Resources for Writers: Get your Writing Published

My children's book has a newsworthy angle to it and a clear timeline for an introduction to the press. This is one of the reasons I had the nerve to attempt self-publishing.

The `Open Yar Mouth' Health Care Lottery book is based on the real-
life health care lottery proposed by medical personnel in Yarmouth,
Nova Scotia. The date for the real lottery had been set for April
7th, which makes April 7th a special day for my book too. I decided
to send out a press release on April 5th.

After much researching and checking of prices and information, I
finally figured out how to fit the press release into my budget – do
it myself.

I did some reading and found out that creating a "media room" on a
Web site gives the press much needed information in the form of
author quotes, images, bios, sneak previews, book information, etc.
I created a media room for the book (see here
http://www.canadianchildrensbooks.…
y.htm ) and then I used the link in the press release. This gives
me the added option of tracking click-thrus, which can provide an
idea of media interest.

Here is a step-by-step list of the resources that I felt were the
best in helping me get the job done right:

Step 1: Read this:
o Grammar rules at Owl's Writing Lab
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/hand…
o Effective News/Press Releases at MBR
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/b…
o I should have read this: On the Use of Press Releases in
Book Reviews MBR
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/b…

Step 2: Fill out the press release template at Canada One.
http://www.canadaone.com/promote/n… Your finished
release will be emailed to you.

Step 3: Create a free account at PRWeb http://www.prweb.com/ and set
up your free release. Optional: Give a contribution of $10US or more
and change your options. $10US gets you a wider distribution choice.
Choose a date to send the release. You can come back and see the
number of click-thrus (reads), and some other statistical data on
media interest in your release.

Step 4: I used this site http://www.altstuff.com/newspapr.h… to
target Canadian news. Many of the email and fax numbers did not go
through. Do a search for the country and news/media sources you want
to contact. Create a contact list in your email program. Cut and
paste media names and news emails. Send out your release to the
contact list (Your email program may have a maximum recipient rule –
split it up if necessary).

Step 5: Using the same news/media Web site listing, open your
release in MS Word or a similar program and click "Send to" fax. Cut
and paste media names and fax numbers (who did not have email) into
the fax list (add). Send out the fax.

Click here to see my press release
http://www.canadianchildrensbooks.…
y.htm . All in all, it probably took me five hours and cost $10US
plus whatever the long-distance fax charges are to write, edit and
send.

According to PRWeb, by mid-day, my release received over 3,500 click
thrus and over 70 successful media pick-ups. My Web site statistics
will show how many click-thrus were generated by my email and fax
submitted Web sites.

Draw-backs to doing it yourself? It takes a lot of motivation, time,
and the email and fax lists are not always up-to-date. Searching
press Web sites could provide more up-to-date information but will
take more time. The other issue is that one grammatical error could
jeopardize the release. Lastly, mistakes - or info that needs
changes can be a worrysome issue. The media room on my Web site
allows me to changes errors or update info which is a bit of a
relief.

You do what you have to do, using the resources that help you do it
as professionally as you can.

My apologies for the delay between posts, but I've been off writing
and managing the self-publishing of a children's book and I've
learned a lot!

Mainly, that there are all kinds of self-publishing info sites that
really do not have anything of value on them. This is really
frustrating when deadlines loom near and knowledge is scarce :).

After much reading, I came to the conclusion that I would self-
publish a book that I was inspired to write, because it had a timely
element. The book is about a situation in Nova Scotia, which is not
yet resolved. Normally, I would not attempt to self-publish, but in
this case, I wanted the book out as soon as possible.

I scraped up a measly budget and then started researching. Along the way
I came across printers, publishers, publishing-on-demand and a few
other options.

I wanted affordable books and complete control over layout, design,
content, and ownership of my ISBN. I did not want to do
all this work and still be handed a royalty check and not own the
rights to the book. Therefore, my only option was to cover all costs
myself and go with a printer.

I chose http://www.firstchoicebooks.ca which offered the best
price with good response service and a free self-publishing kit
which was more helpful than most.

My decision to go with a printer, meant that I had to do all the
marketing myself and so, right in the middle of my York U exams and
between wiping little noses and picking up socks, here I am -
marketing away like a madwoman.

Part of the marketing involved creating a shopping portal for the
book and a media room for media response. http://www.godaddy.com is
still the cheapest / value / service host that I've found.

Check out the book at http://www.canadianchildrensbooks.…. If you
want to read more about the actually writing of the book - you can
click "writer's blog".

One thing I would caution all writers about - don't spend too much time reading about how to write - write instead.

However, when it comes to submitting your writing, I highly recommend that you read - read - read!

Your query letter, synopsis, bio, and other elements of your submission are the first things a publisher or agent will view and if you don't do these right - they will never read your writing.

Purchasing books that provide query letter outlines and details on how to pitch your text, do marketing research and provide results and how to find the right publisher for you, are all investments in your future writing career.

A bargain bookseller in Canada (though prices are in US funds) is having a promotional sale right now - so now is the time to buy. If you purchase $25 worth of books you are eligible to choose $25 worth of free books from the 5000 titles they have set aside for the promotion.

So, if you purchase:

The Art of the Book Proposal $5.99 (US FUNDS) at 62% off
The Crime Writer's Reference Guide $6.99 61% off
The Everything Guide to Writing a Novel $4.99 64% off
HOw to Publish, Promote and Sell your own Book $4.49 65% off
The Romance Writers Phrase Book $3.49 68% off

You can then go to the promotion area of the site and choose $25.95 dollars worth of free books, which as you can see - at these prices - you can get a lot of books.

This link will take you to the Creative Writing section for Writers http://www.bookcloseouts.com/defau…

Then, once you have shopped and have $25 worth of books in your cart, click the "promotion" tab at the top of the screen and shop for freebies.

The book company has over 5 million titles to choose from, which means you don't have to just select writing books.

Also - see the Stephen King audio cassette "On Writing" Price: $13.99 (60% OFF) US Funds

"In this master class on the craft of writing, Stephen King reveals the origins of his vocation and shares essential habits and rules that every writer can apply. Brilliantly structured and chock-full of master's experience and advice, On Writing will enable the work of writers around the globe. Read by Stephen King. Unabridged on 6 cassettes."

http://www.bookcloseouts.com/bc/di…

Writers are great at creating stories, and therefore, I can assume that
many of you have a "story" of writing and selling that timeless book
that is featured on Oprah and sells enough copies to keep you in money
for the rest of your life (so you can write more without worrying about
bills).

Well the people behind all that "push" before publication are the
editor, the marketing or sales team or VP and the publisher. All of
these people on your team will be enthusiastic about your book - or
they would not be taking it on. They key is to get the press
enthusiastic as well and that may not always be easy.

"To give an example, an editor (who wishes to remain nameless) at the
New York Times Book Review, one of the most sought-after outlets for
print review attention, says that on average they receive more than one
hundred books for consideration daily. He estimates that the average
number of books covered in each issue is approximately twenty-five to
thirty (and "covered" can be just a mention, not a full review). This
means that, each week, they are theoretically leaving four hundred and
seventy-five books out in the cold." (Inside Publishing, Jessica G
Firger).

As a writer, what can you take from a comment like the one above? A
person with less-than steady self-esteem may give up before they even
begin or a person with wild delusions of success may scoff at the
importance of media enthusiasm and make the wrong decisions.

The reality, to me, is that there is competition in every career and
believing in yourself, will inspire others to believe in you.
Especially if you are willing to invest in that belief.

Publicists work on more than one book at a time and they promote books
through two ways - proactive and reactive. Proactive publicity is
selling something unique and new to the media and the public. Reactive
publicity is connecting a book to current events or issues and using
that as the hook.

One can imagine what kind of attention a "timely" publication could
receive, but it may not always be possible to predict and then get your
writing out there in time.

Proactive publicity works best when the author is willing to tour and
be available for the appointments that will be set for interviews and
reviews. Investing in your writing career comes in more forms than the
crafting of words, and is something we all need to keep our minds open
to.

One way to find out contact names of publishers is to join The Writers Market. It will cost you a fee, but your membership gives you access to listings of publishers that you can search and narrow down to match to your writing. http://writersmarket.com/index_ns.…

For example: I searched Non-Fiction publishers, women's issues, feminism, self-help, business/careers etc. I also stipulated that I only wanted returns that accept simultaneous submissions, had a web site and would accept non-agented materials.

Results: I received three pages of results. The next step is to read each publishers profile to determine which ones would be appropriate recipients of your work.

Details from the listings that are important include the following:

Publisher contact information:

BONUS BOOKS, INC.
1223 Wilshire Blvd. #597
Santa Monica CA 90403
E-Mail: submissions@bonusbooks.com
Website: www.bonusbooks.com
Acquisitions:
Editor

Note: This listing does not give the name of the editor, but searching their Web site may reveal it.


Freelance Facts:

Accepts simultaneous submissions.
Responds in 6-8 weeks to queries.
Book catalog for 9X11 and first-class stamps.
Manuscript guidelines for #10 SASE.

Non-Fiction Interests:


Needs:
Biography
Self-Help



Subjects include:
Business/Economics
Cooking/Foods/Nutrition
Education
Health/Medicine
Hobbies
Money/Finance
Regional
Sports (gambling)
Women's Issues/Studies
pop culture
automotive/self-help
current affairs
broadcasting
business/self-help
Chicago people and places
collectibles
education/self-help
fundraising
handicapping winners
home and health
entertainment

Submission Requirements:

Submission method:
Query with SASE

Submit:
Outline
Author Bio
2-3 sample chapters, TOC
SASE
All submissions and queries must include SASE.

Reviews artwork/photos as part of manuscript package.


You can see how specific the requirements of this publishing company are - and if you were to compare against other publisher listings - you'd see it even more clearly.

I cannot stress enough, the importance of following the publisher requirements. If you are going to take the time to write the Query etc., then invest as much as you can in getting it perfect so that your book has a chance.

A good way to "get it perfect" is to sign up for a course in submitting your writing.

Barnes and Nobel offers free courses, one that I actually took and found very helpful was about getting a Non-Fiction book to the publisher. The instructor was fabulous and hammered out my practice Query etc., whipping me into shape. The courses are free and I highly recommend them. http://university.barnesandnoble.c…

One of the things I learned from the course on Non-Fiction text was as follows:

"One frequent mistake new authors make is in believing they must prove all previously published authors on the topic hopelessly wrong. Remember that when you do so, you are simultaneously characterizing the readers in that category as ignorant dupes -- not a good way to start a relationship with people who will determine your fate as an author. Instead, if you think of your book as building on what others have done, a more pleasant persona will shine through in your work.
Your unique contribution has to do one of two things -- either it has to allow us to see a topic differently, or allow us to see a topic more fully."

If money and time are tight - do an internet search for "non-fiction publisher submission guidelines" or a similar key-word string until you find what you are looking for.

Good Luck!

Eek. I'm ready to send off query letters to publishers. Adive? Tips? Good names/email addresses/ real addresses to use? The book is a non-fiction book about unplanned pregnancy in adult professional women.


How do I find names to address the letters to?

My writing has been benefiting from a previously overlooked online writing gem - the writer's club.

Yeah, yeah. Join a club. You've heard it before, but here is the payoff part.

The particular regional club that I joined, sends out an email to all members announcing successful publication for every member. So, into my email box comes the names of publishers who are accepting work from people who live in my area.

I received one over the holidays that went something like this, "member's poem "title" will be featured in December's issue of Heritage Writer".

Heritage Writer? I did a quick online search and followed the link to Heritage Writer's submission guidelines. I opened my folder of poetry, chose one with a heritage flair, made adjustments for the publication and submitted. The next morning I received an acceptance email.

This is not the first time that I've been published as a result of this Kudos email. I'm finding it an excellent resource for submission options, with a better success rate than searching publications on WritersMarket.com or using online "calls for submissions".

If you are thinking of joining a regional writer's club or have joined, make sure kudos mailouts are offered and take a good look at them when they come.

Read the publication announcement with an: "I'm as good as anyone" attitude and you'll find yourself submitting to the same publication!

Sometimes, the easy route seems like the best route but this is not always true, especially when it comes to publishing your writing.

If you write poetry, or even if you don't, you've probably heard of Poetry.com. This site offers authors the opportunity to put their poem on the Web site for free so that others may see it.

Remember, putting your poem on a Web site is publishing your poem. So by doing this you have just lost opportunities to send this poem to publications who do not consider previously published works.

Some submission guidelines do state that they will accept "unpublished" poems that were posted to discussion groups for the purpose of sharing techniques etc.

Once your poem is up on the Web site, you are offered this great chance to join a community of poets for free and to have knowledgeable feedback provided on your piece.

First however, you must critique four poems. Your critique is judged and you are awarded gavels and such until you are given a title that may appeal to the seeking self-esteem. Then, others analyze your poem. You are informed when the critiques are ready for you to read but when you surf to the page you find you must pay to read them!

Back to Poetry.com. You assuage your offended senses by telling yourself that at least you are eligible for the monthly poetry prize. You've sacrificed your poem and perhaps that will be your reward. You are notified that you must fill in an personal information form in order to qualify for the poetry contest.

So, you do, but if you belong to any Nationality other than American, you will not be able to qualify for the poetry contest because the form fields will only accept American Zip codes.

The last straw. Now - try to get your poem off of Poetry.com. I haven't figured it out yet. In the meantime, I've received email offers from them which are obviously meant to cater to the unpublished writer who sits and waits for publication to come to them.

The last correspondence I received was a snail-mail letter offering me publication in their anthology. On the letter is a picture of previous anthologies and guess what? Poetry.com is the National Library of Poetry. (or what used to be)

Which means they've suckered me before. I submitted a poem to them when I was a teenager and loe and behold, they convinced me of my poetry abilities and published my poem. I could not get through life without a copy of this publication and even though my Father warned me at the time that it was their way to scam money from people, I still begged for $50 and sent away for my book.

Once I received it, I realized that it was chock full of small-type poems, crammed six to a page and that many of poems were downright horrible examples of poesy (mine included).

So, I would advise that you do not sacrifice a poem to Poetry.com, but that you rather invest your energy into writing and into submitting to valid publications. It can be fun and rewarding to share critiques with other poets, and it can be educational if you are sharing with poets who have more advanced figurative language skills than you do. But if you are flattering yourself by offering up educated critiques to "wanna-bees" and basking in their praise, you're wasting time. Time that could be used to fill those needs through "real" publication.

It's the temptation of the "quick-fix". We all want to be recognized writers. Decide how big do you want to go and then determine what amount of work and investment into yourself and your craft is needed.

On the upside, I guess that first "publication" through the National Library of Poetry boosted a belief in my writing (which I may not have deserved at that time), and encouraged me to continue in my delusions of grandeur toward poetic publication, which I have now achieved and continue to strive for.

For more information on Poetry.com and some examples of the poetry they might publish:

The League of Canadian Poets http://www.poets.ca/linktext/links…

http://windpub.com/literary.scams/…

http://tenderbytes.net/rhymeworld/…

http://www.winningwriters.com/scam…

Another plug for the Internet - finding calls for submissions. They are everywhere and it's a great way to recieve a writing prompt with results that someone is willing to pay for. Here are just a few of the current ones ...


> Rapid Magazine Canada
Whitewater paddlesports content
Query by email
$0.20 a word
Guidelines: https://www.rapidmedia.com/files/R…
Editorial Department, Rapid magazine, Box 70 Palmer Rapids, ON K0J 2E0, Canada. Contact: Ian Merringer, Editor. Email:
mailto:editor@rapidmag.com

>Voices from the Storm
$25
For people affected by multiple disasters in Gulf States.
http://www.flashquake.org/editoria…

>How Stuff Works
$300
Original articles with business-style reporting. Break down complex ideas and explain in clear, simple language. Resume cover letter and writing samples.
freelance@howstuffworks.com

>Grip Magazine
Entertainment, fashion, sports, finance, entrepreneurship. Writing samples and resume to linda@grpmag.com


>The Growing Edge
0.20 word
Bimonthyl mag and web site providing latest news and info for indoor
and outdoor growers, hobbyists, educators and researchers.
http://www.growingedge.com/contrib…


>Online Study Guide Writers
$550 a guide
Study guides on novels. Resume and two short writing samples on
humantities or literature in email to
feste37@yahoo.com

Stop! Don't buy that 500 page directory of poet publishing resources! Consider purchasing a membership to the online version first.

I'm big on databases because:

- database searching is more time efficient than reading with a highlighter
- you specifically search markets that your writing style
- the information is updated on a regular basis as opposed to annually
- the results allow for "click-throughs" to web sites
- each search starts clean without dog-ears, highlights for a previous writing subject or slashes for out-of-date info

Are you sold?

The Writer's Market is the biggest database I know of, but being Canadian means that it is more difficult to find all of the Canadian resources listed there. http://www.writersmarket.com

The Canadian League of Poets has launched an online Poetry Market "database" and you can get yourself a username and password to it by calling 416-504-1657 and paying $20.00 CAN for the year.

This small fee gives you access to over 80 Canadian poetry periodicals, over 100 US periodicals and 85 international periodicals. You will be able to search over 130 Canadian reading venues and festivals and over 50 Canadian book publishers. However the database is not searchable. It is really just a list of resources.


Check it out http://www.youngpoets.ca/markets/