Handling Disruption

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

I believe disruptions happen to every writer. The critical question is: “when it happens, how do you handle disruption in your writing life?” Each of us face health issues with ourselves or a family member. Or we have family issues that take us away from our writing. Or our equipment has technology issues and it disrupts our writing. 

In recent days, my computer was attacked. As I sat working a sign blocked my computer saying something like “security update don’t turn off computer.” A hacker had gotten through to my computer, put up this sign and was messing with my computer. When the sign was removed, everything on my computer was upside down. The bar normally on the bottom of my screen was on the top. The icons and everything else was upside down. It was a total disruption to my writing and work.

Determined not to be hindered with this attack, I pulled out my laptop and began to work on that machine. In addition, I scheduled a session with the Geek Squad to take my desktop to be fixed. For a couple of days I worked on my laptop then the Geek Squad told me my machine was repaired. When I brought it home and hooked everything up, my screen was still upside down. 

According to the technicians, my monitor remembered my old settings. I disconnected everything and hauled it back to the Geek Squad. I took an additional step to purchase a new desktop computer and monitor. It was a change I had not made in ten years going from Windows 8 to Windows 11. These changes were disruptive to my writing life but overall I continued working inspite of them which is a critical action step. 

A new computer involves reinstalling old programs and getting them working including my printer and other devices. At the present time, not everything is working but the critical elements like my printer are connected and working. The change is a work in progress and each day is improving. 

Last week I was on an Ads for Author webinar about how to use Tik Tok to sell books. Thousands of people gathered for this workshop but the Go Webinar technology didn’t work and after a few minutes of not getting it going, they cancelled the workshop. The Ads for Author training course is only open a few weeks each year. I encourage you to explore the link and take the course if you want to learn to use these tools--which bestselling authors use to sell books. 

From these experiences, I want to give you several lessons for your writing life:

1. Disruptions happen to each of us

2. Don’t let the disruption stop you or derail you

3. Figure out how to keep going. If you pause and think about it, you can often determine a way to keep writing.

4. Build some padding into your deadlines so you can still meet them.

For whatever you write, your persistence and perserverance are key qualities for each writer. How do you handle disruption? Let me know in the comments below.

 

Tweetable:

Every writer experiences disruption in their writing life. How do you handle it? Prolific writer and editor gives details and insights in this article.  (ClickToTweet)

My Writing In Other Places:

Once a month for Almost An Author, I write an article about book proposals. This month I gave specific ideas about how an author can make their proposal stand out. 

Many writers have unrealistic ideas and expectations about publishing. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

The Value of A Template

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As writers, we have many repetitive tasks. There are emails to write, articles to pitch, books to propose and many other forms to fill out. These various templates have value because you don’t have to re-invent or create anything. Instead you simply fill out the form. Through the years I have found great value in templates. If there isn’t a template that I can get from a program or someone else, I create my own template. 

One of the most common templates would be a printed business letter with the name of your company or your name at the top, then your address, phone and email at the bottom. For any type of document which is repeated, I find it easier to create a template in this process. Several years ago I wrote a detailed article about using a book review template. I've also written about creating a template to get your book into libraries.  To pitch at writer’s conferences or other times, writers often create a one sheet which is another common template because as authors we don’t just pitch one book but many different books. 

Some agents will send their author’s a proposal template to make sure the author answers all the variuous parts of a book proposal. Other agents have a distinct template they will pour an author work into before the agent sends it to publishers. The agent does this step to create a brand or distinct look for their publihsher submissions.

Publishers like Morgan James Publishing where I’ve worked for the last ten years have a number of templates. For example, we acknowledge every submission with a letter in the mail and use a template. There is an acceptance letter and next steps letter which is a template. The book contract is also a template. We even have specialized contracts for different agencies and agencies because they have negotiated distinct clauses for their writers. I’m sure you can see there are many different types of templates and I’ve only scratched the surface.

While templates save time and have value, you also have to use them with caution:

1. Before you send it to someone, make sure you have rewritten it and personalized it to that particular person. Otherwise it comes across as “canned.” 

2. In general I give the form a second and maybe even a third look before I send it. It’s one of the advantages to using the "draft" feature in a program.

3. I think about when I’m sending an email to someone else and if I especially want them to read it, I make sure the email will arrive during their “working hours.” Most of the email programs allow you to schedule your email and I take advantage of this feature if I’m concerned about such a detail.

While you may use a template for a professional look and to make sure you cover all the necessary details, here’s what you should not to forget: you are communicating with another person and you want to connect with that person in the best possible way and make the right impression. Our communication skills as writers is an important aspect of our work.

Do you use templates in your work? Let me know in the comments below.

 

Tweetable:

Do you use templates in your writing life? This prolific editor and author details the value of a template and some cautions. Get the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

My Writing In Other Places:

In these articles, I encourage you to write in different places. In this section, I model such actions.

Searching for the Right Writing Fit 

With the amount of submissions and rejections every writer gets I wrote this article to encourage writers to keep going to find the right fit for their writing.

Five Essentials for Every Book Proposal Last week I was on Your Best Writing Life Podcast talking about these critical elements and I encourage you to listen and take advantage of the resources and information for your writing life.

Every Writer Needs Connections Whether you are new to publishing or have been in it for years, you need the right connections and contacts. I give details about how to grow those contacts.

 
Many writers have unrealistic ideas and expectations about publishing. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

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.

 

Tweetable:

Change is not easy for anyone. If you are aware of it, change can mean opportunity for your writing. This prolific editor and author gives the details here.  (ClickToTweet)

Many writers have unrealistic ideas and expectations about publishing. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

The Payoff For Consistency

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Most of our writing feels unnoticed. We send it out and wonder if anyone is reading or following us. Because of the large volume of submissions, often publishers only response is silence and they don’t devote the energy to sending out a rejection letter. What plans do you have for your writing? Are you writing a book that you want to get published? Or maybe you have a personal experience story that you want to get into a magazine? Or maybe you want to build a website or start a blog or begin to be more active on a social media platform. Each of these plans are admirable but how do they happen? It does not happen by thinking about it. You have to sit in your chair, put your fingers on the keyboard and write the words or send the submissions or any number of other things.

 

Successful writers are consistent in their efforts. They take consistent action whether their work is published or read or not. A 50,000 word book manuscript is not written in a single session. Instead the writer writes words into their computer day after day until they complete the manuscript. If they miss a day or something interrupts their writing, they continue to move forward.

 

Because of the volume of articles in The Writing Life, in 2008, I sorted those articles into different categories and created a blook or a book which began as blog articles. While the concept sounds simple, it is a lot of work to transform random articles into a cohesive book manuscript which I called Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, Insider Secrets to Skyrocket Your Success. I self-published this book and sold a number of copies. Later when I began to work for Morgan James Publishing, they published the updated edition in 2014. This book contnues to help many writers. I created a free sample at this link.

 

Since 2008, I’ve been blogging each week. While I don’t get much feedback or many comments about these entries, I’ve been consistent in writing then launching them into the world. Overall, it has felt like a limited number of people read these entries but occasionally it pays off. Last week I found my name and blog in this article called 27 Top Content Writers Sharing Their Talents. This article begins saying there are an estimated 600 million blogs online. The article includes a remarkable group of writers like Seth Godin, Ryan Holiday and Jeff Goins—and I was surprised to be included.

 

Also last week, The Writing Life was listed among 100 Best Writing Blogs You Must Follow in 2023. My consistency to write these articles is not with any expectations to be recognized or included in such lists. I write these entries teo encourage other writers and to document some of what I am learning about the writing life. Sometimes my consistency pays off.

 

Do you get these articles on email? If not, you can subscribe here. Also please forward this email on to others and ask them to subcribe. Thank you in advance for your help. While I'm mentioning help, I'll be speaking at a few conferences this year and have updated them on my speaking schedule. I hope you will check the link but also make plans to attend one of these conferences and we can meet in person. I look forward to it.

  

How has consistency paid off for you as a writer? Let me know in the comments below.

 

Tweetable:

As writers, most of our work feels like it goes unnoticed. What is the payoff for consistency? This prolific editor and author gives the details here. (ClickToTweet)

Many writers have unrealistic ideas and expectations about publishing. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

Elements of Effective Pitching

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Many writers love to crank out words into their computer. They dream of a literary agent or editor reaching out to them with a writing project. From my decades in this business that sort of event rarely happens. That editor phone call or email you’ve imagined coming is a fantasy. If you want to publish a book, you need to effectively pitch a literary agent or an editor. 

 

From my experience in publishing, one of the foundational skills to develop is an effective pitch. Whether you want to write a magazine article or a book or teach at a conference or appear on a radio program or podcast or almost any other activity, it all comes down to your skilled pitch. In this article, I want to give you some of the critical elements in this process so you can be much more effective in this critical process.

 

To write for magazines, you need to learn to write a query letter. I’ve written for more than 50 publications and have written a detailed article about this process (follow the link but also study the contents then apply them to your own writing life). Like with a book proposal, there are different variations on how you do the tool but the key is to send something that the editor or agent wants. How do you learn what they want? You study their guidelines about what they publish or their specialty. It is different for each publication, agent or publisher but they will tell you what they are looking for—and they expect you to do this research before you clog their email box with your pitch. 

 

If you are writing a book, then you need a book proposal or business plan. I undrstand that writing a proposal is a great deal of work but even if you self-publish you need to know the various parts of a proposal. Every author whatever they are writing (nonfiction, fiction, children’s books, etc) will gain value through writing a book proposal.

 

The process of creating a book proposal will teach you about the current marketplace for your book. For example, the majority of publishers are looking for fiction which is 100,000 words or less. Last week I was looking at the submissions for a service to writers. One of the novelists was pitching a 250,000 word novel. Immediately I rejected this author and didn’t approach the author to submit to Morgan James Publishing.

Why? Recently I have had negative reactions when I tell an author they need to divide their story into several parts so they can get to a lower word limit. If the novelist is in tune with the marketplace, they have learned this information before completing their novel and pitching it to possible publishers.

 

Another element in effective pitching is developing your relationship with the literary agent or editor. At the end of the day, you are looking for the right fit. This search will take skill (to learn how to craft a proposal and/or query) combined with persistence and consistency.

 

What are the elements to effective pitching? If I am missing something, please let me know in the comments below.

 

Tweetable:

What do you want to do in publishing? Whether it’s a magazine article, a book, or a radio program or podcast, it will involve effective pitching. This prolific editor and author gives the details here. (ClickToTweet)

Many writers have unrealistic ideas and expectations about publishing. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

The Value of Reflection

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Some people attribute this quotation to Mark Twain, “Find a job that you love and you will never work a day in your life.” I have found the truth in this statement as a writer and editor. While there are certainly routine and boring aspects of my work (as in every job), overall I love my life in publishing and spend many hours at my keyboard or on the phone with authors and others. My work is something I love and do every day. 

 

Almost like clockwork, my email and interaction with others drops off from Thanksgiving until after New Year's Day. I've called these days the silent days of publishing and written about them in the past. Instead of cutting back like some, I tend to lean into the work. For example, last week before Christmas, I processed a number of submissions to Morgan James Publishing. In this process, I've located some new authors who are passionate about their writing and want to get their book published. To me, this process of discovery is fun and exciting. Will these authors get book contracts from my colleagues? Until I try it, I never know so I'm pushing their material forward through the process. If they get a contract from my colleagues, will they sign the paperwork and move forward? I never know until it happens and I've learned that it is impossible to predict. I'm only responsible for my part of the process and have leave the rest of it up to others. As the book is produced and enters the market, will it catch the attention of readers and sell? I've learned making books is easy and something many companies can do for writers but selling books is another story. Like many aspects of publishing, the selling of books is outside of my control. I've learned to take my own responsibility for my books and leave the rest of it.

 

In the quiet of these days, I find value in taking a few moments for reflection on the past year and my plans for the future. I've written this article to encourage you to  take some time for reflection and planning for your future.

 

As I think about the last year, what worked and what failed? As you consider the days ahead what changes will you make and do differently? For example, I've found I'm not reading some magazines as much as I did in the past. Recently I cancelled a weekly publication which I have been reading for decades. For my situation, it was a wise decision. What changes like those do you need to make for your writing life? Also consider your habits and routines. Which ones will you continue and which ones do you need to modify or eliminate? How can you foster your curiosity about the world around you? What do you want to learn and how can you take those courses and apply them to your writing life?

 

As you can tell from reading these article, I see the world as filled with opportunity. You need to seize the day and pitch to the right person and open those doors in your writing life. I have great expectations about the days ahead.

 

Do you take time for reflection then making some changes to your life? Let me know your process in the comments below.

 

Tweetable:

This prolific editor and author sees value in reflection about what has worked or failed in the past and what adjustments he will make for the days ahead. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)

Many writers have unrealistic ideas and expectations about publishing. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.

Information Is Power

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Many years ago, I did my first stint as an acquisitions editor working inside a publisher. It was an eye-opening experience for someone like me who had written numerous books on the outside but never witnessed the various dynamics inside a publishing house. Because of working inside a publisher, I wrote Book Proposals That Sell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. 

 

The publisher announced my new position in the trade magazines and other places. Yet to my surprise months after this announcement and with fairly often consistency, I received submissions addressed to the previous acquisitions editor. I was actively looking for new writers but the submissions addressed to someone else on my desk made the wrong first impression.

 

Now years later, I understand why it happens. The publishing world is constantly shifting. Editors move to a different publishing house. Other editors join a literary agency. Some book publishers close their doors while others open new business. In the magazine area, publications cease publishing while others begin new magazines. These shifts in the publishing world often open new opportunities for writers—at least those who keep up with these changes.

 

How do you keep up with the various shifts and changes? If you have the right information and use it appropriately, information is power. The answer is an annual book which is essential for every Christian writer: The Christian Writers Market Guide 2023 which released last week.  Don’t be fooled into using an old book and the wrong information,

 

Sally E. Stuart was the original creator of this guide, then she passed the responsibility on to New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins who published it for a few years. Several years ago, literary agent Steve Laube took over the annual guide. Through the years I’ve interviewed each of these leaders. In this article, I include links to those interviews which are filled with insights for every Christian writer. You will gain instant access to the replay interview and each of these leaders have included a unique free ebook that you can download and study.

 

Are you looking for a nearby writers group or planning to attend a writers conference next year? Like other elements in the guide, these elements shift and change from year to year. Or maybe you are looking for a freelance editor to go through your material and polish it before you send it to an agent or an editor? This information is also in this volume.

 

In his foreword, Jerry B. Jenkins says, “Here’s a dirty little secret of the writing life: Veteran editors can tell within two minutes whether they are going to reject your manuscript.” From his experience as an editor and publisher, Jerry gives three common reasons for fiction rejections. I’ll include one of them here: “Too many characters introduced too quickly.” If you get these insights and apply them to your writing, the foreword alone has immense value to you.

 

The Christian Writers Market Guide 2023 contains nearly 1,000 listings including more than 200 book publishers, 130 magazine publishers, 45 speciality markets, 215 writers conferences and writers groups, 45 literary agencies, and 240 freelance editors and designers. Also this volume includes information about legal, accounting, speaking services, podcasts, courses and contests. The information can be powerful and priceless to your writing life—if you use it properly.

 

Whether you want to write for magazines or publish a book or speak at a writer’s conference, you will have to learn to write an eye-catching pitch. From my years in the publishing world, you will always have to pitch to the right person at the right time. A key part of that process of finding the right person is contained in The Christian Writers Market Guide 2023 .

 

How do you use this essential reference guide? Let me know in the comments below.

 

Tweetable:

Within the publishing community, information is power. This prolific editor and author helps you understand this concept and highlights an important tool for every Christian writer. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)

Many writers have unrealistic ideas and expectations about publishing. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.