Nancy I. Sanders's Blog, page 26

Oldie But Goodie: Break Into the Market–Now!

Are you dreaming of writing for a publisher? Don’t just sit and dream about it. Do something about it!

Nearly every publisher big or small, magazine or book, has an “easier” way to get your foot in the door. Sure, they get a mile-high slush pile from wannabe writers who submit for their featured fiction articles or fabulous novels, but most don’t get enough submissions for their nitty gritty departmental needs.

I’ve been published in Pockets magazine, Star Wars for Kids, and Better Homes and Gardens! Was it because of my great awesome talent as a writer? I think not. It was because I was willing to roll up my sleeves and write for the little corners and spots where they needed new ideas on a constant basis.

I wrote puzzles for Pockets, games for Star Wars for Kids, and crafts for Better Homes and Gardens. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not a puzzle-writer, game-inventor, craft-designer kind of gal! I wanna write the big stuff–articles and stories and books and “important” manuscripts!

But as I have worked to establish myself as a writer with a successful writing career, I have studied various publishers and looked for ways to break into the market. I looked for fillers they might need a lot of on a regular basis. I searched their writers’ guidelines for departments that said were mostly freelance written. I looked for numbers that said they needed a lot of these kinds of submissions each year. So even though the types of manuscripts, genre, or topics weren’t necessarily my cup of tea, I studied up on them and submitted to the various publishers.

And landed contracts.

You can, too!

Filed under: Oldie But Goodie, Uncategorized

Faith Building Fridays: Expectancy

These all wait for You,

that You may give them their food

in due season.

-Psalm 104:27, NKJV

Are you waiting on the Lord regarding your writing? Then wait with expectancy as a bird waits in its nest. Wait with expectancy because God will bring it to pass in due season.

Dear God, please give me joy in my heart as I wait quietly before you. Help me trust that you’re molding and shaping and working deep in the places where I cannot see. Help me keep my eyes on you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Scribes: Devotions for Christian Writers is available at Amazon.

Filed under: Faith-building Fridays, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Oldie But Goodie: Get Published Now!

Here’s an oldie but goodie I posted on my blog several years ago. I hope you find it helpful!

Are you published? Have you experienced the delight of seeing your words in print? Are you familiar with the thrill of knowing your words are being read by other people?

If your answer is “No,” or “Not as much as I’d like to be,” then you can roll up your sleeves and make a change…today. Really!

No, you probably won’t sell that book manuscript you’ve been struggling to submit to publishers. You probably won’t even get that article accepted in the big magazine you’ve dreamed about. Not today. Those types of projects take time.

But you can land an assignment today for a manuscript targeted to a no pay or low pay publisher. There are zillions of opportunities out there for writers who are willing to write for no pay or low pay. Consider your church newsletter, a small e-zine for writers, your local throw away community magazine, or an online site that publishes devotions…the list is endless.

But why should a writer waste their time writing manuscripts for these types of places?

I’ll tell you why. It feels good! It’s relatively easy to land an acceptance. It validates you as a writer. It lists published credits on your resume. It brings you frequent opportunities to see your words in print. It connects you with editors and deadlines and submission guidelines. It lands you in the actual factual world of writers.

Throughout my entire 22-year writing career, I’ve always been writing for no pay or low pay assignments. Last year alone I earned over $4,000 writing for assignments I earned between $25 to $75 per manuscript. All that was done in between waiting and working on long-term book projects–some of which I may never land a contract for or I won’t see in print for a long long time.

This year I’ve landed some new assignments–one monthly magazine assignment brings me in a whopping $10 per manuscript! But about a week ago, when I contacted an editor of a big magazine everyone wants to write for, the editor said, “Funny! I was just sitting here reading your article in a magazine I have.” Wow! That was worth way more than the $10 I got paid for it.

So go out there and find a no-pay or low-pay publisher today. E-mail them if they list an editor’s e-mail and tell them you’re interested in submitting an article to them–today. Write an article for them–today. Send it in. Today. If you get rejected–look lower! Start writing on a steady and frequent basis and start getting published now!

 

Filed under: Oldie But Goodie, Uncategorized

Oldie But Goodie: Research Tip

Here’s an oldie but goodie post I found from several years ago on my blog. Enjoy!

In November, 2007, I landed a contract to write a nonfiction book for kids. My deadline is December 15, 2008. As I’ve been working on this project, sometimes I feel like I’ve been invited to eat an elephant for dinner. I’m often overwhelmed by the huge task of writing the manuscript. I have to keep reminding myself, “How do you eat an elephant?–One bite at a time.” This translates into, “How do you write a huge nonfiction manuscript?–One word at a time.”

As I’ve been doing the research, I’ve also been overwhelmed. I feel like I’ve been dropped in the middle of an ocean just close enough to swim to shore if I really, really pace myself. I have to keep reminding myself, “How do you swim to shore?–One stroke at a time.” This translates into, “How do you dig through 200 years of research?–One item at a time.”

I’ve written nonfiction projects before, but for some reason, the research on this project is daunting. I’m dealing mostly with primary sources–letters filed away in forgotten library holdings, hand-written poems still stored in private collections, testimonies, and autobiographies. Even the government documents are mostly written by hand.

In a business where I’m used to finding three sources to support each fact I want to write about, I’ve discovered that all my sources for nearly every topic I want to write about each point back to the same document in discussion. I finally contacted my editor about how they want their authors to conduct research.

Before I share what he said, let me backtrack to a book I finished writing for a different publisher just as I landed this new contract last November. As I began research for that particular book, I contacted the editor of that other publisher and asked how they wanted me to document my research. “Document three sources for each fact you state in the manuscript,” she said. So I did. I prepared one manuscript to submit to the publisher and one manuscript with detailed footnotes for nearly every single sentence of the book. The bibliography I prepared was astounding!

So when the editor of this new book project with a different publisher responded to my question about how they wanted me to document my sources, he said that for this type of book, which is dealing with so many primary sources, that as long as I knew I was dealing with a trusted source, I could feel free to use the information I found. He even said they don’t need a detailed bibliography–just about ten books that students might be interested in reading to find out more about my topic.

Wow. This really changed my approach. In fact, I’ve been trying to determine how I’m going to proceed with the manuscript based on these parameters. I’ve been tossing ideas back and forth all this past week as I’ve spent many, many hours doing research. For all my week of research, yesterday, I finally wrote one sentence:

“Alice loved history because she lived it!”

But I am so-o-o excited about that sentence. For one thing, it means I wrote one word per each day of research. (Remember the elephant for dinner?) Mostly, however, I’m excited because as I’ve researched Alice all last week (and no, Alice didn’t have a last name) I finally connected with a curator of a library yesterday on the phone. After a perfectly delightful conversation of introductions and realization that we were interested in the same topic in history, I explained I was looking for a 200-year old portrait of Alice. I heard the excitement in the curator’s voice as he said, “Alice? I’ve got the portrait of Alice!”

And that’s what writing nonfiction is all about…it’s a treasure hunt, really. You get dusty and scared and tired and lost. But then, when you find the treasure, it’s all worth it. Because now, just like Indiana Jones, you can take that treasure and put it where it belongs. For Indiana Jones, he felt his treasures belonged in a museum. For a children’s book writer, I know the treasures I find belong in the hands of kids in a book they can read again and again on their journey to learn more about the wonderful world they live in.

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The Parable of the Shoemaker – Part 5

I originally wrote the Parable of the Shoemaker eight years ago and posted it here on my blog. I wanted to let you know the lessons I learned about working in the publishing industry and landing contracts.

After I posted it last week here as an Oldie but Goodie, I received an e-mail in my inbox. It’s from an editor I never worked with before. But she requested that I write and submit a potential children’s manuscript to her because she was looking for a specific book.

How did this happen? How have I managed to work with editors like this for over 20 years and engage them in discussion about potential book contracts?

There are several steps I’ve taken.

One way is to meet editors at conferences. Only instead of just meeting them and showing them what I’ve written, I always try to ask them, “What type of manuscripts are you looking for?” After they answer me, I ask, “Would you be interested in receiving a proposal (for a longer book) or a manuscript (for a shorter book such as a picture book) from me on this?” For my very first editor appointment 25 years ago at a writer’s conference, I did this and landed my very first book contract as a result.

2. Another way is to read editor interviews in writing publications such as the SCBWI Bulletin, SCBWI Insight, Institute of Children’s literature e-news, and the Children’s Book Insider. (Google each of these for their websites to learn more.) One year as a beginning writer I made it my goal to contact one editor a month that I read an interview and saw what kind of manuscripts the editor was looking for. After three months I had to quit doing this, however. I landed so many book contracts (I think 5 or 6) in that short time, I was too busy to do that again for quite awhile! I simply contacted them, said I read their interview, saw that they were looking for a certain kind of manuscript, and asked if they’d be interested in receiving a proposal or sample manuscript to fill that need.

3. Another strategy that works is to join groups where editors hang out such as Kidlit College and 12×12 Challenge (for writing picture books). Watch the webinars where editors speak and listen to what they say. Again, contact them and follow through!

So how did I get this e-mail that just arrived in my inbox? I had been studying a publisher’s catalog for this past year. I noticed that they are pumping out a significant number of new books in a genre I want to get published in. So I submitted my two manuscripts to this editor. (Some publishers only accept one, but this one was okay with submitting two at a time.) But in my cover letter, I also stated that I have been studying their product line, I want to write in this genre, and if these manuscripts don’t meet their current need, is there a manuscript they’d like me to write and submit instead?

Bingo! The editor responded and said that my first manuscript was very similar to a brand new on they’ll be publishing soon so they can’t use it. She said that my second manuscript just wasn’t what they were looking for. But then she handed me the golden ticket. She answered my question by saying that if I were interested in writing a manuscript on such and such a topic, she’d really like to see it.

Again, this ties back to the Parable of the Shoemaker. A certain publisher is looking for a very specific fit and asked me if I’d be willing to send her one.

So that’s what I’m going to do!

I hope you have success doing the same.

Oh, and if you feel frustrated because you don’t know any publishers who accept unsolicited children’s books, CLICK HERE to find a list of those who do.

 

 

 

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Faith Building Fridays: Marvelous!

You will be able to tell wonderful stories to your children and grandchildren about the marvelous things I am doing among the Egyptians to prove that I am the Lord.

-Exodus 10:2, NLT

Isn’t God amazing? And isn’t it marvelous that we have the amazing privilege to write stories that will prove to others that God is the Lord! Through the stories we write and the testimony of how God calls us to be His scribe, we are able to witness to others and affect eternity!

Dear God, Thank You for this amazing opportunity to write stories, whether for children or adults, to prove of your goodness and faithfulness. Please help me find the time to write the words You have called me to write. In Jesus’ name. -Amen.

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Scribes: Devotions for Christian Writers is available at Amazon.

Filed under: Faith-building Fridays, Inspiration, Uncategorized

The Parable of the Shoemaker: Part 4

A parable about writing…

In the first three parts of the story posted earlier this week on my blog, the shoemaker tried to sell the shoes she made, but all she got were rejections. Until one day, she met a new friend who invited her to study the websites of the places she tried to market her shoes to and learn more about the exact kind of shoes each one was looking for…

Part 4

After studying the website and reading the interview, it was as if a light suddenly dawned in her head. Quickly, the shoemaker sent an e-mail. In the e-mail, she said, “I have studied your website and see that you all wear cowboy boots. I also read your interview and understand that you wear sizes 4, 7, and 15. However, I didn’t see anywhere that you have a matching pair of cowboy boots for your whole family to wear. I have an idea for a matching set—would you like me to show you the idea?”

To her surprise and amazement, the shoemaker got a reply the very next day. The owner sent her an e-mail! In the e-mail, the owner said, “I like your idea of matching cowboy boots for all four of us to wear. Even though they will look the same, however, I would like mine to have comfortable innersoles included inside. Plus, the two matching pairs for the twins need a special arch built inside because the twins need the extra support. Can you make these for us?”

Excited, the shoemaker replied that yes, she could make the cowboy books like the woman described. So she signed a contract to make them, started work on them right away, and soon sold her first four pairs of shoes.

From then on, the shoemaker never mailed another pair of shoes randomly to someone again. First she studied the websites of different places to see what kinds of shoes they liked to wear. Then she looked for interviews of people who explained the exact size of shoes that fit. Finally, she contacted the people personally to see if they would be interested in having her make them a pair of shoes like they said they were looking for in the interview. From then on, she sold many, many pairs of shoes and her shoes were always the perfect fit!

(Did she ever sell the little blue jogging shoes that she first made? No, but just last month the shoemaker’s daughter had the sweetest little baby boy you ever did see. And the little blue jogging shoes fit her new grandson perfectly—which makes a perfectly delightful end to this story about the Parable of the Shoemaker.)

The End

This is really a parable about writing, not about making shoes. I’ve tried to show you how I’ve had success landing book contracts over the years—and I hope you can do the same.

Filed under: Inspiration, Uncategorized

The Parable of the Shoemaker: Part 3

A parable about writing…

In Part 1 and 2 of the story, the shoemaker finished making her very first pair of shoes. All her friends agreed they were perfect! She decided to market the shoes and sell them, but all she got were rejections. Until one day, she met a new friend…

Part 3

The shoemaker was so excited to meet her new friend. This friend had made many, many shoes. In fact, this friend had sold a pair of shoes to the very first place the shoemaker had sent the little blue jogging shoes. “Why did they buy your shoes and not mine?” the shoemaker asked her new friend. The shoemaker showed her friend the little blue jogging shoes. “Can you tell me how I need to improve the shoes to have that place buy my shoes, too?”

The friend looked at the little blue jogging shoes and agreed that they were perfect. But then the friend invited the shoemaker to go online and visit the website of the place who had sent her the very first rejection.

When she looked at the website, the shoemaker discovered to her surprise that everyone at that place only wore cowboy boots. “You see,” her new friend explained, “it wasn’t that your blue jogging shoes were poorly made, it’s just that they weren’t the right fit for this place. Everyone here only wears cowboy boots. So they only buy cowboy boots. They don’t ever buy blue jogging shoes and probably never will.”

The shoemaker went right home and designed a beautiful, brand new pair of cowboy boots. She studied her books and learned how to make the very best cowboy boots. Soon the boots were finished! So she sent the boots to the very first place where she had first sent her little blue jogging shoes. As soon as they were in the mail, she started making another pair of cowboy boots.

One day, however, she went to hear mailbox. There were two items in her mailbox. One was the pair of cowboy boots, with a note attached to it. The note was a form note, just like the first. Once again it said, “Thanks, but not quite the right fit.”

The second item in the mailbox was a magazine about how to make shoes. The shoemaker was so disappointed that her cowboy boots were rejected. She didn’t feel like working on any more shoes that day, so she sat down and read her magazine. Lo and behold, one of the owners of the place who just rejected her cowboy boots was interviewed in that very issue!

The shoemaker read the interview. In the interview, the owner said, “My family and I own this business. We always wear cowboy boots because we like them the best. I wear a size 7 cowboy boot. My husband wears a size 15, and we have twin daughters who wear a size 4. We’re always on the lookout to purchase a brand new pair of cowboy boots for each of us to wear. If you have a pair for us to look at, please e-mail me about it.”

The shoemaker looked at the cowboy boots she had just gotten rejected and returned in the mail. They were a size 9. Suddenly, it dawned on her—no wonder they were rejected! Even though they were cowboy boots, they weren’t quite the right fit for anyone at that place to wear!

It was as if the shoemaker’s eyes were suddenly opened. She went online and looked at the website again—yes, they all wore cowboy boots and yes, each one of them wore a different size…suddenly a light dawned on in her head.

Come back tomorrow for the last and final episode–Part 4 of the Shoemaker!

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Faith Building Fridays: Timing

Say from the heart,

“Let us live in awe of the Lord our God,

for He gives rain each spring and fall,

assuring us of a harvest

when the time is right.”

-Jeremiah 5:24, NLT

God’s promise is sure. He ASSURES us of a harvest at just the exact right time. But first we must experience the rain. If you’re feeling like you’re in a gray and dismal season of your life as a writer, rejoice! After the rain comes the harvest! It’s a promise. And it will come exactly on time.

Dear God, Thank You for your promise. Thank You for the rain because I know it will produce the best harvest! Thank You for encouraging my writer’s heart today. And thank You for always doing things at the best time. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Scribes: Devotions for Christian Writers is available at Amazon.

Filed under: Faith-building Fridays, Inspiration, Uncategorized

The Parable of the Shoemaker: Part 2

A parable about writing…

In Part 1 of the story on my previous blog post, the shoemaker finished making her very first pair of shoes. All her friends agreed they were perfect! She decided to market the shoes and sell them.

Part 2

The shoemaker found a book of addresses of people who bought shoes. She mailed the little blue jogging shoes to the first name in the book. And following the advice of her fellow shoemakers, as soon as those shoes were in the mail, she started work to make her next pair of shoes.

She was almost done making her second pair of shoes when the first pair arrived back in her mailbox with a note. The note said, “Thanks, but not quite the right fit.” Disappointed, but realizing that it was tough to sell shoes in today’s market, she mailed them right out to the second name in her book. In the meantime, she continued working on her second pair of shoes.

Everyone agreed that her second pair of shoes was even more beautiful than the first. And so she mailed her second pair of shoes to a name from her book. In the meantime, she started work on another pair of shoes…and then another…each time, mailing the finished shoes out to another name from her book. But each time the shoes would arrive back in her mailbox. Nobody purchased a single pair of shoes.

The shoemaker (for by now she dared to call herself a shoemaker) was really starting to get depressed. All her life she had dreamed of being a shoemaker, but now nobody would buy her shoes even though she was sure they were well made. All her friends agreed that her shoes were very beautiful and well crafted. But without any success, she was almost to the point where she was going to quit making shoes forever.

Until one day, the shoemaker met a new friend.

Come back soon for Part 3 of the Shoemaker!

Filed under: Inspiration, Uncategorized