Change Can Mean Opportunity
By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin
When it comes to change, I’m as
guilty as the next person. I love my routines and doing things with a system and
pattern. At times, I complain about the constant changes around me in
technology, in my personal life and in my work in publishing. It is not easy to
make these constant adjustments yet they are a part of our publishing
world.
In the articles, I write about
what I’m learning about the publishing world and here’s a simple
truth: if you lean
into those changes and watch for them, they can mean opportunity for your
writing life. I want to give you several examples of how you can seize the
opportunities from change.
New
Publications
The magazine world is in constant
change. Because I’ve worked as a magazine editor, I understand the business side
of producing these publications. Each publication must have subscribers but the
bulk of the publication is normally paid through advertising. This fact explains
the costly nature of such these ads. When you find a new publication, I
encourage you to read it, study their guidelines then make a strong pitch to the
editor. That editor is looking for regular contributors to the magazine and you
have the opportunity to become one of those writers.
New
Editor
At the magazines and book
publishing houses, new editors enter the marketplace. Some editors who have been
there for years are retiring and are replaced with younger editors. These new
editors are looking for writers and the change is your opportunity to become one
of them.
New Literary
Agent
The agencies are often adding new
agents or changing agents. To catch attention, you have to have the right pitch
or proposal. These new agents are looking for a list of clients who they can
sell into the market. Through your research and excellent writing, you can stand
out and be someone they want to sign to their agency.
New
Publisher
On a constant basis new
publishers are entering the marketplace. A key action step for every writer is
to ask good questions before signing with the publishing house. One of my Morgan James authors who just signed with us was exploring different publishers. One of
the innovative steps he took was to order a book from each of these places. Then
with a book in hand, he could check the quality of the product, see how quickly
they delivered it and much more.
How To Find These
Changes
The trade magazines like Publishers Weekly and Rush to Press
from the Evangelical Christian Publishers are places to begin to notice shifts
and changes in the market. With each contact, you have to make a good and
appropriate pitch.
Continue to Build
Relationships
I encourage you to continue to
build relationships in the publishing community. As I’ve often said in these
articles, who you know is as important as what
you know. As you attend writer's conferences, you should exchange cards and
information with everyone you meet—not just the faculty. When you get home from
an event, input the information into your phone or computer so you have easy and
continual access to it. Are you and I connected on LinkedIN? If not, follow this
link and send me a connection invitation.
As editors and publishing people,
we are actively looking for authors who can be a good fit for our company. You
can seize these opportunities if you are aware of it and make the right pitch.
How are you taking advantage of these changes and turning them into
opportunities? Let
me know in the comments below.
Labels: Change Can Mean Op;portunity, editor, guidelines, literary agent, magazine, pitch, publisher, Terry Whalin, The Writing Life, writing
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