six months to a year’s worth of back issues before they pitch–the idea being that they’re less likely to repeat an idea that’s been covered recently that way. But in my experience, since magazines assign so far in advance (up to a year; sometimes more), and you can have no way of knowing what’s in the works now, reading a year–or even three year’s–worth of issues is really no insurance against coming up with the same idea somebody else is already working on. Besides, my memory isn’t good enough to retain an entire year’s worth of articles!

I find that my energy is better spent really focusing in on two or three recent issues, looking carefully at these things:

*Tone. Is the language fun, funky, or formal? Are the articles unfailingly upbeat, do they always contain solutions, do they ever end on a negative note? Do the writers use "you" or "I" in the articles? How expert-heavy is the advice given?

*Who’s writing the articles. Check the masthead to find out if editors and other staffers, contributing editors, or freelancers are writing the articles in each section. If a section seems to always be written by an in-house person, it might mean it’s not open to freelancers.

*Article Length. A magazine that doesn’t ever run articles over 1500 words long isn’t going to be interested in my proposal to cover the latest health craze in 4000 words, even if it’s a REALLY good idea. But if I can figure out a way to approach the topic in 1500 words, I might be able to re-slant the idea for another publication later.

*Departments. Are there regular departments, and are they written by freelancers? Do they follow a specific pattern or formula each issue?

*Sidebars and other visual elements. If a publication tends to have very visually-driven articles or routinely uses charts, graphs, sidebars and other breakouts, suggesting them in the pitch might help the editor visualize the way my idea would look on the page.

Once you’ve done the research, what you choose to do with the information is up to you. Some writers pick and choose which markets will fit their ideas, exactly the way they want to write them. Some writers will package an idea differently in order to appeal to different markets. It’s up to you–whichever approach best fits in with your goals can work, as long as you go in armed with enough information to choose.

We’d love to talk about market research with you on our message boards, so stop on by! And remember, you’ve got until Tuesday night to post as much as you can for a chance to win a copy of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Business Planning.

See you at the boards–and happy writing!

–Meagan

Getting Organized January 23, 2006

When we’re trying to get our brains focused on our writing goals, some writers miss a very important step–getting their physical space organized as well.

It’s next to impossible to be productive as a writer if our writing space is cluttered and messy or if we aren’t sure what we’ve got planned for the day. And it’s difficult to treat your writing as a business if you’re drowning in papers and post-its scribbled with deadlines.

When you’ve just got a few submissions or queries out, are in the early planning stages of a book project, or don’t have a lot of assignments, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you’ll be able to keep track of it all in your head. But all too soon we find our brains–already working overtime to keep track of doctor’s appointments, after-school activities, playgroups, the sitter’s phone number–overflowing with information, and vital pieces start to leak out. That source’s name or editor’s email address that used to come right to mind is lost in a sea of data, and we’ve got to track it down all over again, wasting precious time. Or even worse, a deadline gets blown or our work isn’t as quality as it could have been if we’d been more prepared.

Maybe you’ll want to take advantage of a virtual calendar on your computer. Outlook, which comes built-in to many software packages, offers pop-up reminders of appointments and deadlines. You can keep it even more simple–a spreadsheet using a program like Microsoft Excel can keep track of queries, assignments, submissions, deadlines, and payment information. If you’re technophobic, creating a system on the computer might seem overwhelming or just impractical. That’s OK–keeping track of all this information on paper can work well too. The point is that you find something that works for you. It’s useless to set up an elaborate system on the computer or PDA if you won’t remember to go back and update it when something changes.

I have found that I don’t keep computer calendars as updated as I should–though I use the computer every day, something about the act of putting pen to paper helps me cement deadlines in my head and retain information more effectively. At the same time, trying to keep track of all my queries and deadlines on paper was too confusing. So I use a mix of simple and slightly more sophisticated: a special notebook for jotting down story ideas and keeping track of my to-do list, and Excel files for tracking queries and assignments. I keep the format the same from spreadsheet to spreadsheet, so when a query becomes an assignment I simply cut and paste the record into the "assignment" spreadsheet and add a deadline at the end. And when I’ve been paid for the assignment, I move it into another spreadsheet that tracks my income for the year. This helps me to see at a glance whether I’m on track financially and also reminds me not to shirk the important task of paying quarterly taxes!

If your e-mail account mixes business and pleasure, you may find yourself wading through a pile of forwarded jokes and recipes from your Aunt Sue while you’re looking for an important e-mail from an editor. Separate folders for assignments, submissions, source contacts and personal e-mail can help you from missing something important. You can set up a filter to automatically direct your mail into the appropriate folder, depending on who it’s from, a word in the subject line or other criteria.

What are some ways you keep yourself organized? What tools do you use for tracking research, keeping your e-mail in check or remembering all your deadlines and family commitments? Come on over to the boards and let us know!

Have a happy, productive and organized week!
–Meagan