Here’s What’s New
The 2011 edition of Writer’s Market is out!! Order your copy today from Amazon.com or another online bookseller, any independent or major bookstore, Writer’s Digest or any number of other places.
Did you know that Amazon.com has over 700,000 ebooks available on Kindle? Here’s another bit of Amazon.com trivia. When it was launched in 1994/95, it was called Cadabra. The name was changed when too many people thought that, instead of “cadabra,” they were hearing “cadaver.” So the name “Amazon” was chosen because they expected the company to flow into something big like the huge Amazon River. Were they right or what?
MPA, The Magazine Publishers of America has been renamed, “The Association of Magazine Media.” http://www.magazine.org.
HarperCollins is changing the name of its science fiction and fantasy imprint, EOS Books. As of January, it will be HarperVoyager.
Novel Romance Publishing has established a new line of YA romance novels. Learn more at http://www.nobleromance.com/submissions.ppx. Contact the editors at submissions@nobleromance.com.
The Chicago Manual of Style has come out with its 16th edition. And yes, there are some changes. It has been about ten years since the last edition. I just picked up my copy and it cost me $65.00. So be prepared. To find out exactly what has changed. Go here to read about the significant rule changes: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/about16_rules.html
Here’s some not-so-good news. In New York last year, more than 35 percent of freelance writers were paid late and nearly 14 percent were not paid at all.
Scribe and Quill is no longer accepting poetry and fiction. But they do publish book reviews, articles, interviews and humor. http://www.scribequill.net/guidelines.html
There’s a new regional magazine for San Luis Obispo, California and they want readers to contribute. While this is not a paying market, the editors do provide an arena for thought-provoking pieces related to the people and culture of this community. http://www.sanlouie.com.
Artsee Magazine is a new publication for artists in the Carolinas. Besides interviews, art-related events and activities, etc., they feature art in the magazine. If you’re an artist, check out this potential opportunity. http://www.artseemagazine.com.
Arizona has a new magazine called Green Living AZ. http://greenlivingaz.com. I don’t see evidence that they use freelance material, but it never hurts to ask.
Cooking Wild is a new quarterly magazine featuring recipes for the hunters, fishermen and foragers. http://cookingwildmagazine.com
Opportunities for Freelance Writers
The 2011 edition of the Writer’s Market is out. If you are interested in submitting articles and/or stories to magazines and ezines, you need an updated copy of this directory. It generally costs around $30 in bookstores. I purchased my copy through Amazon for under $20. http://www.amazon.com.
If you are constantly seeking writing work—consider the job board at Journalism Jobs. http://www.journalismjobs.com. I took a look at the current offerings and found job opportunities for reporters and photojournalists in Newport Beach, CA; Suite 101 is seeking freelance writers; there are writing opportunities with CNBC; Louisiana Public Broadcasting wants a reporter, as does a Houston newspaper. Also listed are opportunities for wine writers, sports writers, fitness and lifestyle writers, bloggers and more. Good luck!
Additional job boards include: http://writejobs.com, http://jobboardforwriters.com, http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com and for a directory of writing job boards: http://www.writing-world.com/links/jobs.shtml. I checked some of these sites out and found job opportunities in the areas of health writing, finance, bankruptcy and sports as well as needs for virtual assistants, translators and all types of web content.
For Fiction Writers
U.S. Catholic pays $300 for fiction ethnic, mainstream, religious, and slice of life vignettes in the 2,500-3,000-word range http://www.uscatholic.org.
The Country Connection—a Canadian publication—pays 10 cents/word for 1,500-word fiction pieces. They are most interested in adventure, fantasy, historical and humorous fiction. http://www.pinecone.on.ca.
Mature Years pays as much as $125 for fiction related to retirement years, nostalgia and intergenerational relationships. They particularly like humor. Contact the editor at: matureyears@umpublishing.org.
I Love Cats publishes fiction related to cats. It might be an adventure, fantasy, historical, mystery, suspense or humor piece and definitely suitable for a family audience. Pays $50. http://www.iluvcats.com.
Bowhunter uses fiction of up to 2,000-words and pays up to $350. http://www.bowhunter.com.
Swank pays somewhere around $350 to $500 for erotic fiction. http://www.swankmag.com.
Vampires 2 Magazine uses fiction of 1,500 to 3,500 and pays $25 each. http://www.vampires2.com.
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction uses fiction of up to 25,000 words and pays 5-9 cents/word. They are especially in the market for science fiction. http://www.fsfmag.com.
Boy’s Life Magazine publishes a variety of fiction and pays $750 and up. http://www.boyslife.org.
Bull Spec is new and they are eager to publish your speculative fiction. This might include science fiction, fantasy, horror, futuristic stories. They use book reviews, poetry and interviews with notable writers. http://www.bullspec.com. I’m guessing that they are not a paying market.
For Nonfiction Writers
D (Dallas) Home and Garden Magazine pays $400 to $1,500 for nonfiction in the 800-2,000-word range. http://www.dhomeandgarden.com.
Antique Trader Magazine buys 1,000 manuscripts per year and pays $50 to $200 per piece. They are most interested in personality and timeliness. Check out their submission guidelines at http://www.antiquetrader.com.
Kashrus Magazine pays $100 to $250 for 1,000 to 1,500-word articles on the Jewish food industry and Jewish life. http://www.kashrusmagazine.com.
Hispanic Career World pays $350 for articles on how to find jobs, how to keep your job, personal experience, etc. http://www.eop.com.
Business Traveler USA buys 100 manuscripts/year and they pay 50 cents/word. Along with travel pieces, they use personal experience, new product and interview pieces. http://www.btusonline.com.
The American Legion Magazine accepts articles that cover issues and trends in the world. Pay is 40 cents/word and up. http://www.legion.org.
Florida Monthly Magazine uses historical, travel, dining, shopping, retirement and more. They pay $100 to $400 per article. http://www.floridamagazine.com.
Liguorian uses articles focusing on the problems and challenges of people today. They pay 10 to 15 cents/word. http://www.liguorian.org.
Sailing Magazine wants sailing experience stories of 750 to 1,500 words. They pay $100 to $800. http://www.sailingmagazine.net.
Executive Update uses how-to, humor, personal experience, workplace issues, opinion and more and they pay $500 to $700 per piece. http://www.executiveupdate.com.
Opportunities for Authors
You probably noticed that the 2011 Writer’s Market is out. If you are in the market for a publisher, you need to check out the publisher listings in this directory.
Publishers that pay an advance:
Morgan Reynolds Publishing pays an advance and 10 percent royalties on nonfiction books for young adults. http://www.morganreynolds.com.
International Wealth Success usually offers a $1,000 advance and 10 percent royalties. They publish books on business and finance. http://www.iwsmoney.com
Milkweed for Young Readers offers a variable advance for high quality literary writing and they pay 7 percent royalties. http://www.milkweed.org.
Mussio Ventures Publishing in Canada pays a $1,000 advance and then makes an outright purchase for maps and guides related to the environment and nature. http://www.backroadmapbooks.com.
Stackpole Books pays a standard advance for books on history, military, war, recreation, sports, wildlife and more. http://www.stackpolebooks.com.
SPI Books pays advances of $1,000 to $10,000 and 6-15 percent royalties. They publish books related to Americana, architecture, music, art, culture and other topics. http://www.speckpress.com.
The Invisible College Press pays only $100 advance, but 10 to 25 percent royalties on the wholesale price of the book. Subjects include creative nonfiction, politics, religion, as well as a wide range of fiction. http://www.invispress.com.
Book Promotion Opportunities
As the author of a book, you try to stay connected to your audience and one way to do this is through forums, discussion groups and boards on the subject of your book. Here’s a directory of boards and forums. Search by topic. Topics include travel, automotive, art, sports, business, health/fitness, foods, computers/technology, home, family, gardening, politics, religion, shopping and more. I suggest that you find the boards related to the theme/topic of your book and start communicating with your audience. You may find new customers/readers among the board users. Another benefit of using message boards and participating in online discussions on the subject of your book is that you are constantly learning what your audience wants/needs, new facts and statistics related to your industry/topic, anecdotes you can use in future books, articles, promo material. Start seeking the boards that are compatible to your book: http://www.big-boards.com.
Writers Manual offers FREE interviews with authors who want exposure for their books. http://www.writersmanual.com/submit.shtml. This is open to any author of a print or ebook, whether traditionally or self-published.
List your ebooks FREE at the Ebooks Café. http://www.ebookscafe.writergazette.com/
Opportunities for Photographers and Artists
D Home and Garden Magazine uses photos. Contact Andrea Tomek. Learn more about the submission requirements at: http://dhomeandgarden.com.
Fine Gardening uses photos. http://www.finegardening.com for guidelines.
Eastern Art Report (UK). Wants electronic images of 300 dpi. http://www.eapgroup.com.
The Artist’s Magazine. http://www.artistsmagazine.com.
Metropolis might use your freelance photos. http://www.metropolismag.com.
Going, Going, Gone
Cycle News has quit publishing
Heeb has closed the print magazine, but will continue online.
Skiing Magazine will go digital except for the Oct. and Dec 2010 issues.
Paste, a music magazine, will go online only.
Speedway Illustrated has gone out of business.
The Virginia Quarterly Review has closed down.
Notebook Magazine is going digital only
Resources for Writers and Authors
Have you visited the Worldwide Freelance Writer site lately? They’ve just upgraded their site and now offer all kinds of new goodies. For one thing, they provide a Word Power drop-down menu which offers a dictionary, thesaurus, quotations, grammar, rhyming dictionary, abbreviations, song lyrics and specialty dictionaries—medical, legal, finance and even a slang dictionary. They have a FREE database featuring 750 markets where you can pitch your work. Of course, if you want a greater selection of markets, subscribe to the main database of over 2,500 markets for around $20/year. If you are a freelance writer or hope to be, check out the freshly revamped site for the resources and information you need. http://www.worldwidefreelance.com.
Are you seeking the perfect writers’ conference to attend in the spring or fall 2011? Here’s a conference directory listing 146 conferences worldwide. Writers’ Conference Directory: http://writerscconf.org.
Also visit http://writing.shawguides.com for a list of writers’ conferences.
Newsletters I recommend for authors and writers:
Enewsletters
WPN Market Update compiled by Patricia Fry (you’re reading it now!) in the member area of the WPN website
WPNews, editor Sandra Murphy. http://www.spawn.org.
The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter, by Penny Sansevieri
http://www.amarketingexpert.com
Book Promotion Newsletter by Fran Silverman
http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com
Marketing Matters by Brian Jud
http://www.bookmarketingworks.com/mktgmattersnews
Publishing Basics by Ron Pramschufer
http://www.publishingbasics.com