When I began my nonfiction writing career, all I wanted to do was write. I imagined myself writing articles for glossy magazines produced in New York City. Later, I developed dreams of writing traditionally published books and then also self-published books. Nowhere in my visions did I see myself as a professional speaker, only as a professional nonfiction writer. I…
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I’ve written query letters and sent them to many magazines and other types of publications—some accepted, some not. In my past editorial positions for several regional magazines I had to read queries written by other writers and decide whether to accept them. In both roles, I’ve had a chance to see what works and what doesn’t. If you want to…
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“Evergreen” articles and posts are the staple of most magazines and blogs. If you can pitch them to a publication or blogger–especially with new angle–you’ll land yourself a writing gig almost every time. The key, however, lies in the unique angle. It’s easy enough to determine the evergreen topics. These are the ones the publications or blogs cover on a…
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If you have never had an article published, that first gig can be the most difficult one to land. If you’ve got many bylines under your belt, landing freelance writing assignments gets easier and you are likely to get paid something for most, if not all, of them. So, how do you get that first byline, or more of them,…
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As part of my ongoing planning for 2014, I want to find ways to better address my readers’ needs and interests. That means your needs and interests. I want to improve this blog and make it more relevant to you. To accomplish that goal, I need to know more about you. So, I have created a 2014 Reader Survey. I’d…
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