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About This Guide and the Fool Who Created It
Hello, writer. You're here for tips on getting your fiction and non-fiction published. I'd love to be the guy who dispenses all this advice -- for the low, low price of a new BMW -- but I'm a ham-and-egger who's had the good fortune to be writing about stocks and personal finance for The Motley Fool for six years now.
What I need as a writer is a resource to help with selling my other work -- the stuff that covers my obsessions with baseball, my wife, our three children, fantasy sports, real sports, space monkeys, Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, and the Tao of Laziness. Herewith you'll find links to query writing tips, writer's guidelines, and advice for making money as a scribe -- most freely available on the Web. Cool, eh? Thanks for reading. If you have suggestions for how to improve this guide, send them to me via Twitter. (Follow me here.) Don't know much about Twitter? Try Guy Kawasaki's "How to Use Twitter as a Twool." Then, when you're feeling twitterific, join me and fellow freelancer Lydia Dishman (@LydiaBreakfast) for editorchat on Twitter on Wednesday evenings from 8:30-10 pm pm eastern. Think of it as the world's cheapest real-time writer's conference. Details at editorchat.wordpress.com. Finally, if you like The Freelance Writer's Helper, you can leave a tip via Twitter using Tipjoy. Happy writing, Tim -- Tim Beyers Writer, Big Idea Capitalist Foolish musings The Social Writer C: 303-881-6467 E: tbeyers@gmail.com iChat and AOL IM: timbeyers@mac.com MSN: tbeyers@earthlink.net Yahoo!: milehighfool Contributors
the Dether.net
The personal blog of writer Darrell Etherington (@drizzled), who also contributes to TheAppleBlog and WebWorkerDaily. Michelle Rafter
Reports on HR and tech and writes about freelancing at her blog, WordCount. (@michellerafter on Twitter) The Other -F- Word
Blog by features writer Lydia Dishman. Check out her post about what we call ourselves. Source: Lydia Dishman (@LydiaBreakfast).
Ron S. Doyle
Freelance Writer Secret Shopper Social Media Consultant Blogger Landlord Reverend of the Universal Life Church. Creator of Twittercize (@Twittercize). Agents
Nathan Bransford
Agent with the San Francisco office of Curtis Brown Ltd. Querying advice here. (On Twitter: @NathanBransford) Greg Daniel
Founder of Daniel Literary Group in Nashville. Seeking popular non-fiction and some fiction. Submissions via email only, please. Guidelines. (On Twitter: @DanielLiterary) Diana Fox
Owner of Fox Literary Agency, a self-described boutique firm. Mostly seeks commercial fiction. Submission guidelines. (On Twitter: @dianafox) Rachelle Gardner
Agent at WordServe Literary in Colorado. Blogs here. Represents authors of faith but taking more mainstream work. (No science fiction or fantasy, however.) Submission guidelines. (On Twitter: @RachelleGardner) Jennifer Jackson
Agent at Donald Maass Literary Agency. Blogs here. Specializes in fiction and suggests e-mail queries. Fun link: Jennifer on the pleasure of writing as an act rather than a financial pursuit. Submission guidelines. (On Twitter: @arcaedia) Deidre Knight
Founder of The Knight Agency, which specializes in romance and other spicy fiction. Blog (here) features more promotion than advice. Worth checking out before querying, however. Submission guidelines. (On Twitter: @DeidreKnight) Colleen Lindsay
Agent with FinePrint Literary Management, co-host of Twitter discussion #QueryFail. Also keeps a fine blog called The Swivet and has specific submission guidelines. (On Twitter: @Colleen_Lindsay) Lauren MacLeod
Agent with The Strothman Agency in Boston and co-host of #QueryFail. Specializes in young-adult fiction and non-fiction. Agency submission guidelines. (On Twitter: @BostonBookGirl) Kristin Nelson
Founder of the Nelson Literary Agency in Denver. Writes the useful and link-loaded Pub Rants blog. Seeks fiction, mostly. Submission guidelines. Janet Reid
Agent with FinePrint Literary Management. Regularly blogs here. Seeks narrative fiction and non-fiction per her submission guidelines. (On Twitter: @Janet_Reid) Associations
American Independent Writers
Washington, DC group created specifically to represent the interests of freelance writers. Hosts regular "pubspeaks" with authors, workshops and an annual conference. Partners with Chesapeake Benefit Services to offer health insurance to members. Source: Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Colorado Authors' League
Offers grants, student scholarships and author pages for its members. Only published freelancers, poets, and authors are eligible. Editorial Freelancers Association
Based in New York City, group is billed as for all editorial freelancers -- from copy editors to designers to writers. Dues are $125 a year for NYC residents and $105 for others. Has a menu of health insurance offerings for members. Source: Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Freelancers Union
Offers free profile pages and insurance to those based in NY. Primary purpose is lobbying on behalf of freelancers. Mystery Writers of America
An association for those who write mystery novels, crime stories, etc. Interesting tidbit: Has contests for both readers and writers. National Writers Union
Union affiliated with the UAW that lobbies for increased benefits for writers. Don't know much more, though. Please send me your opinions. Northern Colorado Writers
Association for writers in and around the Fort Collins, CO area. Sponsors contests and an annual conference. This year's to be held April 3-4 at the Fort Collins Hilton. Contact NCW Director Kerrie Flanagan for more or with questions about membership. (On Twitter: @thewritingbug) Oklahoma Writers' Federation, Inc.
A multi-genre writers’ organization with more than 800 members from across the United States and around the world. They hold the oldest and most respected writers' conference in the Midwest. Writers can join as members-at-large or through an affiliate group. (On Twitter: @OWFI) Source: Jen Nipps The Authors Guild
No longer a member -- joined for the dental insurance but found it wasn't worth the price. Members say that contract review process is the group's most valuable benefit. Blogging Services
Blogger
Google's blogging system. CNET review of the platform. WordPress
Competitor to Blogger. Has a good list of users, including eBay and The New York Times. John Dvorak's ongoing review of the platform. TypePad
Blogging service that you have to pay for. Good news? Seth Godin uses it and Seth Godin is cool. CNET review of the platform. Blogging Tips
About Your Book
Learn to Write a Book
Key insight: Write a book proposal before the book. Know your market, reader, etc. Communities
AuthorSpace
A small community of writers built on Ning. Source: Russell Smitheram (@Russ_Smitheram). Contests
Atlanta Review -- Poetry 2009
An international poetry competition. $5 for first poem and $3 for each subsequent submission. Include a SASE to be notified of competition results. Winner will be published in the Atlanta Review and earn $2,009 in winnings. Deadline: May 8, 2009. Source: FundForWriters newsletter by C. Hope Clark (@hopeclark on Twitter) Databases
Duotrope's Digest
Sources: @netta50 and @MercenaryWriter. Claims to have indexed more than 2,300 publishers of fiction. A trial search of science fiction publishers yielded good results. Please write me if you use it. Query Letters
About.com Query Letter of the Week
Writers critiquing each other's queries in a group effort to get more work published. Should You Hire a Query Writing Helper?
Interesting blog post by Denver-based agent Kristin Nelson. Key excerpt: "As long as you end up with a strong letter that you believe fully represents your work, I, as the agent, will not ask if you wrote your own query letter." More: Nelson Literary Agency. Related Income Ideas
How to Start Speaking at Events
Very interesting article by blogger Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan). Best idea: Blog your speech. Sites With Job Listings
Tends to focus on full time editorial positions, but you'll also find some freelance opportunities mixed in. A few of them only offer exposure, so choose your gigs carefully. Source: @UrbanMuseWriter It's free to view the job listings, but you'll need to $7/month to apply for jobs. Also includes design, web development, and other freelance gigs in addition to writing. Source: @UrbanMuseWriter FundsForWriters
Comprehensive site that also publishers regular newsletters about paying markets, contests, etc. Also publishes a subscription newsletter that covers higher-paying gigs ($350 and up) -- $12 per year. C. Hope Clark is editor and on Twitter as @hopeclark. She also blogs here. Includes full time, part time, and freelance opportunities for media professionals. I believe you need to register to view the jobs, but they tend to be pretty good leads. Source: @UrbanMuseWriter ProBlogger's blog job board
Source: @problogger. Many of these will be corporate blogging gigs but, hey, it's writing work. The Business of Freelancing
8 Tips for Growing Your Freelance Business
Writers that don't work on their craft and network, don't eat. Best tip: Twitter can improve your writing. I'll say. Source: Jenny Cromie (@JennyCromie). Submitted by Lynn McFarlane (@LynnMcFarlane). 3 Free Resources for Freelance Writers
Prepared by Darrell Etherington (@drizzled) and features The Helper (woo hoo!). Tips From Experts
High Fiber Ideas for the Constipated Writer
Article on ways to add high fiber to a writer's diet by freelancer Annetta Ribken (On Twitter: @netta50) Editor Unleashed
Blog kept by former Writer's Digest editor Maria Schneider. Excellent resource for both established and new writers. (On Twitter: @mariaschneider) Freelance Folder
Employs a team of writers who cover varying freelance topics. Site is also home to authors of The Unlimited Freelancer. Source: @FreelanceFolder Freelance Switch
Regular advice columns from established experts. Not merely limited to writers. Site also caters to freelance cartoonists, designers, etc. Yours truly recently named as one of its top 17 freelance writers and communications consultants to follow on Twitter. (Blushes.) Submission guidlines. On Twitter as @FreelanceSw. The Golden Pencil
A blog dedicated to freelance writing. Maintained by @JennyCromie. Very rich link list. Web Writer Boot Camp
Tip provided by @netta50. Run by SEO expert Paul Lalley, the site offers tips for getting your Web copy noticed by readers and search engines. The Well-Fed Writer
Tips for those who write commercially. Think white papers, speeches, etc. (I've done this; it's excellent work if you can get it.) Tools
The Story Starter
More than 373 million prompts for writers stuck at the starting line. Source: Joel Heffner. Writer's Guidelines - Book Publishers
DAW Books
A Penguin books imprint that specializes in science fiction and fantasy. Currently accepting submissions. No queries necessary; send whole manuscript. Guidelines here. Writer's Guidelines - Literary Journals
Boston Review
Also accepts a limited amount of non-fiction writing. Has an interesting online submissions system. Colorado Review
Affiliated with Colorado State University. Submissions read from Sept. 1 to April 30. Emrys Journal
Based in South Carolina. Submissions for fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction accepted. No simultaneous submissions. Submit between Aug. 1 and Nov. 1. Glimmer Train NEW!
Accepts fiction submissions all year long. Some submissions include a reading fee but prizes range into the thousands of dollars. Submission guidelines. (Posted by Tim Beyers, @milehighfool.) Hub City Writers Project: Outdoor Anthology NEW!
A special volume that will carry essays about experiences in the outdoors of Upstate South Carolina more info about them at www.hubcity.org. (Posted by Lydia Dishman, @LydiaBreakfast.) Kaleidoscope
Published twice a year. Deadlines are Aug. 1 and March 1. All articles must address disability in some form. Oregon Humanities
Prefers electronic queries and submissions. Review issue topics before querying or submitting. The Oxford American
Only considers stories and articles about the South. Query and submit accordingly. SPIDER
Not exactly a literary journal but too much like one to be called a magazine. Publishes fiction and poetry, mostly for children ages 6 to 9. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig. (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) The Southernmost Review
Edited by Darrell Etherington (@drizzled). Accepts essays, reviews, interviews and fiction. Writer's Guidelines - Magazines
American Girl
Bi-monthly magazine for girls 8 and up. Accepts fction and non-fiction but be sure to tailor idea for younger girls, pre-teens especially. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) American Heritage
Guidelines refer both the the main magazine and American Heritage Invention & Technology. Keep proposals to no more than 1,000 words. Do not send complete manuscripts. Submission guidelines (downloads a PDF file). America's Civil War
Part of the Weider History Group of publications. No specific guidelines; editors recommend that writers study the magazine and query based on your interests and expertise. E-mail and snail mail queries accepted. Submission guidlines. BACKPACKER
Allow 2 to 4 weeks for a reply but submit to the editor of the section for which you want to write. Please note the five bullet points highlighting the attributeds of a good article as the editors see it. (On Twitter: @BackpackerMag) Boys' Life
Magazine for Boy Scouts. Accepts both non-fiction and fiction but all articles are commissioned. Query first. Submission guidelines here (downloads a PDF file). Briarpatch
Mostly interested in well-researched essays on little-covered or politically charged topics. ColoradoBiz
Business magazine for all of Colorado. Pays 40 cents a word. Numbers, sidebars and plain language are a plus. Query at least 10 weeks ahead of your target publish date (if you have one in mind). Submission guidelines. El Andar
Written for the Latino community. Appears to be very liberal with rights to help writers get the most from their work. Harper's Magazine
America's oldest general interest monthly. Unsolicited non-fiction manuscripts not accepted but does occasionally take unsolicited fiction. Submission guidelines. On Twitter as @Harpers. Legal Assistant Today
Audience is paralegals hoping to climb the career ladder. Editors, in particular, looking for "how to" articles. Not clear if querying is required; appears as though complete manuscripts are accepted and may even be encouraged. Buys first North American rights and non-exclusive Web rights. Submission guidelines (downloads a PDF). Link provided courtest of freelance writer Susan Johnston. (@UrbanMuseWriter on Twitter) Metropolis Magazine
Covers the dsign industry but in feature-length detail. Most telling guideline quote: "A design firm’s newest work isn’t a story, but the issues that their work brings to light might be." MORE
Aimed at women aged 45-64. Query first. Does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Average story length is 2,000 words. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig. (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) Mother Jones
National magazine seeking freelancers to cover national news stories. Also open to analysis and opinion pieces. Be sure to spend adequate time explaining your unique qualifications for writing. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig. (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) Music for the Love of It
Call -- that's right, call -- with your story ideas. Editor Ted Rust publishes his phone number with the publication's submission guidelines, found here. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig. (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) New West
Send queries via email to query@newwest.net. Robert Struckman edits the magazine while Courtney Lowery edits online content. Also hosts a blog network. Story ideas must relate to the mountain west. Writer's guidelines. (On Twitter as @NewWest.) PINK
Written for successful women business executives or entrepreneurs. Editors expect on-the-record interviews with top-level subjects; women that readers would want to hear from. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtest of freelance writer Susan Johnston. (@UrbanMuseWriter on Twitter) Poets & Writers
Wasn't sure if this belonged under Literary journals. Publishers of "The Practical Writer," guidelines offer tips for submitting stories about the writing life. Runner's World
Pay attention to this advice: "These departments offer the best opportunities for freelancers: Real Runners, Race Roundup, Rave Run and Personal Record." San Diego Family
Kudos to the magainze for very comprehensive submission guidelines (downloads a PDF file) that include style preferences. Does not accept articles written on spec. Most articles are 800-1,000 words. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig. (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) San Diego Reader
Regional magazine for the greater San Diego area. Interested in full-lengh features of 1,200-8,000 words. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig. (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) Shambhala Sun
A non-profit publication with a strong Buddhist influence. Accepts longer articles as well as essays from 500-2,000 words. Accepts completed manuscripts but not query without clips. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig. (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) Skirt Magazine
Covers women's interests and issues. Publishes 8-10 essays per issue. Submit completed manuscripts; should be 800-1,200 words long. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig. (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) Sunset
Travel magazine mostly focused on destinations in the Western U.S. Propose stories that would appeal to suburban women with an itch to get away. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig. (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) Teaching Tolerance
A project of the Southern Povery Law Center. Focuses on innovative ways to teach tolerance to schoolchildren. Accepts personal essays, how-to activity ideas and full-length narrative feature stories. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtest of freelance writer Susan Johnston. (@UrbanMuseWriter on Twitter) The Lutheran
Magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Considered articles are 250-1,200 words long. Query before submitting. Allow 30 days for a response. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig. (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) The Progressive
Magazine that's written for a politically progressive audience says that it accepts "a lot of freelance material, poems included. Submission guidelines. (On Twitter as @theprogressive) The Saturday Evening Post
Founded by Benjamin Franklin. Publishes both short stories and nonfiction, mostly about life in America. Looking for new fiction that makes them laugh. Editors will occasionally consider queries that include whole manuscripts. Submission guidelines. The Writer
One of the most widely-knonw, and widely-read, periodicals about the craft and business of writing. 90% freelance written. Specify the column or section to which your query applies. Submission guidelines. TRAINS
Covers the past and present of railroading and says that it depends on contributors for most of its photos and content. No travel stories, poetry, or fiction. Pay starts at 10 cents per word. Submission guidelines. Source: FundForWriters newsletter by C. Hope Clark (@hopeclark on Twitter) Travel + Leisure
Query for sections at the front of the book if you don't yet have a relationship with the editorial staff. Utne Reader
Considers previously published work. Tip from editors: "Don’t forget to pitch shorter pieces; many times we’ll try out a new writer with a 125-600 word assignment." Click here for submission guidelines. (@UtneReader on Twitter) Weatherwise
Issue planning begins six months out so query accordingly. Editors specifically frown on simultaneous queries. Will consider unpublished writers but be sure to inclue a feature-length sample. Submission guidelines. Western New York Family
Regional magazine covering Buffalo, NY and the surrounding area. Query via email, simultaneous submissions to other parenting magazines okay. No simultaneous submissions to other local publications. Does not pay kill fees. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig. (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) Woman's Day
Talk about a killjoy: "Our editors work almost exclusively with experienced writers who have clips from major national magazines. As a result, we accept unsolicited manuscripts only from writers with such credentials. There are no exceptions." At least we know. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig. (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) Women's Running
Prefers email queries and will occasionally accept complete manuscripts. Be sure to check the section-by-section advice provided by the editors. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig. (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) Working Mother
Submit via snail mail and, if possible, include photos. Manuscripts and queries should be typed and double-spaced. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtesy of freelance writer Louise Julig. (@ThoughtsHappen on Twitter) Writer's Digest
Take notice of how the editors ask that you not keep them in suspense. Longer, fuller queries are more likely to get noticed. Submission guidelines. Also on Twitter as @WritersDigest. Writers' Journal
Bi-monthly magazine that dedicates the bulk of its pages to the business of writing but which also accepts fiction and poetry queries. Editors will accept either snail mail or e-queries. Submission guidelines. Added by @milehighfool on 6/3/2009. Leave a tip. Writer's Guidelines - Newsletters
Fiction Fix NEW!
Provides tips for publishing fiction in other outlets. Interesting from the guidelines: Writer retains all rights and reprints accepted. May not be a paying market, however. Submission guidelines. FundsforWriters
Known primarily for its markets listings, editor C. Hope Clark also accepts article submissions for FundsforWriters and for companion newsletter Writing Kid. Submission guidelines. Added by @milehighfool on 6/3/209. Leave a tip. Writer's Guidlelines - Newspapers
PARADE
Weekly newspaper insert that features human interest stories. Features tend to top out at 1,500 words. Submission guidelines (downloads a PDF file). Writer's Guidelines - Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror
Albedo One
Irish magazine does not accept simultaneous submissions. E-mail accepted but no attachments, please. Bards and Sages Quarterly
Speculative fiction. Buys first time print and electronic worldwide rights. E-submissions should be sent to fiction dept. Please read handy "don'ts" supplied by editors before submitting. Writer's Guidelines - Syndicates
Creators Syndicate
Founded in 1987 and based in Los Angeles. Bill O'Reilly and Robert Novak are among the columnists it represents. Submission guidelines. Universal Press Syndicate
Selling to newspapers since 1970. Send hardcopy, no e-queries. Acquisitions Editor John Glynn based in Kansas City, MO. Submission guidelines. More details at UPS' Facebook group. Writer's Guidelines - Websites
Grandparents.com
Written for active grandparents looking for kid-friendly activity ideas. Also publishes a weekly newsletter. Submission guidelines. Link provided courtest of freelance writer Susan Johnston. (@UrbanMuseWriter on Twitter) Salon
Popular online magazine that covers politics, life, culture, sports, etc. All e-queries should include "EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS" in the subject line. Submission guidelines and staff page. (@SalonMedia on Twitter) Tips for getting more readers on the Web
Free search engine optimization tools
Caveat: I have yet to use any of these. Please write me with advice if you have. Sites where my work is published or promoted
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