Book Description
A professional journalist shows students how to write hard-hitting news stories and attention-getting feature articles for newspapers and magazines.
Customer Reviews:
A Good Introduction.......2007-03-21
Though this is hardly a definitive source for article writing, HOW TO WRITE ARTICLES FOR NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES by Dawn Sova is certainly a worthy introduction to the craft. IN less than 100 pages, Sova presents a fast paced guide taking the reader from start to finish. Along the way, the perspective writer will find such information as a sample query letter, constructing an effective lead and even grammatical advice.
This brief introduction is well written and easy to understand. It contains practical advice that will surely help aspiring writers. Short on depth, but that is to be expected from such a small introduction. The back cover states the book is "perfect for amateurs and seasoned professionals" but I believe seasoned professionals might find it a bit too basic.
Great Book for Beginners.......2007-03-01
I just finished reading this book about a week ago. It's a fast read packed with a lot of helpful info for any freelance writer who wants to write for magazines or newspapers. I buy a lot of books on freelance writing, and this one is one of the better ones I've read.
Another book with inflated amazon.com reviews.......2004-03-20
This book isn't terrible, but it's hardly authoritative. It's a straight rehashing of the basics of newswriting, no doubt taken mostly from journalism textbooks. The advice isn't bad, but it's given with little flair, and the writing examples (from the author's own clips) are dull and uninspiring.
It's like an extended high school report -- the author is obviously not an expert on the subject, and she pieced together information from better books to make this one. But even on those terms, the book doesn't succeed, because the advice is spotty and unconvincing.
Write, Edit, Revise and Rewrite..........2004-01-29
...The golden rule of writing. This book is short, sweet and to the point, easily read and digested. The title explains exactly what you get. If you're an aspiring magazine writer, get it.
A little powerhouse full of great instruction for writers!.......2001-07-12
I picked this little (113 page book) up at the library and thought it might be of passing interest. I never thought such a little book could be packed with so much great information! I started out reading this book with a little post-it note pad next to me, figuring I would put a couple little notes on a few interesting pages, make some notes, then be done with the book. Well, now the book has a million little post-it notes in it and I think it's time to buy my own copy! Here are few chapter headings: Getting started (generating ideas & focusing on the subject), gathering information (fact vs. opinion, observation, interview, etc.), writing the effective article lead ...there are 10 useful chapters in all. They are written clearly and to the point -- no fluff here to fill in pages. One truly useful item in the book is a sample query letter (for an article). This is a great little book! Now I think I'll buy my own copy -- maybe you should too!
Book Description
This highly anticipated update of the Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing builds off the excellent reputation the first edition enjoys with more of the great information readers have come to expect.
With original material as well as articles taken from the pages of Writer's Digest, the leading authority in the field, this book is the only resource readers need for all of their questions on how to:
* Brainstorm creative article ideas magazine editors will find irresistible
* Find the right magazine for their work
* Compose a professional, sophisticated query letter that catches the editor's eye
* Keep editors coming back for more (get repeat assignments from magazines)
This book is the writer's treasure map to the lucrative field of magazine writing!
Customer Reviews:
Writer's Digest Of Magazine Article Writing.......2007-04-07
This book gave me even more valuable information than I anticipated. I recommend it for anyone who may want to write and get published in magazines.
Essential resource for freelancers.......2006-07-04
The "Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing" takes information from a wide variety of highly successful freelance writers and edits it together into a seamless instructional manual. It starts off with a discussion of finding ideas that addresses more than inspiration--it delves into methods to find topics that will sell. "Querying" and "Finding Markets" teach you to pick markets for your work and get assignments from them. "Selling Reprints and Rewrites" and "Business and Rights-Related Issues" help you to understand what your work is worth to whom, and how to make sure it remains worth as much as possible to you.
"Researching" and "Interviewing" get you through the information-gathering phase, which can take longer than the actual writing. "Avoiding Problems" helps you to avoid accidental plagiarism and similar legal problems. "Writing Techniques and Revision" deals with general issues of writing magazine articles, while "How to Write Common Articles" delves into specifics on article types such as profiles, roundups, how-to articles, service journalism, art-of-living articles, and even pieces for children's magazines. "Working With an Editor" shepherds you through the relationships that will make or break your career.
Because the book gets into so many specifics (there's even a sidebar on writing book reviews!) regarding particular article types and so on, you're likely to find it useful even if you've already done some magazine freelancing. It's so helpful to know all the little rules of thumb and instructions regarding different types of articles, not to mention what editors are looking for and get the least of in their submission piles.
The chapter on working with editors presents particularly valuable information in a remarkably even-handed and balanced format. It presents a number of ways to maintain a good relationship with your editor, and these tips are useful and specific. A "damage control" section is included, since everyone runs into trouble now and then despite the best of intentions. There's information on "problem editors" to watch out for and how to best work with (or avoid) them, as well as types of writers that editors hate to find themselves working with and how you can avoid being one of these writers.
Quotes from freelancers and editors liven things up and bring a personal touch to the book. Clear, bulleted lists of helpful points are balanced by enough detail to make sure that you can figure out what you're doing in specific circumstances. The information presented is broad enough to be applicable to any sort of magazine freelancer, and specific enough to be applicable to every sort of magazine freelancer.
Customer Reviews:
Absolutely Reliable Book.......2007-08-08
This book is a true gem.
Set aside the absolutely helpful thoughts on generating ideas, structure, and the nexus of reporting and writing (all of which are invaluable).
The idea that there is a triad of elements upon which all good feature stories are based is an extraordinarily useful one.
Base a story on action, quotation and narration (i.e. the basic information necessary to the story) and go from one element to the next and so on, building the story block by block, says the author.
This concept alone is the best working guide for a writer on a nuts and bolts level, bar none.
Excellent book for journalists.......2007-05-06
This book shows the nuts and bolts about good journalism: writing and interviewing techniques, how to get good story ideas, etc. It has a great deal of examples too. Every journalist should read it at least once. The best thing would be to revisit it every two or three years.
...Horsemen Pass By..........2006-10-01
Cast a cold eye on life on death; horsemen pass by. That's an epitaph. Was it Yeats, or just one he suggested in a poem? How does it apply to Blundell's book? Just this: Here is the one and only worthwhile book ever written for writers. I know, because I that's how I earn my living. Blundell is the best bar none. Throw all the others out. Unless, of course you're another wound-licker who thinks he wants to "learn" to write, in which case, horsemen pass by, and bring on the clowns!
Unique, Refreshing approach!.......2004-06-27
There is a voice in this book, and you can just HEAR this guy as he admonishes writers and drills into their heads the step-by step guide to reporting and writing. The tone is firm with a direct approach to feature writing as the author is adamant that, "reporting and writing can NOT be divorced."
I like the sharp conversational tone; it's like sitting in the classroom. He is very clever with the similes and metaphors to clearly drive his point.
Although this book has made the rounds for years, Blundell offers refreshing ideas and unique insight to writing. He speaks of experience as a Wall Street Journal writer. This is HIS voice, and not a slew of other professional writers churning out a how to book.
I like a quote of his when he tells us that the READER requires specific information and our first priority is to meet that requirement and also that the reader has a deeper and more universal need that has to be met or, he flees. The author said, "nothing is easier than to stop reading."
You won't find the usual writing book addressing topics like these. A sample chapter is Raw Materials - generating ideas; Extrapolation (beyond the event lies a broader, more significant story); Synthesis (assembling promising story ideas from what looks like a junkpile of spare parts); Localization (thinking big); Projection (declining to follow the media sheep to a pasture already overgrazed) and Viewpoint Switching (thinking of a story as a piece of terrain with varying topography).
Also topics titled Shaping Ideas; Story Dimensions, Planning and Execution, Organization, and you get great insight into Handling Key Story Elements that delves into the dreaded leads and endings.
What is interesting in a unique approach to his section titled Wordcraft. He assumes that you the reader already know grammar, syntax and usage. So his goal is to show us how to achieve certain effects at certain places in the story.
You will read some full texts on sample stories that are sprinkled throughout the chapters. Blundell also provides reading material for the writer. He says, "whole forests have died to fill the marketplace with other writing books." One suggestion is Zissner's "On Writing Well."
This is a unique writing book and is meant to read completely. ....MzRizz
Writing as critical thinking.......2002-02-17
One of the biggest mistakes young reporters make is viewing reporting and writing as separate exercises, one following the other. Bill Blundell rightly sees them as one process. Good reporting begets good writing. It begins with critical thinking about your subject, which if done properly brings strong focus and organization to your story. In 20 years as a newspaper reporter and editor I've not run across a more practical, common sense approach to writing than that offered by the Art & Craft of Feature Writing.
Amazon.com
"Freelance writing is not easy, but it is doable," say the authors of this primer. There will be times, they add, when there is no work. When there is no money. When no one returns your calls. Hardly sounds alluring. But if you've got the bug, or suspect you do, this is as fine a place as any to get a feel for the freelance life. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles features interviews with freelancers and editors, and chapters on generating ideas, querying, writing, interviewing ("there's no such thing as a stupid question"), and developing a niche. Other sections give the inside skinny on the industry: who the big players are, who the top editors are, what firsthand accounts are worth reading. And there is even advice for dealing with taxes and contracts. Breathe easy: "The new media world still needs the old-fashioned writer." In fact, writing for the Web, the authors say, can be quite lucrative. Just be sure, for writing online as well as in print, to avoid committing any of the authors' "Ten ways to turn off an editor" (including: be a stalker, misspell the editor's name, balk at changes). And remember: "Persistent people make it as writers." --Jane Steinberg
Book Description
Take the mystery out of selling your ideas to magazine, newspapers, and web sites by reading this book. It explains who hires writers, what editors want from freelancers, how much you can expect to be paid, how you can write effective query and pitch letters, and how the Internet can help your writing career take off.
Download Description
Take the mystery out of selling your ideas to magazine, newspapers, and web sites by reading this book. It explains who hires writers, what editors want from freelancers, how much you can expect to be paid, how you can write effective query and pitch letters, and how the Internet can help your writing career take off.
Customer Reviews:
What a great guide.......2007-05-07
This book has shown me how to actually get published in magazines. It will not only give you the 'how to' but it will also encourage you to take the risk and put yourself out there.
If you are serious about making money writing this book is a must.
Easy to read and very helpful.......2006-08-05
The authors of this book wrote a book that is very easy to read and provides alot of very helpful information for those trying to get published in magazines. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is laying the foundation of becoming freelance article writer.
Best Purchase on this subject!.......2005-09-05
I had so many questions and this book has answered them all! I have had it wire bound because I am refering to it so much.Just can't recommend it highly enough!
Good content-- in between the jokes & verbose chatty writing.......2005-02-28
If jokes and verbose trying-to-be-clever writing were advertising, this book would be Oprah Magazine. But more on that later--I just needed a lead as per chapter 19 "Hook 'Em Early, Hook 'Em Hard."
"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles" is like an introduction 101 survey class to this topic. Among many other things, it covers the basics of the entire process from generating article ideas, to writing query letters to conducting interviews, writing basics, and even how freelance writers deal with taxes. Like a 101 class, this book provides breadth but not depth. Most beginning magazine writers will likely need more of the material on earlier parts of the process such as studying the market and writing query letters rather than dealing with taxes and contracts. However, as a survey course, they do have their place, with the exception of the chapter on writing books and book proposals. For an excellent, more in depth treatment of query letters, a topic a novice will definitely need, I recommend "How to Write Irresistible Query Letters" by Lisa Collier Cool.
Having published a handful of freelance pieces and knowing the basics of the process, I can tell you the information is provided is good, sound advice. My problem with the book is that you have to wade through so much verbose trying-to-be clever chatty writing to get to the basics you need as a freelance magazine writer. It's like the authors, unbridled from the tight word counts and no nonsense editing of magazines went nuts trying to be cute and clever. For one of many examples, there's a section called "Ratatatatat: Machine Gun Writing" which begins, "Do you feel like Bruce Willis in 'Die Hard' right about now? What the heck do we mean when we say machine gun writing?" Then there's another paragraph before they get to the definition. I think this book could have been edited by about 1/3 with no loss of content.
None-the-less, I appreciated the content in between the jokes, even though some of it was not in depth enough to my liking, such as the brief section on how to get clips. I especially liked the interviews with magazine editors discussing what writers need to do to break into writing for their publications. If you need an intro 101 survey of the career of freelance writing and don't mind wading through all the chatty wisecracking writing, this is the book for you.
No-nonsense, friendly advice.......2005-02-03
"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles," by Sheree Bykofsky, Jennifer Basye Sander, and Lynne Rominger, is a straightforward yet entertaining book about the world of freelance writing. In such a book you might expect to find the typical information on writers' guidelines, stamped self-addressed envelopes, query letters, and making sure you spell editors' names correctly--and you will find that here. However, you'll also find quite a few other, less expected things.
The authors do not assume familiarity with the industry. They walk you through the rewards of being a freelance writer, explain why magazines hire freelancers and what freelancers do for magazines, share some success stories from real freelancers, share information from editors on what they look for in a writer, and provide a "reality check" to help you decide if this is what you really want to do. This book is particularly good about pointing out all of the mistaken attitudes, inadvertent errors and inappropriate assumptions that can mess up your chances. And it does it without either coddling you or harshing on you.
This book came out in 2000, but it does a good job of covering the basics of online publication--better than I've seen in many other places, actually. It doesn't just cover online versions of print magazines or a brief discussion of electronic rights. Instead it goes in-depth into 'zines, content providers, building your own web site in order to attract editors to you, and so on. It also goes into the business side of writing: business filing, taxes and contracts. It discusses how you can choose and create a specialty for yourself, and how you can decide whether or not you should develop an article into a book proposal!
This is a fantastic book. It contains only a handful of typos of the wouldn't-be-caught-by-a-spell-checker variety (most people probably wouldn't even notice). The advice is helpful and encouraging yet practical and realistic. I've rarely seen an approach that so clearly manages to convey the things to watch out for when freelancing without becoming preachy, condescending or morose, and there's plenty of advice in here that I haven't seen repeated in a dozen other places.
Customer Reviews:
Good information, but same as previous editions.......1999-09-15
This books offers a good overview of feature writing for both magazines and newspapers. However, when I compared the first edition of this text (1988) with the current 4th edition, I noticed very little difference, other than a huge price increase. Some of the book has been updated, but the sections that are aren't too relevant or useful. Thus, if you have the original edition of this otherwise fine text, don't bother to buy the newer version--it's nearly identical.
Book Description
For more than 14 years, thousands of freelance magazine writers have relied on Best of the Magazine Markets to get published. Just as in past years, the new 2007 edition is the most comprehensive market directory available, providing complete and current information-updated by knowledgeable Institute staff members who interview magazine editors personally-for the leading freelance-buying publications in North America. It contains over 1700 publisher listings (200 new this year), including contact names, pay rates, editorial needs, submission requirements, and more. Also included are feature articles with insight from leading editors and seasoned professionals on successful strategies for breaking into print.
Customer Reviews:
former student.......2005-09-21
As a former on-line student of Eva's, I couldn't wait to get this book, and I was not disappointed. Less than two weeks after completing her class and the book, I have already had two essays published. Eva's help and guidance was invaluable and I strongly recommend both her books and her courses.
Can't take advice on writing from someone who can't write.......2004-02-19
Even after reading previous reviews about the sloppiness of this book, I purchased it anyway because the reviewers found the content very helpful. But when I opened the book, I couldn't get past page 10-- no matter what gems of wisdom lay within, the mass of typos and incoherence make it impossible to justify finding those gems. The fact alone that Dr. Shaw has managed to sell thousands of articles convinces me that I can break into this field. The reviews at the front of the book laud her enthusiastic teaching style, which she may very well have in person, but on the page she just stinks. Even her examples of "queries that sold" contained weak and redundant sentences, such as "Please consider this topic, and thank you for your consideration." Wha? There are so many books on this topic, I recommend skipping this one. Any good advice is probably found elsewhere.
Great info if you can get past the somewhat sloppy editing.......2004-02-10
Others have noted the sloppy editing, and I agree. But the info here is invaluable for someone who already know how to write for magazines, but needs to be more savvy with the marketing.
As a freelance journalist I can assure you that she tells you like it is. The key is to know thy markets and to be savvy about your skills, and Eva Shaw gives good suggestions on both topics.
I have followed her advice and it has definitely improved my sales.
inspiring despite poor organization and sloppy writing.......2003-04-16
I never return books. But after reading the first two chapters of The Successful Writer's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles, I dug the packaging box back out of the recycling bin. After skimming through the rest of the book, I was rummaging through the trash for the packing slip. The writer may have good advice but I just couldn't get past the dull, flat writing and the disorganized content to find it. As another reviewer commented, it's inspiring to know that if the author of this book could get published, there's hope for the rest of us. Disappointing to say the least.
Good content obfuscated by sloppy editing and incoherence.......2003-04-10
I wanted to like this book. I really wanted to like this book. Eva Shaw has written good books; as an example, check out "Writing the Nonfiction Book". That one was tight, polished, and useful. The Successful Writer's Guide to... I can't even finish typing the title; the book is just that bad. The content is in the book, but so inaccessible. Dr. Shaw knows her business, and her approach to success will likely work for the aspiring writer. The sad reality is that this book makes the reader work for every bit of useful information, and not in the way that is productively challenging. Rather, the book presents constant obstacles in the form of comma splices, sentence fragments, and incoherent verbal trips around the block that had this reader constantly going back to the chapter title and headings to find orientation. This book reads as though Dr. Shaw typed it in a stream-of-consciousness drive to finish it over a weekend. To think that an editor saw this book before publication strains credulity and insults the editorial profession. Another reviewer wrote that these liabilities are inexcusable in a book about writing, and I agree wholeheartedly.
Eva Shaw knows how to write. She also knows how to be successful in the writing business. Readers new to her books would benefit from reading one other than this as an introduction to her work. The Successful Writer's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles proves the thesis that anyone can succeed at writing and get published, but uses itself as its own shoddy proof of the low barriers to entry in the business.
Book Description
From one of the most gifted and widely read journalists at work today, a volume that collects the best of his pieces from The New Yorker over the last fifteen years. David Remnick is fascinated by the men and women obsessed with creating the history of our era as well as those intent on chronicling it. Public figures rarely step away from their public selves. But Remnick has the ability to see the private self beneath the public façade and give readers startling glimpses of familiar figures: Al Gore attacking George Bush as he tries to make sense of his incomprehensible loss in the 2000 election, Tony Blair struggling for votes in the midst of the Iraq crisis.
In Reporting, Remnick returns to two countries he knows well, Russia and Israel. His account of Vladimir Putin contending with Gorbachev’s legacy affords a fresh view of postcommunist Russia; his appraisals of Benjamin Netanyahu, Ariel Sharon, and Sari Nusseibeh of the P.L.O. shed unexpected light on the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. Often, Remnick’s intent is to see someone up close, if only for a moment in time: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn as he packs his bags to return to Russia, Václav Havel as he prepares to end his career as President of the Czech Republic.
Whether David Remnick is writing about Katharine Graham and the state of American newspapers, the literary visions of Philip Roth and Don DeLillo, or the decline and fall of Mike Tyson and the sport of boxing, his powers of observation, analysis, compassion, and wit are always present. Reporting is confirmation of Remnick’s skill at writing insightful and influential political and cultural narratives, and of his unique gift for bringing his subjects to life on the page with extraordinary clarity and depth.
Customer Reviews:
good, not great.......2007-07-29
David Remnick is a perceptive reporter and a lucid writer. The longer stories, such as the first of two profiles of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, have nuance and a sense of completeness that are the hallmark of the best kind of journalism. The shorter pieces are packed with verve and deadpan observation. The story of aging boxer Larry Holmes' "comeback" bout -- held in an annex of Madison Square Garden that is "the venue for such parental jungle missions as Sesame Street Live" -- is probably the funniest, saddest one-and-a-half pages I've read in a long time.
I mentioned that there are two pieces on Solzhenitsyn; this is part of the problem with this anthology: there simply isn't enough variety here. There are five profiles of literary figures(six if you count the piece on translators of Russian literature), four pieces about Mike Tyson or in which he figures heavily, four pieces on Cold War-era dissidents (including the two on Solzhenitsyn) and so on.
It's reasonable to assume that these subjects fascinate Remnick most, though he never gets around to telling us so himself. But for me, it sometimes felt like I was reading more or less the same story over and over.
These all are good stories, but there could have been more.
Like Reading About Interesting People?.......2007-06-05
Reporting contains a rich assortment of twenty-three essays, all essentially personality profiles. In the book's preface, Remnick describes his method: "The pieces collected here--all written for The New Yorker, where I have worked since 1992--attempt to see someone up close, if only for a moment in time." Attempt is the key word. Remnick admits his interest in profiling people who seek to shape their public image and control what any writer (and reader) learns about them. Each essay is an account of a struggle between Remnick, who is seeking understanding and access, and (usually) a powerful or famous person, who only wants the public to have access on his or her terms.
As a former newspaper reporter with experience on beats ranging from police to politics to sports, Remnick is well equipped for this task. He wields all the tools of good journalism--observation, interviews, research, and writing strong sentences--to construct lengthy and riveting pieces of narrative nonfiction. His essays always embody what David Halberstam used to call "density"; Remnick clearly has more material and knowledge than he weaves into his finished pieces, which he crafts to present his readers with the most truthful portrait of the person he has managed to uncover. But when necessary, as in a favorable profile of Katharine Graham, Remnick can be as blunt as any editorial writer: "the demand for unreasonable profits is undermining the quality of American journalism."
The essays in Reporting are arranged into five untitled sections, which might be labeled as domestic politics and media, literary intellectuals, Russia, Israel and Palestine, and boxing. Since David Remnick is one of the remaining standard-bearers for the long article, the essays are educational feasts for the curious mind. "The Democracy Game: Hamas Comes to Power in Palestine" should be on the reading list of anyone who wants to understand the dynamics of power, hatred, and faith in the Middle East, and the profiles of Vaclav Havel, Vladimir Putin, and Mike Tyson are fascinating.
Armchair Interviews says: This book is highly recommended for readers who enjoy well-written profiles of interesting people.
fabulous reading.......2006-11-28
Anyone interested in public affairs will find some of the best writing of the last decade here, from Remnick's profiles of Blair, Gore, Havel and Putin to Netanyahu, Sharansky, Arafat and Solzhenitsyn--few reporters have captured these players in a more intelligent, illuminating fashion. In between, there's also fascinating reading with his takes of everyone from Philip Roth and Don DeLillo to Mike Tyson. Even though I had read every single one of these pieces in The New Yorker before, Remnick is one of those rare writers who reads even better the second and third time around. A joy to read from start to finish.
First- class reporting.......2006-06-14
A friend of mine who spent in his early years in the former Soviet Union, and knows its culture well, Moshe Fushman found Remnick's 'Lenin's Tomb' to be one of the most insightful books as yet written about Russian society.
Remnick shows in his investigative interviews an in- depth knowledge of his subjects that enables him to present them in a new light. He is a writer who tends to see things others may not. And certainly he is one with a stance and position of his own.
I saw that clearly in the long New Yorker interview he did with former Israeli Prime Minister Barak. This largely favorable report proved later to somewhat overplay Barak's brilliance and underplay his difficulty in learning from others less brilliant than himself. But in general Remnick in his Middle East interviews shows ( Netanyahu, Sari Nusseibeh, Hamas) good knowledge, with not always the best judgment. His optimism is naive, and his understanding of Palestinian society not really critical enough.
He writes more surely about Solzhenitsyn, Putin, and the world of Eastern Europe. His takes on literary figures beside Solzhenitsyn, Amos Oz, Don DeLillo are also insightful.
In general his pieces tend to have a swiftness and comprehensiveness which makes them, to me, at least very appealing.
This is a first- class collection of essays and highly recommended.
Amazon.com
This handbook, put together by the editors of Writer's Digest, covers soup-to-nuts terrain for anyone contemplating--or already a few steps down--the road to a part- or full-time living off freelance writing. Topics covered include breaking in (and cultivating editors once you have), tax tips, and even time management so you can get that scribing done. What this book is not is a market guide--there's no contact information in here for editors, magazines, and the like. But this tome will have you more focused, with sights set, when that contact information is on your desk.
Customer Reviews:
Making Money Freelance Writing.......2007-04-18
The Writer's Digest Handbook of Making Money Freelance Writing, from the editors of Writer's Digest magazine, offers insight for writers seeking to turn to a freelance writing career.
For those starting out in the business, or those looking for inspiration from other freelance writers, this book offers information from various authors on how to keep the money flowing in; how to call an editor; guide to copyright, work for hire situations; the art of negotiation; how to make time for writing; beating taxes; work expenses and so on.
There are three sections in the book covering the above aspects and many more: Section 1- Conducting the Freelance Business, lists twenty-two articles on how to bring in the money, tips for the beginning freelancer, setting your rates, billing your clients, tax tips, making a full-time impression even though you are a part-time writer, and many more.
When I started my freelance career, the most important article to me in this section was, "Four Tips for Beginning Freelancers", by Liza Galin Asher.
In her article, Liza reveals some good tips for new freelancers to keep them on the right path. The first tip, Writing is a business, she talks about how freelancers are actually like salespeople only their ideas are their "products". This really is key to remember because if a freelancer doesn't work selling their written work, their talent and creativity will not be printed and thus, will go unnoticed. The more experience the freelancer gets in selling their work as well as writing it, they will become more proficient and will not have to focus so much on selling their work.
Think small and Local. Here Liza urges the freelancer to remember their goal is to get published and to jump to writing articles for big time magazines like Vanity Fair, or Vogue. Freelancers should start out writing for newspapers, trade newspapers and magazines in their neighborhood. It is good to start small and work your way up.
Liza says the best way to get the most out of what you write is to keep re-selling the articles you have already written. Once you sell and article, go back to it and re-write it with a new angle and submit it elsewhere. An article is never retired so long as you can keep putting a new spin on it each time your write, or add important information that has recently become available. Also keep in mind to resubmit rejected articles to other publications. Just because one place didn't find a need for your work, doesn't mean someone else will reject you.
Lastly, Liza reminds novice freelancers that just because you sold your first piece, doesn't mean it is time to quite your job. The freelance writing life is uncertain and there are many lulls from when you make your first sale until the next time you make a sale. She does mention that if your salary from freelancing makes at least fifty percent of your regular job's salary, then you would probably be safe in quitting your real job.
Section 2 - Freelance Opportunities, lists fifteen articles on: the market for writers, expenses, work for hire, ghostwriting, using pictures with work, as well as a few others.
One good article from this sections is Dennis E. Hensley's "Simple Steps to Multiple Marketing". Here Dennis, lists the various levels of smallest local publishers to the largest circulation periodicals as well as their pay ranges.
He also talks about the four requirements freelancers must have in order to sell their work to more than one editor. Freelancers should make sure their previous work doesn't overlap too much with the reprint readers market's audience. He states how he did this by selling a piece to Detroit Free Press and then selling the same piece to The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel as people in Indian didn't receive the Detroit Free Press.
When you are selling the same piece of writing to a different editor than you did before, be sure to send in different photos than you sent in last time with the submission. This will offer a new visual perspective to readers who may have already read the article somewhere else. Yet, if you don't have new photos, it is best to send in the same photos you used before with the manuscript than to send in no photos at all.
When you are writing for a new publication, freelancers should re-write their article in the style of their target market. Freelancer should study any back issues they can get in order to determine the correct tone and slant to use when re-working their piece.
Adding news items relevant to your readers is also a good idea.
Hensley urges writers to remember to sell only their one time rights as selling all rights, removes the author's say in how their work is used. The author also will not be able to use that work elsewhere.
Lastly, Hensley talks about seven ways for freelancers to get multiple sales from their work.
Section 3 - The Freelancer's Lifestyle, has eleven articles covering the topics of: making time to write, home office, handling distractions and interruptions, quitting your day job and so on.
The most important issue I find among people who like to write is finding the time to do so. Robyn Carr's article "How to Make Time to Write" approaches this obstacle. She talks about how some people don't sit down to write because of the lack of time. They don't want to start writing in fear that they may not have time to continue the following day. Other reasons include being too exhausted at the end of days work to think straight and many writers fear they will be interrupted when they do sit down and begin scratching pen to paper, or typing on their computers.
As well as their being many reasons not to write, Robyn also talks about different kinds of writers such as all-or-nothing writer, scheduled writer, catch-as-can writer, and the super writer. No matter what kind of writer you are, you probably have a busy schedule that either includes a little time for writing, or none at all. Robyn suggests rearranging your schedule to fit writing time when it will not be of an inconvenience to your spouse, your boss, etc. For example, you can write a bit before going into work, on your lunch break, or before bed. If rearranging your schedule doesn't work, try taking time from something else you are doing, but may not be enjoying as much.
Though writing is important, Robyn makes sure her readers understand that writing is not more important than the job that brings in steady cash flow; it's not more important than you marriage or your children. It's all about balance and finding what works for you and your family.
There are many more great articles in Making Money Freelance Writing, that will be helpful for the novice freelancer. The information is invaluable in educating any freelancer as well as keeping them on the right track. I highly recommend reading this book if you are a freelancer in search of insightful articles from other authors in your field who have been where you are and understand the situations you may be facing.
Outdated but still applicable........2007-03-14
The most striking thing about WRITER'S DIGEST HANDBOOK OF MAKING MONEY FREELANCE WRITING, is that more than ten years after publication, it is comically out dated. More on that later. The introduction tells us this is a collection of the best questions asked by readers and answers provided by Writer's Digest members on how to make money in the writing game.
As one would expect, the articles are impeccably well written. The book is exceptional in its progression and layout, divided into three sections; Conducting the Freelance Business, Freelance Opportunities, and The Freelancer's Lifestyle. No, that last section has nothing to do with golfing, cocktail parties or cruising the Caribbean. It is a compilation of articles regarding setting up your office space, when to quit your day job, finding time to write and other such topics.
The book is now more than ten years old and, let's face it, technology has come a long way in a decade. The reader will chuckle when reading that making phone calls while holding down a job should be avoided. Instead one should use a nearby payphone during their lunch break. Good luck finding a pay phone these days. Many of these articles are similarly out dated, but still contain relevant value when placed into context.
There are a few articles here that have withstood the test of time and still give this book marketability today. I found particularly interesting and informative, an article by John Wilson on reslanting your work for multiple sales; a short piece by Linda Brodsky titled Writing the Copy; and the crème de la crème, Big Bucks in Business Writing by Robert Bly. This is one of three articles by Bly.
Though not exactly hot off the press, a handful of articles found here make this book relevant and applicable even today. This will not make your top ten list, but you will learn from it if you want to invest a little time here.
This is THE book for freelance writers.......2001-01-15
Writers Digest is the place to go if you are a writer- and this book is the book to read if you want to make a living as a writer. Great tips and information. Buy this book today! ...
Excellent Reference for the Starting Freelancer!.......2000-04-27
Do you want to freelance? I mean, really freelance? And be the master of your own literary destiny? Then buy this book!
Writer's Digest produces fine books for the writing professional but the one that really lays the foundation for the starting freelancer is this tome. The book is really a collection of articles written by professional writers in a veriety of genres. Each article is loaded with tips, tricks, and helpful, timely information that every beginning freelancer needs to know. From how to get published, to the basics of running your own freelance business, this book covers it all. (Did I mention that it covers it all! )
In a word - BUY IT!
Amazon.com
Finding success peddling words to magazines doesn't have to begin as a starving-artist-in-the-garret existence of firing ignorant queries into the void and counting on raw talent and blind luck to see you through. Jean Fredette's handbook should be up there with the dictionary and thesaurus for any would-be feature writer. With 33 experts sharing advice on everything from killer queries to manuscript mechanics and resell etiquette, the Handbook of Magazine Article Writing is a far better choice than one of those how-to-be-a-writer seminars, and has more valuable information on hand at a better price.
Customer Reviews:
Great service.......2007-05-15
My used book arrived as stated, in very good condition with no marks. Quick friendly service will make me come back when the need arises.
Review by Irene Watson, author of "The Sitting Swing.".......2005-11-12
A classic book that should be kept and used by anyone wanting to write an article for publication. This book gives more "how to" than any other book I've seen on the market.
Same Answers to the Same Questions From Another Generation.......2004-01-11
Handbook of Magazine Article Writing answers often sought-after questions, such as:
- What do editors look for in your work?
- Is a cover letter always essential?
- Can you sell the exact same article a number of times within certain groups of publications?
- And, How do you keep your readers reading?
With 33 experts, including Don McKinney, James Morgan, Lois Duncan, John Brady, and Candy Schulman, this book proffers advice on everything from queries to the mechanics of writing an article. With so much talent packed into this 246-page book, the difficulty of publishing a newer edition is understandable. However, this book would benefit if it were brought into the age of the Internet.
If you are looking for the basics on article writing, and want it only from the masters of manuscript, then the Handbook of Magazine Article Writing is for you!
Worst Book EVER read.......2002-10-21
This book is writen by a series of authors. Each chapter is written by a single author, and each write about a single theme. However the chapters are too shallow. No good substance found for a serious person trying to write a good article that may be a good candidate for publishing. The autors are more interested in telling how good they are (in their own perspective) than willing to teach anyone about their supposed knowledge.
A good read but not very informative.......2002-04-10
This book was easy to read and had some valuable information but skipped over a lot of the nuts and bolts. I would pass on it next time.
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General
| Education
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
The Reporter's Notebook : Writing Tools for Student Journalists
Associated Press Guide to Newswriting: The Resource for Professional Journalists
The Art and Craft of Feature Writing: Based on The Wall Street Journal Guide
Associated Press Reporting Handbook
Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles
