When You Hear Crickets

  

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

It happens to every writer. We pitch oaur books to editors and agents. We work for hours on creating a thorough and complete book proposal. We craft a query for a book publisher or a magazine editor. Select any of these active steps you are taking as a writer. 

After this action, what happens? No response or crickets. What do you do next? First, my encouragement for one action not to take: quit. Here’s a second one not to take: stall and work on your piece and not submit or do anything. 

From my years in publishing, I understand the challenges in the work but also I understand the opportunities. There are abundant opportunities for your work to be published and your words to enter the marketplace. In this article I want to present some ideas and encourage you to move forward.

While your desire to write and tell stories is a good one, publishing is a business and each of us (including me) need the help of others to find the right fit. Are you connected to other writers? Do you belong to a local writer’s group? If so, when does it meet and are you making the time to attend these sessions? Every writer needs these connections. Read this article for more reasons. 

Another important writer activity is to join a critique group. Whether you do it face to face (ideal) or online (also possible), these groups are a free method to get insight and help for your storytelling. Whether it is a writer's group or a writer’s critique group, it will take some effort on your part to find the right connection. Don’t be surprised if you have to try several groups before you make the right connection. This trial and error is part of the journey that each of us have to make as writers.

For example, I’ve been in some incredible critique groups which helped me month after month for years. I've also been in some critique groups that I attended a couple of times, then dropped out of them. The critical element is to find the right one for you and your writing journey. It is different for each of us.

If you are not getting responses to your writing, I encourage you to try a different type of writing. Read the first free chapter of Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams (follow this link).  Maybe you want to write a book which is a good goal in my view as a book editor. But your first step should be to write some magazine articles. The 2026 Christian Writers Market Guide includes over 150 magazines where your writing could be published. The information changes from year to year so make sure you are using the latest guide. Articles are shorter than a 50,000 to 80,000 word book. As a writer, when you craft these articles you are learning some important skills about headlines, beginning paragraphs, writing to a single takeaway point and many other details. Use these links to learn more about magazine writing. 

Another wise action when you are not getting any response is to attend a writer’s conference. There are large and small writers conferences with a variety of emphasis, cost and connections. The majority of us as writers are introverts but during these events,we have to push ourselves to interact with others, ask good questions and make new connections. At these events, I’ve made life-long friends who I can call or email when I'm stuck or need help. You can attend these events and take in the information yet not make new friends or connections. Bring plenty of business cards during these conferences and exchange with everyone you meet. 

Recently I called a local writer friend. We had not spoken in years but during our conversation, she recalled the details of a conversation from over 20 years ago. The event where we met no longer exists but the details from our conversation has stood the test of time for this writer. You can have the same sort of impact with your writing and your conversations. More than reading about writing or listening to teaching about writing or thinking about it, getting your writing into the world takes consistent action. Every writer needs to spend time sitting at their keyboard and writing. You can make it happen through your continued actions.

When you hear crickets for your writing, what actions do you take? I look forward to your comments.

Tweetable:

Sometimes when we submit our writing, the response is silence or crickets. This prolific author and editor encourages a series of actions in this article.  (ClickToTweet)

Editor’s note. For some reason, I could not get ClickToTweet to work. I’m including it below so you can easily cut and paste it on to others with my gratitude: 

Sometimes when we submit our writing, the response is silence or crickets. This prolific author and editor Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin) encourages a series of actions in this article: https://bit.ly/3QYoXze #writinglife #pubtip

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Not every podcast host tells me about the launch of our recording. I found a couple more podcasts last week and here are those recordings: 

Cameron Cowan (@cameroncowan) and I spoke about the publishing industry and much more on the Cameron Journal Podcast at: https://bit.ly/4uFDdLH 

Christian Brim (@christian_brim) and I spoke about navigating the myths and realities of the publishing world on The Profitable Creative Podcast at: https://bit.ly/42VXW1R

As I’ve worked in the publishing world for years, I’ve spoken with many authors about their expectations and dreams for their books. I’ve found many of these authors have  unrealistic expectations about what will happen with their published book. Many aspects of the publishing process are outside of anything an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help and take actions no matter what the publisher does for your book. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

During the last year, once a week I’ve been sending a short free newsletter. Just follow this link to subscribe. When you are added to the newsletter, you will receive a FREE 87-page Ebook which is packed with insights for every writer.

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,800 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA

Learn The Hard Way

  

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Often on my social media feed I will see some news about an author that turned down our Morgan James Publishing contract offer. It happened again today. This author decided to go with another company that I also know very well. 

When I saw this news, I “almost” picked up the phone to call the author and tell her what I know about her choice. In the early days of my writing life, I may have completed that call and likely disrupted my relationship with this author. I would have said some things about that other publishing house which I would later regret.

Because I paused before I acted, I went another route. My call wouldn’t change this author’s choice. She had signed a publishing contract and was committed to this direction. Like many of our choices, she was going to have to learn the hard way. Whether they know it or not, this particular publisher has a reputation for charging their authors for every large or small service. Some people would call these actions “nickel and dime.” These authors can spend spend a great deal of money on such services (with little return from my experience). I could not teach this author those publishing lessons. They were going to learn them the hard way.

During my last exchange with this author, I wished her well and hope we can work together in the future. Sometimes years later, these authors do return to me. Why? They return bccause they have learned the hard way.

Here’s a different situation. At a conference, I find a solid author with a growing market presence. Instead of taking the Morgan James Publishing contract offer, they sign with a literary agent and move toward the traditional route. When you make this choice, the author gives up their rights and control. Also they don’t understand agents do not sell all of their submissions. I hear their stories about the higher standards (platform and reader connections) of traditional publishers and the poor marketing efforts from these publishers. To successfully publish a book involves a lot of details which can go off the rails and produce little for the author or that publisher. The risks are there.  This author will have to learn the hard way.

It is not my responsibility to fix every publishing situation. Instead I have to let this author and situation go and realize that person will have to learn it through their own hard earned experience. I’ll admit I have to hold back my opinion and let go of the book and the author. Throughout the publishing process, each of us are making dozens of critical choices.  Do we self-publish? Do we find an agent and go the traditional route? Will that choice work out for our goals for the book? There are no simple answers.

Often I return to a principle that I’ve learned in my years in pubishing. I am 100% responsible for my own success and others have to take responsibility for their own success. Everyone of us has blindspots. Some people have to try the other flawed system and learn the hard way. 

How can you avoid learning the hard way?

1. Understand the various options and explore each of them. 

2. Use your network to ask questions and talk with various authors about their experiences.

3. Read how-to books and understand your choices.

4. Go to conferences and ask questions and listen for options and choices.

5. Build and maintain your relationships with publishing professionals.

Before you sign a publishing contract or an agency agreement, ask detailed questions, speak with their authors and ask more questions. Take a hard look, then sign and move forward with that person and company.

As I’ve mentioned in these articles, publishing is not easy and selling books and reaching readers has many different paths. New books are streaming into the marketplace every day. If you take 100% responsibility for your own success, you can find your right path and have to learn the hard way.

In the comments below, let me know how you have made good choices or learned the hard way. If I can help you not learn the hard way, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Tweetable:

Publishing is filled with good and bad choices. In this article, prolific author and editor writes about how sometimes authors have to learn the hard way.  (ClickToTweet)

Create A Better Submission

Do you need a better submission? I’m teaching a free Live Webinar on Tuesday, April 21st at 6 pm Eastern. I'm an acquisitions editor at my third publisher and have reviewed thousands of submissions. Register and details at: https://bit.ly/4lIx91y

Throughout my many years in publishing, I’ve co-authored over a dozen books and reviewed thousands of submissions (no exaggeration). As a part of the process of working with these authors, I speak with them about their dreams and plans. Many of these authors have  unrealistic expectations about what will happen with their published book. Many aspects of the details of publishing are outside of anything an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

Subscribe to Terry’s Newsletter:

During the last year, once a week I’ve been sending a short free newsletter. Just follow this link to subscribe. When you are added to the newsletter, you will receive a FREE 87-page Ebook which is packed with insights for every writer.

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,800 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA

Why The Details Matter

   

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

To be successful, you have to pay attention to the details and take care of them. It’s a lesson that I see played out in the publishing world over and over. In this article I’m going to write several of these detail stories in the hopes it will encourage you to handle the details in your life and work.

Some Social Media Details

To draw your attention to this article, I selected a detailed painting around a door. The artist put a lot of work and effort into these paintings. It is the type of effort each of us have to do with our efforts.  For example, I read and receive blogs from many others in the publishing community. The creator will send an article without an image that I can use when I post this article on social media. The lack of an image will limit the readability for this article. It’s been proven our eyes are drawn to read a social media post because of the image connected to the words. I’m intentional about this detail and if an article doesn’t have any images, I go to my royalty-free images and quickly add something I can use with that article. This additional detail will pay off in that more people will read my social media post with an image than if I just posted the words without the image.

Besides an image on a social media post, I also add a hashtag which pushes more people to look at the article. It’s another important detail to attract readers. A final important detail for social media is to “tag” the author when I add it to my Facebook feed. This past weekend, a publishing colleague told me that she reads her husband’s articles on Facebook because I’ve tagged his name with my posts. These small details are important and will get you additional readers for your efforts. 

An Incorrect Barcode Can Affect Your Sales

When an author or publisher will send me a new book, I will look at the details of this book. If it is a self-published book, frequently the barcode is incorrect. If your book has a 90000 on that code, it means that the person who created it did not include the price in the barcode. If you are selling your books in a bookstore, they scan that code and it does not work properly because this detail was not correctly handled. 

Recently I reviewed a how-to-write book from a traditional publisher. I was surprised to see this well-known publisher had a barcode without the retail price and included the 90000. Bookstores will have to sticker the price on the book or punch in the price each time the book is sold (nuisance). It is a detail that will not be discovered for months down the road (if ever) yet it will affect the sales of this book.

Incorrect Spelling and Links which Don’t Work

In these entries, I’ve been including recent podcast appearances. When I get the notice the podcast has launched I will quickly review it. Occasionally my last name has been spelled wrong and an important website link is not included or is not active so it can be clicked (opened). I will politely email the podcast host and ask for these corrections to be made to their website and gratefully in each case they have fixed these details. In each case, they matter. 

Incorrect Length for a Children’s Book

As an editor at Morgan James Publishing, I handle some children’s picture book submissions. Some of these authors pitch the incorrect length for a picture book. The standard lengths are 24 pages, 32 pages or 48 pages. If you publish the wrong length, booksellers and librarians will notice and this incorrect detail could limit your sales and distribution. 

Always Carry Business Cards

Last weekend, I was on the faculty of the Carolina Christian Writers Conference and meeting many new authors. A number of them did not bring business cards or one sheets or anything with their contact information. As an editor, I’ve learned the hard way about the importance of gathering this information on the spot so I can follow-up with an author. Again, the details matter. 

 My Encouragement

These examples about the details are only a few of the important topics within book publishing. Others that I’m not touching in this article include endorsements, book reviews, a foreword and many other aspects. Wherever you are in the publishing journey--and even if you self-publish--take 100% responsibility for your own success. For this reason, I’m constantly pitching in different areas and working on getting my books in front of new readers. As writers we are on a journey and not a one-time event. What detail have I missed? Please let me know in the comments below.

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week several of my podcast recordings were launched.

Rich Bennett (@Convers94013273) and I spoke about How to Get a Book Deal on the Conversations with Rich Bennett Podcast. Listen to our conversation at: https://bit.ly/3DtIiln 

Scherrie L. Prince (@ScherriePrince) and I spoke about Publishing Myths Debunked on the Play Big Faster Podcast. Listen to our conversation at: https://bit.ly/3Fomfxa 

Curtis Jackson (@djcurveball1) and I spoke about my journey from an English Teacher to a Global author on the Living the Dream with Curveball Podcast. Listen to our conversation at: https://bit.ly/41R6XbA 

Tweetable:

Within book publishing, the details matter. This prolific author and editor explains some examples and encourages us. Read the details here. (ClickToTweet)

Let’s Meet at an Event

One of the most life-changing actions for anyone in publishing is to attend an event. It takes effort and will cost but you put yourself in an environment which can open new doors for your writing life. I will be speaking at three events over the next three months. Follow this link to check it out and make plans.

https://terrywhalin.com/speakingschedule/

Even if you self-publish your book, you need to be cautious about your decisions and who you choose to work with for your book production. I’ve met authors who have spent thousands of dollars in the self-publishing process and unknowingly worked with someone in the Philippines and produced a terrible looking book which is only sold online. I’ve heard the unrealistic expectations of writers. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses.

Get these articles on your email: 

Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,700 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA

Playing the Long Game

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Are you writing with the long game in your sight? Or are you just focused on the day to day writing work. I understand we need to be working on your current writing project such as a book or a magazine article or some other type of writing.  

At the same time, we need to be focused on the long game or what you will be doing in the weeks ahead. For example, I know the book printing supply chain is still challenged. At the end of March and May, I will be traveling and teaching at a couple of writers’ conferences.  Last week I ordered more books so they would be printed and I would have them available to take to these events. With the challenges in the supply chain, books take time to get printed and shipped to authors. You have to plan ahead for such actions to make sure you have the books that you need when you need them.

Also last week, I pulled the various handouts for several workshops I will be teaching next month. I checked and double checked the information to make sure everything was updated and the website links worked before I sent them to the conference. I tackled this extra work because I've been in workshops where something goes wrong with the handouts or the technology. I see this work as part of my actions to play the long game and make sure I give the best possible teaching experience in my workshops. Follow this link if you want to possibly attend one of these sessions. I encourage you to attend writers’ conferences because some of my most important and lasting relationships were formed at these events. They can propel your writing life through the instruction, insights, inspiration and relationships.

Also I’ve been working on some new marketing materials to take to these conferences. It takes time and thought to design a bookmark because I don’t want it to simply be a bookmark. I want it to contain some valuable information. Then the reader will keep it and take it home with them. The effort I put into creating a bookmark is all a part of playing the long game with your books. If I design and create the right bookmark, it will be used for possibly years in the future.

As another example of a long-game action, on a social media channel, I noticed a well-known author had finished the first chapter in her second book. I know she self published her first book and I wanted to help her get more distribution for the second book. I wrote and told her about the broad distribution at Morgan James and even included a photo of my book in an airport bookstore. Intentionally I crafted a short yet focused pitch to this author then emailed it to her. Will she send me her manuscript? I have no idea but my pitch was playing the long game and hopefully giving Morgan James the opportunity consider publishing this second book. 

Whether I am reading, taking an online course or a class at a conference, I’m always looking to expand my market and the reach of my words as I continually grow my connections. I hope you are taking these types of actions for your own writing life. 

In the days ahead, where do you want to go with your writing life? I encourage you to take the long game approach to get there. This approach will give you better marketing whether you are writing novels, nonfiction, short stories, or magazine articles. Whatever you write, you need to learn the process, then practice it over and over. 

From my study of publishing, there are no overnight successes. Jerry B. Jenkins wrote in the foreword to 10 Publishing Myths that Left Behind was his 125th published book. He was not an overnight success but had been faithfully writing for years before this successful series. People wonder how I’ve published so much material over the years. It’s one step at a time and playing the long game. How are you playing the long game with your writing life? Let me know in the comments below.

My Articles in Other Places

I encourage you to write for other websites and here's a couple of my recent articles:

Is Any Aspect of Publishing Easy?  Once a month I write for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference blog. In this article, I’m helping authors have a realistic view of publishing.

I’m Tired of Pitching Once a month, I write for Writers on the Move and used my title to talk about a basic for every aspect of publishing--whether you are a beginner or a long-term professional--you still have to pitch--even if you are tired of it.

Will an Editor Fix All My Mistakes? Also once a month, I write an article about proposal creation for Almost An Author. In this article, I attack a common belief that the editor will fix all of the writer’s mistakes.

 

Tweetable:

Are you working on your writing with the long game in mind? This prolific writer and editor helps you understand why writers should be playing the long game. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)

Writers often have unrealistic expectations about publishing. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

Organize and Thrive

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Periodically the books, random papers and magazines pour into my office. After a while they stack up and I have to stop some activities and spend time organizing and throwing. If I don't organize, then I find the mess will will overwhelm me. I will get stalled and unable to function and be productive. Do you ever have this experience or feeling in your own writing life?

 

In the last several months, I've traveled to three live events and while this change of pace is welcomed, it does interrupt my schedule, normal reading pattern and ability to process things that come into my mailbox and inbox. Things tend to stack up and fall behind.

 

My physical mailbox and my inbox often involve exchanges which provide opportunities for exposure (marketing) and making money. These opportunities do not happen without clear communication with the other person and a steady stream of communication. Sometimes I can handle these issues on the road but on other occasions I have to be sitting in my office on my desktop computer. Your skill to organize your computer files, your desk, your bookshelves and much more is a critical part of this process. Your organization system will be different from mine. If you don't have a plan or system for these areas of your work, then I encourage you to create one.

 

As a writer, we have multiple projects in motion and need to keep it organized to be able to move forward. For example, at a recent writer's conference, I promised some people that I would send them a piece of information. At the time, I made a little note about this promise on their business card, then when I got home I sent through these cards and followed-up and handled these various situations. Do you have a plan in place to handle these types of situations? If you do follow through, you will be one of the few who do it and it is a way to standout and enhance your reputation in the publishing world.  Yes, it is that simple to standout.

 

As my files, desk and other areas of my office are better organized, I can increase my production and what I accomplish each day. If it is disorganized and I have to spend a bunch of time to locate something, that is a poor use of my limited time and energy. Each of us have limited time and energy whether we realize it or not. Just so you know I am not obsessive about organization and still have areas of my office which are disorganized but in general, I have a good handle on where things are and how to move things forward. I understand that increased organization will help me to be more focused and thrive in the days ahead.

 

How are your organization skills? Do you have some insights for us? Let me know in the comments below.

 

 Other Blogs With My Recent Writing:

 

As I've mentioned in these entries, I regularly write articles for other blogs. Here's some of those recent articles:

For the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference blog: Build A Body of Writing Work

For Writers on the Move: Why I'm Still Blogging (and You Should be too)

 

For Almost An Author: Four Ways to Support Other Writers

 

Tweetable:

Organize and thrive is the counsel from this prolific editor and author. Get his insights and the details here. (ClickToTweet)

Does your fiction or nonfiction book have a business plan? Every type of book needs a proposal—even if you self-publish. Get this resource. 

When You Fall Behind

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As writers, each of have the same time constraints—24 hours. Within that time, there are family responsibilities and other things which cut into our work time. A week ago I went to a live event in Louisville, Kentucky with over 850 people in attendance. I spent the majority of those days meeting and connecting with new people to see if they will be potential authors for Morgan James Publishing. Through the years, I've been finding many of my authors for Morgan James through live events. With a pandemic, these events haven't been happening but have returned. I'm grateful for these opportunities but when I seize them, I understand that I fall behind in other aspects of my work.  Also I understand the initial meeting is important but the real work happens through the follow-up emails and phone calls—which require even more time and energy which makes me fall even further behind.

 

When you fall behind, you have two basic choices. You can get overwhelmed and stalled so little happens during your day. The other choice is the one is to lean into these opportunities. Every day I write a few of these new contacts and follow-up on my conversations with them. Also I continue to do my social media posts and work on my current writing projects. Here's some other “truths:”

 

--you have to take your own responsibility for your own success

--if you don't do the work, it simply does not get done—follow-up emails, phone calls and other aspects

--you have to chip away at the work one day at a time until it gets done

 

As I've mentioned in some of these entries, every day I leave with work which did not get done—pages that didn't get written, phone calls that did not get made and emails that did not get answered. I'm grateful for the work but this reality is inherent in the process. No one can be a master of every aspect of the publishing work. We have to make choices what we write or create or do. Because of those choices, other things are not able to happen.  Life is a balancing act and each of us have to find our place in the world.

 

Here's some things I've learned which help:

 

--use tools like your phone and scheduling tools like Hootsuite to be consistent

--continue to work at growing in your craft and storytelling ability

--your commitment to communicate clearly and learn new techniques will help

 

The publishing journey is complicated for each of us and filled with many twists and turns. The people who continue in the marketplace are the ones who have learned how to handle the bumps and the delays and the feelings of being behind. These people continue to keep their fingers on the keyboard and produce in spite of the rejection—and every one of us (including me) gets rejected. This rejection is business and not personal (even if on the surface it feels personal). My encouragement is for you to continue moving forward—even when you fall behind. 

 

How do you handle your writing life when you fall behind? Let me know in the comments below.

 

Tweetable:

Each of us only have limited time and energy for our writing life. What happens when you fall behind? Get some insights from this prolific editor and author. (ClickToTweet)

 

Does your fiction or nonfiction book have a business plan? Every type of book needs a proposal—even if you self-publish. Get this resource.

On The Road Again

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

After 14 months off the road, when I publish these words, I will be traveling again. Like many other people, a worldwide pandemic has changed my writing life. I want to celebrate the return to normality and in this article talk about the advantages to attending live events.

 

On the surface, publishing looks like a simple business but from my experience it is complex with many options and possibilities. What people don't say is much of it is outside of the author's control. There are active steps you can take as a writer (which has been my focus for years and what I encourage you to do as well). Who you know is often as important as what you know. A random conversation at a conference can turn into a book deal or a writing opportunity—if you are aware of it, follow-up and take action.

 

Live events are a break in your normal routine and provide opportunities for your writing. These events will be coming back and I encourage you to plan them into your writing life. I'm in a Facebook group of writers preparing for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. I've seen several people say they attended in the past but spent most of their time in their room. While I understand the majority of writers are introverts, don't hide in your room during a conference. You have to pace yourself not to get exhausted because they are intense—but I encourage you to be outside of your room with others as much as possible.

 

It might not seem natural to you but smile, greet others, start conversations and exchange business cards with as many people as you can throughout the event. Each person you meet can be an opportunity—for you to help them and for them to help you—no matter if they are a first=timer or have attended multiple conferences. Beginning and building relationships take time and you are offered this opportunity during a conference. These events are active (and at least for me) nonstop from early in the morning until late at night. They provide opportunities for me to tell people about my books and sell a few books plus even give books to key people who have influence in the publishing world.

 

I am teaching a continuing class which picked up on a key publishing buzzword: platform: What Is A Platform and how can I get one? I'm teaching about things that I do day to day but rarely teach these details to others. Conferences provide a wonderful opportunity to give back to others through your teaching and handouts. Years ago, I learned the importance of handouts in my classes and I put extra effort into providing handouts which have high value to the reader with additional links and resources.

 

The challenge I have attending these live events is to keep up (in some ways) my life as an editor and writer. The majority of my authors have no idea I'm away from my office and on the road. I will still get the regular stream of email and phone calls. Some of those emails I can put off until my return but others will require processing them on the road. The consistent communication with authors and others never stops and is a key part of my writing and editing life. Like everything, we make time for what we need to do—even on the road.

Some Recent Other Articles

 

In these articles, I've encouraged you to guest blog for others to reach new readers.  If you follow my Twitter feed, you will see that I regularly write for other places. Here's a couple of my recent articles for Writers on the Move (Why Writers Must Follow-up and Searching for a Magic Bullet)  and the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference blog (Writer, Use the Power of Asking and Why Writers Do More Than Write). I hope you will follow the links and read these articles then apply them to your own writing life.

 

How do you handle attending a live event? Are you planning on attending some live events this year? Let me know in the comments below.

 

Tweetable:

What happens when you take your writing on the road? This prolific editor and author is on the road again and gives the details here. (ClickToTweet)

Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

The Value of Reading Plus Action

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Writers are readers and reading is a wonderful way to get ideas and find opportunities for your writing. Years ago I read about Disney Dollars in my local newspaper.  Since my childhood, I've been interested in coins and at that time I subscribed to a publication called The Numismatist. The Numismatist is the monthly publication of the American Numismatic Association I crafted a short query letter pitch to the editor and got an assignment to write an article about Disney Dollars. With my magazine assignment in hand, I approached the media office at Disneyland and scheduled an interview with a vice-president on the backlot of Disneyland. As you can see from this story, I turned reading a short newspaper article into a published magazine article. I did more than read the article. I used the article as a springboard to approach a magazine, get an assignment, then publish a magazine article. The process began with reading my local newspaper.

 

I found my idea through regular reading of my newspaper. Your ideas may come from an experience or reading a magazine or a book. I encourage you to read broadly—different genres and types of books and blogs and publications. You never know where the idea will come so be open. While reading is the foundation, it takes more than reading. You have to take action on what you have read.

 

While I've been blogging regularly since 2008, it's only in the last few years that I've included a ClickToTweet link toward the bottom of each entry. On a regular basis, I read Edie Melson's The Write Conversation blog. Over four years ago, she wrote a detailed entry with a Screencast about ClickToTweet. I carefully read that article and applied it to my own blogging. I began using ClickToTweet. As I monitor my social media feeds, I've seen many others use my ClickToTweets as an easy tool to pass on my article to others. Reading was my path to learn about this tool but I did more than simply read it, I took action.

 

Almost daily, authors and publishers mail books that they want me to read and review. I receive more material than anyone could possibly read—even if they read all the time. My own time to read is limited and something I do for fun and to support other writers and good books. If I read a book, then I write a short book review which I post on Goodreads (where I've written over 700 reviews and have 5,000 friends) and Amazon (where I've written over 1,100 reviews). I also post about my review on social media and tell the author or publicist about my actions. For example, last week I read Dr. Scott James children's book, GOD CARES FOR ME, HELPING CHILDREN TRUST GOD WHEN THEY'RE SICK. Here's my post about it.

 

In other articles, I've written about using Hootsuite to post 12–14 times a day on various social media platforms. You may wonder if people read these posts. Recently I spoke at the

Faith Writers Writing Conference (virtual). One of the participants was in Nigeria—because he read one of my tweets about the upcoming event. This coming week, I'm speaking at the Carolina Christian Writers Conference (virtual). There is still time for you to come to this event so just follow the link or click on the image.

 

How are you applying your reading into your writing life? For example, you can read about list building and the importance for every author but it does you little good if you don't apply this information into your writing life and work.  Let me know how your reading brings value to your writing in the comments below.

 

Tweetable:

Often ideas come from reading but the real value of reading is when combined with action. Get the details here from this prolific writer and editor. (ClickToTweet)

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