I had a dream that I was telling my writer's group that a few devotionals I wrote were published in God Stories 6, a regional publication for Central PA, all writers of the region sharing personal experiences to create a year's worth of daily mediations. I woke up the next morning and read an email that I really was published in that book: http://www.dcfi.org/House2House/One_Devotional_2011.html. i'm pretty sure that's the first time I've published in a book compilation.
The next day, I received an email from Chicken Soup for Soul people that a piece was officially accepted, and they wanted my final OK for the final edit. I had known my story was in the final running, but was also told that the decision wouldn't be made until March of 2011, so being told now was a surprise!
Those two developments, in a span of days, was really encouraging. As some aspects of my writing have no been so rewarding... I've been trying to freelance for magazines, but haven't gotten anywhere since September, and the online content website enterprise is on the back burner for now; I sort of forget sometimes that I write in 2 other markets: devotionals and personal essays.
So now I've got 5 official publishing credits from the traditional publishing world. (That's not counting online content stuff) I'll keep plugging away. And as always, I know not to measure my success by $ or by the number of publications--it's a calling, not merely work.
It'll be interesting to see, after this venture really takes off, at what point (as in number of months since starting) it really took on momentum. I'm still waiting for it...
PS After I wrote this, I got an email from an editor of a parenting magazine , wanting to buy my article for the Feb/March issue! (My newest blog entry catalogs this experience of breaking into parenting magazines.)
Some recent publications:
What is a Disposable Diaper Made of Anyway?
Postpartum Depression, Psychological Distress Predicted by Previous Traumatic Birth
http://www.youandmemagazine.com/articles/vulvodynia-five-years-in-the-fire
Infertility, Delayed Conception Linked to Fire Retardants in Homes
Transferring Your Values About Sex to Your Kids: Timing and Definitions are Key
Monday, November 22, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
List of Publications Accepting Submissions and Deadlines--Cool Resource!
Just found a pretty lengthy list of publications accepting submissions--with links to the publications: http://www.christwriters.info/open-submissions.php. It includes everything from Redbook to Christian devotional type publications. The same website also has a link to deadlines of contests, calls for content, etc. due this fall: http://www.christwriters.info/deadlines.php. Quite educational. For anyone without a Writer's Market book, this is a good second source.
Today I sent out a manuscript in answer to one of those listing I mentioned at the above resource. We'll see what happens! In fact, today I sent out three manuscripts--one to MomSense mag, another to Parents (when I can find my stamps, that is...) and the last to a Guideposts compilation book. With my recent mixed experiences as I talked of in my recent post, "My First 'On Spec' Assignment for a Magazine," I'm choosing to deal with it by attacking the market--sending, sending, sending. If it's about ratios, then the more i send, the more can possibly succeed. I've let too many manuscripts chill too long already. So if you're in the same boat--take courage, and send, send, send!
Someone in my writers' group shared some other person's goal to get 100 rejections in a year. Obviously, some acceptances had to come along with them, but putting the weight ion the rejection by stating the goal that way kinda shifts the disappointment. To meet that goal, you must send a lot--and that helps with the real goal to get published more often. I wonder ho many rejections (or implied rejections) I have garnered so far.... Maybe 20?
(Also, I remind myself of the purpose of rejection, and my personal theory for viewing it productively, which I blogged about before too.)
Today I sent out a manuscript in answer to one of those listing I mentioned at the above resource. We'll see what happens! In fact, today I sent out three manuscripts--one to MomSense mag, another to Parents (when I can find my stamps, that is...) and the last to a Guideposts compilation book. With my recent mixed experiences as I talked of in my recent post, "My First 'On Spec' Assignment for a Magazine," I'm choosing to deal with it by attacking the market--sending, sending, sending. If it's about ratios, then the more i send, the more can possibly succeed. I've let too many manuscripts chill too long already. So if you're in the same boat--take courage, and send, send, send!
Someone in my writers' group shared some other person's goal to get 100 rejections in a year. Obviously, some acceptances had to come along with them, but putting the weight ion the rejection by stating the goal that way kinda shifts the disappointment. To meet that goal, you must send a lot--and that helps with the real goal to get published more often. I wonder ho many rejections (or implied rejections) I have garnered so far.... Maybe 20?
(Also, I remind myself of the purpose of rejection, and my personal theory for viewing it productively, which I blogged about before too.)
Monday, November 8, 2010
How I Handle Rejection of My Writing
Just as I was telling someone last night, I shouldn't take even an eventual "no" from an editor so hard. It's not the same thing as "failure"--it may just mean it's not the right place for a very good article. I remind myself that this is really all about God using me to get information to the people who need to read it. A series of "no" answers from editors could be just the path an article needs to take to get me to eventually send it to the right publication at the right time to reach whomever it needs to reach. Yes, that is just the sort of worldview I ascribe to--I was called to write, not just simply given the ability to learn how to do it. There's a purpose in what I do (if I keep communicating with God and endeavoring to follow his nudges).
It's happened once already where I think God wiped the stuff off my desk, figuratively speaking, and gave me the nudge to write a different article than the one I was working on. In a mere hour or so, I wrote--no, an article poured from me--and I sent it to a content website. I was trying to work on a serious article about problems in prenatal care, but instead I was interrupted by the strong impression that I needed to write about persistent cases of infant thrush. The turn-over time on publication was unusually fast. When it was published, I posted it on my facebook wall. That very day, a friend I knew in high school but have not seen in well over a decade messaged me on facebook, saying it was "totally a God thing" that I'd posted that article that day, because she was in throes of that very issue with her son. All I could say was, yeah--must have been a God thing!
That story is a good reminder to me when I think I'm not succeeding by my own terms and lost of goals. And when rejection discourages me. The definition of success isn't getting every article accepted the first time. No, if my purpose is to help people through my writing, inform the public on issues, and support peoples' experiences by writing words that will reach them in times of need, then I've got to get over disappointment when one editor of one magazine says o. Or even seven magazines. What I'm doing as a writer, if I'm really following God's lead, I believe, is about my writing getting to a particular audience at the most opportune time. I will never know all the times a rejection at one publication means I get it to another magazine that reaches someone in a profound way. But I remember that little story about the thrush baby as a symbol of what could be, and what always might be, going on all the time as I go about the business of writing and publishing. And that is success that matters.
Random topics I've written about:
Friday, November 5, 2010
Why is Facebook Failing as a Marketing Tool for Me?
Facebook used to be the by-far largest source of traffic to my articles (published on content websites) I posted there. Now, facebook is fourth on my list of sources for viewers. Google searches is the top source, followed by Gomestic, one of the sites I am published on, then Healthmad, another I write for. That is quite a flip from my first months' experiences.
I've often wondered if I'd simply exhausted the facebook audience. Were my topics just not of interest? Did my friends just learn my general stance on issues and, if they did not have a great investment in that view, deem my articles not of interest?
It's a gamble. I mean, I'd not have expected an article on diapers to gain that much attention. Last month I wrote about new studies on post-partum depression anddevelopmental delays being associated with fire retardants in a baby's umbilical cord. Those topics were the ones I expected to be noticed, but they got mere handfulls of views. My latest series (which I actually wrote way back in April), on financially making stay-at-home-parenting work, was a dismal failure. Each of the 4 parts have gained only 3 or 6 views, and I can't know if any of them actually came from facebook traffic. That's probably a work of 4,000 words and has so far not benefited much of anyone yet let alone earned me any financial gain, even pennies.
I've often wondered if I'd simply exhausted the facebook audience. Were my topics just not of interest? Did my friends just learn my general stance on issues and, if they did not have a great investment in that view, deem my articles not of interest?
It's a gamble. I mean, I'd not have expected an article on diapers to gain that much attention. Last month I wrote about new studies on post-partum depression anddevelopmental delays being associated with fire retardants in a baby's umbilical cord. Those topics were the ones I expected to be noticed, but they got mere handfulls of views. My latest series (which I actually wrote way back in April), on financially making stay-at-home-parenting work, was a dismal failure. Each of the 4 parts have gained only 3 or 6 views, and I can't know if any of them actually came from facebook traffic. That's probably a work of 4,000 words and has so far not benefited much of anyone yet let alone earned me any financial gain, even pennies.
I'm taking a break from content writing, at least for a time. I feel relief in taking a break from posting on fb so much. Sometimes I felt self-conscious about it. I didn't want people to feel bludgeoned over the head with my articles. But then I reminded myself, no one is forced to read anything--I passively add the link, but there is no expectation. At least, no more than I feel when I see other friends post a link. And I remind myself that when I see others' links, it's totally comfortable for me--they're there for my to click if I'm interested, and if not, I just scroll down. Sometimes I still felt bad though if my fb activity were viewed as strictly self-promotional. I tried to balance that by making sure all I posted wasn't just articles. After all, people are my fb friends cuz they like me, not necessarily because they like my writing. And I realized too that I don't ever feel offended when fb friends do promote themselves. I have many friends with etsy shops and such who post pictures of their new items for sale. I genuinely enjoy seeing them even if I'm not interested in buying. Likewise, a friend of mine owns a bookstore and all his posts are about books he's trying to sell. Again, I never see that as pushy or annoying. That's just simply what I expect of a Hearts and Minds Bookstore post. I hope that's how people have viewed my posting of articles.
While I don't know the why of all this, what is certain is that what used to be profitable for me no longer is, in any measure. I don't have my final answer on strategy or a decision about quitting the content gigs.
Articles I've written:
Problems of Using Facebook For Marketing
I don't have any plans for any articles for content websites--at least for now. Partially because of what I wrote about last month, wondering if it was worth it. I plan to put more energy into other markets, which I delineated in my last post about my level of success in traditional markets. Also, I'm getting a chance to work on my novel with a critique group online. And the time to do so has to come from giving something else up!
I'm hoping a break will allow me some time to regroup and then determine my continued path on my goal to being a solvent freelance writer. I feel sort of free, too, of posting via facebook.
When I started the online venture known as content writing, Facebook sent the most traffic to my articles--by far. For months, this continued, and last April or May, my big article on disposable diaper ingredients grew wings--no, some angel friends on facebook pasted wings on that article by reposting it to their walls and/or other forums, leading it to eventually be posted on popular parenting sites such as babycenter and even some sites in the UK, its readership growing past 6,000. (Big for me!)
But it changed. Facebook views dropped, and then, no matter what I wrote about, or how often, or what time of day I posted the links to my wall, views kept dropping and dropping. There are so many factors and unknowns that it's a difficult task to understand why and change that. But I've realized how dependent any success I was having was on my posting to facebook. Sure, I got some views from random strangers doing searches, but that volume of readers was very low if I had to depend on that alone.
First, I chalked up the drop in readership to vacationing. I figured reading would pick up when the school year started and life resumed routine. I saw a bit of recovery, but barely. In the end, the average number of views garnered by my articles diminished even as I was still writing more new articles. I did learn some valuable Search Engine Optimization strategies, picking more successful keywords, and I've seen that the views I do get average to a higher amount of money than before. However, over-all, I've experienced less success since August than I did before--both in terms of money earned and pure numbers of views.
In another post, I explore why facebook may have failed me as a marketing tool.
Articles I've written:
Stay-at-home-parenting: Who Can Afford It?
Postpartum Depression: Options for Medical and Other Treatment
Is Lyme Disease Lurking in Your Unexplained Symptoms?
Problems Arise When Children are Pushed to Read Too Early
I'm hoping a break will allow me some time to regroup and then determine my continued path on my goal to being a solvent freelance writer. I feel sort of free, too, of posting via facebook.
When I started the online venture known as content writing, Facebook sent the most traffic to my articles--by far. For months, this continued, and last April or May, my big article on disposable diaper ingredients grew wings--no, some angel friends on facebook pasted wings on that article by reposting it to their walls and/or other forums, leading it to eventually be posted on popular parenting sites such as babycenter and even some sites in the UK, its readership growing past 6,000. (Big for me!)
But it changed. Facebook views dropped, and then, no matter what I wrote about, or how often, or what time of day I posted the links to my wall, views kept dropping and dropping. There are so many factors and unknowns that it's a difficult task to understand why and change that. But I've realized how dependent any success I was having was on my posting to facebook. Sure, I got some views from random strangers doing searches, but that volume of readers was very low if I had to depend on that alone.
First, I chalked up the drop in readership to vacationing. I figured reading would pick up when the school year started and life resumed routine. I saw a bit of recovery, but barely. In the end, the average number of views garnered by my articles diminished even as I was still writing more new articles. I did learn some valuable Search Engine Optimization strategies, picking more successful keywords, and I've seen that the views I do get average to a higher amount of money than before. However, over-all, I've experienced less success since August than I did before--both in terms of money earned and pure numbers of views.
In another post, I explore why facebook may have failed me as a marketing tool.
Articles I've written:
Stay-at-home-parenting: Who Can Afford It?
Postpartum Depression: Options for Medical and Other Treatment
Is Lyme Disease Lurking in Your Unexplained Symptoms?
Problems Arise When Children are Pushed to Read Too Early
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Flagging Focus on the Freelancing Freeway
Lately I've been suffering from flagging focus. I have many, many ideas but I've just not been very efficient at following them. I've got the idea for a particular publication to write for, about how to apply for a job, and someone in a hiring position already as a good source. I've got another article, at least in my head, about how I used a particular strategy to make mornings smoother with my preschool aged son, and am just trying to figure out which parenting magazine is the best first place to try it. I've got a sort of prevention-minded article for a woman's health magazine I could pursue, if my head is in the right place. A particular magazine that has already responded favorably to my work has a call our for articles on how to find the time to maintain spiritual life when you're raising kids, and i have some thoughts on that. And there is a deadline this Friday for essays about mother/daughter relationships; I have the idea, but it's complex, and i haven't yet gotten it written well enough. And that's just a sampling of recent things. I'm also trying to hold off on a piece about how to involve your kids in making a whimsical herb garden, because I know it's about timing, and when magazines are working on spring issues is the better time to query with that idea. (But i"m already debating if I should try a new local publication, not knowing if it pays, or trying an national one). Not to mention, I should be doing what I mentioned in my last blog, a report on how many articles I've sold versus gotten rejections on. I should be taking rejected manuscripts/queries and trying them on other publications.
When there are so many directions I could put my energy into, I do this--write a blog entry!
I am most productive when I'm arrested by a topic and work passionately on that one thing, almost exclusively, until I'm done. In between passionate projects, I do stuff like write articles for content websites and blog.
I have a topic I'm really passionate about--seriously under-recognized risk factors for postpartum depression--but I'm in a place in my new career where I don't have the clout to get it to a magazine with a wide general audience that the topic deserves. I just haven't yet landed on where to send it. So I haven't even written it. I've done the research, and in bits and pieces, do write about it. For instance, I've written short articles on a single study I'm using for this larger piece, and published those short, focused articles on content websites. But I've not written the larger piece.
I get frustrated by the truth that my ideas are judged, not on their merits alone, but by my credentials as a published writer. So if I have really good ideas worthy of national publication, too bad, my resume doesn't show me to have enough national publication experience, so my idea will be turned down. Sometimes I wonder, should I keep hold of my best ideas, and wait until I've got a more impressive resume? Or, if I try that, selling only my second best ideas, will I not get far enough to propel the best ones to better publications? The catch 22. I may need to "waste" my best ideas just building my resume!
Here are articles I've written recently in the manner discussed:
Postpartum Depression, Psychological Distress Predicted by Previous Traumatic Birth
Postpartum Depression: Options for Medical and Other Treatment
Infertility, Delayed Conception Linked to Fire Retardants in Homes
Fire Retardants Found in Babies' Umbilical Cord Blood Associated with Developmental Delays
When there are so many directions I could put my energy into, I do this--write a blog entry!
I am most productive when I'm arrested by a topic and work passionately on that one thing, almost exclusively, until I'm done. In between passionate projects, I do stuff like write articles for content websites and blog.
I have a topic I'm really passionate about--seriously under-recognized risk factors for postpartum depression--but I'm in a place in my new career where I don't have the clout to get it to a magazine with a wide general audience that the topic deserves. I just haven't yet landed on where to send it. So I haven't even written it. I've done the research, and in bits and pieces, do write about it. For instance, I've written short articles on a single study I'm using for this larger piece, and published those short, focused articles on content websites. But I've not written the larger piece.
I get frustrated by the truth that my ideas are judged, not on their merits alone, but by my credentials as a published writer. So if I have really good ideas worthy of national publication, too bad, my resume doesn't show me to have enough national publication experience, so my idea will be turned down. Sometimes I wonder, should I keep hold of my best ideas, and wait until I've got a more impressive resume? Or, if I try that, selling only my second best ideas, will I not get far enough to propel the best ones to better publications? The catch 22. I may need to "waste" my best ideas just building my resume!
Here are articles I've written recently in the manner discussed:
Postpartum Depression, Psychological Distress Predicted by Previous Traumatic Birth
Postpartum Depression: Options for Medical and Other Treatment
Infertility, Delayed Conception Linked to Fire Retardants in Homes
Fire Retardants Found in Babies' Umbilical Cord Blood Associated with Developmental Delays
Saturday, October 9, 2010
My 6+ Months Report: How Easy is it to Freelance for Magazines?
Ok, mid-September marked my 6 month mark since starting to send stuff out as a freelancer. So I've been doing it for 7 months now. And what can I say I've accomplished in 7 months? (For those who've followed my blog know I submit to both traditional publishers as well as online content websites. For this entry, my discussion is about only the traditional publishing route; my previous entries focused on the other.)
I've sent out a total of 33 articles or queries (ideas) for possible articles. Where are they now? Well, of the 33, all sent out between March 10 and Oct 4, four have been officially accepted for publication, at Midwifery Today, You and Me: America's Medical Magazine, and Christian Devotionals. I've been paid for one (highly unusual--I was paid even before publication). I've seen two in print just this past month. The other two won't see publication for a number of months yet.
Those first successes were great boosts to my confidence that I have the skill set for this line of work. I never considered freelancing when I was in college; I couldn't imagine having enough to write about that would sell, and I had a real phobia of calling and interviewing people (yes, a real handicap for someone who desires to work in the media!). But now, a decade later, life has given me enough experience and motivation to want to get information out there, that now my problem is really about not having enough time to write all the articles I have stewing around in my head!
A few other articles are currently in the editorial offices of MomSense magazine , a Chicken Soup for the Soul book, Christian Home and School, and Green Parent (UK). Each as expressed interest in the article I sent and asked to hold on to them for 4 months to a year in order to figure out if/when they can fit it in to an issue. While this is encouraging, it's no guarantee. It's a waiting game. And in the game of interest, I've already lost twice--both Mothering and Thriving Family have expressed interest in an article idea, but in the end, decided not to go with it.
And what of the remainder of the articles? 13 are on some editor's desk, presumably, and I'm waiting to hear.
Eleven have gotten an official rejection, many of them very polite, respectful, even encouraging me to take my interesting or well-written article elsewhere. I'm assuming the answer is a no for another 6 articles because it's been 6 months since I sent it and I've heard nothing. Now of course, in these numbers, there's some overlap. For instance, one of my articles that got published got a no first from a different magazine, etc.
So yes, I've learned the truth about how freelancing is no easy game, nor does it provide compensation in a timely manner. The article I got paid for already spent 6 months collecting dust at one magazine before I then sent it to the one that bought it. So far it seems, for me, a no or two comes before I find the magazine that gives me a yes. Success is really predominantly about finding the best match between my ideas and the publications out there. And it simply takes time, and a lot of sending articles back out there, to try again. Speaking of, how many do I have that I need to send out again after they've received a no? (I need to go check my list--I need to know this and get to work on these!) The answer: 8 articles.
It's not as simple as putting a different editor's name on the send line. Sometimes it takes a lot of work to take an artilce I wrote for one magazine and change it to meet the editorial requirements of a different magazine that may want something only half as long, with fewer or more experts, different styles of referencing, or even, I may have to revamp it for a slightly different audience or different slant to make it appropriate for that publication.
So yes, with all this work, you may see why it's sometimes easier to submit to content websites! It's always a gamble to wonder if it'll take off and garner enough views/ad revenues to pay me just compensation for my writing time, but sometimes weariness and lack of time make the ease of that option more appealing than trying a traditional magazine. Right now it's hard to compare; I'll need at least another year to really know what's been worth my while.
Articles I've sent to content websites instead of traditional magazines:
The American Diet--Are We All Made of Corn?
Postpartum Depression, Psychological Distress Predicted by Previous Traumatic Birth
Calcium Deficiency Changes Stem Cells and Increases Fat , New Study Finds
Destroying Marriage, Career and Self-Concept: Vulvodynia
Autism Rates Rise; University of Toledo Poises Itself to be Primary Resource for Deluge of Adults with Autism
I've sent out a total of 33 articles or queries (ideas) for possible articles. Where are they now? Well, of the 33, all sent out between March 10 and Oct 4, four have been officially accepted for publication, at Midwifery Today, You and Me: America's Medical Magazine, and Christian Devotionals. I've been paid for one (highly unusual--I was paid even before publication). I've seen two in print just this past month. The other two won't see publication for a number of months yet.
Those first successes were great boosts to my confidence that I have the skill set for this line of work. I never considered freelancing when I was in college; I couldn't imagine having enough to write about that would sell, and I had a real phobia of calling and interviewing people (yes, a real handicap for someone who desires to work in the media!). But now, a decade later, life has given me enough experience and motivation to want to get information out there, that now my problem is really about not having enough time to write all the articles I have stewing around in my head!
A few other articles are currently in the editorial offices of MomSense magazine , a Chicken Soup for the Soul book, Christian Home and School, and Green Parent (UK). Each as expressed interest in the article I sent and asked to hold on to them for 4 months to a year in order to figure out if/when they can fit it in to an issue. While this is encouraging, it's no guarantee. It's a waiting game. And in the game of interest, I've already lost twice--both Mothering and Thriving Family have expressed interest in an article idea, but in the end, decided not to go with it.
And what of the remainder of the articles? 13 are on some editor's desk, presumably, and I'm waiting to hear.
Eleven have gotten an official rejection, many of them very polite, respectful, even encouraging me to take my interesting or well-written article elsewhere. I'm assuming the answer is a no for another 6 articles because it's been 6 months since I sent it and I've heard nothing. Now of course, in these numbers, there's some overlap. For instance, one of my articles that got published got a no first from a different magazine, etc.
So yes, I've learned the truth about how freelancing is no easy game, nor does it provide compensation in a timely manner. The article I got paid for already spent 6 months collecting dust at one magazine before I then sent it to the one that bought it. So far it seems, for me, a no or two comes before I find the magazine that gives me a yes. Success is really predominantly about finding the best match between my ideas and the publications out there. And it simply takes time, and a lot of sending articles back out there, to try again. Speaking of, how many do I have that I need to send out again after they've received a no? (I need to go check my list--I need to know this and get to work on these!) The answer: 8 articles.
It's not as simple as putting a different editor's name on the send line. Sometimes it takes a lot of work to take an artilce I wrote for one magazine and change it to meet the editorial requirements of a different magazine that may want something only half as long, with fewer or more experts, different styles of referencing, or even, I may have to revamp it for a slightly different audience or different slant to make it appropriate for that publication.
So yes, with all this work, you may see why it's sometimes easier to submit to content websites! It's always a gamble to wonder if it'll take off and garner enough views/ad revenues to pay me just compensation for my writing time, but sometimes weariness and lack of time make the ease of that option more appealing than trying a traditional magazine. Right now it's hard to compare; I'll need at least another year to really know what's been worth my while.
Articles I've sent to content websites instead of traditional magazines:
The American Diet--Are We All Made of Corn?
Postpartum Depression, Psychological Distress Predicted by Previous Traumatic Birth
Calcium Deficiency Changes Stem Cells and Increases Fat , New Study Finds
Destroying Marriage, Career and Self-Concept: Vulvodynia
Autism Rates Rise; University of Toledo Poises Itself to be Primary Resource for Deluge of Adults with Autism
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