Elaine Wright Colvin, founder and director of Writers Information Network and WIN Communications, published the WIN Informer magazine for 25 years. Her poetry appears in the bestselling book Treasury of God’s Virtues, which she co-authored with Elaine Creasman of Publications International. Find her on Facebook and read the articles for Christian writers she posts on her Writers Info Network blog.
Elaine, what do you most want to say to Christians who write?
Identify the big players in your genre. See what they are doing well. Ask God what He wants you to do. God did not make you a clone of someone else. The dream He put in your heart is yours alone. Identify it. Test it. Refine it. No one else can “claim the call” God has placed on your life.
What changes do you see in Christian publishing?
Everything has changed in the 25 years I’ve been a writers consultant. Gone are the days when an acquisitions editor alone chose good writing and determined what should be published. Today everything is market-driven. And there are many more channels for getting our writing “out there.”
How do conferences or workshops help poets and writers?
It’s all about networking, learning from the best, and rubbing elbows with those you want to learn from. Go to the conference where the agent, editor, and writers you want to meet are teaching. This is where people talk your language and people like you gather. There is always something to learn.
How can poets and writers improve their writing?
Do what writers and poets do: read good writing; write lots, throw the bad stuff away. Participate in readings, presentations, and poetry slams; learn what works and what doesn’t. “Get your hands dirty for Jesus”—then people will want to hear what you have to say.
Yes! And just to be sure that readers hear this important word, please explain a bit.
"Get your hands dirty for Jesus" is a way of saying, do something newsworthy, much like CNN's Heroes with ordinary people changing their world. Be a volunteer; help the homeless; somehow make a difference that is worth talking about. If you couldn't make your local newspaper, how would people around the country ever hear about you, your writing, or your book?
Thanks, Elaine – and good thinking! You’ve given us an excellent example of how we can reflect Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount: “Let your light shine, so people can see the good you do and give praise to our Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16.)
~~
(c) 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler
http://www.marysayler.com
~~
June 25, 2011
June 8, 2011
Interview with Dana Cassell, the founder of Writers-Editors Network
Dana Cassell, the founder of Writers-Editors Network, has been a full-time freelancer for 35 years. In addition to writing and editing manuscripts for numerous business clients, she has traditionally published more than 2,000 articles and ghosted or authored nearly a dozen books for educational publishers and other secular markets.
Dana, what do you most want to say to writers in all genres who plan to make writing a career?
Recognize that it is a business, and treat it as such. Magazine editors need articles that will keep their readers renewing or buying newsstand issues, so the publisher can sell ads that keep the magazines in business. This means researching magazines' targeted audiences and coming up with ideas the editors need to reach those audiences.
It also means seeking out editorial calendars to see what topics they repeat every year and will be covering during the upcoming year. Said another way, writing (and suggesting) what the readers and editors want, not what the writer wants to write. (When the writer has a favorite topic and can find a paying magazine receptive to that topic and the writer's slant on it, that's a bonus. It happens once in a while but is usually not enough to build a career.)
This is ditto for websites that will pay for articles. Instead of subscriptions, they may be looking at visitors and "hits," but the premise is about the same. Also, the successful writer will learn how to reuse their research in multiple articles, books, and columns to make that research investment pay off.
Writers who want to write for the corporate market on a freelance basis would do well to become adept at and known for some editorial service that can directly affect a client's bottom line -- such as ad copy, direct mail packages, white papers, marketing e-letters.
Recognizing that writing is a business means regularly scheduling time for marketing, admin tasks, and study along with time for production.
What are some of the biggest changes you have seen in publishing over the last few years?
The obvious would be the Internet, which has changed the way writers can research and also adds the electronic publishing element. Magazines have always stopped publishing because of over-saturated markets or poor management, but now publishers have to figure out whether to be print or electronic or both -- and how to make that work, so the publishing business is even riskier. People are still trying to figure it all out. For writers, there are tons more potential places to get published, and they are easier to research because of Web information, but drilling down to those that pay a decent rate is more of a challenge.
Novels have changed because of the shorter attention span of readers who have grown up watching TV and reading Internet screens. Compare a novel published today with one a generation ago -- paragraphs are shorter; chapters are shorter. And that's what mainstream editors/publishers want -- because that's what sells.
In what ways can conferences and workshops help writers?
They mainly help through inspiration and motivation. Being around and talking to other poets and writers can help us realize that what we're up against (finding the time, dealing with writer's block, getting published, finding better paying markets) is not our challenge alone. Everyone faces the same problems at one time or another. It can help us to keep rowing when we know others are in the same boat with us. And talking to other attendees who do not appear to be any smarter or more creative than we are, but who are more successful, can send us home thinking, "I can do that, too!"
The information we absorb from the speakers can certainly be helpful, but we can get that from the hundreds of books and articles on writing for publication. I think that touching elbows with other writers and with the speakers has a more motivational aspect.
Thanks, Dana, for giving Christian writers a clearer picture of writing for markets in general. Thank you, too, for the level of professionalism you encourage and show as you address the needs of writers and editors on Writers-Editors.com.
~~
(c) 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler
Dana, what do you most want to say to writers in all genres who plan to make writing a career?
Recognize that it is a business, and treat it as such. Magazine editors need articles that will keep their readers renewing or buying newsstand issues, so the publisher can sell ads that keep the magazines in business. This means researching magazines' targeted audiences and coming up with ideas the editors need to reach those audiences.
It also means seeking out editorial calendars to see what topics they repeat every year and will be covering during the upcoming year. Said another way, writing (and suggesting) what the readers and editors want, not what the writer wants to write. (When the writer has a favorite topic and can find a paying magazine receptive to that topic and the writer's slant on it, that's a bonus. It happens once in a while but is usually not enough to build a career.)
This is ditto for websites that will pay for articles. Instead of subscriptions, they may be looking at visitors and "hits," but the premise is about the same. Also, the successful writer will learn how to reuse their research in multiple articles, books, and columns to make that research investment pay off.
Writers who want to write for the corporate market on a freelance basis would do well to become adept at and known for some editorial service that can directly affect a client's bottom line -- such as ad copy, direct mail packages, white papers, marketing e-letters.
Recognizing that writing is a business means regularly scheduling time for marketing, admin tasks, and study along with time for production.
What are some of the biggest changes you have seen in publishing over the last few years?
The obvious would be the Internet, which has changed the way writers can research and also adds the electronic publishing element. Magazines have always stopped publishing because of over-saturated markets or poor management, but now publishers have to figure out whether to be print or electronic or both -- and how to make that work, so the publishing business is even riskier. People are still trying to figure it all out. For writers, there are tons more potential places to get published, and they are easier to research because of Web information, but drilling down to those that pay a decent rate is more of a challenge.
Novels have changed because of the shorter attention span of readers who have grown up watching TV and reading Internet screens. Compare a novel published today with one a generation ago -- paragraphs are shorter; chapters are shorter. And that's what mainstream editors/publishers want -- because that's what sells.
In what ways can conferences and workshops help writers?
They mainly help through inspiration and motivation. Being around and talking to other poets and writers can help us realize that what we're up against (finding the time, dealing with writer's block, getting published, finding better paying markets) is not our challenge alone. Everyone faces the same problems at one time or another. It can help us to keep rowing when we know others are in the same boat with us. And talking to other attendees who do not appear to be any smarter or more creative than we are, but who are more successful, can send us home thinking, "I can do that, too!"
The information we absorb from the speakers can certainly be helpful, but we can get that from the hundreds of books and articles on writing for publication. I think that touching elbows with other writers and with the speakers has a more motivational aspect.
Thanks, Dana, for giving Christian writers a clearer picture of writing for markets in general. Thank you, too, for the level of professionalism you encourage and show as you address the needs of writers and editors on Writers-Editors.com.
~~
(c) 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler
June 1, 2011
Interview with Sally Stuart -- the expert in Christian writing markets
Sally Stuart, a prolific writer in her own right, has been helping other poets and writers for over 30 years with writing workshops, keynote speaking, and information-gathering for the annual Christian Writers’ Market Guide – the primary resource for Christians who want to get their work published. For ongoing info and updates, visit her Christian Writers’ Marketplace blog.
Sally, what do you most want to say to Christians who write?
If you believe God has called you to be a writer, you need to determine what that means for you. It may simply mean you need to write for your own healing or write for your church newsletter or write an inspirational column for your local newspaper. But if He has called you to write for publication, then you need to commit to being the best writer you can be -- and BE PERSISTENT in finding a publisher for that writing.
What recent changes have you noticed in Christian publishing?
Because the periodical market continues to shrink, it is harder for writers to get a start there. Book publishers take longer to commit to publishing a book. And publishers are more insistent that writers follow their guidelines exactly.
Do writing conferences and workshops actually help Christian poets and writers? If so, how?
Conferences give the writer a broader understanding of the publishing industry and their particular genre and a chance to meet with agents and editors, as well as building a network of writing colleagues and friends.
How can poets and writers continue to improve their writing?
Read and write! Read A LOT of the poetry or genre you want to write. Read the current Christian bestsellers and the general market bestsellers. And write--write--write! In today's competitive market, ultimately it is excellent writing that gets published.
Excellent advice, Sally. Thanks! God bless you and your work.
~~~
If you would like Sally's evaluation of your fiction or nonfiction manuscript, visit her website for her current fees. For feedback on your poems, devotionals, or children’s picture book, contact me through my website.
(c) 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler
~~
Sally, what do you most want to say to Christians who write?
If you believe God has called you to be a writer, you need to determine what that means for you. It may simply mean you need to write for your own healing or write for your church newsletter or write an inspirational column for your local newspaper. But if He has called you to write for publication, then you need to commit to being the best writer you can be -- and BE PERSISTENT in finding a publisher for that writing.
What recent changes have you noticed in Christian publishing?
Because the periodical market continues to shrink, it is harder for writers to get a start there. Book publishers take longer to commit to publishing a book. And publishers are more insistent that writers follow their guidelines exactly.
Do writing conferences and workshops actually help Christian poets and writers? If so, how?
Conferences give the writer a broader understanding of the publishing industry and their particular genre and a chance to meet with agents and editors, as well as building a network of writing colleagues and friends.
How can poets and writers continue to improve their writing?
Read and write! Read A LOT of the poetry or genre you want to write. Read the current Christian bestsellers and the general market bestsellers. And write--write--write! In today's competitive market, ultimately it is excellent writing that gets published.
Excellent advice, Sally. Thanks! God bless you and your work.
~~~
If you would like Sally's evaluation of your fiction or nonfiction manuscript, visit her website for her current fees. For feedback on your poems, devotionals, or children’s picture book, contact me through my website.
(c) 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler
~~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)