In this Issue:

• "Welcome" - Dan Case, editor
  
  
• Feature "Seven Ideas for Christian Inspirational Writers"
  by Mary Ann Kerl
  
  
• 14 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 week 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 now just have a few places left. 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)

Seven Ideas for Christian Inspirational Writers

The Christian inspirational market is big today. And, it’s not only fun to write in this area, it is profitable too. Even if you never wrote an inspirational article before, consider doing so. With the following ideas, you can make some extra income.

1. Visit Christian bookstores and websites regularly. Find the nearest Christian bookstore. Go to it often. Browse. See what books are on the market. Introduce yourself to the manager. Ask her what is selling. Also investigate Christian publishers’ websites. See what they are selling. Study their guidelines. Read excerpts from their publications. Research is vital for selling regularly in the Christian market today.
   
   
2. Jot notes during Sunday sermons. I flip through my sermon notes for inspiration during the week. Sermons often give me ideas for new inspirational stories and encourage me to go on when I wonder if anyone benefits from my inspirational pieces.
   
   
3. Attend church seminars. It’s uplifting to attend seminars. Tables stacked with high piles of Christian literature are often on display at seminars. (This, by the way, is a good way to promote your published inspirational books!). Study these materials. Take notes during the seminar workshops. Also pick up available handouts for new ideas and inspiration. On your way home, drop by the newspaper office to see if they are interested in a news story on the seminar. Often they are. Or, contact the newspaper office before you go to the seminar. The editor may want a certain slant to the story.
   
   
4. Use your Bible concordance. Concordances offer lots of ideas for inspirational writers. Several years ago a manager of a Christian bookstore suggested I buy a Bible with a concordance developed especially for teens, since I write for young adults. The Bible has a list of issues teens struggle with in today’s world, such as unwanted pregnancies, abortions, unwed mothers, self-esteem, homosexuality, drugs. I’ve used this concordance over and over again for research materials and ideas. As a result of using this concordance, I sold dozens of published articles and several devotion books.
   
   
5. Get with another inspirational writer. Even if an inspirational writer doesn’t live near you, obtain one by email. Look for one listed in a Christian writing newsletter or on a website. Use the search engine to find some Christian writing groups. By having an inspirational writing friend, you have someone on hand when you need help. Encourage each other by constructive critiques. Or, you can even join a writing group on the Internet for a lot of critiquing and help.
   
   
6. Do volunteer work in your church library. Get as familiar as you can with your church library. If your church doesn’t have a library, volunteer to set one up. Learn all you can about readers of inspirational writing. If your church already has a nice library, visit with the manager. Ask what church members like to read. This will give you good insight for producing work for the inspirational market.
   
   
7. Keep some Bible “promises” on hand. Years ago a friend gave me a small blue box that has hundreds of Bible verses printed on small cards. It’s designed so you can open the box and pick a card at random and—presto!—read a Bible promise. My friend thought it would inspire me when I felt discouraged about my writing, in addition to giving me ideas for writing inspirational pieces. It does.

So, incorporate these ideas into your writing world, grab a pen, and get started writing inspirational articles for today’s big market!

Here are a few markets to get you started:

Today’s Christian www.todays-christian.com
Articles or queries with a news or culture angle.  Recently raised pay from .10 a word.  Now pays .20 to .30 a word. Can email to: cteditor@christianity

Mature Living www.lifeway.com
A Christian magazine for senior citizens.  Themes of interest to senior citizens with a Christian angle. Pays $75 to $105 for features, pays on acceptance.

Christian Single www.christianstandard.com
How the church can reach out to singles. Pays $20 to $160 on publication.

The Clergy Journal www.logosproductions.com
Looking for writers who can write on assigned texts. Pays $75 to $150 on publication.

© 2010 by Mary Ann Kerl

A freelance writer, Mary Ann Kerl also teaches online communication courses for the University of Phoenix. Over 2,000 of her articles and short stories have appeared in over 100 different publications, including Writer’s Digest, The Writer, Family Circle, Home Life, Children’s Digest and others. She sold 16 books to royalty companies, including Augsburg Fortress. Her latest book, Devoted to Economizing, is planned for release with AWOC.COM Publishing.

High - Over $500

• Early American Life - Guidelines:  Pays on acceptance.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments, photos/artwork. Subjects: America from its founding through the mid-1800s. 

• Egypt Today - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, photos/artwork. Subjects: Current Egyptian affairs with some international news coverage. 

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

• 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

• Baltimore Magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on acceptance.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments, photos/artwork. Subjects: Baltimore. 

• The Bark - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Accepts simultaneous submissions.  Seeks nonfiction, fiction, columns/departments, fillers, photos/artwork. Subjects: Dogs. 

• Black Belt - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Accepts simultaneous submissions.  Seeks nonfiction, photos/artwork. Subjects: Martial arts styles & techniques, training methods, history, health and fitness, interviews. 

• Blue Ridge Country - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments, photos/artwork. Subjects: Blue Ridge region, traditions, recipes, recreation, travel, country stores, bed-and-breakfast inns. 

• Cat Fancy - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments. Subjects: Cat care for the responsible owner. 

Low - Less than $125

• Bird Watchers Digest - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction. Subjects: Bird watching, birders, travelogue. 

• Farm Collector Magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, photos/artwork. Subjects: Antique farm equipment, collections, restoration projects, early farm practices, unique collections. 

• INTHEFRAY Magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, fiction, columns/departments, photos/artwork. Subjects: News, travel, general, literary. 

• Island Angler - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, photos/artwork. Subjects: Fresh and saltwater fisheries of Vancouver Island. 

• Online Dating Magazine - Guidelines:  Pays on publication.  Seeks nonfiction, columns/departments. Subjects: Online Dating, Self-Improvement, Dating in general, Romance. 

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