In this Issue:

• "Welcome" - Dan Case, editor
  
• Feature "D-E-V-O-T-E-D: Seven Sales Strategies For Selling Devotionals" by Nancy Robinson Masters
  
• 11 Paying Markets - High, Medium, and Low
  
• Feature "Conference 101" by Mary Ann Powers

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Welcome

Whew! I've been busy this month. On the 4th and 5th, I attended the Oklahoma Writers' Federation Inc annual conference in Oklahoma City. I met with many writers and received several pitches for books to publish — some that I am seriously considering.

On the 9th through the 19th, I followed writer Charles W. Sasser in search of Sasquatch. Yes, the fabled tall hairy guy with big feet. Big Foot. The search took us to such places as the Kiamichi Mountains of Oklahoma, Paris (Texas not France), Northern California, Pocatello (Idaho), and a side trip to Northeastern Arizona to examine some Anasazi (cliff dwellers) ruins. As well as learning a lot about Sasquatch and the Anasazi, I discovered first hand how an adventure writer works. How he takes photos, how he comes up with ideas for magazine articles, interviewing techniques and much more. It was an experience of a lifetime. I learned more in 10 days about how this successful writer works than I could from a couple of years in a classroom. You can get a little bit of the education I received from reading Charles W. Sasser's book, Magic Steps to Writing Success (below).

And no, we didn't find Sasquatch. Although, I started out the journey expecting to speak to a bunch of kooks, I was surprised that all we found were intelligent, sane people who convinced me that there might be something out there. I certainly found a LOT of wilderness where a large mammal might go undetected for a long time. Sasser invited me to co-write a book which he has already had some success pitching to a New York publisher. Naturally, I was glad to accept his invitation! More on this later.

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7. THE RIGHT WAY TO WRITE, PUBLISH AND SELL YOUR BOOK by Patricia Fry
   
8. BE YOUR OWN BOOK DOCTOR: So You Can Cure What Ails Your Writing by Robyn Conley.
   
9. MAGIC STEPS TO WRITING SUCCESS by Charles W. Sasser. FREE SHIPPING!
   
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Dan Case, editor
editor@writingfordollars.com (put WFD in the subject line)

There is no lack of markets for making money as a devotional writer. For example, more than 60 guidelines for religious/inspirational publications are available in this newsletter’s database of guidelines (http://writingfordollars.com/Guidelines.cfm). The 2007 edition of Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers’ Market Guide (http://stuartmarket.com) boasts 1,200 market listings which include hundreds of opportunities for devotional sales. Keep reading further in this article and you’ll find links to more websites where you can find markets to share your spiritual discoveries and earn money doing so.

A single devotional is not the most lucrative writing sale. Payments range from simply having a byline to $100 (occasionally more). The savvy devotional writer, however, will recognize the potential for increasing your earnings because writing devotionals that average 250-500 words will permit you to produce more in less time.

Increase your sales by following these seven strategies of a D-E-V-O-T-E-D writer:

D-Develop a Larger Marketplace Mentality

Most of us who write from a Christian theology are as familiar with publications like Guideposts, Our Daily Bread, and Upper Room as we are with the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Guidelines for submitting to these popular markets are readily available on the Web or upon request via snail mail.

So are guidelines for more than 300 other publications that use devotionals! For example, check out http://netministries.org where you’ll find a list of devotional sites, many you’ve possibly never heard of. These are the Obadiahs, Zechariahs, and Malachis of the devotional world. Some may be lesser known, but are not necessarily lesser-paying markets for your work. Research their guidelines and submit to these markets rather than focusing all of your efforts on the more familiar. Editors may pay for your submissions if you will write what they are looking for, not what you want to sell to someone else.

Be aware that Christianity is not the only faith that beckons devotional writers. Go to www.beliefnet.com to see a spectrum of devotional writing from a variety of spiritual viewpoints.

E- Expect to Receive.

Devotionals are often written in first person. Avoid repetition of the pronoun I as much as possible. I does not inspire. It irritates. Fewer I’s for the editor’s eyes will give your writing more eye-appeal.

V-Verily, Verily, Verify

You may have memorized the 23rd Psalm, but do you know how to punctuate it when writing it on paper? Did you memorize the King James Version or the New King James Version? Translation differences may be subtle, but misquoting a version or misprinting that version’s spelling, punctuation, or grammar is a deadly devotional writing sin. Maurice and I used quotes from more than a dozen translations and paraphrase editions. We made mistakes in the process that would have caused an editor to question our credibility if we had not been vigilant in verifying the accuracy before we submitted our manuscript.

O-Omit Preaching, Pouting, Prodding and Pointing of Fingers

Short writing does not mean shoddy writing. Resist the urge to preach a sermon, pout for pity, use guilt to prod or point fingers with your words. Start with a title that hooks readers and draws them to you as if you were putting your arm over their shoulders. Use quick action and dialogue to move the conflict toward resolution, the search toward discovery, the dark toward the light. End with a satisfying conclusion. Allow the readers to take something away to praise or ponder from a new perspective, but don’t end with words that shove a finger in their chests and yell, “So there!”

T-Target Without Excluding

Editors who buy devotionals aimed at Christians also want to reach readers who are not Christians. Devotionals for moms that alienate women who aren’t mothers are not likely to sell. Just because a publication says it is for senior adults, don’t assume newlyweds don’t read it.

The best way to target a particular audience without excluding another is to include universal emotions all readers can identify with: Joy, sorrow, fear, frustration, kindness, hurt, embarrassment, etc. No matter who the audience or what the theme, you enhance your devotional’s salability using feelings to which anyone can relate. This is especially important when submitting to markets on the Web that are available to a global readership. Remember the adage that a smile is a smile in any language.

E-Expect to be Attacked by the Prosperity Pickers

Expect to receive criticism for wanting payment for writing devotionals. If you choose to give them away, that’s between you and God. It is also between you and God to submit to markets that offer payment. If someone questions your motives, remind them that Psalm 35:27 (King James Version) states “the Lord hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.”

Also, when a publication offers payment, expect to receive it. In more than twenty years of writing for numerous devotional markets, I have never failed to get what I was promised. However, it pays to be wise. When you make a sale, get confirmation in writing of the amount and when you will receive it.

D-Don’t Take Off Till You Know How to Land

Getting paid to write devotionals for a website several years ago was like Moses tasting manna for the first time. What was it that caused me to ignore all other writing opportunities and plunge into producing devotional after devotional? My ego envisioned sharing a writer’s conference panel with Max Lucado or Joyce Meyer, and perhaps working with Billy Graham on his next best seller. None of those things happened.

One of the first lessons I learned as a pilot was that there has to be a landing for every take-off in order for a pilot to be successful. In order to be successful as a devotional writer, you need to be like the shepherds who, after seeing the Christ child in the manger, returned to tending their flocks. My failure to “tend the flock” of improving my writing skills after that taste of success cost me dearly. Expect to make a sale with every submission. If you don’t, expect to land and take care of the sheep—improve your writing skills—then take-off again. It‘s part of being D-E-V-O-T-E-D to writing.

© Copyright 2007, Nancy Robinson Masters

Just released, DEVOTED TO WRITING by Nancy Robinson Masters & Maurice Parsley Mallow from AWOC.COM Publishing FREE SHIPPING!

Need a speaker for your next writing workshop or women’s retreat? Contact Nancy at masair@abilene.com or go to http://NancyRobinsonMasters.com Nancy is an inspiring award-winning author of more than 20 books and thousands of published articles. Her “Masters Degree” workshops and visiting author programs will have you climbing on course to write what sells, and sell what you write.

• The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction - Guidelines:  Pays on acceptance.  Seeks fiction. Subjects: Fantasy, SciFi. 

• Flare - Guidelines:  Pays on acceptance.  Seeks nonfiction. 

• Texas Co-op Power - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments, fillers, photos/artwork. Subjects: Daily life in contemporary Texas, cooking, recreation, gardening, things to do/places to go. 

Medium - $125 - $500

• Beckett Media - Guidelines:  Publishes at least 15 magazines, including Beckett Baseball, Beckett Basketball, Beckett Elite, Beckett eSports, Beckett Football, Beckett Hockey, Beckett Magic: The Gathering, Beckett Massive Online Gamer, Beckett Pokemon, Beckett Racing, Beckett Yu-Gi-Oh! Collector, and Neopets the Official Magazine. Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction. Subjects: collecting, games

• Filmfax - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction. Subjects: Film, TV, Horror, Sci-Fi, 'B' movies. 

• Finescale Modeler - Guidelines:  Pays on acceptance.  Seeks nonfiction, photos/artwork. Subjects: Modeling technique. 

• Firehouse Magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments, photos/artwork. Subjects: Fire service, firefighting equipment, methods, history. 

• What's Up Kids Magazine Ltd - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments, fillers. Subjects: national magazine for Canadian parents and kids. 

Low - Less than $125

• Driftwood - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, fiction. Subjects: fiction, non-fiction, travel essays, literary translations, photography and art.. 

• Fibre Focus - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, fiction, photos/artwork. Subjects: Handweaving, Spinning, Basketry, Beading, and Other Fiber Arts. 

• Student Leader - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction. Subjects: Student Government-related issues, concerns, and solutions . 

There is more to a writing conference than showing up and taking a few notes. It’s an opportunity to promote yourself that you should use to your advantage. Do a little research and choose one that will further your career without breaking your budget. With a careful planning you can get a big return for the dollars spent.

Make a list of all the conferences that interest you and are within your means to attend. Find them by asking other writers, contacting local writing groups and searching the Internet.

Now is the time to do your homework. Study the list of speakers for each conference. Go to their websites. Find out what genre they handle. If they deal with your genre go to the library. Check out the books they have most recently agented/published. Their website should contain this information. Google them. Read interviews and gain some insight into their personality. This research will give you everything needed to make a good decision.

Once you’ve registered for the conference of your choice, you must prepare for it. Have business cards printed. At minimum, they should contain your name, contact information and website address. No website? Then it’s time to get one. You’ve got to take yourself seriously as a writer. Serious writers have websites.

Perfect your pitch. The elevator pitch, one or two sentences, needs to be especially smooth. Practice it on any unwitting soul who asks what you write. An example of a bad pitch would be: I’ve written an 892 page memoir about my life. My husband/mom/cat really likes it. A better pitch is: I was an Army nurse in Korea and I’ve written about my experiences.

Once you’re at the conference, remember, you’re not only selling your writing, you’re selling yourself. It’s a package deal. Appearance and personality count in the publishing game. Be confident and personable.

When you talk to a speaker/agent/editor make yourself memorable, but not in a bad way. No need to discuss the changes your doctor made to your psych meds last week. Relate something unusual or interesting about yourself. Can’t think of anything? Make it up, you’re a writer. When you send follow up emails mention it again. It’ll help them pick you out of the crowd.

Some conferences encourage you to take a speaker to lunch. If you don’t get that opportunity because three hundred other people were ahead of you, don’t give up hope. Speakers are people who are away from their homes and families just like you. They mill aimlessly in the atrium, eat complimentary breakfasts and hang out in the bar. Invite a speaker/editor/agent to join you. They don’t want to drink or eat alone any more than you do. Have that smooth elevator pitch ready.

Network, network, network with other writers. There’s nothing better than being around a few hundred people who are interested in the same thing you are. Hand out those cards. At worst you’ll get a few more hits on your website. At best you’ll gain a new friend. Gather cards or at least names and emails from other writers. You can use them to build your mailing list. Publishers love it when you have a mailing list.

When you get home it’s time for more work. First mail out any manuscripts/synopses/queries/articles that were promised. Then read back through the conference notes and fill in any blanks while you can still remember.

Write thank you notes/emails to all of the speakers/agents/editors at the conference. Put the conference name in the subject line to keep from being deleted. Don’t forget to mention that unusual or interesting thing that made you stand out.

Last, email all of those charming writers whose information you gathered. Just a little nice to meet you note. This should get you on their contacts list. When you send out a big mailing about your new novel, you won’t be sent directly to the junk mail folder.

Now you have business cards, a website, a perfect pitch, invaluable contacts, and a mailing list. Not to mention all that you learned during the actual sessions. That’s a bargain in anybody’s book.

© Copyright 2007, Mary Ann Powers

Mary Ann Powers is a part time freelance writer. Her award-winning story "Hawks" is featured in the Writing On Walls Anthology available at awocbooks.com. Visit her website at maryannpowers.com