Writer Friendly

Grants can be a wonderful thing for a writer, especially if you are facing financial difficulties. While there are not many grants for inexperienced writers, they are still out there. When you publish a few books during your career, more grant opportunities will open up for you. However, regardless of your writing status, you can still find grants applicable to you if you look hard enough.

A main source to find various grants as well as contests is the Writer’s Market, which is updated yearly. If you want to see your name in print, this book can definitely help you achieve your goal. It lists various publications from book publishers to magazines and trade journals. The grants and contests section is toward the back, and there’s no easy way to look through them except to read most of them in their entirety. You never know which ones you might be able to apply for, so you have to read the description thoroughly. Also there is Funds for Writers, which provides information about grants for writers.

Regardless of where you find the grants, you have to follow the guidelines. Some grants require an application fee, some are only for published writers and most target writers who write on specific topics. So if you apply for one, take the time to ensure that you qualify and take even more time perfecting your application before you mail it in.

As with any career, you usually start off slow, which can put you in a not so stable financial situation. In order to be a successful writer, you have to put in the time and effort. Very few writers get picked out from the crowd and offered lucrative positions. But just because you’re not noticed right off the bat doesn’t mean that you can’t work your way up to a lucrative position. News flash…writers don’t have to be poor. Of course talent plays a part in your success, but you can improve your writing with classes and getting a degree. Once you have some education, the sky is the limit. Start writing in a niche and perfect that kind of writing. With time your commitment and passion for writing will pay off. In the next post, I’ll explain how to go about getting grants to write.

Waiting to hear back from a magazine or even a book publisher can be torture. You might have several articles or books pending, which is why it’s important to keep track of all of your writing. You want to keep a record of where it has been and where it’s going.

I use Excel to record all of my information on my stories and articles. I call it my Manuscript Tracking Sheet, which I update every time I receive a rejection and when I send out another piece. You should include the following in your tracking sheet: story/article name, date you sent it, publication you sent it to, when you will follow-up/when you expect to hear from them, whether it was rejected or accepted and how much money you earned if it was accepted. Not only does this prevent you from sending out multiple submissions, it also helps you keep track of whether you have been paid for accepted work.

A magazine can tell you quite a bit about the type of publication it is as well as what type of audience it’s trying to reach. When I was in college, one of my professors had us do a magazine analysis. I still have it to this day, because I have gone back to it to look for ideas and potential magazines where I can send my writing. Creating a magazine analysis is time consuming, but in the end, you will have valuable information to take away from it.

You will want to keep your magazine analysis as a reference, so buy a cheap three-ring binder and some tabs. This will make it look nice and keep all of your papers organized. Choose at least five magazines that you would be interested in writing for. Consider your interests and what topics you are well-versed in. For each of the magazines you choose, create an analysis sheet for it. This will include the following: managing editor’s contact information, what types of writers they employ (freelance, in-house), magazine’s subhead and what it means, explain the contents of the magazine (write a paragraph about each section), read two articles and explain what made it appropriate for the magazine, discuss the editor’s introduction, read and discuss the readers’ letters, examine the advertisements and who they are targeting and examine three of the advertisements.

After you have listed out and discussed this information, you will be prepared to provide a profile of the audience that the magazine is trying to target. Also compare your audience profile to the profile written up in Writer’s Market. Finally, list out as many story ideas you can think of for each magazine. When you are ever having a writer’s block, you will now know where to go.

Whether you have fiction or nonfiction stories or articles, you do have a chance at getting them published in magazines. However, there’s a lot of research you have to do on your end to ensure that you are mailing your writing to the appropriate magazine.

If you don’t already own it, purchase a copy of Writer’s Market. You might be able to loan this from the library, or if you don’t have extra cash, buy an older version. This book compiles all the active magazines and trade journals and puts all the information about them at your fingertips. It tells you what types of writing they accept, how to send it to them and how much they pay. It’s possible to peruse this book for hours, because there are so many publications out there.

It’s best to look up magazines that pertain to your type of writing. For example, maybe you have a piece that is nonfiction and is about backpacking. You will want to look in the book’s index and find nonfiction then find subcategories like nature, outdoors, sports, etc. As you examine different publications, make a list of the ones that you think are best. Then narrow down your options after you look at each publication’s writer’s guidelines. The writer’s guidelines tell you how to submit your piece of writing and approximately how long it will take to hear back from them.

Self-publishing may sound alluring to you, because all writers desire to see their name in print. But there are many unforeseen issues when you start to tackle a book project. Self-publishing requires money and an extensive amount of time and preparation, especially if you want to print a quality book. When you self-publish, you have to edit, create, publish, distribute and market your book. Some self-publishing companies like Lulu.com and CreateSpace.com use print-on-demand so that you don’t need a warehouse to stock copies of your books. In addition, they provide a place for you to market your book too. While these companies are helpful, you have to make sure that you are getting the best deal and that you will be committed to editing your book and marketing it. Depending on how you self-publish, you might only get royalties.

There are some items that are necessary to have if you want to be a productive and professional freelance writer.

Computer 

You should have a working computer with a reliable internet connection. You never know when you will need to do last minute research. Or you might have to email your writing back and forth to your employer. As long as you have Microsoft Word, you are in good shape.

Interview Basics

When you are interviewing people for your story, it’s helpful to have a digital recorder on hand. Also take a notepad and pen with you to keep track of important statements and statistics, because you should always be prepared in case your computer or recorder fail to work.

Extras

If you have a digital camera, you have an upperhand, because you can provide your own images to go along with your story. Some extra software like Photoshop, InDesign and podcasting equipment (camera and microphone) can also make you more desirable to potential employers. However, make sure you know how to work all of the equipment.

When deciding to write online articles, blogs, reviews, etc., you should prepare yourself. Many online writing gigs don’t pay very much, or when you apply for a position, it might take weeks to hear back regarding your application. I start my day browsing the online job boards for positions that interest me. I keep a list of these jobs and then apply for all of them. You will probably need a couple or a few online writing jobs to help supplement your income. Oh, by the way, don’t quit your part-time or full-time job just yet. Be consistent with applying for jobs and don’t get discouraged. When I graduated college, I think I sent my resume out to 20 or 30 potential employers before I started getting jobs. It also helps to follow-up on your application within a week or so after you sent it. This tells the potential employer that you’re interested, and it can also give you an idea of whether the job is filled. The important thing to remember is to trudge on and not give up or think less of yourself if you don’t get jobs right away.

There are many magazines dedicated to helping writers get their work published, and they can be helpful. One of the magazines I subscribe to is called Writer’s Journal, and it has a variety of information. In the beginning it has articles written by people who have made it into the publishing industry. Some give first-hand experiences and then detail out what they learned so other writers don’t make the same mistakes. Toward the back, the magazine has short stories that readers have submitted, and they are ranked first, second and third place. It’s always a learning experience when you read another writer’s material. In addition, it has a poetry section. Find one magazine about writing that you like and take advantage of the advice and tips it provides.

I can’t emphasize it enough. Editing is crucial to snagging the job you want. If a potential employer sees even a typographical error, they will probably disregard your application all together. When I worked in a law office, I learned quickly that professional presentation of your resume is crucial. I remember my boss looking for a new paralegal, and one of the applicants spelled something wrong in their resume so their application was put at the end of the pile.

If you want to make it as a writer, you have to be able to proofread your work. Everyone makes mistakes, even I have made editing errors, but when you are sending out your resume, it must be error free. If you don’t read over your writing, you are not investing enough time into your work and in that matter you are not doing yourself justice. Professional writers have to be professional, and you want potential employers to notice that you can produce quality work.