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"Why did I join The Writers Bureau? I picked up a book called Cracking the Short Story Market by Iain Pattison and it was one of the best books on writing I'd ever read as the advice was so practical and down-to-earth. I noticed that it had been published by The Writers Bureau and thought, 'If they write books that are this good, should I join and benefit from their tutelage?'
So I joined and soon realised that the course was better than any self-help book I had ever read. The Writers Bureau showed me, step by step, that good writing could be taught in the same way that a labourer could be taught to build a brick wall.
Starting the course made me more committed to my writing and this in turn made me more professional. Within five assignments I had made back my course fees - is that some sort of record? To date I have earned £345 and I'm only on Assignment 7."
Colin Mayo, UK. |
It's easy to share your success stories with others. Just send an email to ezeewriter@writersbureau.com with 'Success Story' in the subject line.
FREELANCE MARKET NEWS
an essential guide for freelance writers
For up-to-date market information, Freelance Market News is invaluable.
Issued 11 times a year it's packed with information on markets in Britain and around the globe, plus you get all the latest news and views on the publishing world.
Every subscription comes with FREE membership of The Association of Freelance Writers. Your membership also entitles you to discounts on books and competitions, a free appraisal worth £18 and a Membership Card which confirms your status as a Freelance Writer. For full details and to subscribe visit the website at: www.freelancemarketnews.com
IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE OF FMN:
A GUIDE TO MAGAZINE CONTRACTS
Dating with Non-fiction!
by Simon Whaley
There are, on average, 125,000 new books published in the United Kingdom every year. Approximately 20% (25,000) are novels. The rest are non-fiction. The opportunity for having a non-fiction book published is therefore much greater, so why not make your first book a non-fiction one? This means creating a relationship with a publisher, so let's go on a date!
Lust!
Lust is the overwhelming emotion that gives us the courage to ask someone out on a date. Whatever subject you want to write about, you must have a lust for it. The enthusiasm will show in your writing. Many authors write about their hobbies, because they interest them. Have you already had some success with articles on the subject? Is there a subject you specialise in as an article writer? My next book, "Best Walks in the Welsh Borders", is a collection of interesting walks in my local area. Walking is a hobby I enjoy, but I also regularly provide walking articles to two different magazines.
Know Who To Date
Although blind dates are fun, they may also be a waste of time. Knowing who you are dating makes a world of difference. Before you even put pen to paper, find a publisher to date first. Would you go out with a cricket-obsessed date, if you're only interested in ballet? Find a publisher who already publishes books on your subject of interest. Publishers prefer to stick with the market they know best. Don't send you car maintenance book to a social history publisher. Look in bookshops, libraries and search Amazon. Internet dating is all the rage these days (apparently!)
Mimicry Is Flattering
When we like someone, we copy their body language. If they cross their legs, we cross ours. If they sip their drink, so do we. It's the same with non-fiction. Publishers love a series of books. With a series, they know:
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How many copies bookshops may buy
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The book's retail price, and the cost of production
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How many copies they need to sell to make a profit
However, don't think that you have to write the series! Instead, see if your book will fit an existing series. My first book was "100 Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human". The publisher had already published "100 Ways For A Cat To Train Its Human" written by another author. A friend has just had her first book, "100 Ways For A Chicken To Train Its Human" published. Have you spotted the trend? See the mimicry? It's not copying, because the books focus on different animals, but the style, format, length and tone are the same. I wrote my dog book to fit the publisher's '100 Ways' format, and sales now exceed 182,000 copies.
I did the same with, "Best Walks in the Welsh Borders". Other authors wrote "Best Walks in North Wales" and "Best Walks in South Wales", so it follows the same format, but covers a different area.
What To Wear?
Do you spend hours deciding how to dress to impress? The same goes with non-fiction. A novel has to be written in full before it can be submitted. A non-fiction book is different. Usually, the publisher commissions the book from a proposal and then asks you to write the book. The proposal is the first impression you make on a publisher, so dress carefully:
Underwear – Give your proposal a front sheet, bearing the title of your proposed book, your name, address, email address, telephone number, and state that it is a book proposal.
Shirt / Blouse – Follow with a brief introduction about your book, who your target reader is, and what the demand is for your book. Use quantifiable figures. For my book "Fundraising For A Community Project", I told the publishers how many applications the National Lottery grant scheme 'Awards For All' received from community groups over a 12 month period. The chicken book author, used circulation figures of chicken magazines to indicate the number of people interested in chickens.
Trousers / Skirt – Detail how many chapters you will have, and provide a brief paragraph for each one, explaining what is covered, and the level of detail.
Shoes – Give a total word length for the book and say if illustrations or photographs will be needed. State whether you can supply the images, and in what format.
Overcoat – The biggest garment reflects the biggest part of your proposal. Show publishers your style and writing capabilities by including the first chapter, (or at least 5,000 words, if your chapters are short).
Make-up
Remember first impressions, so type your proposal to impress. Use clean, white paper, with double spaced text, on one side of A4. A splodge of correction fluid will detract from your work, like an ugly spot. If you find a mistake, print the page again.
Eye Contact
What do you do when you meet someone new? You ask for their name. Find out who to address your proposal to. Get a name and check the spelling.
Previous Flirtations
Have you ever investigated who else has been out with your date? Look at the books your target publisher has already printed about your topic. How does yours differ? The fact that they've published books on your topic before is a good sign. It means they know about the market, and possible buyers. Your book though, must add something new. In a series, it should complement or enhance the existing range. My "Best Walks in the Welsh Borders" covers a different area to the publisher's existing books in the series covering North and South Wales.
Chat-up Lines
Do you impress your date by telling them about your best achievements? Do exactly the same with your prospective publisher. Why are YOU the best person to write THIS book? For "Fundraising For A Community Project" I told the publishers how I'd spent six years liaising with community groups as part of my job working for a local authority grant scheme. Have you had articles published on this topic? Include copies with your proposal. It doesn't matter whether you were paid for them or not. They prove that you can write about the topic for a specific reader.
A New Relationship
Send your proposal when you're ready. Be prepared to wait a few months for a response. Don't be despondent if the publisher rejects it. Not every date works out does it? Go through the same process again with another publisher. "Best Walks in the Welsh Borders" for example, began life as "Welsh Border Walks" and then "Walks in the Welsh Marches" before I hit it off with the publishers Frances Lincoln.
When a publisher does commission you to write the book, always deliver what you promised in your proposal. It could be the start of a long relationship, with many more babies (I mean books) to add to your family!
Useful Information
The publishers Wiley produce scientific, educational and academic books, but their excellent proposal document can be downloaded from their website at http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-302252.html and is a useful document to all non-fiction authors.
Successful Non-Fiction Writing: A Guide To getting Published, by Nicholas Corder, ISBN: 978-1861268556, published by Crowood Press Ltd.
Writing A Non Fiction Book, by Norman Toulson, ISBN: 1857034260, published by How To Books.
AUTHOR'S BIO
Simon Whaley is a tutor for The Writers Bureau and the best selling author of '100 Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human'. Combined with his other books, '100 Muddy Paws For Thought', 'Puppytalk' and 'Running A Writers' Circle' he now has over 240,000 copies of his books in circulation. His articles have appeared in a variety of UK magazines including People's Friend, Dogs Monthly, In Britain, British Life, Heritage, Cumbria, The Daily Express and Holiday Cottages. Two of his new books are being published in summer 2007: 'Best Walks in the Welsh Borders' on behalf of Frances Lincoln Publishing, and 'Fundraising For A Community Project' for How To Books Ltd.
TOP TIPS
Some people dismiss writing to the letters pages of magazines as beneath them. True – it's never going to earn you a fortune, but we know many writers who make enough money to fund their leisure activities, or win themselves interesting and useful 'gifts'. One of our students, James Hendrie, says, "Writing letters to newspapers has given me experience in writing and disciplined me to work to a weekly plan. I currently earn between £70 – £100 a month from such letters and, over 21 months, have totalled a staggering £1500 from this source of writing." So, here are some tips to make the most of your letter writing.
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Keep your letters short and to the point. Study letters in past editions of the magazine you are targeting and write to a similar length.
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Make sure letters are chatty, but they must still be grammatically correct and be free from typos.
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Stick to one main point. For example, the letter could be in response to a previous letter or an article that has been published in an earlier edition of the magazine; it may recount an amusing incident that happened to the writer or their family; it might tell about something funny that has been seen or overheard or it can give a helpful tip on how to do something more effectively and save money.
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Injecting humour into your writing, if appropriate, can make your letter more saleable.
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Most magazines now accept letters by email as well as by post – but very few welcome hand-written offerings!
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However you send your letter, make sure you include full contact details, including your phone number(s) – daytime and evening.
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Even if you are writing to a reader's column that usually only prints initials at the end of each letter, the editor will expect you provide your full name.
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Get the tone of your letter right. The 'Disgruntled of Dagenham' style doesn't go down too well nowadays. So don't carp and criticize or lecture the readers. Instead, make your letter positive and punchy.
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If writing on local issues don't attack people personally – you're just wasting the price of a stamp. There are libel laws – and editors won't risk their paper's reputation.
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And finally, don't send your letter to more than one magazine at the same time. You can write on a similar topic (if appropriate) to a number of magazines, but make sure each letter is original.
This site is great resourse for poets nad poetry lovers. It lists details about events, courses, competitions, publishers, calls for submissions... and much more!
www.poetrykit.org
Freelance Writers' Database is, "intended to help editors find freelance writers of any genre or speciality. The searchable database of writers and freelance journalists is available to everyone. It's free to join! Members can add their profiles to the database, send and receive messages, post in the Writing Talk forum, and read all the articles." www.freelancewritersdatabase.co.uk
On a similar vein, Worldwide Freelance Writer are, "the leading site for freelance writers around the world. Whether you're already a freelance writer and looking for writing markets, or if you're just starting out and you want to learn more about starting and growing a freelance writing business, our web site is designed to assist you. We'll help you to: find writers' markets, get published, set up a home office and much more."
www.worldwidefreelance.com
A new showcase site has been launched for writers to present their work to agents and publishers. The commercial site hosts one chapter, a synopsis and mini-biog for three to twelve months. Authors categorise their writing into sections and access is free.
www.onlyonechapter.com
That brings us to the end of this month's issue. Next month, Jane Redfern-Jones offers advice on self-leadership that will help you to take your writing goals more seriously.
As usual, if you've any suggestions or would like to comment on content then please contact Teresa at:
ezeewriter@writersbureau.com
And don't forget – if you've enjoyed this issue of E-zee Writer and found it useful, tell your friends about it so that they can subscribe too!
www.writersbureau.com/resources/ezewriter.htm
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