In this Issue:

• "Welcome" - Dan Case, editor
  
  
• Feature "Six Freelance Habits That Brand You As an Amateur with Editors" by Jennifer Brown Banks
  
  
• 12 Paying Markets - High, Medium, and Low
  

Want to contribute to this newsletter? We are a paying market. Read our guidelines for contributors here: http://www.writingfordollars.com/wfdguidelines.cfm

Welcome

One of the best things you can do to become a successful writer or to make more money as a writer is to attend good writing conferences. I’d like to invite each of you to join me at one of the largest and best writing conferences in the country this month on April 29 thru May 1 in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc (OWFI) is holding its 42nd annual writers’ conference, “Write Every Day,” at the beautiful Embassy Suites Hotel on Meridian Street. There will be thirty speakers and presenters putting on more than forty workshops, panels and speeches. Plus, there will be buzz sessions on Friday night, bonus workshops on Thursday night and Friday and Saturday at lunchtime, appointments available with agents and editors, and plenty of opportunity to smooze with all thirty of the guest speakers. You can take them to lunch, sit in a buzz session in their hotel room, or sit and have a conversation with one at breakfast. There will be a famous authors’ banquet on Friday night and an awards banquet on Saturday night… all included in your conference fee of $175 for the 2-day conference.

Who will be there? NY Times bestselling author Dana Stabenow (www.stabenow.com) will be the Keynote speaker at the Friday night banquet and will be smoozing around at the conference for the entire weekend. There will be an autograph party and booksigning on Saturday afternoon so you can get those autographed books. In addition to Dana, there will such notable speakers as Jane Friedman of Writer’s Digest, writer Kelly James-Enger (www.becomebodywise.com), writer Jessica Burkhart (www.jessicaburkhart.com), writer Deborah LeBlanc (www.deborahleblanc.com), writer Christina Katz (www.christinakatz.com), writer Page Lambert (www.pagelambert.com), writer Jory Sherman (www.jorysherman.com) (Jory Sherman has written over 400 published novels!), writer Nancy Robinson Masters (www.nancyrobinsonmasters.com), writer Margaret Daley (www.margaretdaley.com), writer K.D. Wentworth (www.kdwentworth.com), four agents, eight editors, and many more.

And best of all, the conference will be hosted by ME! Yes, I am the president of OWFI this year and I was able to invite many of my favorite authors, agents and editors, and to put together my dream writing conference. Plan on attending, please! You can find details and forms for signing up on the OWFI website (www.OWFI.org). But hurry, space is limited to the first 400 who sign up and we are already half full. See you there!

You can follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChickenWriter and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1041077107
I'll tweet you some interesting articles and markets!

How to Promote Your Book Get new ideas to promote your book at promotebooks.blogspot.com. Please visit and leave a comment or two.

Check out the article database. Our inventory of over 500 past articles from WFD is available to search and read. Find just the right information you need to make a few more bucks this year.

Don't forget our database of writer’s guidelines is readily available to everyone for FREE! All links have been checked within the last year (the date that they were last checked is listed) so you can be sure to have the most up-to-date information.

Here are the top-selling writing books at AWOCBooks.com - $1 SHIPPING on selected books! ($2.95 value)

1. The Complete Guide to Writing & Selling Magazine Articles 2nd Edition by Peggy Fielding and Dan Case. $1 SHIPPING!
   
2. Confessing for Money 2nd Edition Writing and Selling to the SECRET Short Story Market by Peggy Fielding $1 SHIPPING!
   
3. Who's Your Daddy? by Carolyn B. Leonard $1 SHIPPING!
   
4. Inspire! Writing from the Soul by Linda C. Apple $1 SHIPPING!
5. Preserving Family Legends for Future Generations by M. Carolyn Steele $1 SHIPPING!
   
6. The Organized Writer is a Selling Writer by Kathryn Lay. $1 SHIPPING!
   
7. Magic Steps to Writing Success by Charles W. Sasser. $1 SHIPPING!
   
8. Devoted to Writing! by Nancy Robinson Masters & Maurice Parsley Mallow $1 SHIPPING!
   
9. Journal Jumpstart for Writers by Jennifer DiCamillo $1 SHIPPING!
   
10. Be Your Own Book Doctor: So You Can Cure What Ails Your Writing by Robyn Conley.
    

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

Six Freelance Habits That Brand You As an Amateur with Editors

Of course it goes without saying, that freelance writers seeking creative clients and pay for their say, should put their best foot forward in making first impressions with editors, business owners, and publishers. When submitting proposals, query letters, and letters of introduction, “tooting your own horn” becomes necessary in order to garner attention and gain a competitive edge. However, what you say and how you say it will give tell-tale clues about your professionalism, level of exposure, and your freelance savvy. In fact, it’s as reflective of who you are as your actual writing.

As the former senior editor of a regional publication, I can attest that there are some habits that prevent writers from getting high paid assignments or repeat work. Here are the most common ones:

1. Not doing required homework—No matter how eloquently you express yourself, if you send a submission that deals with a subject area that’s not typically dealt with by your targeted publication, you’ll come off as a rookie. Just as you would research the history of a corporation for which you would interview for a 9 to 5 gig, you need to look up writers’ guidelines, browse web sites, and purchase sample copies to move forward in the selection process. If you didn’t spend time getting to know them, why should they spend time getting to know you?
   
   
2. Not observing proper protocol—If guidelines state that a “query” is required, or that submissions must be emailed, or that the response time is 6 weeks, you need to honor these rules, no matter how unfair or even ridiculous you might consider them. Not doing so is the quickest way to get fired before you’re hired.  
   
   
3. Not being “polished”—Everybody makes mistakes every now and then. Nobody’s perfect. Still there are some things that are basic in terms of writing ability and skill. Subject and verb agreement is one of them. Also, being able to correctly distinguish homophones like “their” and “there,” too and “to.” Word to the wise—spell check won’t always detect these types of errors.
   
   
4. Making exaggerated claims—There’s a difference between being confident and being cocky. For example, to say your work is “the best in the Midwest”, or “outstanding”, or that you’re the next Stephen King is a little bit egotistical, and many times without merit. Instead, “show don’t tell.” List the titles of national, well regarded publications in which you’ve been published, or projects that received high visibility, or quote positive comments you’ve received from editors and clients. Ideally, the quality of your work should speak for itself.
   
   
5. Not having a website or Blog—An online presence through a website shows that you’re serious about your craft, and that you recognize the importance of this powerful medium. Even if your work appears in numerous publications on other people’s sites, having your own zone centralizes your work, and saves editors time and hassle from following numerous links.
   
   
6. Publishing credits primarily through “content mills”—Where you’ve published is just as important as how often you’ve published. All credits are not considered equal. To start off with places like Associated Content, EzineArticles.com, Helium, and places in this category, are quite fine initially, for a little exposure and writing experience. Just know that they won’t be held highly for serious consideration in most paying gigs. In fact, this was established recently in an editorial by Hope Clark, Editor and founder of Funds for Writers.

By addressing and correcting these six habits, you’ll increase your bottom line and your odds for success in your freelance career.

© 2010 by Jennifer Brown Banks

Jennifer Brown Banks is a veteran freelance writer, columnist and editor. She teaches online classes at www.coffeehouseforwriters.com Visit her site at: http://penandprosper.blogspot.com/

High - Over $500

• Cruising World - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments, photos/artwork. Subjects: Cruising, sailing, travel. 

• Fast Company - Guidelines:  Pays on acceptance.  Seeks nonfiction. Subjects: Business, technology, economy. 

Medium - $125 - $500

• Austin Home & Living - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, photos/artwork. Subjects: Austin homes, food, gardening and decorating. 

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

• Renaissance Magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction. Subjects: Renaissance, Middle Ages, historical, martial arts, recipes, travel, reenactment/roleplaying groups. 

• Tennessee Wildlife magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, photos/artwork. Subjects: Tennessee wildlife, fishing, hunting. 

• The Village Family Magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction. Subjects: Parenting. 

Low - Less than $125

• Arts & Letters - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Accepts simultaneous submissions.  Seeks nonfiction, fiction, fillers. Subjects: Poetry, art, fiction, non-fiction. 

• BackHome - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, photos/artwork. Subjects: Gardening, home construction repair, workshop, cooking , crafts, recreation, family vacation, livest. 

• Bible Advocate - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Accepts simultaneous submissions.  Seeks nonfiction, fillers. Subjects: Christian living, bible, social issues, religious issues, prophecy. 

• The Dabbling Mum - Guidelines:  Pays on acceptance.  Seeks nonfiction, photos/artwork. Subjects: Writing, small business, parenting, recipes. 

• Radish magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments. Subjects: Diet, cooking, health and fitness, local farmers and farmers' markets Illinois and Iowa. 

Check out the latest articles in
How to Promote Your Book BLOG
Find out what works.

Join the Writing for DOLLARS! group on Facebook.

Writing for DOLLARS!
is a publication of
AWOC.COM Publishing.