As I was prepping for this topic I made a discovery.
Publishers are being bought and sold and auctioned and given up during bankruptcies. The publication you might discover as a potential market for your short story or article may not actually be there by the time you are writing your cover letter or query. Or, it may be
there, but run by a whole new group of editors. This also happens with websites. It seems the Publishing Universe is not settling out anytime soon. Always, double check the health of the publisher you chose as you were finishing up your submission. As writers, we need to double check, then check one more time because a change in ownership, generally means a change in submission trends and guidelines have changed.
Note on the publisher: As some of you may already know, Writer’s Digest’s former parent company, F+W Media, was auctioned off as part of bankruptcy proceedings in 2019. Penguin Random House LLC acquired the Writer’s Digest Books brand, including the Market Books and WritersMarket.com, while Active Interest Media acquired everything else
branded as Writer’s Digest, including the magazine, conferences, contests, online education, WritersDigest.com, and more. So while we’re still excited about the Writer’s Digest Books brand, we do want to clarify that we’re now owned by separate entities.
writersdigest.com
This news about the Writer’s Market threw me off my game. I was going to tell you how I used their Submission Tracker in 2018 and now, the website is down. A trip to the new owners’ website doesn’t mention anything other than how to buy their Writer’s Market titles for
2020. I did notice I could buy a copy of The Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market is available in ebook format as well as print. In the case of the Writer’s Market, I think holding the actual paperback makes me feel smarter.
I want to talk about choosing a Publisher. Substitute the idea of an Agent wherever necessary and many Publishers only accept agented work. (I have some notes on how to get around the need for an agent and they involve going to
Writers Conferences and interning for publications, becoming somewhat known in the Publishing Universe.)
Come on over to the chatroom and we will talk about how a Publisher’s Submission Guidelines will change some of the items in your Submissions Packet.
A Submission Packet should include each of the standard things you will come across in your Market Research. You may not use all of the items in your packet for each submission but having it in a readily accessible file is something you will not regret.
I do wish I could have accessed the Oh So Cool Submission Tracker from 2 years ago. Instead we can talk about the everchanging landscape of publishing. This, according to my experience, was a very successful company. I am sure Penguin and RandomHouse
will continue the tradition well into the 20s. I have no idea about the website.
I will continue to prepare for this topic so come on over to the Chatroom on Sunday, 12 January and be prepared to share your favorite go-to references for Market Research and Submission Tracking.
Sometimes the hardest part of being a writer is knowing where to start.
During January 2020, we will look at things we can do to get started.
We aren’t multi-taskers. We might think we are but physically and mentally we cannot be in more than one place doing more than one thing at the same moment in time. To make up for our inability to do several things at once, we can make lists. We can prioritize the lists.
For example, we have an idea for an article or short story. Maybe, it is already in progress, maybe not.
The Idea can go on the List.
Who is buying articles of this kind in the next six months? Well, we start a Second List. We do a bit of market research.
Who is buying stories like ours? Market Research again. Who buys from new writers? Who accepts only agented work? Yes, another list.
Market Research includes a lot of reading. Fiction or non-fiction, it can’t do any harm to know who has been buying what during the past year. Visit a bookstore or a magazine stand. You can even contact editors for back issues and be right up front that you are considering a submission. Keep a list.
You are going to need to write items for your Submission Packet. You’ll need a query letter or a cover letter, a bio, a sample or clips, the first three chapters, a synopsis and any other item indicated by the publisher’s guidelines. Yet another list.
Social Media, Websites or Blogs, Press Releases, Editing and Formatting need to go onto a list, somewhere.
All of these things, together, can stop any writer in her tracks. Prioritize your Lists and Sub-Lists. You can Network during gap time and start working on the contents of your Submission Packet. Carve out bits of time, an hour here, twenty minutes there. Maybe, Tuesdays are devoted to Market Research and its Sub-Lists. Thursday may be
set aside for future blog posts ideas.
You may have more than one project going on at a time. Maybe, you have five short stories and two article ideas ready to go out. By working 10 or 20 minutes or an hour at only one item from your list will make the process a lot less overwhelming.
Let’s sort it out in Topic Chats.
Check out the article of 6 Tips for Submitting I found on Think Written.
Join us Sunday, January 5th at 7PM ET at The Writers Chatroom
KNOW THE STANDARD POLICIES FOR MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS
By using these 6 tips you will be able to find the appropriate publisher for your manuscript and tailor it to their requirements, setting you up for success and a real shot at being offered a contract.
-- think written
Come back on Wednesday at 8PM ET and catch up on what you missed.
A Little Snip Here
When I wrote articles and submitted them and the stars aligned, a magazine editor would accept on the condition that I cut it back by 200 words or 35 or some percentage.
I understood that they built a magazine on paper, an unyielding rectangle of writerly real estate. It think being asked to cut words is a right of passage in an author’s world.
The Following Articles May Get Us Started Cleaning Up
Another rule I swear by is the Third Paragraph Rule. This rule states that the best opening for any story is typically the third paragraph. Try it. You’ll be surprised. The theory is based on writers not getting into voice until after framing the first two paragraphs.Take a look at some of your work to see if this holds true.
Chris Jones
I am constantly on the verge of overwriting and starving my story to death. I think too much cutting may actually be too much, but I don’t know.. this is turning into a long nonsensical sentence.
How to Write With a Knife
Writing involves two separate but closely intertwined mindsets: crafting their message and then cutting away everything that’s not their message.
It isn’t easy. As writers, we all have a tendency to fall in love with our words. So here are seven tips to help you cut to the chase.
Michelle Russell
Watch out for “creep-in” words
These are the unnecessary words you use without even realizing it. Two of mine are “just” and “actually.” And yes, it’s actually true that when I read through my first draft of this post, I just went back in and removed several of each
I think Brevity is one of my Long Suits. Many of the Editing Tips in this article will tighten up almost anything I write.
A few chat room participants suggested we could cut or edit some real examples. I am looking into where to find examples, how to present them and in what format we might edit them. Suggestions are welcome. You have my email. (Maybe, we could work with editing in the Forum Area of the Chatroom.)
Join us on Sunday. Let’s talk about using sharp things.
