WRITER’S DIGEST SPECIAL ISSUE Your Annual Handbook for Writing Success WRITER’S YEARBOOK 2013

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BLOG YOUR WAY How to Get an Agent to a Book Deal INSIDER TIPS FOR WRITING QUERY LETTERS THAT WORK FREELANCING SECRETS THE TOP How to Sell Websites More Articles 50 EASY WAYS to Build Your for Writers Platform One Step at a time THE YEAR IN BOOK CONTRACTS: What You Publishing Need to Know IS THE INDUSTRY FINALLY ON THE REBOUND? US $5.99 24 PLUS The Surprise Hit Fifty Shades of Grey • 2012’s Top-Earning

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CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER Chad Phelps A FREELANCER’S WORKSHOP VICE PRESIDENT, ECOMMERCE Lucas Hilbert SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS 12 Finding the Heart of a Story Phil Graham Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Gene COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Stacie Berger Weingarten gives insight on writing, GROUP MARKETING DIRECTOR reporting and how, exactly, to capture Kate Rados the meaning of life.

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ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVE Jill Ruesch (800)726-9966, ext. 13223; fax: (715)445-4087; [email protected] 14 All in the Timing Find pitch-perfect hooks for articles on virtu- ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATOR Barb Prill (800)726-9966, ext. 13435; ally any topic by targeting anniversaries. fax: (715)445-4087; [email protected] BY DON VAUGHAN NEWSSTAND SALES Scott T. Hill; [email protected] 16 The Great E-Debate ATTENTION RETAILERS Is it ever OK to conduct interviews via To carry Writer’s Digest in your store, please contact: Curtis Circulation Co., 730 River Road, email? Here’s what you need to know. New Milford, NJ 07646. Via phone: (201)634- BY KRISTEN FISCHER 7400; via fax: (201)634-7499.

PRIVACY PROMISE 18 How to Pitch Occasionally we make portions of our Freelance Articles customer list available to other companies so they may contact you about products and Use these simple tips to craft submissions services that may be of interest to you. If you prefer we withhold your name, simply send a that successfully land assignments. note with the magazine name to: List Manager, F+W Media Inc., 10151 Carver Road, Ste. 200, BY JOHN MOIR Cincinnati, OH 45242. 20 10 Common Reasons Queries Are Rejected When it comes time to pitch your next

Printed in the USA COPYRIGHT © 2011 BY F+W article idea, avoid these gaff es from the MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. get-go and bypass the rejection pink slip. WRITER’S DIGEST MAGAZINE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF F+W MEDIA INC. BY KELLY JAMES-ENGER

2 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0001_YB13_TOC.indd01_YB13_TOC.indd 2 110/2/120/2/12 11:26:26 PMPM BUILD YOUR BOOK’S SUCCESS FOR YOUR REFERENCE 22 Query Success 39 101 Best Websites for Writers A literary agent shares a real-life novel pitch Culled from more than 4,000 nominations that ultimately led to a book deal—and from writers worldwide, this defi nitive shows you how to successfully query your roundup of the best online resources is a own work. must-have guide for every writer. BY MARY KOLE BY BRIAN A. KLEMS & KRISTEN GRACE 24 How to Submit 49 The Top 100 Markets for Nonfi ction Books Book & Magazine Writers Use this checklist to compile a clear, eff ective If you’re fi nding it diffi cult to narrow down book proposal and sell agents and editors on the perfect markets for your work, you’re in your concept. luck. We’ve done the legwork for you. Here’s BY FRED ROSEN our annual shortlist to simplify your search. BY DYLAN MCCARTNEY 26 From Blog to Book What if a single writing project could help you build your online platform and complete a book manuscript—at the same ENDNOTES time? Here’s how to leverage your blog into a book deal. 72 5-Minute Memoir: BY NINA AMIR An Audience of One A bestselling author shares a powerful story 30 50 Simple Ways to Build Your of why every reader matters. Platform in 5 Minutes a Day BY KRIS RADISH Th ese days, getting your writing noticed is all up to you. Make the overwhelming task an easy one by taking it one step at a time. BY CHRISTINA KATZ 36 Let’s Make a Deal Learn the ins and outs of negotiating a ON THE COVER book contract so you can be your work’s 49 Best 100 Book & Magazine Markets for Writers best advocate. 22 How to Get An Agent BY JANE CHOATE 39 Th e Top 101 Websites for Writers 7 Th e Year in Publishing 26 Blog Your Way to a Book Deal 18 Freelancing Secrets 30 50 Easy Ways to Build Your Platform 36 Book Contacts: What You Need to Know

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Mainstream/Literary Rhyming Poetry GRAND PRIZE: Short Story Non-Rhyming Poetry

Memoir/Personal Essay Stage Play Digest Conference in Magazine Feature Children’s/Young Adult New York City Article Fiction Television/Movie Script Genre Short Story with 4 editors or agents Inspirational Writing (Mystery, Romance, etc.) Category Prizes: (Spiritual/Religious) 1st Place: $1,000 cash and $100 off WD Shop purchase EARLY BIRD DEADLINE: May 6, 2013 2nd Place: $500 cash and Entry Deadline: June 3, 2013 $100 off WD Shop purchase Enter on or before the Early Bird deadline and receive a 3rd Place: $250 cash and $5 discount per entry. $100 off WD Shop purchase Entries will be accepted online at writersdigest.com. 4th Place: $100 cash and $50 off WD Shop purchase 82nd Annual Writer’s Digest

WRITING COMPETITION COLLECTION 5th Place: $50 cash and The Grand Prize manuscript, the First Place manuscript in each $50 off WD Shop purchase category, and the names of the top 10 winners in each category 6th – 10th Place: $25 cash will be printed in a special competition collection. (Publication date: November 2013. You are not required to purchase the All winners receive a collection to enter the competition.) 1-year Writer’s Digest VIP membership

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0004_YB13_ads.indd04_YB13_ads.indd 4 110/3/120/3/12 77:52:52 AMAM SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 1. You may enter as many manuscripts as you like in each of the following categories: Memoirs/Personal Essay, Children’s/Young Adult Fiction and Magazine Feature Article: 2,000 words maximum. Mainstream/Literary Short Story and Genre Short Story: 4,000 words maximum. Inspirational Writing: 2,500 words maximum. Rhyming Poetry and Non-rhyming Poetry: 32 lines maximum. Stage Play and Television/Movie Script: send the first 15 pages in standard script format, plus a one-page synop- sis. Stage plays and television/movie scripts— original or written for any series in production on or after Jan. 1, 2013— are eligible; adaptations will not be accepted. 2. Enter online at writersdigest.com or submit via regular mail to the address below. Mailed entries must include your name, address, phone number, email, line or word count and competition category in the upper left hand corner. 3. Your entry* must be original, unpublished, unproduced, written in English and not accepted by any other publisher or producer at the time of submission. Writer’s Digestt retains one-time publication rights to the Grand Prize and First Place Winning Entries in each category to be published in a Writer’s Digest publication. *Entries in the Magazine Feature Article category may be previously published. 4. Top Award Winners will be notified by mail before Oct. 14, 2013. The top 10 winners in each category will be listed in the November/December 2013 issue of Writer’s Digest. All winners will be listed in the 82nd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition Collection and on our website at writersdigest.com. Prizes will be sent by Nov. 15, 2013.

82nd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM

EARLY BIRD DEADLINE: MAY 6, 2013 Early Bird Entry Fees: Poems $15 for first entry; $10 for Entry Deadline: June 3, 2013 each additional. All other entries $27 for first manuscript; $20 for each additional. Early Bird Entries receive a $5 per entry discount After May 6: Poems $20 for first entry; $15 for each Name additional. All other entries $32 for first manuscript; $25 for each additional. Address I am submitting 1 poem at ...... $______City and ____ additional poems at ...... $______

State ZIP I am submitting 1 manuscript at ...... $______and ____ additional manuscripts at .... $______Country 82nd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition Collection Phone (() ) P lease send me ____ copy(ies) of the 82nd Annual email Writer’s Digest Writing Competition Collection Please contact me via email with future writing competition (available November 2013). I’m enclosing $10.00 updates. plus $1.95 shipping and handling for each collection Number of Entries in Each Category: ordered. Please enter the following number of my manuscripts Total enclosed (U.S. funds) $______in each of these categories: Method of Payment: Memoir/Personal Essay (U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank; payable to Writer’s Digest.) Genre Short Story Check or money order enclosed Mainstream/Literary Short Story Charge my MasterCard VISAA Magazine Feature Article Exp. Date ______Rhyming Poetry Non-rhyming Poetry Card # Stage Play Signature Television/Movie Script (Charge will appear as “F+W Contest” within 90 days of the contest Children’s/Young Adult Fiction deadline. There will be a $10.00 charge for returned checks and declined credit card payments.) Inspirational Writing

Enter Online, or Mail Completed Entry Form, Manuscript(s), and Fee to: Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition, 8469 Blue Ash Road, Suite 100, Cincinnati OH 45236.

0004_YB13_ads.indd04_YB13_ads.indd 5 110/3/120/3/12 77:52:52 AMAM 0004_YB13_ads.indd04_YB13_ads.indd 6 110/2/120/2/12 11:36:36 PMPM 2012: The Year in Review Stay up to date on the latest news and trends in both markets—and how they can affect your writing in the year ahead.

BY LINDA FORMICHELLI

WritersDigest.com 7

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he publishing industry in worldwide, meaning that patrons book was released in 2009, to much 2012 has had its ups and potentially have access to any book— critical acclaim. Sendak’s posthumous downs: In short, book pub- even those out of print. work My Brother’s Book—a picture lishing was up — and maga- book written for and inspired by his zine sales were down. But the Goodbye to Literary Icons late brother Jack—will make its debut e-everything revolution has Helen Gurley Brown, author of the in February 2013. brought a lot of excitement, 1962 bestseller Sex and the Single Girl Tfrom burgeoning e-book sales, to and legendary former editor-in-chief That Social Media evolutions in magazine publishing, of Cosmopolitan magazine, died at Thing? Unimportant, to new technology that lets publish- age 90 on Aug. 13. Frank A. Bennack, Say Trade Publishers ers adopt printed context to be read CEO of Hearst Corporation (pub- Are some publishers behind the on everything from your smartphone lisher of Cosmopolitan), said that Twitter/Facebook/Pinterest times? A to your Kindle. Gurley Brown’s work “revolutionized survey commissioned by Publishing the magazine industry.” Technology and FutureBook found We also said goodbye on June 5 to that nearly half of trade publishers HEADLINES Ray Bradbury [ Fig. 2 ], iconic author have no idea how much social media Authors Guild vs. Google: of such noteworthy books as Th e has impacted their book sales, because The Saga Continues Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit they don’t have the means to trace its Th e year brought the next installment 451. As his obituary in Th e New York eff ects. When asked how infl uential in the long-drawn drama between the Times stated, “Mr. Bradbury was the social media chatter was in driving Authors Guild and Google. In 2005, writer most responsible for bring- sales, nearly 63 percent of the sur- the Authors Guild fi led a class action ing modern science fi ction into vey’s respondents said it was either lawsuit against Google for scanning the literary mainstream.” Just a few unimportant or totally irrelevant. books that were still under copyright months before Bradbury’s death, well- Publishing Technology concluded that protection. Now, Google is appealing known writers such as Dave Eggers social media is too big a marketing the class action status of the lawsuit, and Margaret Atwood contributed to channel to be ignored, and that pub- saying that authors should individu- a Bradbury tribute collection called lishers will eventually learn to track it ally sue Google. According to a U.S. Shadow Show: All-New Stories in just as they track in-store sales. Circuit Judge ruling earlier in the year, Celebration of Ray Bradbury, which if the appeal is successful, it could lead was released in July. Newspaper Comeback? to potential inconsistent rulings “in Another big loss to the industry was Th anks to digital paywalls that nearly identical suits … and increase children’s book author and illustra- make readers cough up money for the cost of litigation.” tor Maurice Sendak, best known for online news, newspapers’ weekly Where the Wild Th ings Are, who died circulation went up 0.7 percent Move Over, Gutenberg in May. A fi lm version of the seminal and Sunday circulation jumped 5 Th e Espresso Book Machine [ Fig. 1 ] made its debut in 2007, and more bookstores and libraries are installing this wonder, which auto- matically prints and binds library-quality paperbacks with glossy covers — all on demand and in about six minutes for a 300-page book. As of July 2012, the EBM, which is the size of a standard copy machine, is in

54 libraries and bookstores [ Fig. 1 ] [ Fig. 2 ] 7): ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © ARTVEA (PAGE PHOTO © ALAN LIGHT ILLUSTRATION BRADBURY

8 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0007_YB13_Formichelli.indd07_YB13_Formichelli.indd 8 110/2/120/2/12 11:43:43 PMPM for Th e New Yorker. Houghton Miffl in Harcourt immediately stopped ship- ment and e-book sales of Imagine. In August, Lehrer also lost his gig as a blogger for Wired.com.

E-books Tromp Over Print Books For Bloomsbury, British publisher of the Happy Potter series, global e-book sales rose a whopping 70 per- cent year-over-year for the period of [ Fig.3 ] March 1 to May 31 — while print sales fell by 2 percent. percent over the six months lead- Twilight fan fi ction and was later pub- But in an eff ort to kindle (no pun ing up to March 2012. Th e Wall lished by Knopf Doubleday, captured intended) excitement around print Street Journal leads the pack, with an astonishing 25 percent of the adult books, Argentinean publisher Eterna an average circulation of 2.1 mil- fi ction market in the weeks surround- Cadencia released El Libro Que No lion across print and digital. ing its release. However, some librar- Puede Esperar (Th e Book Th at Can’t ies are refusing to carry the risqué Wait) — with disappearing ink. As books, to the dismay of the National soon as the reader opens the book and BOOK PUBLISHING NEWS Coalition Against Censorship. turns the pages, the ink starts to fade Good News for the Book with age, and disappears completely in Publishing Industry Lies About The about two months. According to the Association of Jefferson Lies American Publishers, compared with In August, publisher Th omas Nelson Alleged Price Fixing Lands January 2011, January 2012 saw double- recalled all copies of Th e Jeff erson Lies: Publishers in Court digit sales revenue growth across cate- Exposing the Myths You’ve Always In April, the Department of Justice gories. For adult books, hardcover sales Believed About Th omas Jeff erson fi led anti-trust cases against Apple and increased 21.6 percent and e-books [ Fig. 4 ] by David Barton aft er critics fi ve publishers it accused of schem- sales increased 49.4 percent. Children’s revealed factual inaccuracies and his- ing to raise the price of bestselling and and young adult e-book sales jumped torical misinterpretations — including new e-books. Hachette, HarperCollins an amazing 475.1 percent, while paper- claims that Jeff erson was an ortho- and Simon & Schuster settled out back sales increased 61.9 percent. And dox evangelical Christian. Despite of court, though they insisted they in total, adult trade increased 16.4 per- the massive recall, the book hit No. 8 were not guilty. Apple, Penguin and cent, and children/young adult leapt on the Amazon bestseller list a week 80.5 percent. later, even though it was available only through independent booksellers. Erotica Flies off the Shelves Bob Dylan Said What? While some dismiss it as “mommy In more “factual inaccuracy” news, porn,” the racy Fift y Shades of Grey author and journalist Jonah Lehrer trilogy [ Fig.3 ] by E.L. James sold 10 resigned from Th e New Yorker in July million copies — print, e-book and aft er it was revealed that he fabri- audio — in six weeks, and the fi rst cated Bob Dylan quotes in his book book in the series skyrocketed to the Imagine. A month earlier, Lehrer had top of Th e New York Times bestseller been caught taking some of his old list in March. According to BookScan work from Th e Wall Street Journal and data, the trilogy, which originated as Wired and recycling it to blog posts [ Fig. 4 ]

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Macmillan refused to settle, and the U.S. District Court has set a trial date for June 2013.

Some Authors Earn Big While some authors complain of piddling advances, others are rak- ing it in. James Patterson [ Fig. 5 ], who published 14 new titles in 2011, topped Forbes’s list of high-earning authors with $94 million. Stephen King [ Fig. 6 ] was next with $39 mil- lion, thanks to his time-travel novel [ Fig. 5 ] [ Fig. 6 ] [ Fig. 7 ] 11/22/63 and a new installment of his Dark Tower series. Janet Evanovich authors were asked to craft chapters June alone, 14 regular magazines and [ Fig. 7 ] earned $33 million in 2011, of 1,500–2,000 words, and describe 45 special issues debuted. John Grisham made $26 million, how the eponymous necklace came and Jeff Kinney of Wimpy Kid fame to be in a diff erent suburb of the city Newsstand Sales Plummet came in fi ft h with $25 million. Next with each chapter. Th e paper’s editors According to the Audit Bureau of year, expect to see Fift y Shades author chose which chapters to include, and Circulation, in the fi rst half of 2012, James on the list — her trilogy brought ended up with nine chapters written average magazine newsstand sales her $1.3 million per week at the height by 10 authors. Th e novel was com- dropped 9.6 percent, with some titles of its frenzy, and she also received $5 pleted in January. falling by double digits: Cosmopolitan million for theatrical rights. Th en, Chicago author Willy was down 15.5 percent, People Chyr started a project called Th e decreased by 18.6 percent, Star fell Amazon Sells Books— Collabowriters, which invited people 14.2 percent, Vogue dropped 16.5 per- Outside of Amazon to contribute one sentence — of under cent and Vanity Fair went down 18.8 Amazon Publishing’s East Coast Group 140 characters — to a novel about a percent. Declines in newsstand sales imprint is slated to publish books widower named Zachary. Readers vote were partially made up by increases in by authors like Tim Ferriss, Deepak on each sentence, and once a sen- subscription sales, so overall circula- Chopra and Penny Marshall. And you tence reaches a score of 5, it’s added tions were down by just 0.1 percent. can expect to see those books in brick- to the novel. As of September, only On the other hand, digital sales more and-mortar bookstores next fall, as about 1,245 words had been written. than doubled — but they accounted the company has struck a deal with Given that the median word length of for only 2 percent of total sales and Houghton Miffl in Harcourt’s New a novel is 64,000 words, this is a very didn’t do much to off set the drop in Harvest imprint to publish the East long-term project. (Want to contrib- newsstand sales. Ad sales were also Coast Group’s adult titles in print and ute a sentence? Visit thecollabowriters. down 8.8 percent for this period. distribute them in North America out- com/book.) Samir Husni of the blog Mr. side of Amazon’s online portal. Magazine off ers three reasons for the decline on newsstands. First, he MAGAZINE PUBLISHING NEWS Crowdsourcing Novels posits that the cover price of maga- Crowdsourcing — turning to the wis- New Magazines zines is too high; the average price is dom or eff orts of large numbers of Hit the Market a whopping $8, with some going as people to get things done — is a grow- Worried about print magazines going high as $17. Th e average shopper isn’t ing trend, and this year brought inno- the way of the dodo? Well, take going to pick up an armful of maga- vations in crowdsourced novels. heart: In the fi rst half of 2012, exactly zines at those prices. Second, Husni First, the Sydney Morning Herald 100 new magazines appeared on U.S. says that consumers are confused by invited readers to contribute chapters newsstands, plus another 294 special too many options, with some catego- to its novel Th e Necklace. Interested issues, annuals and bookazines. In ries boasting up to 50 titles. Finally, PATTERSON PHOTO © SUSAN SOLIE-PATTERSON KING PHOTO © SHANE LEONARD PHOTO © SUSAN SOLIE-PATTERSON PATTERSON PHOTO © DEBORAHFEINGOLD EVANOVICH

10 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0007_YB13_Formichelli.indd07_YB13_Formichelli.indd 1010 110/2/120/2/12 11:45:45 PMPM [ Fig. 8 ] [ Fig. 9 ] [ Fig. 10 ]

super-low subscription prices — with Th en there was Newsweek’s May publishers and makes life easier for discounts of up to 93 percent off 21 cover image [ Fig. 11 ] of President them — since they don’t have to worry some cover prices — mean consum- Barack Obama with a rainbow-hued about keeping up with the burgeoning ers subscribe rather than buy maga- halo and the headline “Th e First Gay number of reading platforms — but zines off the shelves. President.” And the February cover it also creates a more user-friendly of Bloomberg Businessweek featured experience for readers. Th e only prob- Digital Sales Up, an image of a Continental airplane lem? Th e ad industry hasn’t caught up, Up and Away and a United plane, er, mating — with and we have a way to go before we see Even while newsstand sales of maga- the headline “Let’s Get It On.” Th ese truly responsive ad design. zines plummeted, digital subscriptions covers attracted much contro- jumped 70 percent in the fi rst half of versy — which, to magazine publishers, CONCLUSION 2012 compared to the same period in can be pure sales gold. 2011. Th e top digital magazine was 2012 has been a mixed bag: Game Informer [ Fig. 8 ], with a circula- Responsive Design: The Magazine newsstand sales dropped tion of 1,218,634. Maxim was next with Wave of the Future precipitously, while digital took up 284,824, followed by Cosmopolitan Some publishers, like Th e Boston some of the slack; book publishing [ Fig. 9 ] (185,673); Poder Hispanic Globe and SAY Media, are turning to saw double-digit sales gains; and sad (170,868); National Geographic responsive design — layout and design news like lawsuits and books being (134,656); Popular Science (93,037); O, that automatically formats itself on the recalled for factual inaccuracies was Th e Oprah Magazine (81,259); ESPN fl y to fi t desktops, tablets and phones. tempered by good news, as mega- Th e Magazine (75,600); Nylon (75,184); Th is not only cuts coding costs for hit authors pull in millions and and Parenting [ Fig. 10 ] (74,790). new technology creates excitement around publishing. Magazines Going for What’s in store for 2013? Look for the Shock Factor more technological advances in the With newsstand sales so sluggish, industry, continued rises in e-book some magazines are turning to outra- and digital magazine sales, and, with geous covers in order to catch readers’ hope, the conclusion of the Google eyes. For example, the May 21 issue of and e-book pricing lawsuits. Get ready Time magazine featured an attractive for an exciting ride! YB young mom breast-feeding her 3-year- old son. It ended up being Time’s best- selling issue of the year at that point, Linda Formichelli (therenegadewriter.com), co-author of The Renegade Writer, teaches and the magazine doubled its sub- an e-course on breaking into magazines and scription sales for that week. [ Fig. 11 ] offers writers phone mentoring.

WritersDigest.com 11

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Finding the Heart of a Story Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Gene Weingarten gives insight on writing, reporting and how, exactly, to capture the meaning of life.

BY MARC D. ALLAN

ene Weingarten suggests doubles as a superbly instructive lary dumps that get in the way of the that winning a Pulitzer primer on writing. story you are telling. Once you accept Prize is “pure luck.” Here, the feature-writing guru that, what are you left with? You are “Th e Pulitzer is a crap- off ers the inside story on how he craft s left with the story you are telling. shoot,” Th e Washington Post his Pulitzer-grade prose. Th e story you are telling is only as feature writer/humor col- good as the information in it: things umnist says. “Your piece has What’s one thing an aspiring writer you elicit, or things you observe, Gto hit a few people the right way at the must understand about writing? that make a narrative come alive; right moment.” I can tell you what it’s defi nitely not. things that support your point not Easy for Weingarten to be modest: It’s defi nitely not “I before e except just through assertion, but through He’s the only two-time winner of the aft er c,” because what about either? example; quotes that don’t just con- Pulitzer for feature writing. In the fi rst, vey information, but also personality. 2008’s “Th e Fiddler in the Subway” But seriously … is there one thing an Th at’s all reporting. (“Pearls Before Breakfast” when it fi rst aspiring writer must understand? appeared in Th e Washington Post), Th at it’s hard. If you think it’s not hard, What distinguishes a well-told story Weingarten arranged for violin vir- you’re not doing it right. from a poorly told one? tuoso Joshua Bell to play outside a D.C. All of the above. Good reporting, Metro station during morning rush One of the things I admire about though, requires a lot of thinking; I hour to see if anyone would notice. your work is that you consistently always counsel writers working on His 2010 winner, “Fatal Distraction,” prove that great writing begins with features to keep in mind that they recounts stories of parents who acci- great reporting. Talk about the are going to have to deliver a cin- dentally killed their children by forget- importance of reporting. ematic feel to their anecdotes. When ting them in cars. Well, let’s start with the maxim that you are interviewing someone, don’t Th ose stories and 18 others are col- the best writing is understated, mean- just write down what he says. Ask lected in Th e Fiddler in the Subway, ing it’s not full of fl ourishes and sema- yourself: Does this guy remind you which includes an introduction that phores and tap dancing and vocabu- of someone? What does the room feel

12 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0012_YB13_Allan.indd12_YB13_Allan.indd 1212 110/2/120/2/12 11:46:46 PMPM like? Notice smells, voice infl ection, whatever that is. Sometimes, midway neighborhoods you pass through. Be through, you realize it’s not what you a cinematographer. thought, it’s something else. But, to quote Roseanne Roseannadanna, Do you have any particular writing “ … It’s always something.” rituals or techniques that would help other writers? Let’s say you only get 20 minutes Until I got to the end of your sen- with your subject. How do you fi nd tence, I had an answer. Alas, I don’t the meaning of life in 20 minutes? think this would be helpful to many Nasty question. But you gotta be fair writers: Aft er I report a story, I look here: I never said all stories have to at my notes carefully, then lock explain the meaning of life. All sto- them away and don’t look at them ries have to at least try to explain again until I have a fi rst draft . I some small portion of the meaning fi nd it liberating to write without of life. You can do that in 20 minutes, being chained to your notes; it helps you craft an ideal story. Th en I go back to the notes and realize what “When you are interviewing someone, don’t I wrote that I can’t really support, just write down what he says. … Notice what quotes aren’t quite as good as I thought, etc. It can be hugely frus- smells, voice inflection, neighborhoods you trating, but it also sometimes leads pass through. Be a cinematographer.” me to go back and improve report- ing, to make the story as good as I thought it could be. Not sure this and 15 inches. I still remember a But Bearak had a fact that he with- will be helpful to most people. It’s piece that the great Barry Bearak held until the kicker. Th e fact put the kind of insane. did in Th e Miami Herald some 30 whole story, subtly, in complete perspec- years ago. It was a nothing story, tive. Th e kicker noted the true, wonder- You say all stories are ultimately really: Some high school kid was ful fact that the kid was not in school about the meaning of life. How do leading a campaign to ban books that day because “his ulcer was acting you fi nd that heart of the story? he found off ensive from the school up.” Meaning of life, 15 inches. YB By persuading yourself, going in to library. Bearak didn’t even have an a story, that it must be about some- interview with the kid, who was Marc D. Allan is a freelance writer based in BILL O’LEARY Indianapolis. His work has appeared in The thing larger than itself—some univer- ducking him. Th e story was short, Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and

PHOTO © sal truth—and always searching for mostly about the issue. NUVO News.

WritersDigest.com 13

0012_YB13_Allan.indd12_YB13_Allan.indd 1313 110/2/120/2/12 11:46:46 PMPM A FREELANCER’S WORKSHOP

All in the Timing Find pitch-perfect hooks for articles on virtually any topic by targeting anniversaries.

BY DON VAUGHAN

love anniversaries—and not just Th e U.S. government the one I celebrate each June with provides a good overview my lovely wife. Newsworthy mile- of upcoming holidays, stones of all sorts can mean big major anniversaries, and bucks for savvy freelance writers. historic dates of interest online Edgar Rice Burroughs, so I knew Over the years, I’ve landed numer- at usa.gov/Topics/Reference-Shelf/ early on that 2012 was the centennial ous anniversary-based assignments Calendars.shtml. An Internet search anniversary of the fi rst appearance Ifrom magazines large and small. Th e of “anniversaries + [specifi c year]” of Tarzan in All-Story Magazine. I key is to uncover the happenings other can also reveal many potential article pitched various ideas pegged on this writers may not be privy to—and have angles. Th e bigger and rounder the seminal pop-culture event to an array something fresh to say about them. number of the anniversary, the hotter of magazines and received three Here’s how to do it. the hook. Target these fi ndings fi rst assignments: a 12,500-word oral in your queries, because well-known appreciation for Filmfax; a profi le 1. STUDY UP, AND KNOW anniversaries are where the competi- of Burroughs for Famous Monsters WHAT’S GOING ON WHEN. tion will be toughest. Th en … of Filmland; and a feature on Tarzan Most writers pitch ideas pegged movies for VideoScope. to traditional holidays such as 2. EXPLORE YOUR I’m also a big military history buff , Th anksgiving and Christmas. Instead, PERSONAL INTERESTS. and recently came across a mention ask yourself: What big, unique anni- We all have things we’re passionate of the Navy Experimental Diving Unit versaries will occur this year and, about—and a lot of them have pitch- on Th e History Channel. I did a little even more important, next year? Th is worthy anniversaries. digging and found that 2012 was the kind of advance planning can pay off One idea I wouldn’t have found 85th anniversary of NEDU’s founding.

in a major way. on usa.gov: I’m a big fan of writer I pitched a story to Military Offi cer. ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © ID-WORK ILLUSTRATION:

14 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0014_YB13_Vaughan.indd14_YB13_Vaughan.indd 1414 110/2/120/2/12 33:46:46 PMPM While the unit’s history and accom- future proposals.) Whenever pos- opportunity to talk to creators I’ve plishments were certainly newsworthy, sible, target both local and national long admired. it was the article’s anniversary-based publications—and cater each pitch to hook that sealed the deal. its specifi c market. 5. PITCH EARLY. Because of lengthy editorial lead times, 3. CAST A WIDE NET. 4. AVOID LOW-HANGING FRUIT. most magazines want anniversary- Th is is a rule of thumb in most aspects By that, I mean the stereotypical related queries at least four to six of freelancing, but especially with ideas—the fi rst ones that come to months—if not more—in advance. If anniversary pieces: You never know mind—that every hack will be pitch- you’re unsure of when to pitch, consult who’s planning to cover what, or what ing related to a specifi c holiday or the publication’s submission guide- special issues are being cooked up anniversary. Instead, fi nd an inno- lines or ask the editor how far out they that your piece might fi t nicely into. I vative way to spin the topic that will work. (Also, request the magazine’s pitched diff erent aspects of the centen- make your pitch stand out from the editorial calendar for the coming year; nial anniversary of Tarzan to everyone others. Rather than pitch a stan- it could give you more great ideas from Boys’ Life to RT Book Reviews. I dard profi le of Burroughs to Filmfax, regarding appropriate anniversary knew I wouldn’t get assignments from for example, I decided to interview pitches.) Th e most successful writers them all, but I increased my chances famous artists and writers about their pitch early, and pitch oft en. YB by pitching broadly and appropri- appreciation of Burroughs’ works. Don Vaughan (donaldvaughan.com) is a ately. (Besides, I’ve found that even Th e resulting article was a unique North Carolina–based freelancer and founder rejections can open the door to tribute that also provided me with the of Triangle Area Freelancers.

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0014_YB13_Vaughan.indd14_YB13_Vaughan.indd 1515 110/2/120/2/12 33:46:46 PMPM A FREELANCER’S WORKSHOP

The Great E-Debate Is it ever OK to conduct interviews via email? Here’s what you need to know.

BY KRISTEN FISCHER

s a copywriter and journalist, views best allow reporters to estab- in writing if you need to access them email is a critical part of my lish a rapport with the subject, or quickly in the future. information-gathering pro- to pursue new angles that come up cess. So I was caught off guard in conversation. Offering Full Disclosure a while back when one of my “I can almost guarantee that you’ll Even if you’re not aft er scintillat- editors took a hard stance on get better, livelier and more interesting ing dialogue, it’s possible your edi- using email for interviews: quotes if you speak directly to the per- tor could view your e-interview as a ANever, ever do it. son,” Leslie Dinaberg, editor at Santa lazy shortcut. Should you reveal your Should we strike e-interviews from Barbara Seasons magazine, says. methods ahead of time—or at all? our journalistic process? Are they ever Email interviews let subjects polish First, check your contract and the OK? Turns out it all depends on both their statements—which is decidedly submission guidelines of the publica- the publication or editor you’re writ- not what you want for a hard-hitting tion to see if e-interviews are openly ing for, and the nature of the piece. All exposé, but something that can actu- discouraged. Th en, if you’re still not interview forms have pros and cons, ally be a benefi t in other situations. sure, consider asking your editor, but email can be a viable option if you Need some general opinions or facts being careful to explain why you think know how and when to use it success- from an expert? Th ere’s no reason a an e-interview would be appropriate fully. Here are some things to consider quick written Q&A can’t do the trick. or benefi cial for the piece. before you schedule that next Q&A. Of course, e-interviews have other Typically, you can feel out when it benefi ts, too, especially for writ- will be a no-no. In general, large print Making the Choice ers working on tight deadlines. Tom publications expect your stories to “It’s in a writer’s best interest to deter- Bentley, a freelance writer and editor, refl ect real conversation, while smaller mine whether or not an actual ‘talk’ points out that email can streamline ones are more receptive to quotes will enhance their piece,” says Gina contact with hard-to-reach sources from emailed exchanges. LaGuardia, a former magazine editor while eliminating inaccurate quotes Some editors even have standards who runs a content development fi rm. and the time it takes to transcribe con- for a combination of the two meth- Want a profi le with a lot of person- versations. And it can come in handy ods. Paula Derrow, articles director

ality? Telephone and in-person inter- to have complete quotes preserved at Self, says email is OK for follow-up ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © ID-WORK ILLUSTRATION:

16 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0016_YB13_Fischer.indd16_YB13_Fischer.indd 1616 110/2/120/2/12 11:47:47 PMPM information, but talking is always the the article, your deadline, and a • Add a complete email signature— best fi rst step. note that you may follow up for including your phone number—and more information. make sure you get the source’s con- Pulling It Off • Confi rm that you’re actually corre- tact information as well. Even if you think an email interview sponding with the interviewee (and • Set an initial deadline for the would be best, it’s still a good idea to not, say, her PR representative). source that gives you enough time give your source the option of email • Ask each question in as much detail to go back for more information, or real talk. Go with what makes him as possible, and try to avoid setting should you need it. It may take a most comfortable. yourself up for one-word answers. few days to receive a response from If you and the source agree to move One editor interviewed for this piece an interviewee. forward with an e-interview, here are suggested limiting email Q&As Whether it’s via email or over the some tips: to no more than fi ve questions, to phone, the outcome of an interview • Introduce your email by sharing avoid overwhelming the subject largely depends on the skill of the information on the publication while maximizing the depth of the writer facilitating the exchange. Ask you’re writing for, the focus of responses you do get. your questions the right way, and you’ll be on the path to a perfect piece. YB

Even if you think an email interview would Kristen Fischer (kristenfi scher.com) is be best, it’s still a good idea to give your a copywriter from the Jersey Shore who conducted both email and phone interviews source the option of email or real talk. in researching this article.

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0016_YB13_Fischer.indd16_YB13_Fischer.indd 1717 110/2/120/2/12 11:47:47 PMPM A FREELANCER’S WORKSHOP

How to Pitch Freelance Articles Use these simple tips to craft submissions that successfully land assignments.

BY JOHN MOIR

he Greek mathematician the attention of an agent and eventu- Here are my best tips for submitting Archimedes once said, “Give ally led to a book deal. Th at award articles that will enable you to leverage me a lever long enough, and served as a fulcrum that moved my your way toward better assignments at I can move the world.” Aft er writing world, propelling my work to major markets. more than 15 years of free- heights I’d only dreamed about. lancing, I have learned that Leverage takes many forms: It can Submission Tips Archimedes’ dictum also be your professional background, a ■ RESEARCH YOUR POTENTIAL Tapplies to building a career writing unique experience, publication in a SUBJECT UP FRONT. Editors articles for magazines, newspapers big magazine or perhaps a writing almost always buy nonfi ction and online media. Astute freelancers award. In the competitive world of articles based on a query letter. use leverage to progress toward ever- freelancing, having something extra to With a query, you don’t have to better assignments. help capture the attention of busy edi- write the article until you have Here’s how it can work. tors is a powerful asset. a contract, and the editor can Seven years ago, an article I wrote Th ese days, leverage is more provide input on the direction received a fi rst-place award from a important than ever as digital pub- of your piece before it’s written. writing conference at the National lishing roils traditional print jour- But in order to write a compel- Steinbeck Center. Several magazines nalism. But despite the industry’s ling query, you need not just an had already rejected the article, but turmoil, freelancing opportunities idea for an article, but a thorough suddenly—with the award in hand— still abound. For every print publi- grasp of your material. Th e trick is the piece had leverage. Within two cation that’s cutting back on acquisi- to conduct just enough research to weeks, an editor at a national maga- tions, there are new opportunities to craft a persuasive pitch. Th at said,

zine snapped it up. Th e prize also drew be found on the Internet. my preference is to err on the side ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © ID-WORK ILLUSTRATION:

18 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0018_YB13_Moir.indd18_YB13_Moir.indd 1818 110/4/120/4/12 44:11:11 PMPM of additional research. In the long like much, but query letters take there’s good reason to diverge run, it usually saves time—and time. To impress an editor: Polish, from this in any signifi cant way, helps avoid awkward surprises. polish, polish. it’s best to let the editor know well ahead of deadline. Similarly, if ■ RESEARCH YOUR MARKET. Once ■ DIRECT YOUR QUERY TO A questions about style or content you’re confi dent you understand SPECIFIC EDITOR. Send it via arise as you’re writing (e.g., “Is what your article would need to email unless the submission guide- writing in fi rst person acceptable?” cover, begin a second round of lines specify otherwise. If you’re or, “Can you use white spaces for research to determine the best not sure which editor handles narrative breaks?”), check with publishing opportunities. Start acquisitions for the department your editor. When in doubt, ask. with publications where you have most appropriate for your pro- Th en, when you submit the com- a realistic chance of acceptance, posed piece, I’ve found it helpful pleted piece, ask if the editor will which for beginning freelancers to phone the magazine and ask the allow you to include a short bio oft en means smaller, regional receptionist for this information. and link to your website. or niche publications. When you have potential targets in mind, comb their submission In the competitive world of freelancing, guidelines for specifi cs; in this having something extra to help capture the genre in particular, they’re oft en gold mines of information that attention of busy editors is a powerful asset. will be invaluable in tailoring your pitch to a specifi c publica- tion. Finally, search the archives ■ REMEMBER THAT REJECTION When you succeed in doing all of (oft en available online) of your ISN’T PERSONAL—IT’S JUST THE the above, don’t forget to celebrate! target publications for articles on WAY THINGS WORK. When an Upon the article’s publication, reward your topic; if you discover that a editor says no, immediately take yourself for your accomplishment. market has published something two steps: 1) Email the editor a Despite the inevitable twists and turns, similar to your proposed piece in short thank-you for consider- writers with perseverance and profes- the past year or two, it’s best to ing your piece. 2) Maintain your sionalism have an excellent chance of try elsewhere. momentum by immediately send- leveraging their way toward increas- ing the article to the next market ing success in marketing nonfi ction ■ SPEND AMPLE TIME WORKING on your list. articles. Th at’s good news, because this ON YOUR QUERY. Sure, it sounds approach is still the best way I know straightforward: Write a one-page, ■ WHEN AN EDITOR SAYS YES … of to write on topics about which you three- or four-paragraph letter (Woohoo—this is the payoff for are curious or passionate—and to do that opens with an intriguing all the work you did research- it on your own terms. YB hook to pique an editor’s interest, ing and pitching the piece!) Be and follow that with a succinct sure to clarify the deadline, word John Moir (jmoir.com) is an award-winning environmental journalist, the author of Return description of the article’s key count and pay rate for the assign- of the Condor and the 2009 Annual Writer’s points. Conclude with a summary ment up front. Use the query Digest Writing Competition grand-prize of your writing credentials and letter plus any direction provided winner. He has written for many publications, including The New York Times. Much of his pertinent previous publications or by the editor as your template work focuses on preserving biodiversity. Moir honors. One page doesn’t sound for writing the article. If you fi nd lives in Santa Cruz, Calif.

WritersDigest.com 19

0018_YB13_Moir.indd18_YB13_Moir.indd 1919 110/4/120/4/12 44:11:11 PMPM A FREELANCER’S WORKSHOP

10 Common Reasons Queries Are Rejected When it comes time to pitch your next article idea, avoid these gaffes from the get-go and bypass the rejection pink slip.

BY KELLY JAMES-ENGER

n freelance writing, rejections 2. THE EDITOR ACTUALLY LOVED be written in-house shows that you are part of the territory. In fact, I THE IDEA. didn’t do your homework beforehand. don’t tell students in my writing She loved it so much that she’s already workshops what to do if they get assigned something similar to another 5. YOU DIDN’T PROVIDE ENOUGH rejected—I tell them what to do writer, or has a piece like it in the DETAIL ABOUT HOW YOU’D when they get rejected. But new inventory waiting to be run. Sorry— APPROACH THE STORY. writers (and even experienced you can’t do anything about it, but at How long will the piece be? What Iones) oft en wonder why. Why didn’t least it’s not your idea that failed. kinds of sources will you interview? their pitch sell? Why did the editor say How will you structure the article? no, or fail to respond? 3. SHE NEVER GOT IT. Will you include a sidebar or two? Th e Chances are good that your query Th at’s why following up is critical. How more detail you provide, the easier was rejected for one of the following can an editor respond to something it is for your editor to envision your 10 reasons: she never had the chance to read? piece—and say yes to you.

1. YOU MISREAD THE MARKET. 4. YOU PITCHED AN IDEA THAT 6. YOUR QUERY IS SLOPPY. Your idea may have been excellent, but WOULD NORMALLY BE ASSIGNED Even if your idea is sound, if your it wasn’t right for that particular publi- TO A STAFF WRITER. pitch has misspellings, grammatical cation. Your query should answer the Make sure you read the publication’s mistakes or other glaring errors (such question, “Why will readers care?” If most current guidelines so you know as spelling the editor’s name wrong), it your pitch doesn’t make that clear, the what type of work is assigned to free- isn’t impressive. To an editor, a sloppy editor will reject it. lancers. Pitching something that would query = a careless writer.

20 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0020_YB13_James-Enger.indd20_YB13_James-Enger.indd 2020 110/2/120/2/12 11:51:51 PMPM 7. YOU PITCHED TOO LATE. lines has already passed (typically four 10. SHE THINKS YOU STINK. In other words, you queried a holi- to six weeks), you’re not being a pest; And she thinks your ideas stink, your day idea to a national magazine in you’re being a pro. work stinks, and she wants you to lose October, when the holiday editions her contact info—permanently. I’m are already in production. Magazines 9. YOUR IDEA IS NOTHING SPECIAL. kidding. Th at may be the fi rst thing have varying lead times, so make sure Editors want “fresh.” Th ey want “new.” you think when you get a rejection, but that isn’t why editors reject you. More likely you just had the wrong Editors want “fresh.” They want “new.” They idea for the wrong editor at the wrong want ideas that haven’t been done to death. publication at the wrong time. So don’t take rejection personally, even if it hurts. Shake it off and move you’ve given yourself plenty of room Th ey want ideas that haven’t been on to the next market for your pitch. (at least six months for national pubs) done to death. To set your weight-loss When you fi nd the right editor at the when you pitch a seasonal topic. pitch apart, don’t query with a hook right publication at the right time, like “5 Easy Ways to Lose Weight.” A she’ll say yes. YB 8. THE EDITOR HASN’T READ IT YET. unique or counterintuitive spin, such Th at’s another reason to follow up on as “Eat More, Weigh Less,” or “Laugh Excerpted from Writer for Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success © 2012 by Kelly every query. Provided the response Yourself Skinny,” is more likely to James-Enger, with permission from Writer’s time stated in the submission guide- stand out—and sell. Digest Books.

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0020_YB13_James-Enger.indd20_YB13_James-Enger.indd 2121 110/2/120/2/12 11:51:51 PMPM BUILD YOUR BOOK’S SUCCESS

Th is is pretty basic personaliza- tion, but it shows me that Dianna did her research. In your query, make it clear that you’ve done your homework and are querying this particular agent with good reason. Agents like to see signs that you’re a savvy writer who is deliberate about the submission pro- cess—that bodes well for your working style, should we partner with you in the future.

It’s unusual to lead with acco- Query lades, but in the children’s world, the Highlights Chautauqua workshop is a big deal, so this got my attention. If you have similar achievements, by all means, shout them from your opening para- graph! If not, just dive right in and start Success telling me about your novel.

In setting up your story, you abso- A literary agent shares a real-life novel lutely must convey a sense of what your main character wants most in the world, pitch that ultimately led to a book deal— and of what’s standing in her way, as and shows you how to successfully query Dianna does here. We care about Piper Lee right away because we know what your own work. she cares about, and this is key.

BY MARY KOLE We get a good sense of Piper’s character here; it’s important that your query not just fl atly tell us about your ne of the easiest ways to learn what makes a good, standard query characters, but show us who they are. letter is simply to see an example of one that does its job well. If you Th e confl ict (another essential element write fi ction or narrative nonfi ction, a query letter is your fi rst (and of all compelling fi ction) rises when the fi ancé and future stepsister are intro- oft en, your only) chance to get an agent interested in reading (and, duced. Dianna does a great job of estab- with hope, signing) your work. You should put just as much care and lishing her protagonist’s denial, and attention into craft ing and polishing your query as you did into your she’s already built a lot of tension when manuscript. Aft er all, if your pitch doesn’t hit its mark, your book will she hints at what will soon shatter it. Onever leave your desktop. Th is further demonstrates that her story Th e main objective of a query is simple: Make the agent care enough about is driven by strong character motiva- your protagonist and your plot that she wants to read more. tions—just as any good page-turner Following is a successful query for a middle-grade novel that led to me fi rst should be. requesting this full manuscript and later signing on to represent the author, Th is gutsy scheme teaches me even Dianna Dorisi Winget. Her debut book, A Smidgen of Sky, went on to sell to more about Piper Lee. It’s also bound Harcourt and hit shelves this fall. to have some disastrous consequences, No matter what you’re writing—fantasy, thriller, sci-fi , romance—or whether and that’s exactly what agents want to you’re writing for children or adults, there’s a lot you can learn from this exam- see in a novel: strong actions, strong ple about conveying characters clearly and getting an agent invested in your ramifi cations, and lots of emotions tied story in just one short page. to each.

22 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0022_YB13_Kole.indd22_YB13_Kole.indd 2222 110/2/120/2/12 11:52:52 PMPM Th is is a bit of self-analysis that I Dear Ms. Kole, wish writers wouldn’t indulge in when writing queries. Dianna could’ve eas- According to your agency’s website you’re actively seeking middle- ily left this paragraph out (especially grade fi ction, so I’m pleased to introduce my novel, A Smidgen of Sky. the vague “since middle-graders care Th is novel won me a scholarship to attend the Highlights Foundation deeply about things and people”) and Writers Workshop at Chautauqua. It was also awarded honorable men- let the strength of the story speak for tion in the Smart Writers W.I.N. Competition. itself. Of course you think the book is thematically resonant and that readers A Smidgen of Sky is the story of ten-year-old Piper Lee DeLuna, a will love it—you wrote it! So refrain spunky, impulsive dreamer, whose fi erce devotion to her missing from editorializing. Th at said, this father is threatened by her mother’s upcoming remarriage. still makes this letter a great example to show here—because it’s proof that even a query faux pas won’t result in Everyone else has long accepted her father’s death, but the fact that an instant rejection. If you sell your his body was never recovered from his wrecked plane leads to Piper’s story well enough, agents will overlook dream that he might one day reappear and free her from the secret small missteps. guilt she harbors over his accident. Her stubborn focus leaves no room in her aff ections for her mother’s fi ancé, Ben, or his princess-like Th is simple sentence is a great and daughter, Ginger. concise summary of necessary infor- mation. When you query, be sure to include the stats of your manuscript Determined to stop the wedding, Piper Lee schemes up “Operation (genre, target audience, word count, Finding Tina”—a sure plan to locate Ben’s ex-wife and get the two of etc.) and any relevant comparative them back together. But just as Piper succeeds with step one of her titles—with a caveat: Be sure to high- plan, a riot breaks out at the prison where Ben works, and suddenly light a comp title only if it helps the nothing seems sure. agent get an accurate picture of the style of your story and if it doesn’t smack of Since middle-graders care deeply about things and people and love to delusions of grandeur. Claiming you’re daydream about their future, I think readers will identify with Piper “James Patterson meets Dan Brown” is Lee and fi nd her an appealing heroine as she learns that you can both useless. Dianna’s comparison here was cherish the past and embrace the future. quite apt and, again, made her seem savvy—and realistic.

Th is story, set in the coastal region of Georgia, runs about 33,000 Th e bio paragraph and sign-off are words and is somewhat similar in tone to Kate DiCamillo’s Because of short and sweet, and that’s really all we Winn-Dixie. need. If you’ve hit on the basics well and conveyed the essence of your story I’m a 1990 graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature and my and why it’s a good fi t for that particu- work has been published in U*S* Kids, Child Life, Columbia Kids, True lar agent, you’ve done all you can to entice us to request the full manu- Love, Guide and StoryPlus. script. YB Th anks very much for your time. I have included the fi rst ten pages Mary Kole (kidlit.com) is a senior literary and look forward to hearing from you. manager and head of picture books, middle-grade and young adult at Movable Truly yours, Type Management. She is also the author of Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Dianna Winget Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Readers, available in December from Writer’s Digest Books.

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How to Submit Nonfi ction Books Use this checklist to compile a clear, effective book proposal and sell agents and editors on your concept.

BY FRED ROSEN

ince January 2008, I’d Around this time, I got a new Today’s challenging publishing mar- wanted to write a true crime agent who helped to streamline and ket is still full of opportunity for nonfi c- book about Gary Hilton. My simplify the proposal structure for tion writers of all types. You just have to gut told me there was more me. I’d already published some two be better now than before. Th e bar has there than just a story about dozen books, so proposal writing was been raised. Th e belief in yourself and a convicted murderer sen- nothing new—but I’d gotten sloppy your idea will sell your book, as long as tenced to life in a Georgia in what I was bringing to the table. In you know what steps to take. And the Sprison. Th e guy was a serial killer the second draft , I emphasized that fi rst and most important one is to con- who’d cut a deadly swath through the I’d authored four successful books struct a salable book proposal, which South, under the radar of the national about Florida crime, and reassured you’ll use to pitch your book either to media, and he was still to be brought the editor that I knew the state had agents who can represent your work to trial in Florida and North Carolina Hilton dead to rights, the only ques- (the route you’ll take if you’re targeting for three more murders. tion being whether or not he’d get the large publishing houses, most of which Every publishing house I death penalty. And I trusted the mate- don’t accept unagented submissions), approached, including one I’d already rial I already had, using Hilton’s own or to acquisitions editors at appropri- worked with, turned down the fi rst chilling words describing the killing ate publishers (a viable route if your draft of my proposal. Why? I asked in Georgia. topic is niche or regional in nature). For myself. Part of the problem was inher- Th e revised proposal went out in most book-length nonfi ction (memoir ent in my subject: So far he’d been September 2010, seven months before and similarly narrative works being the convicted of only one murder. Plus, Hilton’s Florida capital murder trial exceptions), you’ll get a contract based the victims’ families were largely silent began. I signed a contract a month on the proposal alone, before you write in the media, which meant the usual later, and the book was published in the book. Here’s what that all-important sources weren’t eager to talk. August 2011. submission package should include.

24 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

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Cover Page: List your title, subtitle (if appli- a three-buck word will do. Write as simply and ■ cable) and name. (But keep an open mind when compellingly as you can. it comes to the title. I wrote a proposal for a Competitive Titles: List at least three books true crime book I titled Stinky. I loved the title. ■ that have some similarity to your book and My editor disagreed, though, and I followed that have sold well. Explain how they markedly his expert guidance on what sells in the genre. differ and why yours is different enough that it Body Dump has since sold tens of thousands belongs on the shelf alongside them. of copies.) Publicity/Marketing/Promotion: Perhaps the Overview: In one or two pages, present the ■ most important part of your proposal, this ■ book’s controlling idea, including the main char- section needs to convince the editor that you acters, the setting and what makes your take bring something to the table that will help sell on the story unique. This is where you need copies—and that it’s something nobody but to nail it. Take a tone that’s confi dent, but not you can bring. Detail things like media contacts, too confi dent. You don’t want to come off as a your online network, previous media experience prima donna. and any outreach related to your platform. Table of Contents: Number and name each This is not the time to be modest. This is the ■ chapter. The bonus is that doing so will help time to explain why you are The Dude and not you see the skeleton of how the book will Jeff Bridges. come together. Author Bio: Explain who you are and why you Detailed Outline: Start with the TOC you just ■ are the person to write this book. List previous ■ created and fl esh it out, writing a short explana- books and articles published, any honors you’ve tory paragraph for each chapter. This reveals been given, relevant academic degrees and the real heart of the proposed book. the like.

Sample Chapter: Submit any chapter from the Straightforward, Professional Formatting: ■ book you desire to write. Choose carefully: ■ For the most part, this speaks for itself. But for What you want to do is give the editor an idea examples of the best way to space and align of how well you write and how you will convey things like outlines and TOCs in your pro- the story or information your book will pres- posal, consult a resource like the latest edition ent in a unique way. Remember that editors of Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript are looking for style, but it’s a mistake to try to (Writer’s Digest Books) to be sure your submis- be “stylish.” Don’t use a 12-buck word when sion complies with industry standards. YB

A veteran true crime author with more than 20 books published worldwide, Fred Rosen is also the award-winning crime historian who wrote The Historical Atlas of American Crime. A former columnist for The New York Times, he is an adjunct associate professor of fi lm at the New York Institute of Technology. His frequent media appearances as a crime expert include “Dateline NBC,” “Inside Edition” and MSNBC. His latest book is Trails of Death.

WritersDigest.com 25

0024_YB13_Rosen.indd24_YB13_Rosen.indd 2525 110/4/120/4/12 88:34:34 AMAM BUILD YOUR BOOK’S SUCCESS

From Blog to Book What if a single writing project could help you build your online platform and complete a book manuscript—at the same time? Here’s how to leverage your blog into a book deal.

BY NINA AMIR ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © ID-WORK ILLUSTRATION:

26 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0026_YB13_Amir.indd26_YB13_Amir.indd 2626 110/2/120/2/12 11:56:56 PMPM riters don’t just write. on a blog that became a book— to a book deal, and the strategies for Not anymore. At least, debuted), bloggers continue to pulling it off are similar. not those writers who receive book deals regularly from want to become pub- publishers large and small. Th e How to Get Started lished authors. recent wave of blog-to-book titles To begin blogging your book, you Th ese days, writing includes 101 Uses for My Ex-Wife’s obviously need a blog. You can either is only part of the equa- Wedding Dress by Kevin Cotter, build a blog into a more comprehen- Wtion—you have to spend a large por- HACK: Stories From a Chicago Cab sive website or create a stand-alone tion of your time creating an online by Dmitry Samarov, Fed Up With hub through a user-friendly platform, presence and building the platform Lunch by Sarah Wu (aka “Mrs. Q”) such as WordPress. needed to sell books to publishers and, and Confessions of a Scary Mommy As you should with any book idea, ultimately, your audience. Writers’ by Jill Smokler, to name just a few. before you start writing, spend time resources—including the most valu- However, these writers did not nec- carefully evaluating your concept. able one, time—are stretched thinner essarily set out to publish books; they Your competition for readers exists than ever before. simply blogged and got “discovered.” not just in the online and brick-and- But here’s the great thing: You can What I’m suggesting is to take it a step mortar bookstores, but also in the create an online presence, build your further, as I did with my own book blogosphere. To fi nd competing blogs, platform and get your manuscript written quickly and easily all at once, no matter your genre. Better yet, you There’s a reason so many publishers expect can do so while engaging in the one their authors to have a blog: It’s the most activity you do best: writing. efficient way to publicize both a book and You can do so by blogging your book. an author. Why It Works Th ere’s a reason so many publishers expect their authors to have a blog: How to Blog a Book—to intentionally go to Technorati.com or Blogcatalog. It’s the most effi cient way to publicize write a marketable book as you blog. com, or simply Google “blog” plus the both a book and an author. Th e basic idea is simple: You pub- keywords related to your topic. What So it was only natural that publish- lish your book one post at a time on do you like that these other blogs are ers began commissioning books based the Internet. As you do, you build that doing? What do you dislike? How can on popular blogs alone. Th ey realized coveted fan base. And if that audience you make yours unique? that a blog with a large and loyal read- gets big enough, there’s a good chance Overall, your content strategy will ership is a successfully test-marketed you’ll attract the attention of an agent be diff erent than that of a regular idea—one with a high likelihood or publisher. blogger. Start by outlining a writing of selling print books to those fans, Th is approach is ideally suited to plan, just as you would for any other among others. the nonfi ction genre because the sub- book project. Your goal is to map Although some industry watch- ject matter lends itself to being broken out your content in post-sized bits of ers claim the blog-to-book trend down into smaller bits that are condu- material you can cover well in 250– reached its height back in 2009, cive to blog posts. But no matter what 500 words. when some 50 such deals were made you write—long-form fi ction, short Once you’ve decided how many (and the fi lm Julie & Julia—based stories, etc.—you can blog your way chapters you’ll have and what they’ll

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generally cover, break each chapter Of course, the schedule is up to You’ll be amazed at how writing on your outline into as many sections you: If you don’t want to blog every posts regularly maximizes your time, with subheads as possible, each one day, you can sit down once a week and skill and talent. It polishes your chops, representing the title of a blog post. If, write fi ve posts. You can then set them keeps you on the path to fi nishing for example, you fi gure out you’ll have up to publish once per day. your manuscript, and even lets you 10 chapters and each one needs to Or, you can be like Gina Trapani, incorporate feedback and criticism average 5,000 words in order to reach who started the blog Lifehacker along the way. your target book length, each one will (lifehacker.com) and wrote 12 short then need to be broken into 14 posts posts a day for nine months. She built How to Take It averaging 350 words. Th at’s about 14 up enough traffi c in that time to attract to the Next Level subheads on your outline. not only lots of readers, but an agent, To build a strong platform you want Do this for every chapter and you too. She landed a deal for a book of the to write short, oft en and consistently will know exactly how many days it same title, released in 2006. over a long period of time—not only will take to blog your book. If you As you work, you’ll almost certainly because that’s the way most readers write according to this plan for an have ideas for additional content that prefer content online, but because the average of fi ve days a week, a 50,000- wasn’t in your outline. Stick to your more you write, the more you pro- word book will be fi nished in about original plan while saving these ideas duce for search engines, which regu- seven months. Th is should take you in a separate fi le. Th ey’ll become addi- larly comb sites for updates to catalog. only about 30 minutes a day—an tional special content that will appear Th is is what makes you fi ndable on hour tops. Don’t spend tons of time only in your printed book. Th at will Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc. Th is is SEO. polishing and perfecting. You are not give you new material—a buying SEO—search engine optimization— creating a fi nal version but rather a incentive—to mention in your book is more than a trendy phrase: It really fi rst draft . proposal when the time comes. does pay off , especially when blogging a book. To have your blog rise up in the search engine results, possibly as the fi rst hit, the recipe for success is simple: You need only write in a focused manner on your topic. If you are writing a nonfi ction book, this is especially easy. By writing on topic day in and day out, you produce tons of keywords and keyword phrases, and your blog becomes search engine optimized organically. If you are writing fi ction, getting a good ranking in search results can prove more diffi cult, since your posts may not use the same keywords or terms over and over again. So down- load some SEO blog plug-ins to help you, and study up on SEO to fi nd out how you can research and utilize fre- quently searched keyword titles to bol- ster your posts. It takes time to build a reader- ship. Th e 20-week period it took me to fi nish blogging the fi rst draft of

How to Blog a Book was not enough. ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © ID-WORK ILLUSTRATION:

28 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0026_YB13_Amir.indd26_YB13_Amir.indd 2828 110/2/120/2/12 11:57:57 PMPM I published posts three or four days a week, with each post averaging 350 words, and ended up with a manu- TWO MORE BLOG-TO-BOOK FAQ’S script of about 26,000 words. I hadn’t 1. Won’t agents and editors be turned off by the fact that a planned correctly. I ultimately spent blogged book could be considered “previously published”? another six to nine months blogging On the contrary, successful blogs work like beacons to literary agents on the topic before drawing a sub- and editors. When they see a thriving blog, they see an idea that stantial readership—and completing already has a proven track record of success—all the more reason to a fi nal draft more than double my print it as a book … especially in tough economic times when publish- initial length. ers are hesitant to take risks on new authors and titles. Add to your book blogging a bit of social networking, and your reach widens. Make sure you share every 2. Why would loyal blog readers want to purchase a book they’ve post on at least two or three social already read online? networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, If this question posed a big enough concern, blogged books wouldn’t LinkedIn and Google Plus. be doing as well as they are, and, therefore, publishers wouldn’t keep As your manuscript and reader- acquiring them. ship grow, so will your platform. A printed book represents an infi nitely more intuitive way to browse You may get (or successfully seek) your material, since blogs typically highlight the most recent posts. opportunities to write guest posts for Moreover, the most successful blogged books contain extra material other popular blogs, or you might not featured on the blog. Remember also that with a printed book, get requests to speak at events or be you’ll appeal to entirely new audience segments. interviewed as an expert source. It’s a snowball eff ect. Your platform will grow, and you will have done nothing but blog your book. factor in how high you appear in was not large when my agent began search results. Th ey’re basically a approaching publishers with How How to Go From measure of the value of your site to to Blog a Book, my platform already Blog to Book Deal people searching the Internet, and included a position as an expert on As you blog your manuscript, take are rated on a scale from 1–10, with a radio show, two online columns, some time to prepare a book proposal 10 being the best. Simply perform speaking engagements and the com- and a query letter. You’ll need to have a search for “Google page rank” to bined readership of four other blogs. these materials whether an agent or fi nd out yours.) publisher approaches you or whether • Your Alexa ranking, if it is below 1 So, stop worrying about how you’re you decide to submit on your own. million. (Alexa measures website going to fi nd the time to complete If your readers are showing up traffi c, and ranks sites on a scale your manuscript, create your online consistently, there’s no need to wait from 1—the best—to numbers in the presence, build a strong platform, get for someone to knock on your door. millions. Visit alexa.com.) your book published, and everything Knock on theirs. When you do, make Although large publishing houses in between. sure your proposal includes all the will want to see a sizable blog reader- Instead, get a blog and do what you basics, but also: ship—possibly as large as 50,000– do best—just in a new form. Write. • How your printed book will be dif- 100,000 unique readers per month— Blog your book. YB ferent from your blogged book. many mid- and small-sized houses

• How many unique visitors and page will be happy with lower fi gures, even Nina Amir is the author of How to Blog views your blog has per month. under 10,000 per month. a Book: Write, Publish, and Promote Your • Statistics on your blog’s rate of If you can show a publisher that Work One Post at a Time (Writer’s Digest growth over time. you have some additional platform Books). When she isn’t blogging or writing books, she inspires and coaches writers • Your Google page ranking, if it is outreach, your smaller audience may to combine their passion and purpose to a 4 or higher. (Page rankings are a be enough. Although my readership create published products.

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50 Simple Ways to Build Your Platform in 5 Minutes a Day BY CHRISTINA KATZ ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © ID-WORK ILLUSTRATION:

30 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0030_YB13_Katz.indd30_YB13_Katz.indd 3030 110/2/120/2/12 11:59:59 PMPM riting rules. Self- which comprise all the ways we make quick list of all the types of readers promotion drools. ourselves visible to our readers. Th e you’ve ever had. Now, decide which Isn’t this how most idea that you need a platform might groups you want to stay connected writers think? But as seem overwhelming at fi rst. But if you with for the long haul, and make them long as you view your consistently take small steps to put your keepers. writing as art and your yourself out there, before you know it, self-promotion eff orts you’ll have built a strong, sturdy foun- 2. START SURVEILLANCE. Was the furthest thing from art, your dation for your work. Google Alerts (google.com/alerts) can chances of ramping up a successful So, if you’re the kind of writer who help you become practically omni- 21st-century writing career are going prefers being read to being unknown present in only a few clicks. Take fi ve to remain slim to none. (who doesn’t?), here are 50 quick, to set up alerts to notify you when Th ese days, there’s an art to writing simple ways to launch your platform your name, articles, book(s), Twitter and an art to self-promotion. From into action. Th ink of each small step handle, site URL and/or specialty the moment you start putting words as a giant leap toward fi nding read- topics pop up online. When you’re to the page, it’s never too early to start ers—and a fun, rewarding opportunity alerted to people promoting your thinking about how you’re going to to share your hard-wrought words name, supporting your work or shar- share them. And once you begin to see with others. ing your ideas, stick out your virtual your writing and promotional eff orts hand and say, “Hey, thanks! I appreci- as equally artful, something wonderful Listen and Learn ate that.” starts to happen: You fi nd readers. 1. FIND YOUR KEEPERS. Books aren’t written overnight— Clarify the kinds of readers you want 3. POLL FOR SOLUTIONS. they’re developed one day at a time. to connect with now, and you’ll be Ask questions. You’ll get answers. If And it’s the same with our platforms, glad you did later. First, jot down a you’re wondering which online photo

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hosting service to use, or if others Collect them, and use them to accom- inspirational or uplift ing. Give it away. are having the same server problems pany your posts online. People love free. that you are, try posting the ques- tion on Facebook and Twitter. I do 8. POST ADS AND AFFILIATE LINKS. 12. BRAINSTORM 20 IDEAS. this oft en, and love coming back and You need to make money to invest If you don’t constantly ask yourself reading what others have said. If it’s a money in your platform, so why not what new ideas you have, half of them decision you’re making, share which make the most of the resources and will get away. And then you’ll have to advice you followed. tools you already like? You won’t get read your idea on someone else’s blog, rich from affi liate revenue, but it can or in a magazine or newspaper with 4. SHOW RESPECT. add up over the course of a year and someone else’s byline. Th at’s how the On social networks, follow and cover some of your ongoing platform zeitgeist works. So get in the habit of friend folks in your fi eld whom you expenses. It takes minutes to post an writing down your ideas, perhaps in a admire. Steer clear of anyone shift y, ad or affi liate link on your website special idea journal. Drain your brain clingy or shilling stuff all the time. A or blog. into it fi ve minutes at a time. good rule of thumb: Don’t promote or forward the causes of anyone 9. HOLD AN EVENT. 13. PUT YOUR BEST FORWARD. online who you wouldn’t in regu- Have an event with a time limit (like Make sure people who are just discov- lar life. It takes time to get to know one week only, or 30 days). Create ering your off erings can go straight to people, but it’s worth it when your whatever type of environment is some of your best online writing that reputation is on the line. appropriate for what you write— has passed the test of time. Otherwise perhaps an activity where something it’s just going to get buried under your 5. STUDY THE COMPETITION. has to be completed in a certain latest eff orts. Most blogs have widgets Jump on a search engine and amount of time so there is a ticking- that will do the rounding up for you. type in the keywords that describe clock factor (think NaNoWriMo). Create a way to send fans and follow- what you write about. See who pops Create an environment that draws in ers straight to your best posts. up on your radar. Don’t be afraid of your tribe, helps people interact and the competition; study your competi- get to know one another, and con- 14. RECYCLE. tors. What are they doing better than verts folks into loyal fans who will Take a few minutes to pitch content you? Add what you learn to your keep coming back for more. Dream you’ve already written to a new outlet. to-do list. something up. Can you fi nd a blog, forum or associa- tion newsletter that might be inter- Create Context 10. GRADE YOURSELF. ested in your topic? Put some of your 6. INTRODUCE YOURSELF. HubSpot makes free graders (grader. old writing to work all over again for Take a few minutes to write a brief com) that can gauge the eff ectiveness fresh eyes. bio you can use wherever your name of your website, blog, Google Alerts, appears online. Include your URL, Facebook page, Twitter account and 15. REVIEW WORTHY WRITERS. relevant professional credentials, more. Each grader takes less than Inquiring readers want to know recent publications (online or off ), fi ve minutes to run. Do so periodi- what books you like and why. Briefl y signifi cant self-published eff orts and cally, and add its suggestions to your review books as you read them and professional partnerships. to-do list. post your insights on review sites (like Goodreads, Amazon.com and 7. SHOW YOURSELF IN ACTION. Contribute Content Red Room). For good karma, sing the I’m willing to bet you have a whole 11. GIVE IT AWAY. praises of your all-time favorites, too. bunch of photos of yourself out and Spread the word across your social about doing what you do. If some are networks for everyone to come and Cultivate Community shots of you writing, great. But even get whatever you can give for free. 16. PROMPT A RESPONSE. better if you have some decent-qual- If you already wrote an article that A prompt is a suggestive word ity photos of you speaking, teaching you don’t plan to sell, why not give it or theme that cues an interactive

a workshop, signing books or the like. away? Maybe you created something response from others. It can be as ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © ID-WORK ILLUSTRATION:

32 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0030_YB13_Katz.indd30_YB13_Katz.indd 3232 110/2/120/2/12 11:59:59 PMPM PLATFORM BASICS

These 50 strategies assume you’ve already got the very basics in place. But if you don’t, there’s no time like the present! Here’s a handy checklist.

Home Base: Your website/blog

Social Networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Homes Away From Home: Amazon.com page, FiledBy page

Routine Visits: Forums, groups, tweetchats

Regular Haunts: Red Room, Goodreads, Shelfari, LibraryThing, JacketFlap

partnerships are mutually benefi cial, online and put it to work. Don’t formal agreements in which each assume no one cares. Assume there simple as a photo, symbol or word, or party is hoping to gain something are a million people out there like as complicated as a riddle. When host- specifi c. List three likely partners and you, and start connecting with them. ing an annual book giveaway, I asked reach out to them. Take fi ve to write a quickie mission a question each day for a month, and statement about why you’re on fi re everyone who answered was entered 20. CREATE A QUICKIE BLOGROLL. about your topic. Reread it every in the drawing. Participants loved the Make a quick list of writers you time you get online. It will help focus prompt more than the free books. It’s admire. Th en search for links to your eff orts. a fun way to interact with your grow- their blogs or sites to create your ing online community. blogroll. Position your blog as an 23. GET TOGETHER. inspiring resource by going for qual- Let folks know that you’ll be speak- 17. TAKE FIVE TO INTERACT. ity, not quantity. ing or signing or teaching (or what- Reply to commenters on your blog. ever else you do) near them when you Th ank people who used your free con- Be Authentic travel. Make yourself accessible. tent. Th ink of three people to appreci- 21. BE YOURSELF. ate for any reason at all. Spend a little Advice that tells authors to act like 24. SPARK CONVERSATIONS. bit of time with those who’ve gone out brands encourages us to forget to act Other people are just as passionate of their way to care about you. like regular people. But social media is about your topic as you are. So get made for people, not robots. Th e fact on Google, do a Twitter search, visit 18. MAKE AN ENGAGING OFFER. that you’re a writer and a parent or an forums where your topic is trending If you’re working on a project and uncle and a Packers fan or a vegetar- and spend fi ve minutes participat- you need people to get involved, off er ian makes you interesting. Your read- ing in a chat. If nothing is happening, something—say, a discount or kick- ers and fans want you to be person- strike up your own conversation. back—to the fi rst 50 who express able, not a one-topic ever-plugging interest. Create excitement for those broken record. Spend fi ve minutes 25. SHARE THE JOURNEY. who are willing to work with you. making a profi le more you. I bet you have a lot going on right now. Surely some of it is interesting. Or 19. FORM STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS. 22. PUT PASSION INTO ACTION. perhaps you have a fresh take on what Who do you want to partner with? Let’s say you write literary fi ction. you have on your plate that others Being friendly and helpful should Isn’t that harder to build a platform would fi nd humorous or refreshing. have no strings attached—but true around? Nope. Take your passion Update others on what’s happening

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right now. Don’t try to keep your ups any format: a video chat, a written 34. OUTSOURCE SOMETHING. and downs a secret. Curious fans love Q&A or an audio chat. It makes com- Take fi ve to consider all the hats you to be treated like insiders. pelling content. wear: the creative, the closer, the per- petual student, the accountant, the Synergize Connections 30. SHAKE THINGS UP. publicist, etc. Identify a weakness that 26. FRIEND AND FOLLOW Don’t be one-note. Stop agreeing with someone can help you with now. Th en MEDIA PROS. everyone about everything and take hire or solicit the support you need. Track down media folks related to fi ve minutes to form a rebuttal (with- your career thrust, and friend and out turning it into a rant). Take a dull 35. SHARE MORE. follow them on social networks. topic and make it interesting by put- One common mistake we make is Never come on too strong. Just be ting a new spin on it or taking a con- slaving over our content to make it laid-back and friendly. And if you trarian stance. Get people engaged in perfect, thinking that if we do, readers have social-media clout, don’t be sur- the conversation. will come to us. But too oft en, no one prised if they’re looking for you, too. comes! Work hard to maximize every- thing you write. I’ve counted 49 ways you can use the “Share Th is” button to There’s an art to writing and an art to buzz content you want to champion. Get this button for your blog and self-promotion. From the moment you start browser now. putting words to the page, it’s never too early to start thinking about how you’re Publicize Yourself going to share them. 36. HUNT AND ANSWER. Don’t forget the traditional media. Answer media requests at Help a Reporter Out (helpareporter.com). In Infl uential people will come to you Produce Yourself fi ve minutes you can fi nd and respond when your passionate action makes 31. CAPTURE EMAIL ADDRESSES. to at least one appropriate media you stand out. Use a newsletter service or RSS feed request. Make a game of how fast you service to create a place front and cen- can weigh in. Every post is another 27. SAY THANKS. ter on your site where folks can sign way to get your name out there. In fi ve minutes you could crank out up to receive correspondence from a handwritten thank-you note, stick you or to have your blog posts deliv- 37. GROW YOUR LIST. a coff ee or book gift card in there, ered to their inbox. Wherever you go, whatever you do, address and stamp it. Why not do this bring along your email sign-up sheet at least once a month? 32. GO MULTIMEDIA. on a clipboard. Even better if you can Bring old content to life using fresh off er a benefi t for signing up, such as 28. ARTICULATE YOUR ALLIES. media. Spend fi ve minutes practic- a free story, checklist or special report. Who supports your work? Whose ing reading something you’ve writ- Never sell or share contact information. work do you champion? Identify ten out loud into your smartphone. someone you have mutually compat- Or boil down a chapter or article into 38. THINK AHEAD. ible goals with, and see how you can fi ve tips off the cuff and record them What do you have coming up? Keep a help each other. Suggest ways to cheer unscripted. Let your words riff . Don’t list of any future events and publica- each other on. try to make it perfect. tions on your blog, in your newslet- ter, on social media and in your email 29. GENERATE A Q&A. 33. ASK FOR FEEDBACK. signature. Update it oft en. Create a series of questions on a topic To learn to do what you do better, you fi nd fascinating, and then get get your audience involved. Create a 39. COMPARTMENTALIZE. interesting people in your genre or fi ve-minute feedback form and send Segment your email lists by what folks area of expertise to answer them in it out. need from you, not what you need

34 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0030_YB13_Katz.indd30_YB13_Katz.indd 3434 110/2/120/2/12 22:01:01 PMPM from them. I wouldn’t send attendees yet so profoundly intelligent. Put it to my classes, and of my Northwest Author Series the work for you on a regular basis. this always pulls same correspondence that I send my in fresh interest former students or my e-zine sub- 44. BE A GOOD GUEST. in what I teach. A scribers. Each email group gets its own Ask yourself the hard-hitting ques- scholarship, a dis- type of correspondence. Reorganize tions others don’t dare ask (but are count, two for one, refer-a-friend— your email groupings. dying to know). Now you have a com- any strategy that makes something old pelling guest post to share on your new again is a good one. 40. MASTER THE 5-MINUTE RELEASE. “Freebies” page. Zoom in on the latest happenings, 48. MAKE MERCHANDISE. holidays and story hooks and tie your 45. HIT THE HIGHLIGHTS. Don’t try to make money with every career news in with what else is going You don’t have to give the play-by-play single thing you off er. Instead, let some on in the world. Write fi ve-minute aft er you attend an event. But why not of your off erings create buzz for your mini press releases and send them out share the best of what you noticed or name using services like CafePress or at least monthly. Short is good. learned? You can even go multimedia Zazzle. A fan who likes what you do with your coverage. Have your cam- enough to wear your name on a pro- Pay It Forward era, audio recorder and video recorder duct becomes a salesperson for your 41. ROUND UP RESOURCES. ready to grab snippets of live action work. Create promotional off erings Round up books, websites and other to share with others who wish they and put links to them on all the pages resources on topics related to yours could’ve been there. of your website. Why not? and then add them to your home page. Be helpful to others, and they’ll send Strut Your Stuff 49. SUSTAIN YOURSELF. people to you. 46. COUNT DOWN TO EVERY LAUNCH. Being active online calls for balance Do you have a book coming out? A and patience. Clarify how and where 42. BOOST OTHERS. new class? A new article in print? you want to spend your energy, and Help a fellow author or a fi rst-timer Make a big to-do about whatever fi lter out the rest until you can ride buzz his outstanding new book, class, you’ve got that’s new. Announce each the net without too many wipeouts. service or conference. If you’re a launch without pressuring anyone to Take fi ve and describe exactly what believer, become an evangelist. And if spend. Th e place where your service you hope to accomplish in the future you really mean it, off er a testimonial. connects with your audience is the time you invest. Why not? place where you create the synergy that fuels your future projects. 50. BREAK OUT OF YOUR BOX. 43. OFFER YOUR SERVICES. Ask yourself, “What would I cre- According to Gary Vaynerchuk’s book 47. SPIFF UP WHAT’S OLD. ate if I let myself create anything I Crush It!, the best question you can Off er some kind of promotion to wanted?” Let go of any old labels ever ask on social media is, “What entice folks to your evergreen off er- such as novelist, poet or journal- can I do for you?” Such a simple idea, ings. I off er a scholarship for two of ist. What would you really get a kick out of writing, right now? Spend fi ve minutes jotting down the truth— the whole truth and nothing but HANDY PLATFORM RESOURCES what really sounds fun. Your abil-

For Keeping Tabs For Monetizing For Publicizing ity to break out of your own box will YB • google.com/alerts • affi liate-program. • helpareporter.com inspire others, so go for it! • feedburner.google. amazon.com • cafepress.com com • google.com/ • zazzle.com Christina Katz is the author of Writer Mama; Get Known Before the Book Deal: Use Your • grader.com adsense Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Plat- • sharethis.com form; and The Writer’s Workout: 366 Tips, Techniques & Tasks From Your Personal Writing

ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © ID-WORK ILLUSTRATION: Career Coach (all from Writer’s Digest Books).

WritersDigest.com 35

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Let’s Make a Deal Learn the ins and outs of negotiating a book contract so you can be your work’s best advocate.

BY JANE CHOATE

ou’ve done it. You’ve sold • DEAL BREAKERS: If this clause isn’t COPYRIGHT: Depending on what your book. Hooray! You’ve changed, you won’t sign the contract. you’ve written and whether or not accomplished something • IMPORTANT: Changing this you plan to try to sell it again (in its that many writers dream of. clause is important, but if you can’t entirety or in part) to another pub- Now comes the fun part— get it modifi ed, you’ll still sign the lisher, if the publisher insists on hold- negotiating the contract. contract—provided that you get ing the copyright, this could be a deal Before you sign your John other important clauses changed to breaker. On the other hand, if the Y(or Jane) Hancock on the dotted line, your benefi t. work is so specialized that you know however, take a look at the language • NICE TO HAVE: You’d be happy if there are no other markets, you might of the contract. this clause was modifi ed, but it really agree to let the publisher copyright in It’s important to remember that isn’t important. It’s good to have a few his name. Ideally, however, the copy- whoever draft s the contract sketches clauses in this category, since it gives right should be in your name. it for his or her advantage. Since you negotiating room. (Note: When publishers draft contracts, the negotiating, do not tell the publisher DELIVERY DATE: When are you terms are usually designed to be which category each point is, so you required to deliver a completed manu- most favorable for publishers—not can “give” on some of these and hold script? Th is is one of the more easily authors. Almost everything is nego- fi rm on the important ones.) negotiated clauses. Be certain that you tiable; however, some of the terms When actually negotiating the can meet the date, because you are and conditions (Ts and Cs) are not. contract, I recommend face-to-face technically in breach of contract if you For instance, no publisher is likely meetings, if possible. If not, use a miss it, and breach is not a good thing. to change the clauses that indemnify phone call. Email is the least preferred him if the author is successfully sued method, since it provides less oppor- PAYMENT: Do you get an advance for plagiarism. tunity for explanations and can result against royalties for your book? If Before disputing any clause, it’s in misunderstandings. so, when? If not, do you get a fl at fee important to read the entire contract In any case, you should have a writ- instead? Th is is oft en a diffi cult clause and try to understand each clause ten list of each of the points you’re to negotiate, but it never hurts to try. (which may require an attorney), disputing as well as the wording you then draft a list of clauses that you’d would like to see in the contract. Here AUTHOR’S COPIES: I’ve found this to like to change. Divide them into are the key points to understanding be one of the more easily negotiated three categories: and negotiating your contract: clauses. If the publisher isn’t willing

36 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0036_YB13_Choate.indd36_YB13_Choate.indd 3636 110/2/120/2/12 22:51:51 PMPM or able to increase the advance, they of the rights, you can resell your work your next book featuring characters will oft en agree to give you additional to diff erent venues. With my books, for from the contracted book. Th e goal is author copies. example, I have had success in selling to give you as much fl exibility as pos- large print rights once I’ve regained sible and keep you from being locked ROYALTIES: If your work will result rights to the book. into one publisher. in royalties, it’s important to under- stand what those percentages are, FIRST OPTION: In typical book con- SALES TERRITORY: Publishers will what the accounting period is and tracts, you’re asked to give the pub- want to publish your book in every how soon aft er it ends you’ll receive lisher the right of fi rst refusal on your language through the entire world. If royalty statements. next book. Th e language in some con- you are agented, your agent will try tracts seeks to prevent the author from to keep foreign rights on your behalf AUDITING: If you expect to receive signing another contract with another and try to sell them directly to foreign royalties, the contract should include publisher until the current book is publishers. When publishers license a clause allowing you to audit the pub- published (publication can be months, translation rights, they split the pro- lisher’s books. Th is could be your only perhaps years) aft er you’ve completed ceeds received from foreign pub- way of verifying that you’ve been paid the manuscript. lishers with the author. If you aren’t the correct amount. Absence of this Th e key is to make this clause as represented by an agent, ask if there clause is a red fl ag. restrictive as possible. For example, if is any fl exibility regarding the split. you’ve written a book set during the Contracts frequently call for a 50/50 REVERSION OF RIGHTS: It is advan- Civil War, you might want this clause split between publisher and author. tageous to the publisher to retain to require you to send the publisher You can always ask for a better cut: those rights for as long as possible. It your next book set during that period. “What about 75/25 or 60/40?”. is equally advantageous for you, the If you write books in a series, another author, to regain the rights as soon as way to restrict the clause is to agree to SPLITS AND SERIALS: Th ere are two possible. Why? If you are in possession give the publisher right of refusal on basic questions regarding serial rights. First, who controls the rights? If you have an agent, he may try to keep con- trol of the serialization rights. Second, MORE ON ACCOUNTING what about the split? It is not uncom- mon for the author to receive 90 per- Beware of clauses that say that no payment or accounting is due unless cent of the money from a fi rst serial it exceeds a specifi c amount. While the publisher may reasonably want rights sale. Again, you need to request to avoid issuing small checks, you should always receive a statement. this clause, as you’ll lose nothing if Joint accounting is a concept that stumps many authors. The term you ask but are refused. means nothing on your fi rst book. It means a great deal, though, if you publish a second book with the same publisher. With joint accounting, When it comes to negotiating book all monies from both the fi rst and second book go into the same pot. contracts, be smart and be savvy. If you haven’t earned out the advance on your fi rst book (which is Remember, you are not just a writer— common for a new author on her fi rst book), but the second book does you’re also a businessperson. YB very well, the publisher will “ding” your account for the negative royalty

balance on the fi rst one. Obviously it is to your advantage to have this Jane Choate is the author of 32 books, clause eliminated. Ask that each book stand on its own. including Star Crossed and Eden’s Garden, and more than 300 articles and short stories. She is currently working on a new novel.

WritersDigest.com 37

0036_YB13_Choate.indd36_YB13_Choate.indd 3737 110/2/120/2/12 22:51:51 PMPM 21st ANNUAL

Join us in celebrating and promoting the self-published writer! Selƒ-Published BOOK AWARDS Co-sponsored by BOOK MARKETING WORKS, LLC More than $17,000 in Prizes!

Each year, Writer’s Digest honors self-published authors with the Annual Self-Published Book Awards. We’re proud to be in our 21st year of spotlighting today’s self-published works. This could be your year. Win $3,000 cash and a trip to the Writer’s Digest Conference in NYC! Gain national exposure for your work! Catch the attention of prospective editors and publishers! DON’T WAIT—ENTER TODAY!

The Prizes The Categories 1 GRAND-PRIZE 9 FIRST-PLACE HONORABLE Mainstream/Literary Fiction WINNER: WINNERS: MENTION WINNERS: Inspirational $3,000 cash ✒ trip to the $1,000 cash and promotion Promotion at Writer’s Digest Conference in Writer’s Digest ✒ One- WritersDigest.com ✒ Reference Books in New York City ✒ Writer’s year membership in Small $50 worth of Writer’s Genre Fiction Digest book endorsement and Publishers Association of Digest Books submission to major review North America (SPAN) ✒ Middle-Grade/Young houses ✒ A guaranteed a one-year membership to Adult Books Book Central Station review in Midwest Book Memoirs/Life Stories Review ✒ A copy of Show ✒ and MORE Me About Book Publishing Children’s/Picture Books and consultation with Book All entrants will receive a brief judge’s commentary and Nonfiction Shepherd Judith Briles— a listing with a link on the Writer’s Digest website. valued at $500 ✒ and MORE Poetry Visit WritersDigest.com for complete guidelines and to enter online. Deadline: April 1, 2013

0038_YB13_ad.indd38_YB13_ad.indd 3838 110/2/120/2/12 33:52:52 PMPM FOR YOUR REFERENCE

101 Best Websites for Writers Culled from more than 4,000 nominations from writers worldwide, this defi nitive roundup of the best online resources is a must-have guide for every writer.

BY BRIAN A. KLEMS & KRISTEN GRACE ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © ID-WORK ILLUSTRATION:

WritersDigest.com 39

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ne of the most diffi cult chores for writers is sift ing through the count- less writing-related websites available in search of the gems that prove 1–6 to be a valuable use of your time. Th at’s why, for more than a decade, Creativity Writer’s Digest magazine has been busy scouring the Web for you, rummaging through every online resource imaginable to simplify 1. Bulwer-Lytton Fiction your search and bring you the best of the best. Contest One hundred and one of the best, to be exact. bulwer-lytton.com OIntroducing our 14th annual 101 Best Websites for Writers, carefully culled How oft en can you win an award for by members of the Writer’s Digest editorial team from this year’s record-setting writing something terrible? Th at’s 4,350 nominations from WD readers and the broader writing community. exactly the challenge off ered up by the You’ ll fi nd the list divided into nine sections: creativity, everything agents, Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. It’s time online writing communities, general resources, writing advice, jobs and mar- you write something so bad, it’s good. kets, publishing/marketing resources, genres/niches and just for fun. New this year, in each section we’ve called out one site as the “Best of the Best”—truly 2. Easy Street Prompts worthy of a visit from virtually every writer. We’ve also included symbols with easystreetprompts.blogspot.com each listing so you can quickly locate sites that have exactly what you need: Give your muse a visual boost by advice for writers, classes/workshops/conferences, contests, critique sections, perusing these photo- and video- e-newsletters/RSS feeds, forums, content for young writers, job listings, markets based writing prompts until inspira- for your work and a Twitter feed. tion strikes. Use this indispensable roundup to customize and update your Web browser, data streams and 3. First 50 Words desktops on all your networked devices— fi rst50.wordpress.com and the world’s best support, informa- Looking for a quick morning cup of tion and community available will never writing? Stop by Virginia DeBolt’s be more than just a few clicks away. website, where she delivers new prompts regularly and asks you to write 50 words on each, following only one rule: “Don’t judge, don’t edit, just write.”

4. Six Sentences sixsentences.blogspot.com Write an entire story in just six sen- tences (that’s right, just six sentences)

KEY TO SYMBOLS & ABBREVIATIONS

Advice for Writers Forums

Classes/Workshops/ For Young Writers Conferences Jobs Contests Markets Critiques On Twitter E-Newsletters/RSS ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © ID-WORK ILLUSTRATION:

40 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0039_YB13_Klems.indd39_YB13_Klems.indd 4040 110/2/120/2/12 33:00:00 PMPM and submit it to this site. Th e best get Th is site is a comprehensive database this amazing blog, which has published for all to see. of reps and what they seek. addressed just about every facet of publishing and submissions. Having 5. Six-Word Memoirs 9. Association of Authors’ agented 13 New York Times bestsellers, smithmag.net/sixwords Representatives Nelson is refreshingly willing to share If you thought writing a story in six aaronline.org specifi c advice—including real query sentences was a tall task, try doing a Th e AAR is the closest thing there is to letters from her own clients. memoir in six words! You might be an accredited membership organization surprised to fi nd how such a confi ning for literary agents, and its site allows you 15. QueryTracker limit can set your creativity free. to search for reputable representatives, querytracker.net read the canon of ethics AAR members Th is resource is designed to help you have pledged to follow, and more. seek agents and track your progress on submissions. Be sure to check out the 10. Chip’s Blog accompanying blog, too. chipmacgregor.com MacGregor Literary founder Chip MacGregor’s deep knowledge of the BEST OF THE business end of publishing, as well as BEST the Christian books marketplace, add vigor to this informative site. 6. Theh Story Starter BEST OF THE thestorystarter.com 11. Janet Reid BEST With more than 1.6 billion open- jetreidliterary.blogspot.com ing lines loaded into its database, Th e epicenter of straight-dope, no- this site off ers up enough ideas to nonsense agent advice from Janet Reid 16. Rachellehll Gardner d last a lifetime—or at least get you of FinePrint Literary Management. rachellegardner.com through your toughest writing Th ough she recently switched droughts. And if you have kids 12. Kidlit from WordServe Literary Group who like to write, point them to kidlit.com to Books and Such Literary the sister site, Story Starter, Jr.: Th is blog for writers of kids’ books— Agency, Rachelle Gardner’s popu- thestorystarter.com/jr.htm. from Andrea Brown Literary Agency’s lar blog continues. Among the Mary Kole—just keeps getting bigger highlights: She regularly poses and better. It’s a must-read for writers open-ended questions about writ- of juvenile fi ction. ing and publishing, allowing for 7–17 healthy discussions in the com- Everything Agents 13. Literary Rambles ments following each post. caseylmccormick.blogspot.com 7. Adventures in Agentland While not an agent-run site, this blog is a gold mine for children’s and young adventuresinagentland.com adult writers seeking reps because of its 17. Red Sofa Literary Run by Bradford Literary Agency’s long list of “agent spotlights”—compre- redsofaliterary.com Natalie Lakosil (née Fischer), this hensive looks at individual agents seek- Dawn Frederick’s blog earns its real newer blog takes an energetic ing new clients in the genre. estate on the home page of Red Sofa approach to fi elding practical ques- Literary by off ering up lots of good tions about queries and submissions. 14. Pub Rants submission tips alongside general pubrants.blogspot.com advice for writers and “Red Sofa 8. Agent Query Kristin Nelson, founder of Nelson Chat” interviews with publishing agentquery.com Literary Agency, is the brain behind pros and authors.

WritersDigest.com 41

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23. National Novel Writing Celebrity Sundays and Open Chat 18–28 Month Wednesdays. Check the schedule for Online Writing Communities nanowrimo.org upcoming speakers and events. Join more than 250,000 writers in 18. Absolute Write taking on the challenge of writing 27. Writing.com absolutewrite.com 50,000 words in 30 days during the writing.com Nearly every writer can benefi t from month of November. Part of the fun It’s no surprise so many writers stopping by the Absolute Write Water is interacting with other participants have made themselves at home on Cooler, a forum where advice and on the forums and tracking your Writing.com, where you’ll be amazed discussion fl ow freely among the site’s novel’s progress with the online at how much you can do for free: 45,000+ members, many of whom word counter. Share your work, enter contests, join have experience in fi ction, freelancing, writing circles and participate in editing or related fi elds. a number of other writing-related activities. You even get your own 19. Backspace Writing.com email address! bksp.org With a brag-worthy third of its mem- 28. Young Writers Online

bers being published or agented writ- BEST ers, this writing organization (home OF THE youngwritersonline.net BEST to several New York Times bestsell- Writers in their teens and early ing authors) is worth a close look. 20s are invited to post, discuss and While the thriving forum requires a 24. Review Fuse critique work on this fun and active subscription fee ($40 annually), non- reviewfuse.com online forum. members can access its advice-fi lled As long as you’re willing to write articles, videos and more. reviews of others’ work, you can get impartial evaluations of your 29–31 20. Critique Circle own through this site. For every General Resources critiquecircle.com four reviews you complete, you Writers of all ages and genres are get three back—and all behind welcome in this active online writ- the privacy of a wall that only ing workshop, where you’ll also fi nd those with a (free!) membership resources for tracking submissions, can access. generating characters and measuring progress on manuscripts. BEST OF THE BEST 21. Critters Workshop 25. Writers Cafe critters.org writerscafe.org Th is site hosts a serious critique group Join this free writing community to 29. The Review Review for writers of science fi ction, fantasy garner reviews from other writers and horror. and participate in discussions about thereviewreview.com the craft . Looking for literary venues for 22. My Writers Circle your work, but overwhelmed by mywriterscircle.com 26. The Writer’s Chatroom all the journals available? Get to Here you’ll fi nd excellent advice and know them by reading reviews of valuable resources for improving your writerschatroom.com the latest issues of a wide selec- writing skills. Submit your material to Tune in to this site for real-time tion of mags here. the workshop section to receive honest moderated chats that draw dedi- and helpful feedback. cated crowds; weekly staples include

42 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0039_YB13_Klems.indd39_YB13_Klems.indd 4242 110/2/120/2/12 33:22:22 PMPM 30. ShawGuides Writer Debbi Ridpath Ohi provides Take your writing to new places with writing.shawguides.com great tips, inspiration and a variety this fantastic collection of interviews Traveling toward your writing goals? of tools for fellow scribes. She also and advice from published authors as Choose your destination wisely using maintains a strong social media pres- well as literary agents. this extensive list of more than 1,000 ence, including a highly active and domestic and international writing popular Twitter feed. 40. Plot Whisperer for conferences and retreats. Writers And Readers 36. Long Story Short: An 31. United States Copyright E-Zine for Writers plotwhisperer.blogspot.com Offi ce alongstoryshort.net Struggling with plot? Award-winning copyright.gov Editors of this e-zine just for writers writer and writing instructor Martha When it comes to protecting your generously off er sound writing and Alderson knows just how to help. work (and yourself), go straight to the publishing advice to anyone who asks. source to learn everything there is to 41. Preditors & Editors know about copyright. pred-ed.com Don’t be fooled by fraudulent publish- 32–48 ing ploys. Preditors & Editors off ers Writing Advice a great service to all writers as it aims

BEST to educate you on what to look out for 32. OF THE when seeking publication. Donald Miller BEST donmilleris.com Bestselling inspirational author 42. StoryFix Donald Miller reaches out to his 37. Nathan Bransford storyfi x.com fellow “creators” by off ering poig- Author and writing instructor Larry nant advice on writing, inspiration blog.nathanbransford.com Brooks provides a no-nonsense guide and creativity. As both a published writer and to publication-worthy writing. Th is former literary agent, Nathan site off ers expert advice on story struc- 33. Editorial Anonymous Bransford brings a uniquely bal- ture, character development and other editorialanonymous. anced perspective in sharing his related topics. blogspot.com upbeat and sensible knowledge Th is children’s book editor has chosen about publishing, along with great 43. Terribleminds to remain nameless in order to off er advice for fellow writers. terribleminds.com/ramble honest advice on real submissions and If you’re easily off ended, this probably answer readers’ questions with insider isn’t the site for you. But if you’re look- knowledge from the industry. ing for practical and no-holds-barred 38. A Newbie’s Guide to advice from someone who’s been there, 34. Grammar Girl Publishing check out writer Chuck Wendig’s out- grammar.quickanddirtytips.com jakonrath.blogspot.com spoken blog. Bestselling authority Mignon Fogarty Wondering how to make a living as tackles grammatical quandaries that a genre writer? Th riller writer J.A. 44. WOW! Women on Writing even seasoned writers struggle with, Konrath off ers strong opinions on answering diffi cult questions about how to do just that as he blogs about wow-womenonwriting.com punctuation, word choice, style and his ongoing experiments with both Th is e-zine supports women through- much more. traditional and self-publishing. out every step of the writing process and takes a well-rounded approach 35. InkyGirl.com 39. Novel Rocket to the writing life, covering topics inkygirl.com novelrocket.com ranging from fi nding your niche to

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getting published—and presenting able by category, or you can search access to thousands of job listings it all with a healthy boost of energy for specifi c paying freelance markets. and resources, and information on and creativity. writing grants. 50. Berkeley Graduate School 45. Writer Beware Blog of Journalism 56. FundsforWriters accrispin.blogspot.com journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/ Th is industry watchdog group keeps list/jobs fundsforwriters.com writers and publishing professionals Be a student of opportunity! Dozens of If you’re looking for information alike up to date on the latest scams, pages dedicated to writing gigs from all about grants, fellowships, contests and hoaxes and schemes circulating over the country are listed on this site. other ways to get paid to write, this around the industry. site is for you. 51. Duotrope’s Digest 46. Writer Unboxed duotrope.com 57. JournalismJobs.com writerunboxed.com Use this site’s detailed descriptions and With a slew of top-notch contribu- growing market database to search journalismjobs.com tors—ranging from leading literary for the perfect places to submit your Regardless of your experience level, agents to bestselling authors—this work—and the submission tracker to you’re sure to fi nd opportunities tai- website off ers valuable business and monitor your results. lored to you among this site’s hun- craft advice for all writers. dreds of job listings from around the 52. Ed 2010 world. Search by industry, position 47. The Writer Underground ed2010.com and/or location. Aimed at helping aspiring magazine writerunderground.com editors learn the secrets of the trade, 58. The Market List Once known as Th e Copywriter this website off ers writing and indus- marketlist.com Underground, this site has morphed try advice, as well as opportunities Looking to publish genre fi ction? into a resource about all types of writ- to meet up with magazine pros near Th is site specializes in market listings ing. Writer and online marketing you. You can also use the WhisperJobs and resources for writers of chil- consultant Tom Chandler discusses section to fi nd freelance and full-time dren’s books, science fi ction, myster- his secrets for success and provides a magazine work. ies and more. weekly “Tweetfest” of the best news spotted on Twitter. 53. Editor & Publisher editorandpublisher.com 48. Writing Forward Take a look at this site’s classifi eds sec- writingforward.com tion for the latest in writing, editing Th e mission of Writing Forward is to and publishing job openings. “share helpful and inspiring creative BEST OF THE writing tips and ideas to benefi t the 54. Freelance Writing Jobs BEST greater writing community.” Stop by to see how it’s doing just that. freelancewritinggigs.com New freelance opportunities are 59. Mediabistro.com posted daily under the “Job leads” 49–61 heading on this invaluable site. mediabistro.com Jobs & Markets for Writers For industry news, freelance work 55. Freelance Writing or information about the fi eld, 49. All Freelance Writing Organization-Int’l check out this site’s job listings, fwointl.com news briefs, blogs and more. allfreelancewriting.com Download this site’s free writing Th is site’s job board is handily brows- resources toolbar for one-click

44 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0039_YB13_Klems.indd39_YB13_Klems.indd 4444 110/2/120/2/12 33:22:22 PMPM 60. Online Writing Jobs 69. Mashable online-writing-jobs.com mashable.com Although this site’s layout can be a Read Mashable every day (and fol- little hard to navigate, the great search low along on Twitter) to keep up with function makes up for it—as do the the constant changes in social media, listings for hundreds of freelance BEST technology and the Web. OF THE opportunities that pay. BEST 70. OnceWritten.com 61. Writer Gazette oncewritten.com 65. BoSacks—Precision Novice writers can fi nd support for get- writergazette.com Media Group ting started at OnceWritten.com, which Th is site off ers easy access to contests, bosacks.com off ers a variety of writing prompts, cri- markets, advice and job postings. And A staple to this list (and many tique opportunities and other helpful it lives up to its name with extensive other “Best Of” compilations), resources tailored to beginners. off erings of free articles on virtually media veteran Bob Sacks deliv- everything writing-related. ers some of the most poi- 71. Publetariat gnant industry news around, publetariat.com alongside well-reasoned com- Th is online news hub caters to small, 62–74 mentary. Don’t miss his free independent presses and self-published Publishing/Marketing Resources daily e-newsletters, which are authors. Be sure to check out the “Write” thought-provoking, enjoyable section for tips on improving your craft . 62. The Book Deal and educational. alanrinzler.com/blog 72. Seth Godin’s Blog Stay up to date with the latest industry sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog news through the keenly trained eye 66. Coalition of Independent Learn everything there is to know of publishing veteran and consulting Authors about self-marketing and platform- editor Alan Rinzler. coalition-independent-authors.com building from Seth Godin, an expe- Have you self-published, or are rienced and successful writer who is 63. The Book Designer you thinking about doing so? Th en well recognized in the industry as an thebookdesigner.com consider joining this group of self- expert on the subjects. Th is site off ers plenty of self-publish- published writers who created the ing resources, including articles on Coalition of Independent Authors to 73. We Grow Media marketing, e-publishing and planning gain exposure for their work. wegrowmedia.com your book, in addition to its off erings A practiced authority on social media designed to help independently pub- 67. How Publishing Really and audience building, Dan Blank lishing authors understand the impor- Works off ers helpful tips for writers hoping tance of great book design from cover howpublishingreallyworks.com to use social media to build a strong to cover. Aft er three decades of navigat- platform and increase readership. ing the publishing industry, writer 64. A Book Inside — Jane Smith shares lessons learned 74. Winning Writers How to Write & Publish a about the biz. winningwriters.com Book Is your poetry or prose ready to abookinside.blogspot.com 68. Joe Wikert’s Publishing compete? Sign up for this free When you’re in need of a dose of 2020 Blog e-newsletter to get info on about 150 excellent marketing and publishing jwikert.typepad.com different writing contests. Consider advice, check in with author Carol O’Reilly Media Publisher Joe Wikert a paid membership ($9.95 quarterly) Denbow. Her site features great tips discusses the future of print, publish- to get access to more than 1,250 and interesting author interviews. ing and online media. other opportunities.

WritersDigest.com 45

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BEYOND 101: WD’S FAMILY OF SITES

WRITERSDIGEST.COM: For WRITERSMARKET.COM: Along WRITERSDIGESTUNIVERSITY. everything writing-related, check with 9,000+ market listings updated COM: Get one-on-one instruc- out WD’s interactive online hub of daily, subscribers receive submis- tion from experienced authors free articles and downloads. Make sion trackers, articles, industry and editors in the comfort of your this site your virtual writing home updates and more. Annual, six- own home. WDU classes start for useful craft tips, practical career month and monthly paid subscrip- year-round and cover everything advice, creativity-sparking prompts tions are available. from grammar to novel writing to and more. marketing and publishing.

COMMUNITY.WRITERSDIGEST. WRITERSDIGEST.COM/EDITOR- DIGITALBOOKWORLD.COM: COM: Join more than 12,000 mem- BLOGS: Put a friendly face and Focusing on e-publishing, DBW bers (and counting) on WD’s social voice behind the writing advice you offers year-round education, net- network, where you can connect need with our family of WD blog- working and resources (online and with like-minded writers any hour of gers. They have you covered, with off) for publishing professionals and the day. staff-led discussions of writing and their partners. publishing, agent news and more.

SCRIPTMAG.COM: Although it’s new to the WD family, online resource Script Magazine is anything but a newbie in the scriptwriting world. For years it’s been delivering essential advice and must-read news on craft, spec scripts, fi lm festivals, how to make it in Hollywood, and more. ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © ID-WORK ILLUSTRATION:

46 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0039_YB13_Klems.indd39_YB13_Klems.indd 4646 110/2/120/2/12 33:22:22 PMPM FREELANCE website and improving your blog’s 75–95 79. The Renegade Writer overall visibility. Genres/Niches therenegadewriter.com POETRY CHILDREN’S/YOUNG ADULT Th is site’s take on a successful free- 84. Poetry Daily 75. Resources for Children’s lancing career is to throw out the poems.com Writers rulebook and do what works for you. Stay current on your craft with Poetry resourcesforchildrenswriters.com Stop by if you’re up to the challenge. Daily, an anthology that shares great Check out this site for hundreds of contemporary poems by a wide variety links to helpful resources off ering HORROR of poets. Each day, it features a new advice on craft ing, publishing and 80. Horror Writers poem from recent books and literary marketing books for young readers. Association journals; a year’s worth of previous horror.org/writetips.htm content is archived, as well. 76. Society of Children’s Book Improve the spooky side of your Writers & Illustrators craft with help from the Horror 85. Poetry Foundation Writers Association’s numerous poetryfoundation.org scbwi.org books, links and articles on suc- Th e Poetry Foundation, the orga- Th is is the place to be for all writers cessful horror writing. Consider nization behind Poetry magazine, of books for kids and young adults. HWA membership ($45–110) to off ers online resources that include Nonmembers can access all features gain special access to the forum. podcasts, poems for children and except the forum (though member- the popular Harriet poetry blog. ship, at $60–100, is worth considering MYSTERY if you’re serious about publishing in 81. Mystery Writers of 86. Poetry Society of America the genre). America mysterywriters.org poetrysociety.org FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION Join this community of mystery Th e offi cial website of the Poetry 77. Quantum Muse authors to network and get the latest Society of America off ers annual quantummuse.com clues on what’s going on in the genre. awards and contests. Th is organiza- Full of user-created content, this site Even nonmembers can access info on tion is behind the popular poetic plays host to science-fi ction and fan- classes and contests for free. initiatives Poetry in Motion and tasy stories and artwork for others to Poem in Your Pocket Day. read and rate. Featured writers can 82. Mystery Writing Is even receive monetary “tips” from gen- Murder 87. Poets.org erous visitors who enjoyed their work. mysterywritingismurder. poets.org blogspot.com From the Academy of American 78. Science Fiction & Fantasy Writer Elizabeth Spann Craig sticks Poets, this website includes a Writers of America to a strict blogging schedule to bring poetry map, resources for educa- readers insightful posts on what tors and, of course, poetry. Sign up sfwa.org makes a successful mystery novel. for free email updates, and receive Stay up to date on the latest genre Stop by on Sundays to catch her a new poem each day. news, including book releases, weekly “Twitterifi c” roundup. awards and more from this serious 88. Silliman’s Blog organization dedicated to support- ONLINE WRITING ronsilliman.blogspot.com ing the community of science fiction 83. Wealthy Web Writer Th ere are quite a few great poetry and fantasy writers. Only paid mem- blogs available for those interested in bers, however, can access the site’s wealthywebwriter.com poetry, but this one stands out, featur- forums. Membership ranges from Expand your platform by learning tips ing extensive advice to both novice $60–100. and tricks for bringing traffi c to your and experienced poets.

WritersDigest.com 47

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ROMANCE Search through hundreds of quotes 89. Romance Junkies from famous sources speaking to the romancejunkies.com risk, struggle and reward of writing. Stay current on the genre with this site’s spotlights of up-and-coming BEST romance writers, book reviews, OF THE interviews and more. Th en, visit BEST the Writer’s Corner, where you can fi nd a critique partner, info on the THRILLER Romance Junkies Writing Contest 94. International Thriller BEST and links to articles on writing. Writers OF THE thrillerwriters.org BEST 90. Romance Writers of More than 1,300 members America (including David Baldacci, Tess 98. Dailyl Writing Tips rwa.org Gerritsen, Brad Th or and many dailywritingtips.com Find a community of more than 10,000 other bestselling authors) repre- Visit every day for helpful hints romance writers and stay up to date sent 22 countries in this fi rst- on grammar, word choice, punc- on everything romance-related in the class organization dedicated tuation, style and more. Th e publishing world. All features but the to writers of thrilling suspense. advice will come in handy when forums are open to the public (RWA Among its best off erings is the you least expect it. membership ranges from $120–165). annual Th rillerFest event, boast- ing a star-studded lineup of SCRIPTWRITING speakers and instructors. 91. MovieBytes 99. Merriam-Webster Word moviebytes.com of the Day Th is is your one-stop spot for 95. Murder By 4 merriam-webster.com/word- screenwriting contests and markets murderby4.blogspot.com of-the-day online. Subscribe to the e-newslet- What happens when four suspense Expand your vocabulary one day at a ter to have the latest delivered to authors join forces and open up their time with this handy feature from the your inbox. writing lives on a blog? You get Murder Merriam-Webster online dictionary. By 4. And it’s a must-follow for all SPIRITUAL aspiring thriller writers. 100. Shakespeare’s Den 92. Christian Storyteller shakespearesden.com Ever wanted a Charles Dickens action christianstoryteller.com 96–101 fi gure, or a Medieval writing set? Peruse Th is not-for-profi t support network Just for Fun this site and you’ll walk away with a long promotes, educates and encourages wish list. (True, there are technically no Christian writers to embrace their 96. BookMooch freebies on this site, but even the win- spirituality through writing. bookmooch.com dow shopping is worth a visit.) Refresh your bookshelf with 93. Resources for Muslim BookMooch by swapping your old 101. Squidoo Writers books for new ones. Connecting with squidoo.com muslimwriters.blogspot.com other avid readers along the way is Become a “lensmaster” and share With resources ranging from faith- half the fun! information about your nonfi ction based organizations to scholarships topic, or just scour this site for valu- to job opportunities, this site aims to 97. BrainyQuote able information on all sorts of miscel- help Muslim Writers take their writ- brainyquote.com/quotes/key lanea. It’s almost as addictive as read- ing to a higher level. words/writing.html ing Wikipedia. YB

48 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

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The Top 100 Markets for Book & Magazine Writers

If you’re fi nding it diffi cult to narrow down the perfect markets for your work, you’re in luck. We’ve done the legwork for you. Here’s our annual shortlist to simplify your search.

ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © ID-WORK ILLUSTRATION: BY DYLAN MCCARTNEY

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ou’re clutching the manu- experimental fi ction to literary fi c- Now, polish up that query or man- script of your newly fi nished tion to nonfi ction. uscript and get ready, because we’ve novel, and you’re fi nally Th e top magazines all pay on just made it easier for you to fi nd the ready to share it with the acceptance, draw at least 50 percent right market for your work. world. Or you’ve just come of their content from freelancers and up with a wonderful idea for are currently open to submissions. Book Publishers an article. Either way, you’re For easy reference, we’ve organized Ylikely asking yourself: Where do I the magazines based on their focus 1. Anvil Press submit my work? and subject matter. “Anvil Press publishes contemporary You could start browsing through All of the listings were current at adult fi ction, poetry and drama, giving multitudes of listings online and press time, but it’s always a good idea voice to up-and-coming Canadian writ- otherwise, searching for one that fi ts to check the markets’ websites before ers, exploring all literary genres, discov- your criteria. But that would take submitting to make sure their needs ering, nurturing and promoting new Canadian literary talent.” P.O. Box 3008 time—time you could be devoting and guidelines haven’t changed. to writing. So allow us to do that portion of the work for you. With the help of the latest edition of Writer’s Market MARKET LINGO (Writer’s Digest Books), we’ve com- BIO: Author biography briefl y highlighting your credentials piled this list of the top 50 book pub- lishers that consider fi rst-time and CIRC: The number of copies a magazine distributes established writers, as well as 50 top CLIPS: Samples of a writer’s published work magazines with their eyes on both new and seasoned freelancers. KILL FEE: Fee for a complete article that was assigned and Th e markets were carefully later canceled selected with specifi c criteria in MS(S): Manuscript(s) mind. Th e book publishers were cho- sen because of their willingness to QUERY: A letter that pitches a book or article you’d like to write publish new (as well as unagented) (typically nonfi ction) or have written (typically fi ction) authors, consider simultaneous sub- SAE: Self-addressed envelope missions and pay advances. Th e needs of the book publishers SASE: Self-addressed stamped envelope cover both broad and niche topics.

Th ere’s a market for everything, from ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © ID-WORK ILLUSTRATION:

50 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0049_YB13_McCartney.indd49_YB13_McCartney.indd 5050 110/2/120/2/12 33:32:32 PMPM MPO, Vancouver, BC V6B 3X5, Canada. printed, and are distributed nationally.” NONFICTION NEEDS: Architecture, art, (604)876-8710. 87½ Westwood St., Pittsburgh, PA 15211. language, literature, sports, coff ee table FAX: (604)879-2667. (412)381-261. books, how-to, self-help. EMAIL: [email protected]. EMAIL: [email protected]. FICTION NEEDS: Comic books, experi- WEBSITE: www.anvilpress.com. WEBSITE: www.autumnhouse.org. mental, literary, short-story collections. CONTACT: Brian Kaufman, publisher. CONTACT: Michael Simms, editor. OTHER NEEDS: Poetry and poetry FICTION NEEDS: Contemporary, mod- NEEDS: Poetry. “[We also accept] well- in translation. ern; no formulaic or genre. craft ed prose fi ction. Submit only through RECENT TITLES: Miami: A Survivor’s RECENT TITLES: Valery the Great by our annual contest. See guidelines online. Story by Frank Abrams; Angst in Angstville: Elaine McCluskey; A Dark Boat by Patrick Submit completed ms.” Th e Faces, Fears and Fables of Asheville by Friesen; You Exist. Details Follow. by RECENT TITLES: Irish Coff ee by Jay Carlos Steward. Stuart Ross. Carson; Party Girls by Diane Goodman. TIPS: “Don’t be afraid of sending your anti- TIPS: “Audience is young, informed, edu- TIPS: “Th e competition to publish with government, anti-religion, anti-art, anti- cated, aware, with an opinion and cultur- Autumn House is very tough. Submit only literature, experimental, avant-garde eff orts ally active (fi lms, books, the performing your best work.” here. But don’t send your work before it’s arts). No U.S. authors. Research the appro- fully cooked. We do, however, enjoy fresh, priate publisher for your work.” 4. Baen Publishing natural and sometimes even raw material.” Enterprises 2. Arte Público Press “We publish books at the heart of science 6. Blue River Press “Arte Público Press is the oldest and larg- fi ction and fantasy.” P.O. Box 1188, Wake “Blue River Press has been publishing est publisher of Hispanic literature for Forest, NC 27588. regional nonfi ction, games and trivia children and adults in the United States. EMAIL: [email protected]. books since 2004. Th ere’s something for We are a showcase for Hispanic literary WEBSITE: www.baen.com. the whole family at Blue River.” Cardinal creativity, arts and culture.” University CONTACT: Toni Weisskopf, publisher. Publishers Group, 2402 N. Shadeland of Houston, 4902 Gulf Freeway, Bldg. FICTION NEEDS: Interested in science Ave., Suite A, Indianapolis, IN 46219. 19, Room 100, Houston, TX 77204. fi ction novels (based on real science) and (317)352-8200. (713)743-2845. fantasy novels that strive for originality FAX: (317)352-8202. FAX: (713)743-2847. (110,00–150,000 words). EMAIL: [email protected]. EMAIL: [email protected]. RECENT TITLES: A Beautiful Friendship WEBSITE: www.cardinalpub.com. WEBSITE: www.artepublicopress.com. by David Weber; Dragon Ship by Sharon CONTACT: Tom Doherty, president. CONTACT: Nicolás Kanellos, director. Lee and Steve Miller; Queen of Wands by NONFICTION NEEDS: Autobiography, NONFICTION NEEDS: Ethnic, language, John Ringo. biography, general nonfi ction. literature, regional, translation, women’s TIPS: “Keep an eye and a fi rm hand on the RECENT TITLES: A Practical Approach issues, women’s studies. overall story you are telling. Style is impor- to Strength Training, 4th Edition by Matt FICTION NEEDS: Contemporary, ethnic, tant, but less important than plot. Good Brzycki; Betty White: Th e First 90 Years by literary, mainstream—”written by U.S- style, like good breeding, never calls atten- Andrew E. Stoner; Alabama Crosswords by Hispanic authors.” tion to itself. Read Writing to the Point by Dale Ratermann. RECENT TITLES: Animal Jamboree: Algis Budrys.” TIPS: “Most nonreligious adult nonfi ction Latino Folktales by Judith Ortiz Cofer; subjects are of interest. We like concepts Dancing With the Devil and Other Tales 5. Black Mountain Press that can develop into series products. Most From Beyond by René Saldaña, Jr.; Body “Black Mountain Press is a literary press for of our books are paperback or hardcover Slammed! by Ray Villareal. outstanding emerging writers publishing in the categories of sport, business, health, TIPS: “Include cover letter in which you several diff erent genres of books annu- fi tness, lifestyle, yoga and educational ‘sell’ your book—why we should publish ally.” P.O. Box 9907, Asheville, NC 28815. books for teachers and students.” the book, who will want to read it, why (828)273-3332. does it matter, etc. Use our ms submission EMAIL: jackmoe@theblackmountain 7. Breakaway Books online form.” press.com. “Breakaway Books is a sports literature WEBSITE: www.theblackmountain specialty publisher—only fi ction, poetry 3. Autumn House Press press.com. and narrative nonfi ction.” P.O. Box 24, “We are a nonprofi t literary press special- CONTACT: Jack Moe, editor (how-to, Halcottsville, NY 12438. (212)898-0408. izing in high-quality poetry and fi ction. poetry); James Robiningski (short-story EMAIL: [email protected]. Our editions are beautifully designed and collections, novels). WEBSITE: www.breakawaybooks.com.

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NONFICTION NEEDS: Sports—narrative FICTION NEEDS: Fantasy, gay, gothic, WEBSITE: www.cedarfort.com. only; no how-tos. horror, lesbian, mystery, occult, science CONTACT: Shersta Gatica, acquisitions FICTION NEEDS: Short-story collections, fi ction, short-story collections, suspense, editor. sports stories, translation. western, young adult. NONFICTION NEEDS: Agriculture, RECENT TITLES: Th e Lola Papers: RECENT TITLES: City of Promise by Americana, animals, anthropology, Marathons, Misadventures, and How Dawn Prough; A True Son of Asmodeus by archeology, business, child guidance, I Became a Serious Runner by Amy Zvi Zaks; Marco by KT Pinto. communications, cooking, craft s, cre- Marxkors; MoonWind at Large: Sailing TIPS: “We strongly urge authors to famil- ative nonfi ction, economics, education, Hither and Yon by Matthew Goldman. iarize themselves with the vampire genre foods, gardening, health, history, hobbies, TIPS: “Audience is intelligent and passion- and not imagine that they’re doing some- horticulture, house and home, military, ately committed to athletes.” thing new and amazingly diff erent just nature, recreation, regional, religion, because they’re not imitating the current social sciences, spirituality, war, women’s 8. Brewers Publications fad. We’re looking for strong characters issues, young adult. “Brewers Publications is the largest pub- and good storytelling, not gimmicks. Our FICTION NEEDS: Adventure, contempo- lisher of books on beer-related subjects.” most successful promotional tag line is rary, fantasy, historical, humor, juvenile, Imprint of Brewers Association, 736 Pearl ‘Vampire stories for grown-ups.’ Th at gives literary, mainstream, military, multicul- St., Boulder, CO 80302. (303)447-0816. a good idea of what we’re selling (and buy- tural, mystery, regional, religious, romance, FAX: (303)447-2825. ing from authors).” science fi ction, spiritual, sports, suspense, EMAIL: [email protected]. war, western, young adult. WEBSITE: www.brewerspublications.com. 10. Caxton Press RECENT TITLES: My Loving Vigil Keeping CONTACT: Kristi Switzer, publisher. “Western Americana nonfi ction remains by Carla Kelly; Th e Candy Cane Queen by NONFICTION NEEDS: “We only publish our focus. We defi ne Western Americana Janice A. Sperry; Garden of Lost Souls by nonfi ction books of interest to amateur as almost any topic that deals with the Erik Olsen. and professional brewers. We are not inter- people or culture of the West, past and TIPS: “Our audience is rural, conserva- ested in fi ction, drinking games or beer/ present.” 312 Main St., Caldwell, ID 83605. tive, mainstream. Th e fi rst page of your ms bar reviews.” (208)459-7421. is very important because we start reading RECENT TITLES: IPA: Brewing Techniques, FAX: (208)459-7450. every submission, but good writing and Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale EMAIL: [email protected]; plot keep us reading.” Ale by Mitch Steele; Brewing Better Beer: [email protected]. Master Lessons for Advanced Homebrewers WEBSITE: www.caxtonpress.com. 12. Centerstream by Gordon Strong. CONTACT: Scott Gipson, publisher. Publishing TIPS: “If your book is not about how to NONFICTION NEEDS: Americana, his- Publishes “music history and instructional make beer, then do not waste your time tory, regional. “We need good Western books.” P.O. Box 17878, Anaheim Hills, or ours by sending it. Th ose determined Americana, especially the Northwest; CA 92817. (714)779-9390. to fi t our needs will subscribe to and read emphasis on serious, narrative nonfi ction.” EMAIL: [email protected]. Zymurgy and Th e New Brewer.” RECENT TITLES: Competitive Struggle: WEBSITE: www.centerstream-usa.com. America’s Western Fur Trading Posts by CONTACT: Ron Middlebrook and Cindy 9. By Light Unseen Media Roland G. Robertson; Th e Enemy Never Middlebrook, owners. “We are a niche small press that will Came by Scott McArthur. NONFICITON NEEDS: Music related: only consider fi ction and nonfi ction on history, instruction, reference guides, the theme of vampires.” P.O. Box 1233, 11. Cedar Fort, Inc. songbooks, biography. Pepperell, MA 01463. (978)433-8866. “We want to publish uplift ing and edify- RECENT TITLES: Martin the Guitar FAX: (978)433-8866. ing books [geared toward the Church by Harry Musselwhite; Regal Musical EMAIL: vyrdolak@ of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mar- Instruments: 1895–1955 by Bob Carlin. bylightunseenmedia.com. ket] that help people think about what WEBSITE: www.bylightunseenmedia.com. is important in life, books people enjoy 13. Clear Light Publishers CONTACT: Inanna Arthen, owner/editor. reading to relax and feel better about “Clear Light publishes books that accu- NONFICTION NEEDS: Alternative life- themselves, and books to help improve rately depict the positive side of human styles, contemporary culture, creative lives.” 2373 W. 700 S., Springville, UT experience and inspire the spirit.” 823 nonfi ction, history, language, literary criti- 84663. (801)489-4084. Don Diego, Santa Fe, NM 87505. cism, literature, New Age, science, social FAX: (801)489-1097. (505)989-9590. sciences, folklore, popular media. EMAIL: [email protected]. FAX: (505)989-9519.

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0049_YB13_McCartney.indd49_YB13_McCartney.indd 5252 110/2/120/2/12 33:32:32 PMPM EMAIL: [email protected]. EMAIL: [email protected]. NONFICTION NEEDS: Americana, his- WEBSITE: www.clearlightbooks.com. WEBSITE: www.darkhorse.com. tory, nature, environment, recreation, CONTACT: Harmon Houghton, publisher. CONTACT: Submissions. regional, sports. “Books about the New NONFICTION NEEDS: Americana, FICTION NEEDS: Comic books and England region; Maine in particular. All of anthropology, archeology, art, architecture, graphic novels. our regional books must have a Maine or cooking, foods, nutrition, ethnic, history, RECENT TITLES: Star Wars Omnibus: New England emphasis.” nature, environment, philosophy, photo- Clone Wars Volume 1—Th e Republic Goes RECENT TITLES: Mr. Rockefeller’s Roads graphy, regional, Southwest. to War by John Ostrander, et al.; B.P.R.D. by Ann Rockefeller Roberts; Journey of the FICTION NEEDS: Children’s, ethnic, Hell on Earth, Volume 3: Russia by Mike Sea Glass by Nicole Fazio; Maine Home historical, New Age, Southwestern, Mignola, et al.; Oh My Goddess! Volume 42 Cooking by Sandra L. Oliver. western, women’s. by Kosuke Fujishima. RECENT TITLES: Raven Finds the TIPS: “See website for detailed submis- 18. Dufour Editions Daylight and other American Indian Stories sion guidelines and submission agreement, “We publish literary fi ction.” P.O. Box 7, by Paul M. Levitt and Elissa S. Guralnick; which must be signed.” 124 Byers Rd., Chester Springs, PA 19425. Native American Twelve Days of Christmas (610)458-5005. by Gary Robinson. FAX: (610)458-7103. 16. Dawn Publications EMAIL: [email protected]. “Dawn Publications is dedicated to inspir- 14. The Countryman Press WEBSITE: www.dufoureditions.com. ing in children a sense of appreciation for “Th e Countryman Press publishes books NONFICTION NEEDS: translation all life on earth. Dawn looks for nature that encourage physical fi tness and appre- and history. awareness and appreciation titles that pro- ciation for and understanding of the FICTION NEEDS: Literary, short-story mote a relationship with the natural world natural world, self-suffi ciency and adven- collections, translation. “We like books and specifi c habitats, usually through ture.” P.O. Box 748, Woodstock, VT 05091. that are slightly off -beat, diff erent and inspiring treatment and nonfi ction.” 12402 (802)457-4826. well-written.” Bitney Springs Rd., Nevada City, CA FAX: (802)457-1678. RECENT TITLES: Dominant Traits: Stories 95959. (530)274-7775. EMAIL: [email protected]. by Eric Freeze; A Pleasure to Do Death FAX: (530)274-7778. WEBSITE: www.countrymanpress.com. With You by Paul Charles; Welcome to Zero WEBSITE: www.dawnpub.com. CONTACT: Kermit Hummel, editorial City Baby by David Racine. CONTACT: Glenn Hovemann, editor. director. TIPS: “Audience is sophisticated, liter- NONFICTION NEEDS: Environment, NONFICTION NEEDS: Cooking, foods, ate readers especially interested in foreign animals, nature. nutrition, gardening, history, nature, literature and translations, and a strong RECENT TITLES: Granny’s Clan: A Tale environment, recreation, regional, travel, Irish-Celtic focus, as well as work from country living. of Wild Orcas by Sally Hodson; Nature’s U.S. writers.” RECENT TITLES: Lobster Shacks: A Road Patchwork Quilt by Mary Miche. TIPS: “Looking for picture books express- Guide to New England’s Best Lobster Joints 19. Frederick Fell by Mike Urban; Adirondacks: A Great ing nature awareness with inspirational Publishers, Inc. quality leading to enhanced self-awareness. Destination, 7th Edition by Annie Stoltie. “Frederick Fell Publishers has continued to Does not publish anthropomorphic works; TIPS: “We publish several series of be a leading trade independent book pub- no animal dialogue.” regional recreation guidebooks—hiking, lisher in the United States due to its com- bicycling, walking, fl y-fi shing, canoe- mitment to excellence. Now publishing ing, kayaking—and are looking to expand 17. Down East Books 50 e-books per year [in addition to print them. We’re also looking for books of “Down East Books publishes books that books].” 2131 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 305, national interest on travel, gardening, capture and illuminate the unique beauty Hollywood, FL 33020. (954)925-5242. rural living, nature and fl y fi shing.” and character of New England’s his- EMAIL: [email protected]. tory, culture and wild places.” Imprint of WEBSITE: www.fellpub.com. 15. Dark Horse Comics Down East Enterprise, Inc., P.O. Box 679, CONTACT: Barbara Newman, senior editor. “In addition to publishing comics from top Camden, ME 04843. (207)594-9544. NONFICTION NEEDS: Business, eco- talent … Dark Horse is recognized as the FAX: (207)594-7215. nomics, child guidance, education, ethnic, world’s leading publisher of licensed com- EMAIL: [email protected]; fi lm, cinema, stage, health, medicine, hob- ics.” 10956 SE Main St., Milwaukie, OR [email protected]. bies, money, fi nance, spirituality. 97222. (503)652-8815. WEBSITE: www.downeast.com. RECENT TITLES: Your Health Your FAX: (503)654-9440. CONTACT: Paul Doiron, editor. Choice by Ted Morter; Against My Will

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by Benjamin H. Berkley; Coins 2012 by Bill Kilpatrick. 24. Houghton Miffl in Steve Nolte. TIPS: “Audience is men and women (but Harcourt Books for TIPS: “We are most interested in well- particularly women) over age 60. Books Children written, timely nonfi ction with strong need to be pertinent to the lives of older “Houghton Miffl in Harcourt gives shape sales potential. We will not consider Americans. No memoirs or poetry.” to ideas that educate, inform and, above topics that appeal to a small, select audi- all, delight.” Imprint of Houghton ence. Learn markets and be prepared to 22. Heritage House Miffl in Trade and Reference Division, help with sales and promotion. Show us Publishing Co. 222 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116. how your book is unique or better than “Heritage House publishes books that cele- (617)351-5000. the competition.” brate the historical and cultural heritage of FAX: (617) 351-1111. Canada, particularly Western Canada and, EMAIL: children’[email protected]. 20. Gibbs Smith to an extent, the Pacifi c Northwest.” #340– WEBSITE: www.houghtonmiffl inbooks. “Gibbs Smith specializes in beautifully 1105 Pandora Ave., Victoria, BC V8V 3P9, com. illustrated lifestyle books covering topics Canada. (250)360-0829. CONTACT: Kate O’Sullivan, senior edi- such as interior design, architecture, cook- FAX: (250)386-0829. tor; Ann Rider, executive editor; Margaret ing, children’s, home, green/sustainable EMAIL: [email protected]. Raymo, editorial director. and more.” P.O. Box 667, Layton, Utah WEBSITE: www.heritagehouse.ca. NONFICTION NEEDS: Animals, anthro- 84041. (801)544-9800. CONTACT: Vivian Sinclair, managing editor. pology, archeology, art, architecture, FAX: (801)544-5582. NONFICTION NEEDS: Adventure, ethnic, history, language, literature, EMAIL: [email protected]. contemporary Canadian culture, music, dance, nature, environment, WEBSITE: www.gibbs-smith.com. history, regional. science, sports. “Interested in innovative CONTACT: Acquisitions editor. RECENT TITLES: Backspin by Arv Olson; books and subjects about which the author NONFICTION NEEDS: Architecture, Quests for Fire by Jon C. Stott. is passionate.” arts and craft s, cookbooks, gardening, TIPS: “Our books appeal to residents of FICTION NEEDS: Adventure, ethnic, gift books, humor, interior design, middle- and visitors to the northwest quadrant historical, humor, juvenile, early readers, grade (activity, arts/craft s, cooking, literary, mystery, picture books, suspense, of the continent. We’re looking for good how-to, nature/environment, science), young adult, board books. stories and good storytellers. We focus on popular culture. RECENT TITLES: A Girl Named Digit work by Canadian authors.” RECENT TITLES: 200 Appetizers by by Annabel Monaghan; Trick or Treat by Donna Kelly and Sandra Hoopes; Ralph Leo Landry; Malcolm at Midnight by W.H. Kylloe’s Rustic Living by Ralph Kylloe; 23. Holiday House, Inc. Beck and Brian Lies. Candy Making for Kids by Courtney “Holiday House publishes children’s and TIPS: “Faxed or emailed mss and propos- Dial Whitmore. young-adult books for the school and als are not considered. Complete submis- library markets. We have a commitment sion guidelines available on website.” 21. Hatala Geroproducts to publishing fi rst-time authors and illus- “An independent company, Hatala trators.” 425 Madison Ave., New York, 25. Hunter House Geroproducts publishes books, games, NY 10017. Publishers magnetic signs and greeting cards pri- EMAIL: [email protected]. “Hunter House publishes health (espe- marily for seniors.” P.O. Box 42, Greentop, WEBSITE: www.holidayhouse.com. cially women’s), self-help health, sexual- MO 63546. CONTACT: Mary Cash, editor. ity and couple relationships, violence EMAIL: [email protected]. NONFICTION NEEDS: Americana, his- prevention and intervention books.” WEBSITE: www.geroproducts.com. tory, Judacia, science. P.O. Box 2914, Alameda, CA 94501. CONTACT: Mark Hatala, Ph.D., publisher/ FICTION NEEDS: Adventure, animal (510)865-5282. editor-in-chief. stories for young readers, contemporary, EMAIL: [email protected]. NONFICTION NEEDS: Romance, rela- historical, holiday, humor, Judaica, liter- WEBSITE: www.hunterhouse.com. tionships, advice, travel, how-to. “All ary, mainstream. CONTACT: Jeanne Brondino, editor. books are larger print, so mss should be RECENT TITLES: Bus Driver by Nancy NONFICTION NEEDS: Child guidance, around 50,000 words. Books should be of Poydar; Ollie’s School Day by Stephanie community, health, medicine, nutri- interest to older (60+) adults.” Calmenson; Th e Wing Wing Brothers Math tion, parenting, psychology, sex, women’s RECENT TITLES: Mom No More by Spectacular by Ethan Long. issues, self-help, women’s health, fi tness, Mignon Matthews; How to be an Old Guy: TIPS: “We need mss with strong stories relationships, sexuality, personal growth, Dispatches From the Retiree Front by and writing.” violence prevention. “Always looking for

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0049_YB13_McCartney.indd49_YB13_McCartney.indd 5454 110/2/120/2/12 33:32:32 PMPM good sexuality books. Currently want literature, money, fi nance, multicultural, N., Minneapolis, MN 55401. (800)328- yoga books for a U.S. audience and books religion, true crime. “Very interested in 4929, ext. 359. on natural/holistic health options.” areas such as true crime and well-written EMAIL: [email protected]. RECENT TITLES: Th e Secret of Vigor and well-researched nonfi ction on topics WEBSITE: www.karben.com. by Dr. Shawn Talbott; 303 Preschooler- of wide interest.” NONFICTION NEEDS: Picture books, Approved Exercises and Active Games by FICTION NEEDS: Comic books, ethnic, activity books, arts/craft s, biography, Kimberly Wechsler. experimental, gay, lesbian, humor, literary, careers, concept, cooking, history, how- TIPS: “Please send as much information mainstream, multicultural, mystery, sus- to, multicultural, religion, social issues, pense. “We publish a mix of commercial as possible about who your audience is, special needs. “Jewish content children’s how your book addresses their needs and (mysteries) and literary fi ction.” books only.” how you reach that audience in your ongo- OTHER NEEDS: Poetry. FICTION NEEDS: Picture books, adven- ing work. Include a marketing plan.” RECENT TITLES: Dos Equis by Anthony ture, concept, folktales, history, humor, Bidulka; Bad Mommy by Willow Yamauchi; multicultural, religion, special needs. 26. Information Today, Inc. Breaking Out II by Kevin Alderson. TIPS: “We envision a mixed readership “Jewish content children’s books only.” “We look for highly focused coverage of RECENT TITLES: Barnyard Purim by cutting-edge technology topics, written by that appreciates up-and-coming liter- Kelly Terwilliger; Dinosaur Goes to Israel established experts and targeted to a tech- ary fi ction and poetry as well as solidly by Diane Levin Rauchwerger; Grandma savvy readership.” 143 Old Marlton Pike, researched and provocative nonfi ction. Peruse our website and familiarize your- Rose’s Magic by Linda Elovitz Marshall. Medford, NJ 08055. (609)654-6266. TIPS: “Do a literature search to make FAX: (609) 654-4309. self with what we’ve published in the past.” sure a similar title doesn’t already exist. EMAIL: [email protected]. Illustrators: Look at our online catalog for WEBSITE: www.infotoday.com. 28. JIST Publishing CONTACT: John B. Bryans, editor-in-chief Publishes “practical, self-directed tools a sense of what we like—bright colors and and publisher. and training materials that are used in lively composition.” NONFICTION NEEDS: Business, eco- employment and training, education and nomics, computers, electronics, education, business settings.” 875 Montreal Way, St. 30. Lake Claremont Press/ science, Internet, cyberculture. Paul, MN 55102. (800)328-1452. Everything Goes Media RECENT TITLES: Web of Deceit, edited by FAX: (800)328-4564. “We specialize in nonfi ction books on the Annie P. Mintz; Face2Face: Using Facebook, EMAIL: [email protected]. Chicago area and its history, particularly Twitter, and Other Social Media Tools to WEBSITE: www.jist.com. by authors with a passion or organizations Create Great Customer Connections by CONTACT: Heather smith, acquisitions with a mission.” P.O. Box 711, Chicago, IL David Lee King. editor. 60690. (312)226-8400. TIPS: “Our readers include scholars, aca- NONFICTION NEEDS: Business, econom- FAX: (312)226-8420. demics, indexers, librarians, information ics, education. “We want text/workbook EMAIL: [email protected]. formats that would be useful in a school or professionals (ITI imprint), as well as WEBSITE: www.lakeclaremont.com. high-end consumer and business users of other institutional setting. We also publish CONTACT: Sharon Woodhouse, Internet/WWW/online technologies and trade titles for all reading levels. Will con- publisher and owner. people interested in the marriage of tech- sider books for professional staff and educa- NONFICTION NEEDS: Americana, nology with issues of social signifi cance tors, appropriate soft ware and videos.” ethnic, history, nature, environmental, (i.e., cyberculture).” RECENT TITLES: 50 Best Jobs for Your Personality, 3rd Edition by Laurence regional, travel, women’s issues, fi lm/ cinema/stage (regional)—as long as it is 27. Insomniac Press Shatkin; Quick Military Transition Guide primarily a Chicago book. “Midsize independent publisher with a by Janet Farley. RECENT TITLES: Just Add Water: mandate to produce edgy experimental Making the City of Chicago by Renee fi ction.” 520 Princess Ave., London, ON 29. Kar-Ben Publishing Kreczmer; Gold Coast Madam by Rose N6B 2B8, Canada. (416)504-6270. “Kar-Ben Publishing creates award- EMAIL: [email protected]. winning children’s titles on a wide vari- Laws and Dianna Harris. WEBSITE: www.insomniacpress.com. ety of Jewish subjects, including holiday TIPS: “Please include a market analysis in CONTACT: Mike O’Connor, publisher. books, folktales, contemporary stories and proposals (who would buy this book and NONFICTION NEEDS: Business, cre- picture books refl ecting the rich diversity where) and an analysis of similar books ative nonfi ction, gay, lesbian, govern- of today’s Jewish community.” Imprint of available for diff erent regions. Please know ment, politics, health, medicine, language, Lerner Publishing Group, 241 First Ave. what else is out there.”

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31. Martin Sisters FICTION NEEDS: Experimental, short- (615)739-6428. Publishing story collections, translation, young adult. EMAIL: [email protected]. RECENT TITLES: WEBSITE: www.wakestonepress.com. “An independent publisher dedicated to American Boy by Larry Watson; Blood of the Sun by Salgado CONTACT: Frank Daniels III, editor. delivering a quality reading experience to Maranhão; Silhouette of a Sparrow by NONFICTION NEEDS: Cooking, creative book lovers.” P.O. Box 1749, Barbourville, Molly Beth Griffi n. nonfi ction, foods, history, house and home, KY 40906. TIPS: “Please read [our] submis- law, memoirs, New Age, regional, sports, EMAIL: publisher@martinsisters sion guidelines before submitting and young adult. publishing.com. acquaint yourself with our books in terms FICTION NEEDS: Adventure, fantasy, WEBSITE: www.martinsisters of style and quality before submitting. horror, juvenile. publishing.com. Many factors infl uence our selection pro- RECENT TITLES: First Friend: Th omas CONTACT: Denise Melton, publisher/ cess, so don’t get discouraged. Nonfi ction Jeff erson: Th e Original Social Networker editor; Melissa Newman, publisher/editor. is focused on literary writing about the by Kathleen Reid; Galadria: Peter NONFICTION NEEDS: Americana, child natural world, including living well in Huddleston and the Rites of Passage by guidance, contemporary culture, cooking, urban environments.” Miguel Lopez De Leon. creative nonfi ction, education, garden- TIPS: “Be honest, be creative, be interesting.” ing, history, house and home, how-to, humanities, juvenile, labor, language, law, 33. Minnesota Historical 35. Motorbooks literature, memoirs, money, nutrition, Society Press “Motorbooks is one of the world’s lead- parenting, psychology, regional, sociol- “Minnesota Historical Society Press pub- ing transportation publishers, covering ogy, spirituality, western, women’s issues, lishes both scholarly and general interest subjects from classic motorcycles to heavy women’s studies. books that contribute to the understand- equipment to today’s latest automotive FICTION NEEDS: Adventure, confession, ing of the Midwest.” Minnesota Historical technology.” Quayside Publishing Group, fantasy, historical, humor, juvenile, literary, Society, 345 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul, MN 400 First Ave. N., Suite 300, Minneapolis, mainstream, military, mystery, regional, 55102. (651)259-3200. MN 55401. (612)344-8100. religious, romance, science fi ction, short- WEBSITE: shop.mnhs.org/mhspress.cfm. FAX: (612)344-8691. story collections, spiritual, sports, sus- CONTACT: Ann Regan, editor-in-chief. WEBSITE: www.motorbooks.com. pense, war, western, young adult. NONFICTION NEEDS: Scholarly, CONTACT: Lee Klancher, senior editor. OTHER NEEDS: Poetry in translation. Americana, anthropology, archaeology, NONFICTION NEEDS: Americana, RECENT TITLES: Once Upon a Picket by art, architecture, community, cooking, history, hobbies, military, war, photo- Muriel T. Eden-Paul; In a Pickle by Karen foods, nutrition, creative nonfi ction, eth- graphy, translation. Robbins; Obsidian by Kayla Curry. nic, government, politics, history, memoirs, RECENT TITLES: Th e Chevrolet Small- multicultural, nature, environment, photo- Block Bible by Th omas J. Madigan 32. Milkweed Editions graphy, regional, women’s issues, women’s and Vic Edelbrock Jr.; How to Restore studies, Native American studies. “Milkweed Editions publishes distinc- and Customize Automotive Interiors by RECENT TITLES: One Drop in a Sea of tive voices of literary merit in hand- Dennis W. Parks; How to Ride Off -Road Blue by John B. Lundstrom; Somalis in somely designed, visually dynamic books, Motorcycles by Gary LaPlante. Minnesota by Ahmed Ismail Yusuf; Mni exploring the ethical cultural and esthetic TIPS: “State qualifi cations for doing trans- Sota Makoce: Th e Land of the Dakota by issues that free societies need continu- portation-related subjects.” Gwen Westerman and Bruce White. ally to address.” 1011 Washington Ave. TIPS: “Books must have a connection to S., Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55415. 36. Orange Frazer Press the Midwest. Regional works only.” (612)332-3192. “Orange Frazer Press accepts [Ohio] non- FAX: (612)215-2550. fi ction only: corporate histories, town cele- EMAIL: [email protected]. 34. Moonshadow/ brations and anniversary books.” P.O. Box WEBSITE: www.milkweed.org. Wakestone Press 214, 37½ W. Main St., Wilmington, OH NONFICTION NEEDS: Agriculture, ani- “Our goal is to enable authors to tell and 45177. (937)382-3196. mals, archaeology, art, contemporary sell their stories and make them a part FAX: (937)383-3159. culture, creative nonfi ction, environ- of our culture. Moonshadow focuses EMAIL: [email protected]. ment, gardening, gay, government, his- on fi ction, primarily for young adults. WEBSITE: www.orangefrazer.com. tory, humanities, language, multicul- Wakestone focuses on nonfi ction stories, CONTACT: Marcy Hawley, publisher tural, nature, politics, literature, regional, biographies, lifestyle and advice.” 200 (custom book publishing); John Baskin, translation, women’s issues, world aff airs. Brook Hollow Rd., Nashville, TN 37205. editor (trade publishing).

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0049_YB13_McCartney.indd49_YB13_McCartney.indd 5656 110/2/120/2/12 33:33:33 PMPM NONFICTION NEEDS: Audio, anthro- WEBSITE: www.poisonedpenpress.com. CONTACT: Ralph Pine, editor-in-chief. pology, archaeology, art, architecture, CONTACT: Jessica Tribble, publisher. NONFICTION NEEDS: Fashion, fi lm, business, economics, cooking, foods, FICTION NEEDS: Mystery. cinema, stage, history, literary criticism, nutrition, education, history, nature, envi- RECENT TITLES: Scone Island by translation. Accepts nonfi ction and tech- ronment, photography, regional, sports, Frederick Ramsay; Champagne: Th e nical works in translations also. For and travel. “Sports and personalities are our Farewell by Janet Hubbard; Dying Echo about performing arts theory and practice: main focus.” by Judy Clemens. Acting, directing, voice, speech, move- RECENT TITLES: Harriett’s Homecoming TIPS: “Audience is adult readers of mys- ment, makeup, masks, wits, costumes, sets, by Susan Sachs Levine; Never Not a Lovely tery fi ction. Mss should generally be lon- lighting, sound, design and execution, Moon by Caroline McHugh. ger than 65,000 words and shorter than technical theater, stagecraft , equipment, TIPS: “For our commercial titles, we 100,000 words. [Prefer to avoid] novels stage management, producing, arts man- focus mainly on sports and biographies. centered on serial killers, spousal or child agement, business and legal aspects, fi lm, Our readers are interested in sports or abuse, drugs or extremist groups, although radio, television, cable, video, theory, criti- curious about famous persons/person- we do not entirely rule such works out.” cism, reference, theater and performance alities. Also, we mainly publish custom history, costume and fashion. books now—90 percent custom titles, 10 39. Quest Books RECENT TITLES: Emotion on Demand by percent trade titles.” Publishes books on “transpersonal psy- Michael Woolson; Classic Fashion Patterns chology, comparative religion, deep of the 20th Century by Anne Tyrrell. 37. Paragon House ecology, spiritual growth, the develop- Publishers ment of creativity and alternative health 41. Recliner Books “We publish general interest titles and practices.” Imprint of Th eosophical “We are currently looking for literary fi c- textbooks that provide readers greater Publishing House, 306 W. Geneva Rd., tion [and literary nonfi ction] targeted at understanding of society and the world. P.O. Box 270, Wheaton, IL 60187. an adult audience, which we will publish Currently emphasizing religion, phi- EMAIL: [email protected]. in paperback and e-book formats.” P.O. losophy, economics and society.” 1925 WEBSITE: www.questbooks.net. Box 64128, 5628 4 St. Northwest, Calgary, Oakcrest Ave., Suite 7, St. Paul, MN CONTACT: Richard Smoley, editor. AB T2K 1B2, Canada. (403)668-9746. 55113. (651)644-3087. NONFICTION NEEDS: Astrology/psy- EMAIL: [email protected]. FAX: (651)644-0997. chic, New Age, philosophy, psychology, WEBSITE: www.reclinerbooks.com. EMAIL: [email protected]. religion, spirituality. “Our specialty is CONTACT: Dustin Smith, editor. WEBSITE: www.paragonhouse.com. high-quality spiritual nonfi ction with a NONFICTION NEEDS: Animals, anthro- CONTACT: Gordon Anderson, acquisi- self-help aspect.” pology, business, creative nonfi ction, tions editor. RECENT TITLES: Growing Into God: A economics, environment, gay, health, NONFICTION NEEDS: Government, Beginner’s Guide to Christian Mysticism by history, language, law, lesbian, literature, environment, multicultural, nature, John Mabry; Th e Trauma Tool Kit: Healing philosophy, psychology, politics, religion, PTSD From the Inside Out by Susan Pease medicine, memoirs, money, nature, poli- sociology, women’s issues, world aff airs. Banitt; Sufi Talks by Robert Frager. tics, religion, science, sex, social sciences, RECENT TITLES: Rape: Weapon of War TIPS: “Read a few recent Quest titles and sociology, women’s issues, women’s stud- and Genocide by Carol Rittner and John K. submission guidelines before submitting. ies, world aff airs. Roth; Th e Secret of Bog Lane by Americo Know our books and our company goals. FICTION NEEDS: Adventure, contempo- Tulipano; Th e Federalist Papers: Th e Best Explain how your book or proposal relates rary, experimental, feminist, gay, histori- Argument for the Constitution, edited by to other Quest titles.” cal, humor, lesbian, literary, mainstream, Robert E. Berger. military, multicultural, religious. “We are 40. Quite Specifi c not currently accepting anything targeted 38. Poisoned Pen Press Media Group at children, young adults or science fi c- “Our publishing goal is to off er well-written “Quite Specifi c Media Group is an umbrella tion readers.” mystery novels of crime and/or detection company of fi ve imprints specializing RECENT TITLES: Notes for Monday by where the puzzle and its resolution are the in costume, fashion, theater and design.” Barb Howard; Murder on the Bow by main forces that move the story forward.” 7373 Pyramid Place, Hollywood, CA John Ballem; A Glass Shard and Memory 6962 E. First Ave., Suite 103, Scottsdale, 90046. (323)851-5797. by J.J. Steinfeld. AZ 85251. (480)945-3375. FAX: (323) 851-5798. TIPS: “Our audience is 24 years old and EMAIL: submissions@poisonedpenpress. EMAIL: info@quitespecifi cmedia.com. older, 70 percent female, 30 percent male com. WEBSITE: www.quitespecifi cmedia.com. [and] 90 percent Canadian.”

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42. Rio Nuevo Publishers Carefully analyze your book’s competition memoirs, multicultural, nature, politics, “We present the best of the West in words and tell us what makes your book diff er- sex, sexual abuse, travel, women’s issues, and pictures. Our award-winning books ent—and what makes it better. Also let us women’s studies. focus on arts and craft s, children’s litera- know what promotional and marketing RECENT TITLES: Seeing Ezra by Kerry ture, cooking, history, gardening, mem- opportunities you, as the author, bring to Cohen; Kissing Outside the Lines by oirs, Native America, nature, spiritual- the project.” Diane Farr; Airbrushed Nation by ity and travel.” Imprint of Treasure Chest Jennifer Nelson. Books, P.O. Box 5250, Tucson, AZ 85703. 44. Sarabande Books, Inc. TIPS: “Our audience is generally com- (520)623-9558. Publishes “poetry, short fi ction and cre- posed of women interested in reading FAX: (520)624-5888. ative nonfi ction. We look for works of last- about women’s issues addressed from a EMAIL: [email protected]. ing literary value.” 2234 Dundee Rd., Suite feminist perspective.” WEBSITE: www.rionuevo.com. 200, Louisville, KY 40205. (502)458-4028. NONFICTION NEEDS: Animals, cooking, FAX: (502)458-4065. 46. Silver Leaf Books foods, nutrition, gardening, history, nature, EMAIL: [email protected]. “Silver Leaf Books is a small press featuring environment, regional, religion, spiritual- WEBSITE: www.sarabandebooks.org. primarily new and upcoming talent in the ity, travel. CONTACT: Sarah Gorham, fantasy, science fi ction, mystery, thrill- RECENT TITLES: I Am the Desert editor-in-chief. ers, suspense and horror genres.” P.O. Box by Anthony D. Fredericks; Th e Green NONFICTION NEEDS: Creative nonfi c- 6460, Holliston, MA 01746. Southwest Cookbook by Janet E. Taylor; tion, essay books. EMAIL: editor@silverleafb ooks.com. Code Talker Stories by Laura Tohe. FICTION NEEDS: Literary, novellas, short WEBSITE: www.silverleafb ooks.com. TIPS: “We cover the Southwest, but prefer novels. “We consider novels and nonfi c- CONTACT: Brett Fried, editor. titles that are not too narrow in their focus. tion in a wide variety of genres and subject FICTION NEEDS: Fantasy (space fantasy, We want our books to be of broad enough matters with a special emphasis on myster- sword and sorcery), horror (dark fantasy, interest that people from other places will ies and crime fi ction. We do not consider futuristic, psychological, supernatural), also want to read them.” science fi ction, fantasy or horror.” mystery/suspense (amateur sleuth, cozy, OTHER NEEDS: Poetry. police procedural, private eye/hard- 43. Santa Monica Press RECENT TITLES: Gin & Bleach by boiled), science fi ction (hard science/ “At Santa Monica Press, we’re not afraid Catherine Wing; Let Me Clear My Th roat technological, soft /sociological), young to cast a wide editorial net. Our eclec- by Elena Passarello; Th e City of Poetry by adult (adventure, fantasy/science fi ction, tic list of lively and modern nonfi ction Gregory Orr. horror, mystery/suspense). titles includes books in such categories as TIPS: “Sarabande Books publishes for RECENT TITLES: Betraying the God of popular culture, fi lm history, photography, a general literary audience. Know your Light by Jared Angel; Dark Destiny by humor, biography, travel and reference.” market. Read and buy books of literature. Linda McCue; Mute by Brian Bandell. P.O. Box 850, Solana Beach, CA 92075. [We also sponsor] contests for poetry TIPS: “Follow the online guidelines. Be (858)793-1890; (800)784-9553. and fi ction.” thorough and professional.” EMAIL: [email protected]. WEBSITE: www.santamonicapress.com. 45. Seal Press 47. Tanglewood Press CONTACT: Jeff rey Goldman, publisher. “[A] feminist book publisher interested “Tanglewood Press strives to pub- NONFICTION NEEDS: Americana, archi- in original, lively, radical, empower- lish entertaining, kid-centric books.” tecture, art, contemporary culture, crea- ing and culturally diverse nonfi ction by P.O. Box 3009, Terre Haute, IN 47803. tive nonfi ction, education, entertainment, women addressing contemporary issues (647)348-4460. fi lm, games, humanities, language, litera- from a feminist perspective or speak- EMAIL: [email protected]. ture, memoirs, regional, social sciences, ing positively to the experience of being WEBSITE: www.tanglewoodbooks.com. sports, travel. female.” 1700 4th St., Berkeley, CA 94710. CONTACT: Kairi Hamlin, acquisitions RECENT TITLES: Th e Disneyland (510)595-3664. editor. Encyclopedia by Chris Strodder; Th e EMAIL: [email protected] FICTION NEEDS: Picture books, adven- Gumshoe and the Shrink by David L. Robb; WEBSITE: www.sealpress.com. ture, animal, concept, contemporary, fan- A Perfect Haze by Harvey Kubernik and CONTACT: Acquisitions editor. tasy, humor. Kenneth Kubernik. NONFICTION NEEDS: Americana, RECENT TITLES: Ashen Winter by Mike TIPS: “Visit our website before submitting child guidance, contemporary/pop cul- Mullin; Chester the Brave by Audrey to view our author guidelines and to get a ture, creative nonfi ction, domestic vio- Penn; Wild Rose’s Weaving by Ginger clear idea of the types of books we publish. lence, environment, ethnic, gay, lesbian, Churchill and Nicole Wong.

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0049_YB13_McCartney.indd49_YB13_McCartney.indd 5858 110/2/120/2/12 33:33:33 PMPM TIPS: “Please see lengthy ‘Submissions’ Comprehension by Joan Hunter. LENGTH: 1,000–2,000 words. Pays $750– page on our website.” TIPS: “Audience includes those seeking 1,200 for assigned articles, $600–800 for uplift ing and inspirational fi ction unsolicited articles. TIPS: “Get to know our style by thor- 48. Torquere Press and nonfi ction.” oughly reading a recent issue of the “We are a gay and lesbian press focusing magazine. Don’t send something we on romance and genres of romance. We 50. Wild Child Publishing particularly like paranormal and western “Wild Child Publishing is a small, indepen- recently published.” romance.” P.O. Box 2545, Round Rock, TX dent press that started out as a magazine 78680. (512)586-3553. in September 1999. We are known for 52. The American Legion EMAIL: [email protected]. working with newer/unpublished authors.” Magazine P.O. Box 4897, Culver City, CA 90231. WEBSITE: www.torquerepress.com. P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206- (424)258-0897. CONTACT: Shawn Clements, submis- 1055. (317)630-1200. EMAIL: [email protected]. sions editor; Lorna Hinson, senior editor. FAX: (317)630-1280. WEBSITE: www.wildchildpublishing.com. FICTION NEEDS: All categories gay and EMAIL: [email protected]; hsoria@ CONTACT: Marci G. Baun, editor. lesbian themed: Adventure, contemporary, legion.org. FICTION NEEDS: Adventure, children’s/ erotica, historical, horror, mainstream, WEBSITE: www.legion.org/magazine. juvenile, erotica (for Freya’s Bower imprint multicultural, mystery, occult, romance, 70 percent freelance written. Monthly only), ethnic/multicultural, experimen- science fi ction, short-story collections, magazine covering national security, for- tal, fantasy, feminist, gay, historical, horror, suspense, western. eign aff airs, business trends, social issues, humor/satire, lesbian, literary, mainstream, RECENT TITLES: A Fighting Chance health, education, ethics and the arts. military/war, mystery/suspense, New Age/ by Andi Penn; Moon Shadows by Neena Circ. 2,550,000. Accepts queries by mail, mystic, psychic/supernatural, romance, Jaydon; Emerging Magic by Angela email, fax. science fi ction, short-story collections, Benedetti; Hoarse Play by Sean Michael. NEEDS: General interest, interview. thriller/espionage, western, young adult/ TIPS: “Our audience is primarily people Query with clips. teen (fantasy/science fi ction). looking for a familiar romance setting fea- LENGTH: 300–2,000 words. Pays $0.40 RECENT TITLES: Th e Blue Hills by Steve turing gay or lesbian protagonists. Please and up/word. Shilstone; Lucky’s Charm by Jenn Nixon; read guidelines carefully and familiarize TIPS: “Queries by new writers should City of Th ieves by Audrey Cuff . yourself with our lines.” include clips/background/expertise, TIPS: “Read our submission guidelines no longer than 1½ pages. Submit suitable 49. Whitaker House thoroughly. Send in entertaining, well- material showing you have read several “[Our mission is to] advance God’s written stories. Be easy to work with issues. Th e American Legion Magazine kingdom by providing biblically based and upbeat.” considers itself ‘the magazine for a strong products that proclaim the power of the America.’ Refl ect this theme (which gospel and minister to the spiritual needs includes economy, educational system, of people around the world.” 1030 Hunt Magazines moral fi ber, social issues, infrastructure, Valley Circle, New Kensington, PA 15068. technology and national defense/secu- (724)334-2920. SEEKING GENERAL INTEREST rity) [in your query].” FAX: (724)334-2932. 51. American Baby EMAIL: [email protected]. Meredith Corp., 375 Lexington Ave., 9th WEBSITE: www.whitakerhouse.com. Floor, New York, NY 10017. 53. Harper’s Magazine CONTACT: Tom Cox, managing editor. EMAIL: [email protected]. 666 Broadway, 11th Floor, New York, NY NONFICTION NEEDS: Biography, WEBSITE: www.americanbaby.com. 10012. (212)420-5720. Christian living, healing, how-to, prayer, 70 percent freelance written. Monthly FAX: (212)228-5889. self-help. “[We accept only] submissions magazine covering health, medical and EMAIL: [email protected]. on topics with a Christian perspective.” childcare concerns for expectant and new WEBSITE: www.harpers.org. FICTION NEEDS: African-American parents. Circ. 2,000,000. Off ers 25 percent 90 percent freelance written. Monthly romance, Amish fi ction, Christian fi ction, kill fee. Accepts queries and mss by mail. magazine for well-educated, socially historical romance. “All fi ction must have NEEDS: Book excerpts, essays, general concerned, widely read men and women a Christian perspective.” interest, how-to, some aspect of pregnancy who value ideas and good writing. Circ. RECENT TITLES: Sofi a’s Secret by or childcare, humor, new product, per- 230,000. Off ers negotiable kill fee. Accepts Sharlene MacLaren; Prayers Th at Get sonal experience, fi tness, beauty, health. submissions and mss by mail. Results by Tom Brown; Freedom Beyond Query or send complete ms. NEEDS: Humor. No interviews or

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profi les. Query. needs with highly focused features and 95 percent freelance written. Annual LENGTH: 4,000–6,000 words. Generally articles on a variety of topics.” magazine covering weather, gardening, pays $0.50–1/word. history, oddities and lore. Circ. 3,750,000. TIPS: “Some readers expect their 56. Men’s Health Off ers 25 percent kill fee. Accepts queries magazines to clothe them with opinions Rodale Inc., 33 E. Minor St., Emmaus, PA by mail. in the way that Bloomingdale’s dresses 18098. (610)967-5171. NEEDS: General interest, historical, how- them for the opera. Th e readers of Harper’s FAX: (610)967-7725. to, garden, cooking, saving money, humor, Magazine belong to a diff erent crowd. EMAIL: [email protected]. weather, natural remedies, obscure facts, Th ey strike [us] as the kind of people who WEBSITE: www.menshealth.com. history, popular culture. No personal would rather think in their own voices and 50 percent freelance written. Magazine recollections/accounts, personal/family come to their own conclusions.” published 10 times/year covering men’s histories. Query with published clips. health and fi tness. Circ. 1,600,000. Off ers LENGTH: 100–2,500 words. Pays $0.65/ 54. Highlights for Children 25 percent kill fee. Accepts queries by word for features, $25 for shorter pieces. 803 Church St., Honesdale, PA 18431. mail, fax. TIPS: “Our readers appreciate obscure (570)253-1080. NEEDS: Fitness, nutrition, relationships, facts and stories. Read it. Th ink diff erently. FAX: (570)251-7847. travel, careers, grooming, health. Query. Read writer’s guidelines online.” WEBSITE: www.highlights.com. LENGTH: 100–4,000 words. Pays $1,000– 80 percent freelance written. Monthly 5,000 for features, $100–500 for short pieces. 59. Yoga Journal magazine for children up to age 12. Circ. TIPS: “Th e best way to break in is not by Active Interest Media, Healthy Living approximately 2.5 million. Accepts mss covering a particular subject, but by cover- Group, 475 Sansome St., Suite 850, San by mail. ing it within the magazine’s style.” Francisco, CA 94111. (415)591-0555. NEEDS: Adventure, fantasy, historical, FAX: (415)591-0733. humorous, animal, contemporary, folktales, 57. Metropolis EMAIL: [email protected]. multicultural, problem-solving, sports. Bellerophon Publications, 61 W. 23rd WEBSITE: www.yogajournal.com. Does not want stories on war, crime or St., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10010. 75 percent freelance written. Magazine violence. Prefers complete ms. (212)627-9977. published nine times/year covering the LENGTH: Nonfi ction: 800 words maxi- FAX: (212)627-9988. practice and philosophy of yoga. Circ. mum. Fiction: 100–800 words. Pays up to EMAIL: [email protected]. more than 300,000. Off ers kill fee. Accepts $150/article. WEBSITE: www.metropolismag.com. queries by email. TIPS: “Know the magazine’s style before 80 percent freelance written. Monthly NEEDS: Book excerpts, how-to, exercise, submitting. Send for guidelines and sam- magazine (combined issue July/August) inspirational, interview, opinion, photo ple issue if necessary, [but] know our pub- for consumers interested in architec- feature, travel. Query. lication’s standards and content by reading ture and design. Circ. 45,000. No kill fee. LENGTH: 3,000–5,000 words. Pays sample issues, not just the guidelines.” Accepts queries by mail, email, fax. $50–2,000. NEEDS: Essays, design, architecture, TIPS: “Please read several issues … 55. Ladies’ Home Journal urban planning issues and ideas, interview before submitting a query. Pitch your 375 Lexington Ave., 9th Floor, New York, of multidisciplinary designers/architects. article idea to the appropriate depart- NY 10017. (212)557-6600. No profi les on individual architectural ment with the projected word count and EMAIL: [email protected]. practices, information from public rela- what sources you’d use. In your query let- WEBSITE: www.lhj.com. tions fi rms or fi ne arts. Query. ter, please indicate your writing creden- 50 percent freelance written. Monthly LENGTH: 1,500–4,000 words. Pays tials. Please read our writer’s guidelines magazine focusing on issues of concern $1,500–4,000. before submission.” to women 30–45. Circ. 4.1 million. Off ers TIPS: “We’re looking for the new, the 25 percent kill fee. Accepts queries by obscure or the wonderful. Be patient and mail, email. don’t expect an immediate answer aft er BUSINESS & INDUSTRY NEEDS: Self, style, family, home, world, submission of query.” SPECIFIC health, food. 60. Corporate Board LENGTH: 2,000–3,000 words. Pays 58. The Old Farmer’s Member $2,000–4,000. Query. Almanac Board Member Inc., 5110 Maryland TIPS: “Ladies’ Home Journal is for active, Yankee Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 520, Way, Suite 250, Brentwood, TN 37027. empowered women who are evolving in Dublin, NH 03444. (603)563-8111. (615)309-3200. new directions. It addresses informational WEBSITE: www.almanac.com. FAX: (615)371-0899.

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0049_YB13_McCartney.indd49_YB13_McCartney.indd 6060 110/2/120/2/12 33:33:33 PMPM EMAIL: boardmember@ covered in one of our regular columns. 99508. (907)786-6916. boardmember.com. Go beyond the typical, fl at ‘business maga- EMAIL: [email protected]. WEBSITE: www.boardmember.com. zine query’—how to write a press release, WEBSITE: www.uaa.alaska.edu/aqr. 100 percent freelance written. Bimonthly how to negotiate with vendors, etc.—and 95 percent freelance written. Semiannual magazine covering corporate governance. instead investigate a current trend and magazine publishing fi ction, poetry, liter- Circ. 60,000. Off ers 25 percent kill fee. develop a story on how that trend aff ects ary nonfi ction and short plays in tradi- Accepts queries by email. small business.” tional and experimental styles. Circ. 2,200. NEEDS: Stories on reform, shareholder Byline given. suits, CEO pay, fi ring and hiring CEOs, 63. Quill NEEDS: Fiction: Experimental, literary, translations, contemporary. Poetry: Avant- setting up new boards, fi ring “useless” Society of Professional Journalists, 3909 N. garde, free verse, prose poem, traditional. directors. Query. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46208. Drama: Experimental and traditional LENGTH: 650–2,500 words. Pays FAX: (317)920-4789. one-acts. $1,200–5,000. EMAIL: [email protected]. LENGTH: 1,000–20,000 words; 10 poems TIPS: “Don’t suggest stories you WEBSITE: www.spj.org/quill.asp. maximum. Pays $10–200 subject to fund- can’t deliver.” 75 percent freelance written. Monthly ing; pays in contributor’s copies and sub- magazine covering journalism and the scriptions when funding is limited. 61. Credit Today media industry. Circ. 10,000. Off ers 25 TIPS: “All sections are open to freelanc- P.O. Box 720, Roanoke, VA 24004. percent kill fee. Accepts queries by email. ers. We rely almost exclusively on unso- (540)343-7500. NEEDS: General interest, how-to, techni- licited mss.” EMAIL: [email protected]. cal. Query. WEBSITE: www.credittoday.net. LENGTH: 800–2,500 words. Pays 50 percent freelance written. Monthly $150–800. 66. Asimov’s Science newsletter covering business of trade TIPS: “We focus on the industry’s big- Fiction credit. Accepts queries and mss by email. gest issues while providing tips on how to Dell Magazine Fiction Group, 267 NEEDS: How-to, interview, technical. become better journalists.” Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY Query or send complete ms. 10007. (212)686-7188. LENGTH: 700–1,800 words. Pays FAX: (212)686-7414. 64. $200–1,400. Referee EMAIL: [email protected]. Referee Enterprises Inc., 2017 Lathrop TIPS: “Make pieces actionable, person- WEBSITE: www.asimovs.com. Ave., Racine, WI 53405. able and a quick read.” 98 percent freelance written. Magazine FAX: (262)632-5460. consists of science fi ction and fantasy EMAIL: [email protected]. 62. Entrepreneur stories for adults and young adults. Circ. WEBSITE: www.referee.com. Entrepreneur Media, 2445 McCabe 50,000. No kill fee. Accepts queries by 75 percent freelance written. Monthly Way, Suite 400, Irvine, CA 92614. mail; accepts mss via online submission magazine covering sports offi ciating. (949)261-2325. form, mail. Off ers negotiable kill fee. Circ. 40,000. WEBSITE: www.entrepreneur.com. NEEDS: Fantasy, science fi ction, hard sci- Accepts queries by mail, email. 60 percent freelance written. Monthly ence, soft sociological. Send complete ms NEEDS: Book excerpts, essays, historical, magazine targeting entrepreneur readers with SASE, or use online submission form. how-to, humor, interview, opinion, photo LENGTH: 750–15,000 words. Pays who already run their own businesses and feature, technical as it relates to sports offi - are seeking innovative methods and strate- $0.05–0.08/word. ciating. Query with published clips. TIPS: “In general, we’re looking for ‘char- gies to improve their business operations. LENGTH: 500–3,500 words. Pays $50–400. No kill fee. Circ. 600,000. Accepts queries acter-oriented’ stories, those in which the TIPS: “Query fi rst, and be persistent. We characters, rather than the science, pro- by mail, email. may not like your [fi rst] idea, but that NEEDS: How-to, information on running vide the main focus for the reader’s inter- doesn’t mean we won’t like your next one. est. Please do not send us submissions a business, dealing with the psychologi- Professionalism pays off .” cal aspects of running a business, profi les on disk or via email. We’ve bought some of unique entrepreneurs, current news/ of our best stories from people who have trends (and their eff ect on small business). FICTION & POETRY never sold a story before.” Query with published clips. 65. Alaska Quarterly LENGTH: 1,800 words. Payment varies. Review 67. Ellery Queen’s TIPS: “Probably 75 percent of our free- ESB 208, University of Alaska-Anchorage, Mystery Magazine lance rejections are for article ideas 3211 Providence Dr., Anchorage, AK Dell Magazines Fiction Group, 267

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Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10017. like subtle themes, original characters kill fee. Accepts queries by mail, email. (212)686-7188. and sharp wit.” NEEDS: Historical, beaded jewelry his- FAX: (212)686-7414. tory, how-to make beaded jewelry and EMAIL: elleryqueenmm@dellmagazines. 70. Suspense Magazine accessories, humor, inspirational, inter- com. JRSR Ventures, 26500 W. Agoura Rd., view. Query. WEBSITE: www.themysteryplace.com/ Suite 102–474, Calabasas, CA 91302. LENGTH: 750–1,500 words. Pays eqmm. FAX: (310)626-9670. $100–400. 100 percent freelance written. Monthly EMAIL: [email protected]. magazine (March/April and September/ WEBSITE: www.suspensemagazine.com. 73. Brew Your Own October issues combined) featuring mys- 100 percent freelance written. Monthly Battenkill Communications, 5515 Main tery fi ction. Circ. 100,000. Byline given. consumer magazine covering suspense, St., Manchester Center, VT 05255. NEEDS: Mystery, suspense. Submit ms via mystery, thriller and horror genre. Off ers (802)362-3981. online submission form. 100 percent kill fee. Accepts query by email. FAX: (802)362-2377. LENGTH: 2,500–8,000 words. Pays $0.05– NEEDS: True crime, horror, mystery, sus- EMAIL: [email protected]. 0.08/word, occasionally higher for estab- pense. Query. WEBSITE: www.byo.com. lished authors. LENGTH: 500–5,000 words. Pays commis- 85 percent freelance written. Monthly TIPS: “We have a Department of First sions only, by assignment only. magazine covering home brewing. Circ. Stories to encourage writers whose fi ction TIPS: “Unpublished writers are welcome 50,000. Off ers 25 percent kill fee. Accepts has never before been in print.” and encouraged to query. Our emphasis is queries by mail, email, fax. on horror, suspense, thriller and mystery.” NEEDS: Historical, how-to, home brew- 68. Glimmer Train ing, humor, interview of professional 4763 SW Maplewood Rd., P.O. Box 80430, 71. Tin House brewers who can off er useful tips to home Portland, OR 97280-1430. (503)221-0836. McCormack Communications, P.O. Box hobbyists, personal experience. Query FAX: (503)221-0837. 10500, Portland, OR 97210. (503)274-4393. with published clips or description of EMAIL: [email protected]. FAX: (503)222-1154. brewing expertise. WEBSITE: www.glimmertrain.org. EMAIL: [email protected]. LENGTH: 800–3,000 words. Pays $50–350 90 percent freelance written. Quarterly WEBSITE: www.tinhouse.com. depending on length, complexity of article magazine of literary short fi ction. Circ. 90 percent freelance written. General and experience of writer. 12,000. Accepts mss via online submis- interest literary quarterly. Circ. 11,000. TIPS: “We seek articles that are straightfor- sion form. Byline given. Accepts mss by mail, online ward and factual, not full of esoteric theo- NEEDS: Short literary fi ction. submission form. ries or complex calculations. Our readers LENGTH: Up to 12,000 words. Pays $700. NEEDS: Fiction: Experimental, main- tend to be intelligent, upscale and literate.” TIPS: “Make submissions using the online stream, novel concepts. Poetry: Avant- submission procedure on [our] website.” garde, free verse, traditional. 74. Classic Toy Trains LENGTH: 5,000 words maximum for fi c- Kalmbach Publishing Co., 21027 69. The Rag tion; fi ve poems maximum. Pays $200–800 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, 11901 SW 34th Ave., Portland, OR 97219. for fi ction, $50–150 for poetry. Waukesha, WI 53187. (262)796-8776, EMAIL: [email protected]. TIPS: “Remember to send an SASE with ext. 524. WEBSITE: www.raglitmag.com. your submission.” FAX: (262)796-1142. 80 percent freelance written. Quarterly EMAIL: [email protected]. online magazine featuring literary fi ction WEBSITE: www.classictoytrains.com. and poetry. Byline given. HOBBIES & CRAFT 80 percent freelance written. Magazine NEEDS: Fiction: Humorous, transgres- 72. Bead & Button published nine times/year covering col- sive. Poetry: Avant-garde, free verse. “We Kalmbach Publishing Co., 21027 lectible toy trains (O, S, Standard) like accept all styles and themes.” Send com- Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Lionel and American Flyer, etc. Circ. plete ms. Waukesha, WI 53187. (262)796-8776. 50,000. Byline given. Accepts queries by LENGTH: 2,000–10,000 words for fi ction; EMAIL: [email protected]. mail, email. fi ve poems or 2,000 words maximum for WEBSITE: www.beadandbutton.com. NEEDS: General interest, historical, how- poetry. Pays $20–300. 50 percent freelance written. Bimonthly to (restore toy trains, design a layout, TIPS: “We like gritty material … that is magazine devoted to techniques, projects, build accessories, fi x broken toy trains), psychologically believable and that has designs and materials relating to making interview, personal experience, photo fea- some humor in it, dark or otherwise. We beaded jewelry. Circ. 100,000. Off ers $75 ture, technical. Query.

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0049_YB13_McCartney.indd49_YB13_McCartney.indd 6262 110/2/120/2/12 33:34:34 PMPM LENGTH: 500–5,000 words. Pays $75–500. FAX: (336)383-8272. Circ. 155,000. No kill fee. Accepts queries TIPS: “It’s important to have a thorough EMAIL: [email protected]. and mss by mail, email. understanding of the toy train hobby; WEBSITE: www.aaa.com/aaaliving. NEEDS: Book excerpts, essays, exposé, most of our freelancers are hobbyists 70 percent freelance written. Quarterly general interest, historical, how-to, humor, themselves. One-half to two-thirds of magazine for AAA club members in eight interview, new product, opinion, personal CTT’s editorial space is devoted to photo- Midwest states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, experience, photo feature, technical, travel. graphs; superior photography is critical.” Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Query or send complete ms. Dakota, Wisconsin). Circ. 2.5 million. LENGTH: 1,000–1,500 words. Pays $50– 1,500 for assigned articles, $50–1,000 for 75. Dollhouse Miniatures Off ers 10 percent kill fee. Accepts queries by mail, email. unsolicited articles. 68132 250th Ave., Kasson, MN 55944. NEEDS: Travel. Query with published clips. TIPS: “Cruising World’s readers know (507)634-3143. LENGTH: 150–1,600 words. Pays $1/word exactly what they want to read, so our best EMAIL: [email protected]. for assigned articles. advice to freelancers is to carefully read WEBSITE: www.dhminiatures.com. TIPS: “Articles should have a strong hook, the magazine and envision which exact 70 percent freelance written. Monthly tell an entertaining story, be unique and section or department would be the appro- magazine covering dollhouse scale minia- should avoid merely listing everything priate place for proposed submissions.” tures. Circ. 25,000. Byline given. Accepts there is to do at a location. Take the read- queries and mss by mail, email. ers to places the locals love and visitors 80. Hemispheres NEEDS: How-to, miniature projects of would never forget. Color and details are Ink Publishing, 68 Jay St., Brooklyn, NY various scales in variety of media, inter- essential. Share a sense of experience that 11201. (347)294-1220. view, artisans, collectors, photo feature, goes beyond ‘go here, do this.’” FAX: (917)591-6247. dollhouses, collections, museums. Query EMAIL: editorial@hemispheres or send complete ms. 78. Charlotte Magazine magazine.com. LENGTH: 500–1,500 words. Pays $30– 309 E. Morehead St., Suite 50, Charlotte, WEBSITE: www.hemispheres 250 for assigned articles, $0–150 for NC 28202. magazine.com. unsolicited articles. EMAIL: richard.thurmond@charlotte 95 percent freelance written. Monthly TIPS: “Familiarity with the miniatures magazine.com. magazine for the educated, business and hobby is very helpful. Accuracy to scale WEBSITE: www.charlottemagazine.com. recreational frequent traveler on [United/ is extremely important to our readers. A 75 percent freelance written. Monthly Continental Airlines] that spans the globe. complete digital package (ms/photos) has magazine covering Charlotte life. Circ. Circ. 12.3 million. Off ers 20 percent kill a better chance of publication.” 40,000. Off ers 25 percent kill fee. Accepts fee. Accepts queries by mail. queries by mail, email. NEEDS: Nonfi ction: General inter- 76. Quilter’s World NEEDS: Book excerpts, exposé, general est, humor, personal experience. Fiction: 185 Sweet Rd., Lincoln, ME 04457. interest, interview, photo feature, travel. Adventure, ethnic, historical, humorous, EMAIL: [email protected]. Query with published clips. mainstream, mystery. Query with pub- WEBSITE: www.quiltersworld.com. LENGTH: 200–3,000 words. Pays lished clips. 100 percent freelance written. Bimonthly $0.20–0.40/word. LENGTH: 500–3,000 words for nonfi ction, magazine covering quilting. Circ. 130,000. TIPS: “A story for Charlotte Magazine 1,000–4,000 words for fi ction. Pays $0.50/ No kill fee. Accepts queries and mss by could only appear in Charlotte Magazine. word and up. mail, email. Th at is, the story and its treatment are par- TIPS: “We increasingly require writers NEEDS: How-to, interview, new prod- ticularly germane to this area.” of ‘destination’ pieces or departments to uct, photo feature, technical, quilters, quilt ‘live whereof they write.’ Increasingly want products. Query or send complete ms. 79. Cruising World to hear from U.S., U.K. or other English- LENGTH: Varies. Pays $100–200 for arti- Bonnier Corp., 55 Hammarlund Way, speaking/writing journalists (business and cles, $50–550 for quilt designs. Middletown, RI 02842. (401)845-5100. travel) who reside outside the U.S. in Europe, TIPS: “Read several recent issues for style FAX: (401)845-5180. South America, Central America and the and content.” EMAIL: [email protected]; Pacifi c Rim—all areas that United fl ies.” [email protected]. REGIONAL & TRAVEL WEBSITE: www.cruisingworld.com. 81. Mountain Living 77. AAA Living 60 percent freelance written. Monthly Network Communications Inc., 1777 S. Pace Communications, 1301 Carolina St., magazine covering sailing, cruising/adven- Harrison St., Suite 903, Denver, CO 80210. Greensboro, NC 27401. turing, do-it-yourself boat improvements. (303)248-2060.

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FAX: (303)248-2064. magazine. Circ. 300,000. Accepts queries send complete ms. EMAIL: [email protected]. by email. LENGTH: 1,200–1,400 words. Pays WEBSITE: www.mountainliving.com. NEEDS: Nonfi ction: Social and economic $0.11–0.17/word. 50 percent freelance written. Magazine pub- issues, Jewish women’s (feminist) issues, TIPS: “Th e Lookout publishes from a theo- lished 10 times/year covering architecture, the arts, travel, health. Fiction: Ethnic/ logically conservative, nondenominational interior design and lifestyle issues for peo- multicultural (Jewish). Query. and noncharismatic perspective. We aim ple who live in, visit or hope to live in the LENGTH: 1,500–2,000 words for. Pays primarily for those aged 30–55. Most read- mountains. Circ. 48,000. Off ers 15 percent $500 minimum. ers are married and have elementary to kill fee. Accepts queries by mail, email. TIPS: “Stories on a Jewish theme should young-adult children.” NEEDS: Photo feature, travel, home fea- be neither self-hating nor schmaltzy.” ture. Query with published clips. 86. The Lutheran Digest LENGTH: 500–1,000 words. Pays $50–600. 84. LIVE 6160 Carmen Ave. E., Inver Grove Heights, TIPS: “A deep understanding of and Gospel Publishing House, 1445 N. MN 55076. (952)933-2820. respect for the mountain environment is Boonville Ave., Springfi eld, MO 65802. FAX: (952)933-5708. essential. Th ink out of the box. We love to (417)862-1447. EMAIL: [email protected]. be surprised. Write a brilliant, short query FAX: (417)862-6059. WEBSITE: www.lutherandigest.com. and always send clips. Before you query, EMAIL: [email protected]. 95 percent freelance written. Quarterly please read the magazine to get a sense of WEBSITE: www.gospelpublishing.com. magazine covering Christianity from a who we are and what we like.” 100 percent freelance written. Weekly Lutheran perspective. Circ. 70,000. No magazine covering practical Christian liv- kill fee. Accepts mss by email only as 82. Travel + Leisure ing. Circ. 35,000. Byline given. Accepts Microsoft Word or PDF attachments. American Express Publishing Corp., 1120 mss by mail, email. NEEDS: General interest, historical, how- Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY NEEDS: Nonfi ction: Inspirational, reli- to, personal or spiritual growth, humor, 10036. (212)382-5600. gious. Fiction: Religious, inspirational. inspirational, personal experience, reli- WEBSITE: www.travelandleisure.com. Poetry: Prose poem, free verse, haiku, light gious, nature. Send complete ms. 80 percent freelance written. Monthly verse, traditional. Send complete ms; three LENGTH: 1,500 words. Pays $35–50. magazine edited for affl uent travelers, poems maximum. TIPS: “Reading our writers’ guidelines and exploring the latest resorts, hotels, fash- LENGTH: 400–1,100 words for nonfi ction; sample articles online is encouraged and ions, foods and drinks, as well as politi- 800–1,200 words for fi ction; 12–15 lines is the best way to get a ‘feel’ of the type of cal, cultural and economic issues aff ect- for poetry. Pays $0.07–0.10/word for non- material we publish.” ing travelers. Circ. 925,000. Off ers 25 fi ction and fi ction, $35–60 for poetry. percent kill fee. Accepts queries by mail, TIPS: “Don’t moralize or be preachy. 87. U.S. Catholic email submission form. Provide human-interest articles with Claretian Publications, 205 W. Monroe St., NEEDS: Travel. Query (email is preferred). Biblical life application. Stories should Chicago, IL 60606. (312)236-7782. LENGTH: 3,000–5,000 words for features; consist of action, not just thought-life; FAX: (312)236-8207. 125–500 words for short pieces. Pays interaction, not just insight.” EMAIL: [email protected] (arti- $2,000–6,000 for features, $100–500 for cles, essays); [email protected] short pieces. 85. The Lookout (poetry, fi ction). TIPS: “Queries should not be generic, but Standard Publishing, 8805 Governor’s WEBSITE: www.uscatholic.org. should specify what is new or previously Hill Dr., Suite 400, Cincinnati, OH 45249. 100 percent freelance written. Monthly uncovered in a destination or travel- (513)931-4050. magazine covering Roman Catholic spiri- related subject area.” FAX: (513)931-0950. tuality. Circ. 40,000. Byline given. Accepts EMAIL: [email protected]. queries and mss by mail, email, fax, phone. RELIGIOUS WEBSITE: www.lookoutmag.com. NEEDS: Nonfi ction: Essays, inspirational, 83. Hadassah Magazine 50 percent freelance written. Weekly opinion, personal experience, religious. 50 W. 58th St., New York, NY 10019. magazine for Christian adults, with Fiction: Ethnic, mainstream, religious, (212)688-0227. emphasis on spiritual growth, family life slice-of-life vignettes. Poetry: Free verse. FAX: (212)446-9521. and topical issues. Circ. 45,000. Off ers Query or send complete ms. EMAIL: [email protected]. 33 percent kill fee. Accepts mss by mail; LENGTH: 2,500–3,500 words for fi ction WEBSITE: www.hadassahmagazine.org. accepts queries by mail, email. and nonfi ction; 50 lines for poetry. Pays 90 percent freelance written. Monthly NEEDS: Inspirational, interview, opinion, $250–600 for nonfi ction, $300 for fi ction, general interest Jewish feature and literary personal experience, religious. Query or $75 for poetry.

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0049_YB13_McCartney.indd49_YB13_McCartney.indd 6464 110/2/120/2/12 33:34:34 PMPM SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY & 90. Civil War Times WEBSITE: www.npca.org/magazine. HISTORY Weider History Group, 19300 Promenade 60 percent freelance written. Quarterly magazine for a largely unscientifi c but 88. Air and Space Dr., Leesburg, VA 20176. (703)779-8371. highly educated audience interested in Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, FAX: (703)779-8345. preservation of National Park System units, MRC 951, Washington, DC 20013-7012. EMAIL: [email protected]. natural areas and protection of wildlife (202)633-6070. WEBSITE: www.historynet.com. habitat. Circ. 340,000. Off ers 33 percent FAX: (202)633-6085. 90 percent freelance written. Magazine kill fee. Accepts queries by email. EMAIL: published six times/year covering the [email protected]. NEEDS: Exposé on threats, wildlife prob- WEBSITE: www.airspacemag.com. American Civil War. Circ. 108,000. Accepts queries by mail. lems in national park, descriptive articles 80 percent freelance written. Bimonthly NEEDS: Interview, photo feature, Civil about new or proposed national parks and magazine covering aviation and aerospace War historical material. Query with clips wilderness parks. Query. for a nontechnical audience. Circ. 225,000. and SASE. LENGTH: 1,500 words. Pays $1,300 for Off ers kill fee. Accepts queries by mail, LENGTH: Varies. Pays $75–800. 1,500-word features and travel articles. email, fax. TIPS: “Send query aft er examining TIPS: “Articles should have an original NEEDS: Book excerpts, essays, general writer’s guidelines and several recent slant or news hook and cover a limited sub- interest on aviation/aerospace, historical, issues. Include photocopies of photos ject, rather than attempt to treat a broad humor, photo feature, technical. Query that could feasibly accompany the article. subject superfi cially. Specifi c examples, with published clips. Confederate soldiers’ diaries and letters descriptive details and quotes are always LENGTH: 1,500–3,000 words. Pays are especially welcome.” preferable to generalized information.” $1,500–3,000. TIPS: “We continue to be interested in 91. Inventors Digest 93. StarDate stories about space exploration. Also, writ- Inventors Digest LLC, 520 Elliot St., Suite University of Texas, 1 University Station, ing should be clear, accurate and engaging. 200, Charlotte, NC 28202. (704)369-7312. A2100, Austin, TX 78712. (512)471-5285. It should be free of technical and insider FAX: (704)333-5115. FAX: (512)471-5060. jargon, and generous with explanation and EMAIL: [email protected]. WEBSITE: www.stardate.com. background. Th e fi rst step every aspiring WEBSITE: www.inventorsdigest.com. 80 percent freelance written. Bimonthly contributor should take is to study recent 50 percent freelance written. Monthly magazine covering astronomy. Circ. issues of the magazine.” magazine covering inventions, techno- 10,000. Off ers 25 percent kill fee. Accepts logy, engineering and intellectual property queries by mail, email, fax. 89. Archaeology issues. Circ. 40,000. Off ers 40 percent kill NEEDS: General interest, historical, Archaeological Institute of America, 36–36 fee. Accepts queries by mail, email. interview, photo feature, technical, travel 33rd St., Long Island City, NY 11106. NEEDS: Book excerpts, historical, how- research in astronomy. Query with pub- (718)472-3050. tos (secure a patent, fi nd a licensing lished clips. FAX: (718)472-3051. manufacturer, avoid scams), inspirational, LENGTH: 1,500–3,000 words. Pays EMAIL: [email protected]. interview, new product, opinion (does not $500–1,500. WEBSITE: www.archaeology.org. mean letters to the editor), personal expe- TIPS: “Keep up to date with current 50 percent freelance written. Bimonthly rience, technical. Query. astronomy news and space missions. No magazine covering archaeology. Circ. LENGTH: 700–2,500 words. Pays $50 technical jargon.” 750,000. Off ers 25 percent kill fee. Accepts minimum. queries by mail, email, fax. TIPS: “We prefer email. If it’s a long piece SPORTS & OUTDOOR ACTIVITY NEEDS: Essays, general interest. Queries (more than 2,000 words), send a synopsis, 94. Backpacker captivating us in 300 words. Put ‘Article preferred over full mss. Cruz Bay Publishing Inc., Active Interest Query’ in the subject line.” LENGTH: 1,000–3,000 words. Pays $2,000 Media Company, 2520 55th St., Suite 210, maximum for features. Boulder, CO 80301. TIPS: “We reach nonspecialist readers 92. National Parks EMAIL: [email protected]. interested in art, science, history and cul- National Parks Conservation Association, WEBSITE: www.backpacker.com. ture. Our reports, regional commentar- 777 Sixth St. NW, Suite 700, Washington, 50 percent freelance written. Magazine ies and feature-length articles introduce DC 20001. (202)223-6722. published nine times/year covering wilder- readers to recent developments in archae- FAX: (202)454-3333. ness travel for backpackers. Circ. 340,000. ology worldwide.” EMAIL: [email protected]. No kill fee. Accepts queries by mail

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(include SASE for returns), email (pre- the magazine. which are accompanied by good, sharp ferred, with attachments and Web links). TIPS: “We are always looking for quality photos are hard for us to turn down.” NEEDS: Essays, exposé, historical, how-to, how-to articles about fi sh, game animals or humor, inspirational, interview, new pro- birds that are popular with everyday out- 99. Skiing duct, personal experience, technical, travel. doorsmen, but oft en overlooked in other 5720 Flatiron Pkwy., Boulder, CO 80301. LENGTH: 750–4,000 words. Pays publications, such as catfi sh, bluegill, crap- (303)448-7600. $0.60–1/word. pie, squirrel, rabbit, crows, etc. We also use FAX: (303)448-7638. TIPS: “Our best advice is to read the articles on standard seasonal subjects such EMAIL: [email protected]. publication—most freelancers don’t as deer and pheasant, but like to see a fresh WEBSITE: www.skinet.com/skiing. know the magazine at all. Th e best way approach or new technique. Instructional 60 percent freelance written. Magazine to break in is with an article for the trapping articles are useful all year. Articles published eight times/year centered Weekend Wilderness, Know How or on gun dogs, ginseng and do-it-yourself around recreational skiing. Circ. 430,000. Signpost department.” projects are also popular with our readers. Off ers 15 percent kill fee. Accepts queries An assortment of photos and/or sketches and mss by mail, email. greatly enhances any ms, and sidebars, 95. Bowhunter NEEDS: Essays, historical, how-to, where applicable, can also help.” InterMedia Outdoors, 6385 Flank humor, interview, personal experience. Dr., Suite 800, Harrisburg, PA 17112. Query or send complete ms. (717)695-8085. 97. Outside LENGTH: 1,000–3,500 words. Pays $500– FAX: (717)545-2527. Mariah Media Inc., 400 Market St., Santa 1,000 for assigned articles, $300–700 for EMAIL: [email protected]. Fe, NM 87501. (505)989-7100. unsolicited articles. WEBSITE: www.bowhunter.com. FAX: (505)989-4700. TIPS: “Writers must have an extensive 50 percent freelance written. Bimonthly WEBSITE: www.outsidemag.com. familiarity with the sport and know what magazine covering hunting big and small 60 percent freelance written. Monthly concerns, interests and amuses skiers. game with bow and arrow. Byline given. magazine covering active lifestyle. Circ. Circ. 126,480. Accepts queries and mss by 665,000. Off ers 25 percent kill fee. Accepts Start with short pieces (Hometown Hills, mail, email, fax. queries by mail. Dining Out, Sleeping In). Columns are NEEDS: General interest, how-to, inter- NEEDS: Book excerpts, new product, most open to freelancers.” view, opinion, personal experience, photo travel. Query. feature. Query or send complete mss. LENGTH: 100–5,000 words. Pays $1.50– 100. USA Hockey LENGTH: 250–2,000 words. Pays $500 2/word. Touchpoint Sports, 1775 Bob Johnson maximum for assigned articles, $100–400 TIPS: “Queries should present a clear, Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80906. for unsolicited articles. original and provocative thesis, not (719)576-8724. TIPS: “Be yourself. Tell your story the merely a topic or idea, and should refl ect FAX: (763)538-1160. same as if sharing the experience around a familiarity with the magazine’s content EMAIL: [email protected]. campfi re. Don’t try to write like you think and tone.” WEBSITE: www.usahockeymagazine.com. a writer writes.” 60 percent freelance written. Magazine 98. Salt Water Sportsman published 10 times/year covering ama- 460 N. Orlando Ave., Suite 200, Winter 96. Fur-Fish-Game teur hockey in the U.S. Circ. 444,000. Park, FL 32789. (407)628-4802. 2878 E. Main St., Columbus, OH 43209. Byline given. (614)231-9585. EMAIL: [email protected]. NEEDS: Nonfi ction: Essays, general inter- EMAIL: ff [email protected]. WEBSITE: www.saltwatersportsman.com. est, historical, how-to play hockey, humor, WEBSITE: www.furfi shgame.com. 85 percent freelance written. Monthly inspirational, interview, new product, 65 percent freelance written. Monthly magazine for serious marine sport fi sher- opinion, personal experience, photo fea- magazine for outdoorsmen of all ages who men whose lifestyle includes the pursuit ture, travel. Fiction: Adventure, humorous, are interested in hunting, fi shing, trapping, of game fi sh in U.S. waters and around dogs, camping, conservation and related the world. Circ. 170,000. Off ers kill fee. slice-of-life vignettes. Query. topics. Circ. 111,000. Byline given. Accepts Accepts queries by mail, email. LENGTH: 500–5,000 words. Pays $50–750 queries by mail. NEEDS: How-to, personal experience, for nonfi ction, $150–1,000 for fi ction. NEEDS: How-to, hunting, fi shing. Query. technical, travel to fi shing areas. Query. TIPS: “Writers must have a general knowl- LENGTH: 500–3,000 words. Pays $50– LENGTH: 1,200–2,000 words. Pays edge and enthusiasm for hockey, including 250 or more for features depending upon $300–750. ice, inline, street and other. Th e primary quality, photo support and importance to TIPS: “Shorter articles that get to the point audience is youth players in the U.S.” YB

66 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0049_YB13_McCartney.indd49_YB13_McCartney.indd 6666 110/2/120/2/12 33:34:34 PMPM CLASSIFIEDS: READING NOTICES Sunsational Publishing, LLC WRITER’S DIGEST CLASSIFIED/DISPLAY ADS (cuts, headlines, illustrations, rules, etc.) of 1–3 inches in depth; $375 per inch for 1 issue; $350 per inch for 3; $325 per inch for 6; $300 per inch for 8. Typesetting charges Polished Professional Editing NEW CLIENT SPECIAL $15 per inch. Larger ads up to 5 inches will be Content editing, copyediting, 250 pg novel or accepted at special rates; ask for details. Ad - prices are calculated on a per word per issue & proofreading $699 24 pg children’s book* basis (20 word minimum). All contracts must be prepaid at the time of insertion. Novel & short story manuscripts Includes: Professionally designed cover, $7.25 per word for 1 issue; $5.75 per word for interior lay-out, ISBN#, and barcode. 3; $4.75 per word for 6 or more consecutive All genres issues. Street and number, city, state and ZIP Entered into B&T and Ingram’s global code count as 4 words. Area code and phone 25% off for rst-time clients distribution databases, Amazon, & BN.com number count as 2 words. Email and website addresses count as 2 words. Cassie Smith Additional Services: PAYMENT by credit card accepted Copy Editor/Proofreader • Basic Mechanical Editing: $600 with advertising orders of three or • Complete Comprehensive Editing: $900 more consecutive issues. • 24 pg Full-Color Illustrations: $625 A sample of any product and/or literature you plan to send must accompany your order. • All-Genre Ghostwriting: $3000+ Literary Services and Editing/Revising adver- • YouTube Author Videography: $225 tisers must send a résumé and sample critique. • E-Book, Nook, Kindle Conversions Send ad with check or money order to: Writer’s Digest Reading Notices, 700 E. State St., Iola, • Fast & Accurate Proof Turn-Arounds WI 54990. To learn more, call Jill Ruesch at • Author’s Volume Book Order Discounts (800)726-9966, ext. 13223. Fax: (715)445-4087. • Website Promotions and Internet Sales [email protected] Autism supportive company CLOSING DATE FOR THE FEBRUARY 2013 *Illustration ISSUE IS NOVEMBER 13, 2012. To advertise, fees call Jill Ruesch of Writer’s Digest at (800)726- www.polishediting.com additional 9966, ext. 13223. [email protected] 1-866-858-5212 972.499.4260 www.sunsationalpublishing.com

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0068_YB13_ResourceDirectory.indd68_YB13_ResourceDirectory.indd 7171 110/2/120/2/12 33:37:37 PMPM ENDNOTES

5-Minute Memoir: An Audience of One BY KRIS RADISH

he lone woman looked terri- with her,” I said. “I’ll be fi ne. Th is Here was a woman right out of one fi ed. She sat with her shoulders woman came to see me, and I’m going of my novels. A soul seeking redemp- hunched and her face down to honor that.” tion, a second chance, fulfi llment, joy as if she were trying to turn My novels are real stories about and a chance to follow a dream. her body into a tent where she real women and the real problems and I think of this woman when I cre- could hide. joys they face every day. Some of these ate new characters and imagine them I remember standing off women wear ill-fi tting clothes and walking out of a dark spot and back Tto one side and looking at her— some of them wear high heels. Some into the light. I think about how really looking at her. She was clearly of them look me in the eye and some important it is to be kind and open uncomfortable being in the book- cannot raise their heads. One woman and to never miss a chance myself. I store, and her ill-fi tting clothes, dirty was all I really needed. have had other audiences of one, and I shoes and trembling hands made me I sat down in front of her, pulled my never walk away. Th ere is no room in want to drop down and wrap my arms chair close, and talked about my novel my writing world for an ego. I remain around her. and my life. And then I asked about humbled with each book sale, every Before I could move, the book- her life, and as she talked I could time someone shows up to hear me store manager came over and put her barely breathe. speak. My readers tell me my books hand on my arm. “Kris, it looks like we “A year ago I was homeless and liv- are a gift to them, but it’s the other picked a bad night for your presenta- ing behind the bookstore,” she told way around. My readers are a gift to tion. I’m sorry. An audience of one isn’t me. “I was a drug user and I watched me. Th ey’re my daily inspiration. the greatest. What do you want to do?” people coming into the bookstore and When the woman in the bookstore I wanted standing room only, every authors, just like you, and one day I was ready to leave I hugged her for a book with my name on the cover told myself that I would get straight very long time and then watched as sold, and free beer for the rest of the and come back and sit here like this.” she turned and walked down the side- night. But instead I had the trembling I took her hands and held them walk and away from the alley. woman who couldn’t raise her head to as she cried and told me how this I love happy endings. Th ey are look at me. I had a cold night, dashed moment, me taking time to sit with everywhere. One at a time. YB expectations and a slight pounding her, was the most remarkable thing behind my eyes. But I was staying. that had ever happened to her. I Kris Radish is a former journalist and the bestselling author of eight novels (most “Someone is here, and I’m going to cried too as she told me about her recently, Tuesday Night Miracles) and two do the entire talk and sit right down new life plans. nonfi ction books. ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM © BEA KRAUS ILLUSTRATION:

72 Writer’s Yearbook 2013

0072_YB13_Radish.indd72_YB13_Radish.indd 7272 110/2/120/2/12 44:11:11 PMPM SHOW US YOUR SHORTS.

13th Annual WRITER’S DIGEST SHORT SHORT STORY COMPETITION WE’RE LOOKING FOR FICTION THAT’S BOLD AND BRILLIANT... BUT BRIEF. Send us your best in 1,500 words or fewer. But don’t be too long about it — extended deadline is Dec. 17, 2012. PRIZES: $3,000 AND A TRIP TO THE WRITER’S DIGEST CONFERENCE $1,500 $500 $100 11th through 25th Place: $50 towards the purchase of WRITER’S DIGEST BOOKS The names and story titles of the First- through 10th-place winners will be printed in the July/August 2013 issue of Writer’s Digest. Winners will receive the 2013 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market and 2013 Guide to Literary Agents. Plus, all First- through 25th-place winners will receive a free copy of the 13th Annual Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition Collection. .com

13th Annual WRITER’S DIGEST 13th Annual WRITER’S DIGEST SHORT SHORT STORY COMPETITION SHORT SHORT STORY COMPETITION The first- through 25th-place manuscripts will be printed in a special competi- tion collection. Use the entry form to order your copy at the pre-publication I am entering _____ Manuscript(s) at $20 per entry. special price! (Publication date: May 2013. You are not required to purchase the collection to I am ordering _____ Competition Collection(s) at $11.95 each. enter the contest.) (includes $1.95 S&H) (You are not required to purchase the collection to enter the contest.) THE RULES ______1. The competition is open to manuscripts of 1,500 words or fewer. Entries outside the word limitation will be disregarded. If entering by mail, please type the word count on the first page of your entry, along with your name, street address, daytime phone number and Check or money order enclosed (U.S. funds only) e-mail address. Charge my VISA MC Exp. ___ 2. The entry fee is $20 per manuscript. You may enter as many manuscripts as you wish. You may send one check (in U.S. funds) and one entry form for all entries. Card No. ______3. All entries must be in English, original, unpublished (in print or online, with two allowable Signature ______exceptions: 1. on a personal blog maintained solely by the author, and/or 2. on a private cri- *The charge will appear as “F+W Contests.” tique forum that requires registration to access) and not submitted elsewhere at the time of submission. Writer’s Digest retains one-time publication rights to the 1st through 25th-place Name ______winning entries to be published in a Writer’s Digest publication. No refunds will be issued for disqualified entries. Address ______4. All mailed in entries must be typewritten and double-spaced on one side of 8½ x 11 or A4 City ______white paper. Manuscripts will not be returned. Entries must be stapled. State/Prov.______ZIP/PC ______5. Entries must be submitted by or postmarked by Dec. 17, 2012. Country______Phone ( ) ______6. Winners will be notified by Feb. 28, 2013. If you have not been contacted by this date, you may assume that your entry is not a finalist and may be marketed elsewhere. E-mail ______7. Enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard with your entry if you want to be notified of Please send me information via e-mail about future its receipt. We cannot notify you personally of your story’s status before the winners are announced. Writer’s Digest competitions. 8. Winners’ names will appear in the July/August 2013 issue of Writer’s Digest magazine. Their names and story titles will be posted at writersdigest.com after that time. Please make check or money order payable to Writer’s Digest 9. The following are not permitted to enter the competition: employees of F+W Media, Inc. in U.S. funds, drawn on a U.S. bank. and their immediate families, and Writer’s Digest contributing editors and correspondents as listed on the masthead. PRIVACY PROMISE The Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition Occasionally we make portions of our customer list available to other companies so they may contact you about products and services that may be of interest to you. If you prefer we withhold your name, simply send a note with your name, address and the competition name to: List Manager, F+W Media, 10151 Carver Road, Suite 200, Blue Ash OH 45242. WD612

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