In this Issue:

• "Welcome" - Dan Case, editor
  
• Feature "7 Reasons Why Your Novel Needs a Book Proposal" by Patricia L. Fry
  
• 20 Paying Markets - High, Medium, and Low
  
• Feature "Finding Quotes for Query Letters" by Susan Denney

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Welcome

On Saturday, October 27th, I will be introducing Amy D. Shojai at the Abilene Writers Guild in Abilene, Texas.

And once again, if you are a Christian writer or want to get into writing for the Christian market (it's huge) and live in the Kansas City area, the Heart of America Christian Writers Network is having their Fall conference on November 8-10. For more info, check out their web site at heartofamericachristianwriters.com

Here are the top-selling writing books at AWOCBooks.com - FREE SHIPPING on selected books! ($2.95 value)

1. THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO WRITING & SELLING MAGAZINE ARTICLES 2nd Edition by Peggy Fielding and Dan Case. FREE SHIPPING!
   
2. CONFESSING FOR MONEY 2nd Edition Writing and Selling to the SECRET Short Story Market by Peggy Fielding FREE SHIPPING!
   
3. MAGIC STEPS TO WRITING SUCCESS by Charles W. Sasser. FREE SHIPPING!
   
4. DEVOTED TO WRITING by Nancy Robinson Masters & Maurice Parsley Mallow FREE SHIPPING!
   
5. JUMPSTART YOUR WRITING CAREER & SNAG PAYING ASSIGNMENTS by Beth Erickson.
   
6. THE ORGANIZED WRITER IS A SELLING WRITER by Kathryn Lay. FREE SHIPPING!
   
7. BE YOUR OWN BOOK DOCTOR: So You Can Cure What Ails Your Writing by Robyn Conley.
   
8. WRITING HUMOR FOR MORE THAN LAUGHS by Phil Truman FREE SHIPPING!
   
9. BOB BLY'S FREELANCE WRITING SUCCESS (How to Make $100,000 a Year as a Freelance Writer and Have the Time of Your Life Doing It) by Robert W. Bly
   
10. THE RIGHT WAY TO WRITE, PUBLISH AND SELL YOUR BOOK by Patricia Fry
    

Dan Case, editor
editor@writingfordollars.com (put WFD in the subject line)

Do you have a novel in the works or are you contemplating writing one? Wait! Before you finish that potential bestseller, you have a little business to take care of. You really must write a book proposal.

Why expend your precious energy writing a proposal for your amazing book? Many novelists resist writing a proposal because, well, it just isn’t a creative endeavor. Plus, they’ve been told that you don’t need one for a novel. One overzealous hopeful author actually told me this week that he wasn’t going to write a book proposal because his book is so good it will sell itself.

Why write a book proposal for a work of fiction? Let me count the reasons:

1: A book proposal can mean the difference between a rejection slip and a publishing contract. Contrary to what you may have heard, most traditional royalty publishers request a book proposal—yes, even for fiction. In fact, sometimes the publisher is more interested in the book proposal than he is the manuscript. Just look at some of the books that have made it into Barnes and Noble and that are on the bestseller lists. Are they all really that good?

The fact is that sometimes mediocre manuscripts are produced when excellent ones go unnoticed. Why? Think about it: A publisher is in the business to make money. Let’s say that the publisher can produce one more book this year. He’s looking for a single book to fill his catalog. If one author comes to him with a good book and no ideas for promoting it and another author shows up with a mediocre manuscript and an amazing promotional plan written into her proposal, which one do you think he’s going to choose?

2: A book proposal will tell you whether you have a book at all. A synopsis is a major part of a fiction book proposal. If you can’t write a succinct synopsis that brings your story to life, your book might not have all of the elements of a good story. Writing a synopsis is an excellent exercise—one that affords you the opportunity to examine your story from outside the traditional boundaries of the manuscript. Doesn’t it make sense to determine whether you have a viable project before you approach a publisher or self-publish your book?

3: A book proposal will help you to learn something about the publishing industry. As part of the book proposal process, presumably, you will spend some time studying aspects of your genre. You’ll define your publishing options and learn the possible consequences of your choices.

Think about it, you wouldn’t enter into any other field of business without learning about the industry, the products, distributors, manufacturers, suppliers and so forth. You would check out your competition and the needs of your customers. Publishing is not an extension of your writing. Publishing is a business and your book, once published, is a product. A book proposal, then, is a business plan for your book.

4: A book proposal will help you to identify your target audience. Yes, even fiction has a target audience. Who is yours? Readers of historical fiction? Mysteries? Thrillers? Science Fiction? Chick Lit? How many such readers are there? Is there another genre that is currently more popular? Perhaps there’s something you can do to make your book appeal to a wider audience such as, young adults, both men and women, seniors or readers of romance, biographies or humor, for example. Can you see how writing a book proposal can help you to write the right book for the right audience?

5: A book proposal will help you to reach your target audience. In order to sell books to your audience, you need to know where they are—where do they buy books, what sites do they frequent, which magazines and newsletters do they read? The answer to these questions will help you to create a marketing plan. And, a marketing plan is necessary in this publishing climate. You’ll need one and your potential publisher will require one.

6: A book proposal gives you the opportunity to build promotion into your book. How do you build promotion into a book? For fiction, you might discuss a popular issue and/or choose a more promotions-friendly setting for your story, for example. Make your novel more salable by giving a character a horse, a motorcycle, diabetes or triplets. Do you see how additions such as these would give your fiction book expanded promotional options?

7: A book proposal will help you to build your platform. You won’t get very far selling books without a platform, nor will you get very far with a publisher. Publishers are interested in their bottom line. They want to know that their authors will take a strong role in the promotion of their books. What do you have going for you or what can you develop as part of your platform.

Platform, by the way, is your following; your way of attracting an audience. Publishers want authors who are known in their field or genre. They are interested in authors who prove themselves to be aggressive promoters—who are accustomed to presenting seminars, who understand the publicity business and who have the time and funds to travel and promote their books, for example. If you have never written a thriller before, start now establishing your platform. For example,

• Submit your short stories to appropriate magazines, newsletters and web sites.
• Expand your mailing list.
• Create a newsletter and/or a Web site dedicated to your book or genre.
• Develop a seminar related to your genre or the theme of your story.

The book proposal is not just for the nonfiction book anymore. Write a book proposal for your fabulous novel and you’re much more likely to experience success as an author.

© Copyright 2007, Patricia Fry

Patricia Fry is the author of 27 books, including The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, revised 2nd edition and the accompanying Author’s Workbook. www.matilijapress.com. Visit her publishing blog at www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog.

• Lake Superior Magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, fiction, columns/departments, photos/artwork. Subjects: Lake Superior region - history, current events, life styles, environment, tourism. 

• Legion Magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, photos/artwork. Subjects: Royal Candian military history, military & veterans affairs, policing issues, senior citizen. 

• Wildlife in North Carolina - Guidelines:  Pays on acceptance.  Seeks nonfiction, photos/artwork. Subjects: Fishing, hunting and outdoor recreational opportunities in North Carolina. 

• Writer's Digest - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, fiction, columns/departments, fillers. Subjects: The writing life and what it means to be a writer in today's publishing environment. 

Medium - $125 - $500

• Junior Baseball - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments, photos/artwork. Subjects: Needs and interests of the youth baseball player, parent, and coach. 

• La Cocinita - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments. Subjects: Food and lifestyle magazine that explores and highlights the best of New Mexico and the Southwest. 

• SkyWest Magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments. Subjects: Travel . 

• StarDate - Guidelines:  Pays on acceptance.  Seeks nonfiction. Subjects: Astronomy, space exploration, skylore, and skywatching. 

• Student Traveler - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments. Subjects: Motivate college students to see the world with fun, fresh editorial. 

• Teaching Theatre - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, photos/artwork. Subjects: Acting, directing, playwriting, or technical theatre. 

• Watercolor Magic - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments, photos/artwork. Subjects: Teaching a watermedia technique . 

• Workforce - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments. Subjects: Presents HR professionals with the trends & tools they need bring about important business results. 

Low - Less than $125

• Literary Traveler - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, photos/artwork. Subjects: Literary artists, composers, painters, songwriters, story-tellers, travel. 

• Living Light News - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments. Subjects: Christian profiles of sports, entertainment, business and the arts , family issues. 

• Museum News - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction. Subjects: Issues of importance to museum professionals. 

• Northern Breezes - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments, photos/artwork. Subjects: Regional sailing magazine focusing on the Great Lakes and Midwest sailing community. 

• Shades Of Romance Magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks fiction. Subjects: Romance: historical, contemporary, paranormal, mystery, regency Futuristic, and Time-Travel.. 

• StrategyPage - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction. Subjects: war, military. 

• This Magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments, photos/artwork. Subjects: politics, culture, the arts, social issues, labour, feminism and sexuality,. 

• Weekend Adventures Magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction. Subjects: vacation destinations Western Maryland, Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, Laurel Highlands of PA. 

Whether you're a freelancer just starting out or a seasoned professional, your query will carry more weight and be more salable if you can quote experts in your letter. But how can you talk to an expert when you haven't been assigned an article yet? Getting quotes is easier than you might think.

First of all, don't ask for a long interview for an unassigned article. If your query doesn't sell, you've wasted everybody's time. When you contact your potential source, ask if you can get a few quotes via email or over the phone for an article proposal you're working on. Then ask if they will talk to you at more length when you get the assignment. Unless the source asks you specifically, just tell them what kind of magazine you are querying. If your first choice editor doesn't assign an article, you can send out another query without contacting your source again. When you call for the actual interview, you can tell them what magazine will be publishing the article.

Here's how to find those experts:

1. Register as a journalist on profnet.prnewswire.com This service, provided by Business Newswire, allows journalists to find experts on a variety of topics. You post your query and then wait for someone to contact you. I'm working on an article about planning safe trips with children so I posted a request for an expert on child travel. Within hours a representative of Johns Hopkins Press put me in touch with a pediatrician who was an expert in that area.

2. Look for an author who wants to sell a book. Search on www.amazon.com for a recent book on the topic you've selected. Chances are really good that the author will be willing to answer a few questions if there's a chance for some publicity. If the author doesn't have a website, contact the book publisher. The publisher is usually happy to forward interview requests to an author.

3. Find someone near home. For an article on food safety, I remembered that I knew a dietician in my hometown who had written a column for our local newspaper. I emailed her and she was happy to speak with me and even provided me with the names of two other experts in the field.

4. Check out a college or university. If you live near one and know some professors, that's great. But even if you don't, the email addresses of faculty are usually available on a school's website. Sometimes the website will even include the interests and specialties of the professors so that you can find someone who will be a leading authority.

5. Quote the government. The websites of both state and federal governments are chockfull of reliable statistics and information. How to find the right agency or department? The website www.govspot.com has done most of the legwork for you. Organized in a comprehensible manner, the website links you to information that will give credence to your magazine query.

6. Google it if all else fails. Doing a general web search probably isn't the most efficient way to find an expert, but if your topic is really unusual, like the history of jellybeans, you will probably have to sift through a number of websites before you find the person you want.

Remember that once you have found experts, you can call on them again if you write up a query on a related topic. Using expert quotes and reliable statistics in a query letter gives an editor confidence in your abilities and proves that you are a professional.

© Copyright 2007, Susan Denney