I Don’t Only Submit to Paying Markets, But I Keep in Mind the Writers Who Do

 

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Before the month of August came around, I decided to take a break from not only my monthly newsletter, The SPARREW Newsletter, but also from my weekly Substack posts. My brother passed away close to the end of July and I needed time to focus on my grief. Plus, I had eye surgery coming up (or so I THOUGHT I did; it’s being rescheduled again! This time, possibly in September), so I did not want to stress over gathering material for my newsletter while recovering from eye surgery. (But rest assured, subscribers, that even with my eye surgery being in September, the September issue will STILL go out! I have a cut-off date of the 20 for every month on curating material for the newsletter, and the eye surgery will likely be AFTER the 20 and then that issue will go out on the 30 of September, which gives me a few days to focus on recovering from surgery!)

 

However, because there is a submission deadline coming up for one of the anthologies mentioned in previous issues of the Substack, I decided to take a break from my break to send out an “upcoming submission deadlines” issue tomorrow, August 18, to remind everyone about it. And because I recently gained 100 subscribers to my Substack (thank you, readers!), I am celebrating by throwing in other submission calls that also have forthcoming deadlines.

 

So, as I was gathering that material over the past couple of days, there is one call for submissions that made me pause.

 

This particular call for submissions did not pay writers. However, it was also hosting a contest, and only one lucky winner would receive $100.

 

That still counted as a paying opportunity for writers, right? Not in my book. Why? Because the odds of winning that contest and getting the $100 was seriously stacked up against anyone entering it, because they probably would receive a ton of submissions for it, making the competition fierce.

 

Even so, while I submit to both paying AND nonpaying markets, I understand that there are writers out there who ONLY submit to paying markets. I respect these writers, especially since I tried doing that once myself and I know how hard it can be to get an acceptance! I also keep these writers in mind when I am writing articles containing paying markets.

 

These writers would not be interested in the nonpaying markets! 

 

So in order to keep my own list of pending deadlines something that subscribers would want to know more about, I should only list the markets with forthcoming deadlines that pay writers.

 

This does not mean I frown upon the nonpaying markets. Heck, I used to be a nonpaying editor too! I have no ill will towards the nonpaying markets. They can go about doing their thing!

 

Also, the WOT anthologies which Twisted Dreams Press is still accepting submissions for only pays with a print copy of the anthology and not with money. With 70 writers in all 7 books, paying each writer with money would create bankruptcy! (Everything is out of pocket for us.) So until one of us gets an angel investor or someone makes a generous donation to the press or one of us wins the lottery, we can only pay our anthology writers with a print copy of the book.

 

But when I am the author of an article sharing about OTHER submission calls for writers, then I will list the paying opportunities. This will also apply to other submission calls I list in my Substack posts. I think that sharing only the paying opportunities for writers is my best bet, and what a majority of writers would be most interested in.

My Attempt at the "30 Days of 30 Queries" Challenge

Several years ago, I came across a type of “challenge” that a writer I knew was doing. This particular writer, Natasha Khullar Relph, is one who I have networked with for some time. I have stayed connected with Natasha since first coming across her newsletter for writers, Writers Crossing. Since then, I have stayed connected with her through Absolute Write, Facebook and Twitter. I also subscribe to her newsletters and read her work any chance that I get! Natasha is a very accomplished and talented writer and she really knows her stuff! I am grateful to have crossed paths with her, albeit through the worldwide web!

 

Anyway, when Natasha mentioned she was doing “30 Days of 30 Queries,” I became curious. This experiment turned into a course she started offering to writers.

 

I never have taken the course, but I have always wondered if I could do such a thing too.

 

At the beginning of June, I decided to finally find out!

 

The problem was that, when June 1 came around, I forgot that I had forgotten how to write queries! Whoops! It has been so long since I took a break from freelance writing that I couldn’t remember how to write a query letter!

 

So, I did a bit of research. Read a whole bunch of articles on how to write a query letter, then I gave it my best shot! (I do have Angela Hoy’s book, Query Letters That Worked, and I have read it before. But…it has been some time so I guess I should give it another read!)

 

Working through nDash helped charge my memory on how to write queries, too. Of course, the pitches which I sent to brands were not in the same format as a standard query letter, but the abstracts I had to write honed my ability to be succinct, to the point, and choose my words carefully.

 

Eventually, I was able to write a query letter with ease. After a while, and with a lot of practice, the memory of how to write a query letter did come back to me. Yay!

 

When I first started sending out the queries, I had a bunch of ideas for articles to pitch. The problem was, I had a hard time finding markets for them. ARGH! Googling for the markets did not turn up much. Thankfully, I finally got a copy of the most recent edition of Writer’s Market, so that helped a lot too.

 

Then I ran out ideas for articles! There’d be days I’d be frozen at the keyboard, wondering what to pitch.

 

That was until I remembered a whole bunch of article ideas I had either saved on the computer or written down into a notebook. That helped! I also recycled pitches that had been rejected in the past, giving them a new twist. I would also pitch article or essay ideas that were rejected on nDash, where I write content for brands.

 

The next challenge was to even REMEMBER to send out a query!

 

Now, see, this is why it’s a good idea to take the course instead of trying to do it alone. I didn’t have an email from Natasha appearing in my inbox every day, reminding me to send out a query!

 

I did, however, have my To Do lists, and that did help me to remember to send out a query sometimes. But I didn’t always use my To Do list this month, because with one kid graduating from middle school and the other not only starting summer term at the university but also changing his work schedule, things were a little crazy for a while there. So on the days I didn’t use my To Do lists, I forgot to send out a query.

 

In the end, instead of sending out 30 queries for 30 days, I only ended up sending out 12 queries in the span of 30 days.  Oh, well. At least I gave this challenge a try! LOL

 

Even so, all this querying, looking for markets and jumping on opportunities to pitch markets that put out a call for pitches has gotten me hooked! That’s right: Even though the month has come to an end, I’m not going to stop sending out queries!

 

In fact, I am planning to send one out tomorrow. Maybe two.

 

That reminds me … There was one day I sent out two queries: One to a market and one to a brand on nDash. After I started working through nDash, I began to think that it wouldn’t hurt to pitch to other markets in addition to the brands I pitch to through there. I like that idea a lot and just might keep it in my routine.

 

On the other hand, I may have scored low in sending out queries this month, but I was definitely busy also sending out poetry books and short stories to contests, anthologies, magazines and websites. That’s something which I plan to continue doing as well.

 

Here are all the queries I sent out this month. Of the 12 I sent, I’m very excited I got at least one acceptance.

 

The 12 Queries I Sent in 30 Days

 

Day One: Pitched Business Insider an article idea. No response.

Day Two: Pitched Parents & Kids an article idea. No response.

Day Three: Pitched Catster about an article idea. No response.

Day Four: Pitched Longreads for an essay. Rejected.

Day Five: Pitched Oregon Coast magazine about an article idea. No response.

Day Six: Pitched Whole Life Times an article idea. No response.

Day Seven: Longreads rejected my pitch so I sent it to Mutha Magazine. They responded with a request to submit. Accepted.

Day Seventeen: Queried Bookmarks magazine about an essay. Rejected.

ALSO ON DAY SEVENTEEN: Pitched article idea on nDash. No response.

Day Eighteen: Queried Slate about an essay. No response.

Day ???: Queried WritersWeekly about an article idea. No response.

Day 30: Pitched Newsweek about an essay.

 

I am grateful for this experience. It has definitely sharpened my skills in writing a query letter (I’m glad I remembered how to do it again!). It has also gotten me interested in keeping up with it. I may not have gotten a query out every day, but I’m definitely going to keep sending them out. Always be writing! Always be pitching! That’s my new motto for the freelance writing. Who knows? Maybe I will get those 30 queries sent out 30 days in a row. What matters is that I keep tossing my name into the hat.

Ask me if I give a....

This morning, I was surprised to read about how SNL newcomer Jenny Slate said the "f" word on Saturday night's episode--and how it slipped past censors. According to the article, East Coast viewers heard her say the "f" word loud and clear.

I was surprised by this because it's late-night TV. Why on earth would something like that be considered offensive? It's not like children are watching the show (though if they were, how did that happen? SNL isn't even suitable for young viewers, to begin with.). Additionally, swearing on a late-night TV program is not anything new. I raised an eyebrow when Andy Sipowicz called someone an "a--hole" on an episode of NYPD Blue, but the show's badge of controversy allowed for such language.

Well, according to most people who read that article, this kinda thing bored them. I, too, started to wonder why this was even "news." She only said a swear word, it's not like she flashed her boobs. Any adult who has not lived under a rock their entire lives has heard swear words, even said some swear words themselves. Swear words on a TV program, even late-night TV programs, are nothing new. Ms. Slate is not the first to say such a word on SNL -- and I have a feeling she won't be the last.

This makes one wonder what swear words are okay to say, and what words aren't. Watch any George Carlin skit and you'll hear every swear word in the book. But watch a network program and you won't hear so many. I suppose some words, "a--hole" among them, are okay, but some words are not.

As a writer, I couldn't help but equate this (unimportant) uproar with what's acceptable in literature. Perhaps with some books, some magazines and some online media, a swear word or two are allowed. But very often, a swear word will be either broken up or clustered with asterisks and dashes. In the August issue of Psychology Today, for example, the "f" word has an asterisk in it. In the September issue of Poetry Magazine, you will find the "f" word printed in all its glory. Twice.

Where do we draw the line? What kind of guidelines should we follow when we are using a swear word in our writing? Writers have long debated over whether it's a good idea to use a swear word or not. Proponents say that is how their characters speak. Opponents say, it's a lazy cop-out for good writing.

Everybody has their own writing style and their own way of writing things.

Personally, I feel that Ms. Slate's imagined slip-up wasn't really a slip-up after all. She was depicting a biker chick, and that is how a biker chick would talk. That's exactly the kind of language such a character would use.

This begs the question: Why should staying true to the character be considered such a crime?

Using the elevator pitch to come up with a subtitle

In the July/August issue of Writer's Digest Magazine, Patricia Holt discusses creating a sales pitch for your book, as part of her "Your Publishing Survival Guide" article. In this section, she noted a pet peeve:

"I'd like to throttle whoever started calling this effort [creating a sales pitch] an "elevator pitch." Writing conferences and a lot of lousy books are very big on this. An elevator pitch is that 30-second description of your book you're supposed to have ready if you find yourself in an elevator with a potential agent, editor or booker of the "Today" show. The idea is, you pin them back by their lapels and yammer your pitch quickly and loudly before the elevator gets to their floor. They're supposed to stumble out in love with your book -- but instead they regard you as a mentally ill escapee. So none of that."

As much as she dislikes the 30-second "elevator pitch," it still comes in handy for some writers. Mainly, writers trying to get a grasp on what exactly their book should be about and/or what exactly it should offer readers.

I have a new title for the Revisions book. I call it the "Revisions book" even though the word "revisions" is not in the title! Haha. But I call it that to get it across what kind of book I am talking about here. Hey, at least I'm not calling it "the TTF book" anymore. (Just a heads-up: TTF=Trimming the Fat. That's the book's OLD title. It just sounded too much like a dieting book rather than a writing book. And for future reference, RGT is "Real Ghost Towns." But that title is getting a makeover, as well.) Anyway, this new title is one I am a little unsure of, but something tells me it's catchy enough to grab interest and maybe (hopefully!) invite a browsing bookstore customer to at least pick it up, check it out and see what it's about. The title kinda makes me chuckle and blush, even though it comes from a song title, but people might think something differently when they see it. But again, my instincts are saying, "KEEP IT! It works!"

So, the title thing was not the problem.

But the SUBTITLE was! AAH!!

Not every single nonfiction book out there has a subtitle (The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking, Gem Trails of California by James R. Mitchell), but the subtitle does come in handy. The subtitle sort of acts as the anal version of that snappy title that caught a browsing customer's eye in the first place. After all, A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer is a title that made me do a double take. It caught my attention. I see that title and think, Huh? What's THAT about? And then I read the subtitle to find out: One Child's Courage to Survive. That got me interested in reading this true story. (And I read the whole book the very day I bought it!)

Now even as I had a TITLE for the Revisions book, I didn't have a good subtitle. The subtitle can be the "anal version" of your main title, but it still has to stand out just as the title stands out. It needs to be interesting. It needs to invite readers further. It needs to get a reader thinking, "Wow, I could use that info!"

So I had to REALLY come up with something good. A subtitle that would "work" just as well as my title did.

I sat down with my notebook and started to think. My muse was busying herself with this obstacle, so it was a challenge I had to tackle NOW! You cannot keep the muse waiting. And if she must wait, don't make her wait for too long!

With that little rant on elevator pitches stuck in my mind, I decided to use it to my advantage. If I was in an elevator with an editor, what would I say to grab their interest in my book? (A publishing house already has expressed interest in seeing this book once complete, but for the purposes of coming up with a subtitle, I had to imagine I was trying to "pitch" it all over again.)

Hmmmm. Let me see...what EXACTLY will this book do for readers? What does it have to offer them? What is THE main thing they will take away from this book? What will this book give them that others don't?

I started writing ideas down:

How to Take Your First Draft to Polished Piece with Editing and Revision Tips from the Pros

Hm. That one kind of put me to sleep. And it's too sloppy. I was tripping over words by mid-sentence.

From First Draft to Polished Piece

Hm. Not enough information there. And I think I'm getting too attached to that whole "polished piece" pairing. (Gah! Somebody stop me!!)

How to Turn Your First Draft into a Polished Masterpiece with Editing and Revision Tips from the Pros

Note how I stroked the writer's ego in claiming they'll be able to turn their writing into a "masterpiece"? It helps to do that, but I need to be wary of making promises I can't be sure I'll be able to keep. I WANT to help writers create a "masterpiece" out of their work, but I need to be careful that my mouth doesn't write any checks my butt can't cash.

Also, it's too long.

How to Supercharge Your Revising Skills with Tips From the Pros

I wasn't sure if "revising skills" worked better than "revision skills." (Yay! I got the word "revision" in there somewhere! Woot woot!) And the whole "Tips" thing makes it look like some repeat or knock-off of my 365 Tips for Writers book. This book is NOT similar to that book!

How to Revise Your Writing Like a Pro with Advice from the Pros

Hmmmm.....maybe? I don't like the repetition of the word "pro."

How to Revise Your Writing Like a Pro

Maybe that will work.