Archives for February 2012

How To Find The Literary Agent of Your Dreams

February 24, 2012 by 1 Comment

(image via the talented Justin Lowery)

Back in November, I shared with you the checklist I used to put together my own book proposal. It contained all the building blocks I’d become familiar with when working as an editorial assistant for an academic book publisher, plus a few other tips I’d picked up over the years from former writing professors and how-to books.

I can only assume that, by this point, you have an amazing, solid book proposal ready to go, and are already daydreaming about the book advance and lit parties in your future. Not so fast. While academic publishers — and some small presses — accept unsolicited book proposals and manuscripts, most traditional book publishers won’t look at your work unless it comes to them via a literary agent.

I can hear you grumbling already. What the what!? Another barrier to publication? But believe me. You’ll only benefit from the help an agent can provide. Not only are they the gatekeepers to big-name publishers, but they have their fingers on the pulse of the literary marketplace, can help you strengthen your proposal, have relationships with editors (and intimate knowledge of their preferences) that allow them to target the best possible publishers for your book, and can also negotiate a helluva book contract (a process during which many of us would be completely out of our element).

Yes please to all of that.

So how do you go about finding one? [Read more…]

Filed Under: writing Tagged With: , , , ,

How To Grow Your Mailing List By Over 100% in Two Weeks

February 17, 2012 by 4 Comments

If we all squint really hard, this will start to look like me. Right?

I happened into entrepreneurship without anything resembling a business background. What I had instead was a B.A. in Writing, Literature, and Publishing, a good chunk of publishing industry experience, boxes full of how-to books, and a love of the written word. But my abilities as a writer didn’t translate into business success, and so I created my own continuing education.

I read books on freelancing, entrepreneurship, and how to make money as a writer. I read blogs about the business of writing. I even took several online workshops put together by Launch Coach Dave Navarro.

What I learned from most of these resources is that, when building a business, your mailing list is key. That built-in, loyal readership will help you market your products and services more easily than if you were cold-pitching your business every damn day.

I’ve been writing Word Nerd News for over a year now but, two weeks ago, I made my very first attempt to deliberately grow my mailing list and build up the word nerd community. In that space of time, my mailing list grew by over 100 percent. It’s still growing. How’d I do it? [Read more…]

Filed Under: marketing, shameless self-promotion Tagged With: , ,

How To Be Generous with Your Writing Community

February 14, 2012 by 2 Comments

Over at Project Happily Ever After, my blogger-buddy Alisa Bowman wrote a post I’m absolutely smitten with: How to Put the Love Back in Valentine’s Day. In it, she writes of one man’s quest to re-brand February 14 as Generosity Day, and then lists the ways in which we could all be more generous to each other. In this way, February 14 becomes more about giving than about getting (a fancy meal… sparkly jewelry… chocolates…).

I found the timing of this post fortuitous. Just last night, I was reading Patty Digh’s Life is a Verb, which has an entire chapter on living life more generously. It had gotten me thinking about how I could be better, more generous, more open to others.

I’ve already written extensively on the powers of good karma within the writing community, and on how much of my freelance success can be attributed to the generosity of my fellow writers.

But just for today — Valentine’s Day — why don’t we all commit to doing at least one generous act for someone in our community. [Read more…]

Filed Under: community Tagged With: , ,

Community: The Crucial Ingredient To Freelance Writing Success

February 10, 2012 by 3 Comments

I like working alone. I prefer fuzzy slippers to pantyhose. And my commute these days is fantastic. But these aren’t the only reasons I chose freelancedom.

I’m an introvert, and having to be “on” for long periods of time leaves me exhausted. I also have social anxiety, and have had panic attacks while out in public. Working from home — quiet, calm, and with my three cats for company — makes me feel safe. I love that being a writer makes this possible.

But I credit my success — my ability to sustain this lifestyle — with the community I’ve built up around me. Through Twitter. Through Brazen Careerist and the Young Entrepreneur Council. Through past projects and jobs. Through this blog. So I was thrilled to get the chance to hang out in Carol Tice’s Freelance Writers Den, a virtual community for freelance writers, as a guest on her weekly podcast. [Read more…]

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Been Writing for Years? You Still Have A Lot to Learn

February 3, 2012 by 11 Comments

Many of you already know my writing history.

Awful poetry at the age of 5.

A part-time gig at a weekly newspaper at the age of 19.

Writing sex toy reviews by the age of 22.

And now, at the age of 31, I’ve created content for online magazines, alternative newspapers, both regional and national print magazines, and a slew of blogs.

Not too shabby.

What I’ve always wanted, however, is to write a book. A book that garners interest from traditional publishers, and that eventually ends up on the shelf at Barnes & Noble or McNally Jackson or the Trident Bookstore/Cafe.

Up until recently, however, I didn’t do a damn thing about it. [Read more…]

Filed Under: education, writing Tagged With: , , , , , ,