Best Tips From 2014 ASJA Conference

I'm back from the 2014 ASJA Annual Writers' Conference. After five days in Manhattan, I'm exhausted but also energized, with plenty of great ideas, new contacts (and friends!), and new pitches to send.  

I attended about a half-dozen panels, and picked up tips from a number of editors, agents, and fellow freelancers. Some of the tips I gleaned included: 

• Focus on your strengths in your pitch to a content marketing agency. Dan Davenport of Meredith Xcererated Marketing (formerly Meredith Custom Publishing) doesn't like it when writers list nine different things they can do. He prefers that you limit yourself to one or two things you do well. (After meeting him in a client connection appointment, and hearing this advice, I completely rewrote my follow-up letter to him, focusing on what I do the best--service-oriented fitness writing.) 

• "There's never been a better time to be a freelancer," says content marketing writer Jennifer Goforth Gregory.  "It used to be that when corporate bigwigs wanted to promote products they did it with advertising. Now they create more effective content which saves them money--and that advertising money is now in their content marketing budget so it's available to us." She defines content as "anything produced by a company that provides information with the purpose of increasing trust for the customers to have in the brand." 

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  If you're self-publishing a book, have 10 online reviews up before you start sending it out for publicity, suggested Miral Sattar of BiblioCrunch. You get those reviews ahead of time by sending your e-galleys out to readers will who will review it on Amazon. (Great advice and a tip I'm going to use from now on with Improvise Press!)
  
  
• Don't ever say, "I don't think you know how good I really am." This was advice from keynoter Daniel Jones, who talked about his dreams of his writing career (making a living as a writer of short fiction) and the reality (he's the editor of the Times' Modern Love column). I missed the last half of his speech (I had to run to the Apple store at Grand Central Station to replace my iPhone which went for an unplanned swim in the toilet the day before), but my takeaway was to focus on your work, not on bragging about it. He also shared some hilarious emails from writers responding to his rejections, which were a big hit.  

• If you're a new writer, or new to the market, pitch something you have personal experience with, says Lynya Floyd of Family Circle. (Gee, I've been saying this for years!) The question she asks of pitches is "what is the service here?" and says each story has to have national, not regional appeal. 

• Amy Rushlow, of Prevention.com, suggests that writers come up with an attention-grabbing headline, and then write the story. "Click-bait" headlines do grab readers. (In your pitch, make sure to include the headline or working title." 

• Think ahead, says Marissa Stephenson of Men's Journal. "We work about six months out, so we're already looking at October/November pitches, and thinking about our January fitness package." She said Men's Journal pays $2/word and $150-300 for quick online posts; $500-600 for slide shows. 

• There are three places to find content work, says Jennifer Goforth Gregory: agencies; brands; and content services company like Ebyline and Contently. To get your foot in the door, "write a killer LOI that packages your experience and shows how you can help your clients. Include publications you've written for that are relevant to them. Make it really easy for them to say yes." 

** Want more advice about successful freelancing? Check out my books on freelancing, like Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money, Second Edition and Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets.  

Hot Freelance Tip of the Day: Get out of your House

I'm off tomorrow for ASJA's Annual Writer's Conference in NYC. (I'll be moderating the "Secrets of Successful Freelancers" panel on Friday, April 27, so if you're there, look for me!) Most years that I attend ASJA, I arrange to meet with editors and agents while I'm there. This year, I'm taking a different (more relaxed) approach. I'm going to promote Writer for Hire, to reconnect with old friends, and to attend panels on freelancing and book publishing that will hopefully help me continue to grow my career.

As a freelancer, I spent almost all of my work time alone. Yeah, there's Twitter and Facebook and phone calls and texts, but you know what? I still feel isolated. I still lose enthusiasm for what I'm doing. Yet I become reenergized at a writers' conference like ASJA, where I'm surrounded by fellow freelancers of different stripes. I'll talk, listen, laugh, bond, commiserate, maybe do a few tarot readings (we'll see!), and come home with not only some work leads and possibilities, but an increased sense of appreciation for what I've chosen to spend the last fifteen year of my life doing, career-wise.

Which brings us to the Hot Freelance Tip of the Day: Get out of your house.

Don't spend all of your working time alone. You need contact with fellow humans, and it's a bonus if they are serious about their writing, too. (It's an even bigger bonus if, like you, they write for money.) So attend a writers' conference. Have lunch with a fellow writer. Create a writers' critique group.

If time, money, or circumstances won't let you do any of that, at least leave your home. Head out to your local Caribou Coffee or Starbucks or pack up and work at the library. Listen to the people around you. Eavesdrop for ideas. People-watch. Stay connected to the world and your writing--and your psyche--will benefit.

Coming next week: a roundup of great ideas from ASJA! :)

More Tips for Writers/Authors from Writers' Fest

Today's post follows up on Monday's, sharing tips I garnered from last weekend's 10th Annual Writer's Fest in Milwaukee. Here are a few more you may find helpful: 

• Querying a new market? Come up with a new spin on your subject and you'll impress an editor, says Kurt Chandler, senior editor at Milwaukee Magazine. "Ideas are currency to us," adds Chandler. And to get an assignment, make sure you're familiar with the publication and what it publishes. Too many writers pitch ideas that his publication would never cover.  

• Looking for an agent? John Bolger, an agent and attorney, represents a range of fiction, and nonfiction, including genre fiction such as urban fantasy, science fiction, and women's fiction. Visit Middle West Literary Agency to submit a query letter about your project. 

• As usual, the most commonly heard word mentioned was "platform," or an author's ability to sell a book. ("Social media" was a close second.) Like all traditional publishers, Sourcebooks expects authors to either already have a strong platform or be able to develop one. "You have to know how to reach the audience you're writing for," says Kelly Bale, editor at Sourcebooks. "We do a  lot in terms of publicity but we look for authors with a platform." 

• Use tinyurl.com to create mini-URLS for your blog and Facebook posts, etc. They look better and more professional, says technology expert Sharon Miller Cindrich, author of books including A Smart Girl's Guide to the Internet. And mini-URLs y'd are easier to include in your Tweets! 

• Writers should opt for more than one email address, says Cindrich. For example, if you've written a book, create an email that is linked with the title (e.g., Goodbyebyline at gmail.com) . Then every email you send and receive from that account gets your book title before potential readers (and buyers). 

• When drafting query letters for agents or editors, Bolger recommends keeping your query letters to three to five paragraphs. "Hone these paragraphs and make them accurate and compelling," says Bolger. "Remember that each query is an introduction to a potential partnership and a business relationship. Some editors and agents read literally hundreds of queries in a sitting."

I've spoken at dozens of writers' conferences throughout the country, but I go as an attendee, too. Listening to other pros helps give me new ideas about how to run my freelancing business, whether it's branching into ebooks or working more efficiently. So consider attending a writer's conference...it can pay off in a multitude of ways! 

***My new line of ebooks, all branded with the Dollars and Deadlines name, are geared toward new freelancers. I take the same approach that I do with this blog--I give practical, proven strategies and plenty of examples to help you achieve your writing goals. So far the most popular has been Dollars and Deadlines' Guide to Selling your First Article, but Dollars and Deadlines 10 Essential Freelance Templates is also selling well. And if you write for love more than money (nothing wrong with that), you need to read Dollars and Deadlines' 10 Truths Every Writer Who Wants to Get Published Should Know.  

Attention: Would-be Ghostwriters and Writers in the Milwaukee/Chicago Area

Want to get into the lucrative field of ghostwriting? I'm teaching my online class, Ghostwriting 101,  through Writer's Digest later this month. It starts on February 23, 2012. Based on Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks: The Writer's Guide to Making Money Ghostwriting and Coauthoring Books, you'll come away from the class with a clear idea of the types of work and clients you should pursue along with a marketing plan and a letter of introduction, or LOI, to use with new clients.

And if you're in the Milwaukee/Madison/Chicago area and are serious about your writing career, check out the 10th Annual Writers' Fest, held March 9-11, 2012. I'll be presenting sessions on the benefits of specializing and on today's book publishing options; there are also sessions on everything from developing your platform to writing book proposals to memoir writing to social media. I'm looking forward to attending many of the sessions myself, and hope to see some of you there!

Mark your Calendars...10th Annual Writers Fest

I'm happy to announce that I've been invited back to the 10th Annual Writers Fest at the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee. Conference sessions and speakers cover topics including fiction, nonfiction, publishing options (I'll be presenting on that), self-publishing, specializing (I'm speaking on that as well), you name it. Check it out, and I hope to see some of you there! :)

Six Tips for Getting the Most from Writers' Conferences

In the coming weeks, I'll be speaking at/attending the Annual Writers Institute in Madison; ASJA's 2011 Writers Conference in NYC; and the OWFI 2011 Conference in Oklahoma City. If you'll be attending a writers' conference this year, here are six simple "dos" and "don'ts" to keep in mind:

Do: Dress like a grown-up.
Okay, I know what you’re thinking. "I’m a writer! It’s my words that matter, not how I look!" Not anymore. At a conference, you’re meeting with agents, editors, and others who can literally make—or break—your career. You don't have to break out a suit and tie, but business casual is a good bet. Publishing is a business, after all—you should appear to understand that fact.

Do: Prepare your pitch.
You’re spending time and money to attend this event. If you’re planning—or hoping—to make a connection with an agent or editor, you’d better think about what you’re going to say in advance. Practice what some agents call your “elevator pitch.” That’s your book or article pitch, summed up in a line or two that you could spit out in the time of a brief elevator ride. If you find yourself rambling past 20-30 seconds, work on it until it’s smooth, tight, and practiced.

Do: Speak up.
Chances are that the person you most want to connect with isn’t going to seek you out during the cocktail hour to ask about your writing background. That means you have to make the first move. Don’t be afraid to ask a question of a presenter during the Q-and-A period after a session or introduce yourself afterwards. (Just don’t become a stalker or editor hog as discussed below.)

Do: Network with other writers.
Sure, editors and agents may be on the top of your list, but don't forget to be friendly with other writers. I've made important connections and sold thousands of dollars worth of work thanks to other freelancers I've met at conferences. Swap contact info at the conference and follow up with people you'd like to stay in touch with through email or sites like LinkedIn and Twitter.

Don’t: Stalk your prey.
Editors and agents expect to meet writers at conferences. That's one of the reasons they're there. However, you shouldn't relentlessly pursue your target throughout the day until you can force him or her to listen to you. A brief into and polite inquiry about what the person is looking for is acceptable; following someone into the bathroom or interrupting his dinner is not.

Don’t Be a leech.
There are some at every conference; they're the writers who glom on to an agent or editor and refuse to let the person go, even while others are waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for their turn. Don’t monopolize someone’s time. It’s better to ask if you can follow up after the conference. Then do it.

There are hundreds of writers conferences throughout the U.S. (you can search Shaw Guides for topics, locations, dates, and agents/editors). Conferences can not only help you hone your skills, but can also help increase your chance of getting published and provide opportunities to make valuable contacts with editors, agents, and other freelancers.

I speak from experience: in 1997, my first year of fulltime freelancing, I attended Chicago Editors & Writers/One on One. It was the first time I'd met other freelancers, and meeting them--and seeing that they were making good livings as self-employed writers--gave me the confidence and inspiration that I could do so, too.

Upcoming Speaking Gigs for April and May, 2011

I'm still working on my ideas for teleclasses; if there are topics you'd like me to cover, comment here and let me know! :)

And if you want to see me live and person, I'll be speaking at a variety of events in the next two months:

• The Annual Writers Institute at University of Wisconsin/Madison, on April 8-10, 2011. Held in one of my favorite cities (and my birthplace!), this is a great weekend for writers of all stripes. I'll be presenting three different sessions, covering topics including Six-Figure Freelancing to query-writing to today's book publishing options.
• "Breaking in: The Basics of Writing for Magazines" at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at the Niles Public Library in Niles, Illinois. [Here's the program description: Have you dreamed of writing for magazines? Want to see your byline in your favorite publication? While basic writing skills are essential, the keys to successful magazine freelancing are selecting and analyzing potential markets, developing winning article ideas and crafting attention-getting query letters. This program will introduce you to some common magazine terminology and cover basics like how to find markets, come up with story ideas, and nail your first magazine assignments. Presented by Kelly James-Enger, author of twelvebooks including Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money (Random House, 2005) and 800+ articles for more than 50 national magazine articles.]
• "Breaking In: The Basics of Writing for Magazines" at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, 2011, at the Ela Area Public Library in Lake Zurich, Illinois.
• The OWFI Writers Conference in Oklahoma City from May 5-7, 2011. I attended this conference last year, and am returning to present programs on topics including freelancing for magazines, getting started in ghostwriting, and legal and business issues for freelancers.

I'll also be in NYC for the 40th Annual ASJA Writers Conference at the end of April. I'm a member of ASJA and this event is arguably the best conference for serious freelancers. It's led to literally tens of thousands of dollars of work for me, valuable connections, and awesome friends as well! Check it out and see if it's worthwhile for you to attend.