January Just Hit Send

Lyra Jean

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Yay! Glad to see a new thread for the New Year!

My immediate goal is to get a current mag. assignment done by the 4th, which is the deadline, and to get my ebook manuscript edited by the end of the week. Then it will be time to concentrate on magazine queries (I was terribly negligent about that last year) and to flesh out one of my various book proposals and get it out there.

Did you get that mag assignment done?

My computer went on the fritz and wasn't sure I would be able to get anything done. Luckily my DH figured out what was wrong and fixed it. Meanwhile, I've been going to the library and copying entries out of the Writer's Market. So far I've found at least one magazine I feel confident in querying.

If I don't have published clips what do I do if they ask to see some? Could I use my blog? I'm writing articles with a historical angle to them and my blog covers Florida's history. So would that work?
 

CatMuse33

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Rosemerry-
Absolutely use the blog posts. And in your query, don't draw attention to the fact that you haven't been published. You have been. On your blog. :) But even if you'd never been published, omit that fact, instead focusing on what you offer their publication. (Just my completely unsolicited advice.) Go get 'em!
Dawn
 

ritinrider

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Ok folks. It's Sunday, time for an accounting, at least for me. I've decided that if I review my goals and successes each week I'll come closer to accomplishing them. That said...

Finish scholarship proposal (it only needs a little editing) Nope
Send scholarship proposal to 4 places nope again, can't send it out until it's finished.
Get WWH, my christian fiction, in some kind of shape so I know where I'm at with it. Started, hopefully will finish this today.
Send out $100 worth of queries daily (Monday through Friday, going to coast on weekends) Oops, completely forgot this one.
Send press release for Devoted to Quilting to all newspapers I have any sort of connection with (family lives there or I grew up there, something. So far I've listed 10. Sent 5, made list of others bringing total to 30, 25 to go.
Send notices about book and offer to give presentation to every quilt group I can find in Oklahoma. Starting with 5 each week. Check. Five done.
Post on Devoted to Quilting blog once a week. Check

These last three are to help me reach my goal of selling 5,000 copies a month which will help me reach my goal of selling 50000 copies in a year. Lofty goal, but I think it can be attained. Heck, I've already had one foreign sale, Thanks to Rebecca (Laffer-smith). Anyone else need a devotional/inspirational book of quilt stories? :) Revised this to sell 10,000 copies in a year. That still gives me enough money to do the remodel, and enough copies to impress myself.

Main goal is to get into a habit/routine of working towards one or more writing goal each day. Yes and no. Did a lot of planning and checking things out, not as much actual doing as needed.


Ok, that's my progress for this week. Next week will be better.

Congratulations to those of you moving at a good clip. Writerinthewind, submitted story to contes, updated blogs, and wrote 2 articles. You're on a roll.

ravenlea, remember to give yourself some credit for your accomplishments. You're doing great and you've added three anthologies. Not shabby girl.

Jenn, you make my head swim with all you do AND you have your shiny new book to pormote now. Yeehaw! I'm sure you've thought of this, the tourist areas of Maine when tourist season begins. You'll sell out.

Auto, nice to see you, sorry it was to report a rejection. I like your attitude about it. I'm looking forward to your next post of an acceptance.

Amy, you're on firah what with all your presentations, radio gigs, blog and such. I wanna be you when I grow up. (shhh, we won't tell anyone that I'm probably older than you)

I'm sure I missed someone. I'm sorry, it wasn't intentional, but my brain is small and doesn't hold information for long periods of time. I know everyone is doing great.
 

jenngreenleaf

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Jenn, you make my head swim with all you do AND you have your shiny new book to pormote now. Yeehaw! I'm sure you've thought of this, the tourist areas of Maine when tourist season begins. You'll sell out.
Ooooooo! You're right! I hadn't thought of that!!!!! I'm trying to really boost sales for all four titles now so I can make up for all the income we lost while hubby's been sick. :D I'm trying to explore every possible avenue!!!
 

Skyraven

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I posted a couple of times already at The Freshman Writer and at my portfolio. Momslikeme is still going strong, though they are restructuring and want to cut my monthly pay in half. I know things are rough but dang! Anyway, I haven't done much with examiner so far. I'm just not pushing myself to do it since it's not a site that editors look positively on. Not only that but my goal to be published in a regional/national parenting magazine is holding me back from posting at examiner. The articles don't take up much of my time, but I don't want to use all of my parenting ideas there. What do you think?
 

Lyra Jean

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I posted a couple of times already at The Freshman Writer and at my portfolio. Momslikeme is still going strong, though they are restructuring and want to cut my monthly pay in half. I know things are rough but dang! Anyway, I haven't done much with examiner so far. I'm just not pushing myself to do it since it's not a site that editors look positively on. Not only that but my goal to be published in a regional/national parenting magazine is holding me back from posting at examiner. The articles don't take up much of my time, but I don't want to use all of my parenting ideas there. What do you think?

I have an examiner site that covers Palm Beach County History in Florida. My wordpress blog covers Florida history. So if I write on a history topic that takes place in Palm Beach County I post it on examiner. If it covers something that's anywhere else I post it on my wordpress blog. If it's a large topic like the second seminole war some of it is in Palm Beach County and some of it is in the rest of Florida so I can link my two blogs together. I'm not sure how you can do that with parenting though.
 

Skyraven

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Thanks rose. I can see how that works for you. My problem is that I've so much to write about but I don't want to use an idea for examiner and then not be able to use it for a magazine because it's online. I'll be brainstorming this week with a couple of my writer pals so I'll ask them. :)
 

jenngreenleaf

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Heiddi - you can still slant the idea in different ways if it's used on websites. Use the "bare bones" of the idea on sites you don't want to make a committment to, and then develop it further for your targets. That way, there's still a trickle income if you don't have time to get to the "meat" of the idea right away.
 

WildScribe

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One query out today so far... That makes 11 total so far this month (yay!) I also just interviewed a dude* for a new query. Hopefully I can get it sketched out in the next half hour or so before I have to get ready to leave, but if not I will get on it tomorrow.

* Dude is the new technical term for a fitness expert. ;)
 
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Autodidact

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Neat thing: just got an inquiry on a query I sent out almost a year ago. That makes me more hopeful in general.
 

WildScribe

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Neat thing: just got an inquiry on a query I sent out almost a year ago. That makes me more hopeful in general.

That is neat! I just sent a second follow up on a query - both the query and first follow up had been ignored - and got a reply within ten minutes saying that my article had feature potential and requesting some additional info. Woo!
 

Skyraven

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Jenn - thanks for that. I usually have trouble seeing past one idea. lol But, I've been getting better. Anyway, as usually I'm not posting things I want to do, but what I've accomplished so far.

Just posted at The Freshman Writer and on the examiner site. Jenn and Rosemerry did you gals get the email today about the local on local incentives. It was about a flat fee for the articles plus the clickthroughs. I'm excited about this. What about you?
 

jenngreenleaf

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Yep, I received it - printed it, and put it in my "Jenn, you've got to read this!" pile of stuff. hehe I like this sounds of this! :D
 

ravenlea

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I have been obsessing too long over my queries, so before the day is done I will send two of them. Both are to national magazines so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I have one ready to go with three ideas to the regional I write on and off for (can I count that as three queries or just one? :D ) so I hope to send that one too. I can't understand why I have such anxiety lately over sending things. It's not like me. Today is the day. If you don't hear from me, kick me, I'm probably hiding because I failed to send anything out today.
 

Autodidact

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That is neat! I just sent a second follow up on a query - both the query and first follow up had been ignored - and got a reply within ten minutes saying that my article had feature potential and requesting some additional info. Woo!

I've had a couple follow ups work. I've never visited a magazine office, but I imagine it something like this:

crazy-chicken-farm%7E2903288.jpg
 

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I'm JHSing my blog like crazy. Okay, perhaps not craaaaaaaaazy but it's slowly turning into a *writing* blog and not so much of a "this is how Stacey wrote about zombies today" list. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
 

Skyraven

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Well I just wrote and scheduled this week's Notable Quotable (check back tomorrow morning) and am writing a new post for Friday. I've decided to add a new feature every week to the Freshman Writer and my goal is to post three times a week. This way, I can preplan all of my posts and not worry about what to write. :) My writer-lunch was cancelled because my writer pal was feeling under the weather after having the stomach flu. So, I hung out at home and then went on a date with my son's father. We've been hanging out since Christmas and it's been nice. No definitions or declarations, just spending family time together mostly. I've been journaling all about this so at least I've been writing on a daily basis since last month. lol I need to work on my queries so I'm going to go back to the info I have from my first writing class with Christina Katz (Writer Mama). It was a six-week class on getting my non-fiction articles published. My hope is to get myself practicing so that I can send my query out and get that parenting article published this year. I'm fixing to get it done this year and I don't want to quit on it. So there. :) I've published one article at the parenting site so far. Maybe another one will pop up this week.
 

Skyraven

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Okay my blogposts for The Freshman Writer are done for this week. Now I'm going to dig up the class binder with all of my goodies so that I can get cracking on the query. TTYL.
 

AmyDoodle

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Auto's right, Raven, you know Just Hit Send is our creed, motto, and all-purpose salutation. It sounds so much more professional than Git 'R Done!

Ritnrider - I have it in my objectives to never, eever grow up, so I don't think you should either. Besides, you're leaving me in the dust with all those book signings you've got going on!

Finally got a new blog post up. How do you take down the Christmas tree when it fights back?
 

WildScribe

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I've had a couple follow ups work. I've never visited a magazine office, but I imagine it something like this:

I've never been either... that would be neat. The closest I've come is attending a Christmas party for a tiny local pub that I write for.
 

CatMuse33

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ARGH!!

I sent out a query to Mothering... one of my target markets for 2010. And I forgot to include clips. I'm SUCH a dope. She can "just Google me," right? LOL Kidding.

I'm going to wait this one out, and hope my query stands on its own strength, that she will either ask for clips or ask for the article.

A magazine office, in my experience, is pretty much just like every other type of office... although I've only worked in magazine offices, so maybe I can't say? You know, water cooler, bunch of people goofing off, complaining about their boss, chatting about the latest tv shows.

The difference is, in magazine offices, one week out of the month, you work your freakin' a%% off. LOL And if you're a girl, you hope and pray THAT week doesn't coincide with that OTHER week. LOL

Dawn
 

wyntermoon

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lol I need to work on my queries so I'm going to go back to the info I have from my first writing class with Christina Katz (Writer Mama). It was a six-week class on getting my non-fiction articles published.

I have her book! Let me know how you like the class, I've been seeing her advertise it for ages but haven't taken the plunge. :)
 

WildScribe

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Good luck, Dawn! I'm sure your query will stand on its own strength.
 

ravenlea

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thanks auto! I will do just that .. in fact I did! (so proud of myself)

sky - that class sounds like fun. good luck with it! like wyntermoon I've seen her ads but never gotten gutsy enough to sign up. Good for you!

Went and bought the 2010 Writer's Market today. A late birthday present for myself. It's pretty and shiny ... time to do some exploring. See ya'll later ....

new post up: barn raising