WPN Market Update – February, 2009

By Patricia L. Fry

Going, Going, Gone – 21 magazines are gone.
Here’s What’s New – 15 items of interest to authors and freelance writers.
Opportunities for Freelance Writers – 11 opps. and news you can use.
Opportunities for Authors – 7 agents and what they are seeking; 6 writers conferences where you can meet with agents; Directories of agents and writers conferences.
Opportunities for Book Promotion – 10 good ones to consider.
Opportunities for Screen Writers and Film Makers – 2 interesting services for Screenwriters; 4 scripts wanted.
Opportunities for Artists and Photographers – 2 resources for working artists/photogs.
Resources for Freelance Writers and Authors – 5 GREAT resources.
News Bites for Authors – Amazon’s new Author Store; Inscribe seeks help; Borders accepts nonreturnable books; Ingram’s sales number is gone.
 
Going, Going, Gone
Distinction has published its last issue.
JPG Magazine is planning to fold.
Storage and Information Security will stop publishing.
Time Out New York is for sale.
GreenGuide has ceased producing the print edition.
Atlanta Peach has suspended publication.
Play is gone.
Sports Compact Car will close this month.
Wish is out of business.
Backpacking Light will no longer produce the print version.
Cottage Living has ceased publication.
Gardening Life has closed.
O At Home won’t be publishing this year.
Alpinist has gone out of business.
Dream House has ceased publication.
Frank will no longer be publishing.
Cosmo Girl has folded.
Elle Accessories is also gone, but may be back.
Masthead Magazine both print and online has closed.
Ukula Magazine is no longer publishing.
Does anyone know how many times Radar has quit? Well, it has happened again.
 
Here’s What’s New
You’ve “read” me mention the strange magazine title, Garden and Gun. This is a southern lifestyle magazine focusing on the sporting culture, food, literature, people and ideas. Check out this magazine at their website. If you have an article idea, contact editorial@gardenandgun.com and ask for their editorial guidelines. I don’t see them at their website. Or sign up for Wooden Horse Publishing database privileges at http://www.woodenhorsepub.com. They have guidelines for this magazine and hundreds of others. They also have many of these magazines’ editorial calendars, so you know what topics to pitch. Learn more about the magazine at http://www.gardenandgun.com. The reason I bring this magazine up again is that it seems to be doing well. They have raised the subscription base and frequency of publication, so it might present a good opportunity for freelance writers.
Quick Publishing of St. Louis, MO has purchased VanderWyk & Burnham of Acton, MA. According to a press release from Anvil Brokers, Quick Publishing was created in 2004 when Angela and Fred Quick acquired Cache River Press and Studio 4 Productions (both of them having been established over 20 years ago). Cache River Press publishes regional and travel books related to the Midwest. Studio 4 Productions has been divided into two imprints, Senior Sense and Quick Prints, producing books related to family/senior/aging issues, parenting, travel disaster preparedness and more. Contact Quick Publishing at quickpublishing@sbcglobal.net. Or 314-432-3435. I could not find a website for Quick Publishing.
Saint Benedict Press of North Carolina, a publisher of Catholic classics, has acquired the assets of TAN Books.
Are you interested in purchasing a publishing house? Contact Noel Griese at anvilpublishers@earthlink.net. Also check out http://www.anvilpub.net/publisher_brokerage.htm.
Macmillan is forming a new unified children’s publishing division, which will bring all of its imprints under one umbrella. The new division will be known as Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and it will be headed by Dan Farley.
EveryWriter.com (http://www.everywriter.com) domain is for sale.
Byline Magazine is reorganizing. They’re no longer accepting submissions or even ads.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is not accepting manuscripts at this time.
Finally Writer’s Digest has a new editor-in-chief. Her name is Jessica Strawser.
PC Magazine is now online only.
A report in Publishers Weekly by Felicia Pride and Calvin Reid, reveals that more publishers are producing books specifically for black teens that are dealing with serious life issues. Think about it, each of us gets more from a book with information, resources or characters that we can identify with. So which publishers are answering the need for this genre? Pocket Books has a YA African-American division. Kensington’s Dafina is an imprint for this demographic. Scholastic, Just us Books, BET, Atria, WW. Norton, Viking and Regnery are a few publishing companies that have jumped on the bandwagon to provide reading material specific to black teens and young adults.
If you want to know who else publishes books for the African American population and what books are out there already, visit http://www.blackbooksdirect.com.
Google has purchased Feedburner.com, a site designed to help you advertise your blogs and podcasts. Learn more at http://www.feedburner.com.
Sports Out Loud is now Compete, The Gay Sports Magazine.
Southern California Anthology is now Southern California Review.
 
Opportunities for Freelance Writers
The magazine is alive and well. Meg Weaver at Wooden Horse Publishing says in her January 4 enewsletter that, for every one magazine that failed last year, 20 more were launched. Here’s some mind-bogglingly great news: There are over 16,500 magazines, tabloids, specialized newspapers and major journals that carry advertising. Many of them pay for copy (articles, stories, news, etc.). Learn more about the magazine industry and specific magazines at http://www.woodenhorsepub.com.
Which category of magazines is thriving in this economy? The top category is Regional magazines (and I have some to tell you about in this issue). Also popular and plentiful are medicine, ethnic, religion, theology, travel, business, college alumni, automotive, health and fitness. Also up in 2008 were nursing magazines, home magazines and those featuring snow and ice sports.
Freelance Writing Job Sites
Have you received an email offering to pay you for freelance writing work? I guess there are several at work on the Internet. I received a notice from one this week-ever hear of FreelanceHomeWriters.com? I checked them out and discovered that most warning sites and scam spotters recommend avoiding getting involved with them. If you receive information or come across information about freelance writing job site, always, always check them out. I’ve listed warning sites often in the WPN Market Update and here they are again. But I’m adding two sites related strictly to Internet scams: http://www.idecieve.blogspot.com, http://www.suckerswanted.blogspot.com. Here are the warning sites that I know about. Let us know if there are others: http://www.anotherrealm.com/prededitors, http://www.writersweekly.com/whispers_and_warnings.php, and http://www.todays-woman.net/poetry-scams.html.
The Altruist is a new online literary magazine seeking submissions for its inaugural issue. They want fresh and innovative works of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, essays, interviews and more. You’ll find their guidelines here: http://www.altruisticword.com. They do not pay for submissions, but they want only first North American Serial Rights-no reprints or previously published works. Send submissions via word doc attachment to thealtruisticword@gmail.com.
Writers Digest Magazine is not accepting submissions at this time, according to their submission guidelines page online December 13, 2008 and again January 5, 2009. If you want to be published in Writer’s Digest, be sure to check their guidelines before submitting. http://www.writersdigest.com/submissionguidelines. Scroll to the bottom of the guidelines to see if the note is still there.
Doctor’s Life launched in January. This print magazine targets dentists, physicians and veterinarians in Atlanta. Yup, another regional magazine. News, notes and pictures are welcome, but the website doesn’t have much to offer, yet. Keep an eye on it. http://www.doctorslife.net.
The Daily Beast, a news website, pays for posts in the amount of around 50 cents per word. http://www.thedailybeast.com
Do you like to read as well as write? Maybe you’d like to write book reviews for Sacramento Book Review (http://www.1776productions.com/sac_book_review.html). The only pay they offer is the book that you review. Contact Heidi Komlofske or Ross Rojek at reviews@1776productions.com.
StateLine is a brand new regional magazine for women of Detroit. If you live in this area or know something about it, you might be able to land some freelance work. Contact Karen Buscemi at talktous@stylelinemag.com. Their website doesn’t offer much information, but here is the link: http://www.stylelinemag.com.
Paying Magazines You May Not Have Considered
CIRCLE K Magazine has been around for a while. If you can write for the college crowd in the area of career and community involvement, you might get some work here. They pay $150 to $400 for articles of 1,000 to 1,500 words. Contact Kasey Jackson at ckimagazine@kiwanis.org. Check out their website at http://www.circlek.org. Some of the topics they’re currently interested in are trends among college students and health issues for students.
Becoming Family is in existence to inspire and encourage families. And this is how you should focus your proposed articles for this publication. They want pieces on families that make good role models, family issues and how to resolve them, neighborhood happenings, heroes within families, history/nostalgia related to families and stories of teens that are making a difference. Some years ago, they published my story on two teen diabetics (brothers) who had written a book to help young kids through the challenges of the disease. They also publish fiction. Contact Peg Short at pshort@becomingfamily.com. Visit their website at http://www.becomingfamily.com. This is a paying market, but they negotiate the fee based on the piece and the author’s experience.
Faces covers world culture for children ages 9-14. They seek interviews, historical/nostalgic, humor, personal experience, travel and activities pieces. They pay 20 to 25 cents per word. Faces also publishes ethnic and historical fiction and poetry. Writers receive additional pay for photos accompanying their articles. Contact Elizabeth Crooker Carpentiere at facesmag@yahoo.com. Learn more about this magazine at http://www.cobblestonepub.com.Georgia Magazine is a general interest publication focusing on Georgia. Whether it is historical, humor, inspirational, travel, a how-to or an interview/profile piece, if it relates to the state of Georgia, editor, Ann Orowski might be interested. If she is, she’ll pay up to $500 for 1,000 words. Contact Ann at aorowski@georgiaemc.com. Website, http://www.georgiamagazine.org.
SciFiction is seeking, what else, good science fiction and fantasy stories for publication. They want 2,000 to 17,500 words and will pay 20 cents/word up to $3,500. Contact Ellen Datlow at datlow@yahoo.com. http://www.scifi.com
 
Opportunities for Authors
The National Writers Press has changed from a “self-publishing” house to a royalty book publisher. Check out their new releases and their guidelines at: http://www.nationalwriterspress.com.
Agents, Agents, Agents. Who needs one? What do they do? How do you get one? You’ll find answers to these questions in several books by publishing professionals, including Patricia Fry’s hallmark book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and Jeff Herman’s books. Also read Chuck Rothman’s article at http://www.sfwa.org/writing/agents.htm for answers to the basic questions about locating and using an agent. I always steer people in the direction of http://www.aar-online.org for a list of legitimate, screened author agents. BookTalk also has a list—but check the agent out at the AAR website before getting involved. http://www.booktalk.com/agents1.html.
Recently, Writer’s Digest listed 28 agents who want to work with you. While some experts suggest using caution when considering agents listed anywhere except AAR, I’m going to offer you a sampling of the agents WD has listed. I trust you to do your own research.
Jenni Ferrari-Adler at Brickhouse Lit specializes in literary fiction, narrative nonfiction and commercial fiction. jenni@brickhouselit.com.
Winifred Golden at Castiglia Literary Agency in California, is actively seeking literary fiction, ethnic fiction, suspense, thrillers and science fiction. She also wants to see nonfiction on topics that the author has expertise in. The link is so lengthy, I am giving you an address and phone number instead. 1155 Camino Del Mar, Suite. 510, Del Mar, CA 92014. 858-755-8761. Or do what I do in cases like this, do a Google search using keyword: Castiglia Literary Agency.
Sally van Haitsma also at Castiglia is looking for all kinds of nonfiction by authors with a platform. She is also interested in women’s and ethnic fiction.
Nancy Love at Nancy Love Literary Agency is actively seeking narrative nonfiction. nloveag@aol.com.
Rachelle Gardner at Wordserve Literary in Colorado works primarily with religious books-both nonfiction and fiction. rachelle@wordserveliterary.com.
Jenoyne Adams, Bliss Literary is hoping to work with authors of middle grade YA fiction and nonfiction. She prefers receiving e-queries. query@blissliterary.com.
Do you write true crime and suspense? Verna Dreisbach at Dreishbach Literary in California, might be interested. verna@dreisbachliterary.com.
Writers Conferences
Here are a few 2009 writers conferences where you can meet with specific agents and talk about your project.
In New York: Backspace Writers Conference. Agents-Authors day is May 28, 2009. You’ll find more information at: http://www.backspacewritersconference.com.
DRW Writers Conference in Grapevine, TX. May 2-3. Http://www.dfwwritersconference.com
Children’s Writers Workshop August 21-23, 2009 in Santa Cruz, CA. http://www.childrenswritersworkshop.com
Santa Barbara Writers Conference held in June of each year in Santa Barbara, California. This year’s dates: June 20-25. http://www.sbwriters.com.
Pacific Northwest Writers Association Conference: July 30-August 2. http://www.pnwa.org
Oklahoma Writers Federation Writers Conference held in Norman, OK April 30-May 2. http://www.owfi.org.
For a writer’s conference directory, go to: http://www.writingshawguides.com. WritersConferences.org lists nearly 100 conferences. http://www.writersconf.org. You can also do a Google search to locate a conference in your area. Just type in “writers conference” and your city/state.
 
Opportunities for Book Promotion
FREE Report
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The Authors Show radio program is moving from a weekly to a daily show and with a new host. There is no fee to participate on the Authors Show. And it’s a great place to get exposure for your book. Learn more at http://www.authorswebtv.com.Your new show host is Linda Thompson. Danielle Hampson is executive director. Phone toll free 1-877-955-8800
Get your book reviewed at Sacramento Book Review. Contact Ross Rojek or Heidi Komlofske at reviews@1776productions.com. Learn more about this NEW tabloid at http://www.1776productions.com. They also do author interviews and publish articles on book-related subjects.
 
Literary Conferences
Many authors take their books to conferences where they’ll find readers. Some of us apply to speak or present a workshop. That way, you get to talk to people who are interested in your book topic and you get to attend the conference for FREE. You might also rub shoulders with some influential players within the book industry. Here are a few conferences that you might consider attending in 2009:
Readercon. July 9-12, 2009 in Burlington, MA. The fee is only $50. http://www.readercon.org.
Worldcon focuses on science fiction works. To be held August 6-10, 2009 in Canada. http://www.worldcon.org
Capclave for science fiction writers and readers. To be held in Rockville, MD, October 16-18, 2009. http://www.capclave.org
Bear River Writers Conference will be held in northern Michigan on May28-June 1, 2009. http://www.lsa.umich.edu/bearriver.
Backspace Writers Conferences May 29-30, 2009 in New York. Agent-Author day is May 28. http://www.backspacewritersconference.com.
Gulf Coast Writers Conference in Panama City, FL Sept. 18-20. http://www.gulfcoastwritersconference.com
For a writers conference directory go to: http://www.writingshawguides.com. WritersConferences.org lists nearly 100 conferences. http://www.writersconf.org. You can also do a Google search to locate a conference in your area. Just type in “writers conference” and your city/state.
 
Opportunities for Screenwriters and Film Makers
CreateSpace.com (http://www.createspace.com) is quite the place for musicians and filmmakers. If you are serious about your profession, you might check it out and see if this exposure would help your career.
Have you heard of iScript? It’s a service that records your script into an audio file for an MP3 or CD player. Check it out at http://www.iscript.com.
The newsletter, Ink Tip announces scripts being sought. If you write scripts and you don’t subscribe to Ink Tip, you could be missing out on some opportunities. http://www.inktip.com.
Here are some scripts various companies are seeking:
Action/thriller:
http://www.inktip.com/welcome.php?cid=WNLPref&pg=newsletterpref.php
Family Friendly fantasy scripts:
http://www.inktip.com/welcome.php?cid=WNLPref&pg=newsletterpref.php
Teen thrillers:
http://www.inktip.com/welcome.php?cid=WNLPref&pg=newsletterpref.php
Feature length scripts based on true stories:
http://www.inktippro.com/leads
Read the January edition of Ink Tip for more opportunities.
 
Opportunities for Artists and Photographers
If you would like to make money with your camera, take a look at http://www.CameraCareer.com. Yes, they want money for various services and products, but you may also find some that are worthwhile to you. They’ve discounted their main product—a book to help you build a career as a photographer. They also offer a free newsletter of tips for selling your photography. Good luck!
Are you an artist or photographer who would like to be selling your work—perhaps, making a living or at least supplementing your income through your art or photography? Here’s an article designed to help you adjust your mindset toward promotion and shore up your marketing skills. It’s called, “Promotion: Your Success as an Artist Depends on it.” Check it out at http://www.matilijapress.com/articles/artist-promotion.htm.
 
Resources for Freelance Writers and Authors is offering a one-year subscription to the print version for $12.95. Seniors and students pay only $11.95. Their one-year email subscription is just $6.00. Some of the experts contributing to the Jan/Feb 2009 edition are Moira Allen, editor of Writing-World.com. Her article is on a question I get often: whether to send a query or an article. Penny Sansevieri contributes an article in this edition on 7 Powerful ways to find new readers for your blog. Penny is founder of Author Marketing Experts. This edition of the Working Writer Newsletter also features an article called “Novel Ways to Promote Your Novel” by your WPN president, Patricia Fry.
Working Writer Newsletter
Fern Reiss of PublishingGame.com and Expertising.com is starting a new membership organization called, The International Association of Writers. She’ll have an international speakers bureau, a place to post your profile so journalists and editors can call you for quotes and a syndicated articles directory (where she’ll post short articles and make them available to editors). The annual membership fee is $149. Check out the possibilities at http://www.associationofwriters.com.
Here’s an amazing resource for freelance writers. It’s writers guidelines for around 300 paying markets. You’ll find this resource at Angela Hoy’s Writers Weekly Website. Here’s the link. Let us know if you locate an opportunity that you weren’t aware of before: http://forums.writersweekly.com/viewforum.php?f=12.
Trends in Publishing for 2009. Be sure to subscribe to Penny Sansevieri’s The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter. http://www.amarketingexpert.com. At least go to the website and see if you can access the January 8, 2009 edition as it includes a great list of trends writers and authors can follow in order to stay on top of their profession. Stay in touch with the trends and get more freelance work and/or sell more books. Here are a few Penny mentions: Green is still in—but she suggests finding ways to make green cost less for consumers. Other themes you should be watching and getting involved in as a writer or author are Entrepreneurs, Social networking, Do it Yourself, Pets and the Home. Subscribe to A Marketing Expert Newsletter. You won’t be disappointed.
Speaking of GREEN, World Wide Freelance newsletter is offering a list of 90 environmental and conservation writing markets here: http://www.worldwidefreelance.com/greenlist.htm.
 
News Bites for Authors
Has Amazon set you up with an Author Store, yet? Evidently, they have discovered that customers often shop by author rather than by title. In order to accommodate them, Amazon created Author Stores for around 2,500 authors—mostly the big name authors. What is an Author Store? It’s a page listing books by this author and a bio. According to Amazon’s publicity manager, Andrew Herdener, eventually every author with books sold through Amazon will have an Author Store. That’s something to look forward to.
InScribe, Christian Writers’ Fellowship, an organization that inspires Christian Writers throughout Canada, is seeking a vice president, representatives throughout Canada as well as people to volunteer for the Fall Conference Committee. If you are interested in a position, contact Marcia Maycock at vinemarc@telus.net.
Did you hear that Borders plans to accept books from HarperStudio on a nonreturnable basis? Borders will get a discount of 50% to 63% of cover price for nonreturnable books.
Not all publishers are whining, complaining and crying in their beer about the economy. Publishers Weekly reports that John Wiley and Sons had a 2% increase in revenue during the second quarter of 2008. For your information, the weakest area in their collection of titles was professional/business/trade. How ironic that education titles were the hardest hit and at a time when you would think we’d be out there eager for the education we need in order to meet today’s unique challenges.
Evidently, Ingram has discontinued its phone number which authors used to collect sales information about books in their system. Perhaps some of you remember my publishing this number in previous editions of the WPN Market Update. It looks as if this number has been revoked.
Question for our Members
How many of these opportunities and resources were you able to use in your search for a publisher, an agent or customers for your book? Let us know what has helped and what you’d like to see more of. Patricia@spawn.org.