Writers: Sell Your Life Experiences
R. Dodge Woodson
Have you ever read an article or a book and found the writing style to be awkward? Did it appear that the author was standing outside the circle of knowledge and simply reporting facts? This is too often the case when writers gain their subject matter solely from research.
Authors who know their subjects convey that confidence in their writing. Far too many novice writers seek publication with topics that they do not understand fully. There is no need for this. You can do very well by writing about what you know.
People have varied backgrounds. While I might write about fly fishing, you may be more comfortable publishing a piece on skiing. It would not make much sense for us to swap topics. Both pieces would come off as cold research.
When you know your subject matter first- hand, your writing can be both conversational and informative. This is a sign of an accomplished non-fiction writer. What is your favorite hobby? Why not write a compelling article about it? You could write about your job, your experiences in college, or your love of gardening. Stick to what you know, and your writing career is far more likely to blossom.
Writing a Book
Writing a book is a big undertaking. If you have not been published previously, I believe that you should cut your teeth on articles. It is much easier to prepare a manuscript of 2000 words than it is to prepare one of 100,000 words for a book.
Book authors are expected to be experts in their field. If you do enjoy expert status, a book project might be right for you. There are several different opportunities for authoring a book. You can go for a book that will be published by a mainstream publisher. Expect this to be a difficult deal to make. Competition for large publishers is immense. Your credentials for writing a book have to be outstanding for a publisher to offer you a contract.
Many large publishers will not work directly with writers. These publishers want to deal with literary agents. The problem a budding author faces is that agents want published authors to represent and publishers want agented writers to publish. If you write how-to books for consumers, you are far less likely to need agency representation.
Modern technology makes it possible for writers to self-publish with either E-books or print-on-demand (POD) books. There is a lot more to this than just writing a book and sending the manuscript to a printer or burning a PDF.
Good books require professional editing, page composition, proofreading, art manipulation, indexing, and cover design. Most individuals cannot afford to pay for all of these professional services. But if you cut corners on your publication it will show.
Books are big-ticket items. Articles are much easier to break into and much more accessible to unknown writers.
Articles
Articles used to be published mostly by newspapers and magazines. It could take a year to see your work in print in a magazine. With online articles, you can be up and running as a published author in one day. The credibility is not the same, but published is published, and it all helps. New writers need examples of their work, and online articles are a great place to get your feet wet.
Article length generally ranges from 750 to 2000 words. Magazines seem to be paying an average of 10 cents per word. Some magazines pay thousands of dollars for articles with photos included, but the heavy-hitting pros are pounding this market.
How much will you make from an online article? You are not likely to see much income from your writing effort. However, the exposure these articles bring you and your website can be very valuable. This is a side benefit of gaining experience and building your portfolio of sample works.
Life Experience
Whether you choose to write articles or books, concentrate on your strengths through life experience. Make your readers feel as if they are sitting across a table from you exchanging information. Endear yourself to your readers. Believe in what you are writing. It will show in the finished work. Concentrate your efforts on topics that you have a passion for and tell your stories from the heart. Don’t make the writing too flowery.
Remember that you are talking in a normal conversational tone to an old friend on the other side of your words. You are not writing a press release for the Department of Tourism.
Okay, Where Do I Sell My Work?
Selling your work and seeing your work published are two very different goals. Magazines are known for “paying” rookie writers with copies of the magazine where the article is published. This doesn’t put food on the table, but it is a strong step in building a foundation as a published author.
You can do online research to see which magazines are buying articles and what they are paying. For example, if you are into fishing, check out all the fishing-related magazines for opportunities. Don’t hold out for big bucks in the beginning; be happy with getting published.
Online articles might not pay you a penny for your submission, but the exposure can be very valuable down the road. These articles tend to be short, and you can get some much-needed experience while seeing your byline almost right away.
If you have a full book project in you, check online for publishers that publish the types of books that you want to write. You can do this at online book stores. Type in “fishing” and look to see who published the books listed. Then find the publishers and learn about their submission guidelines. Expect a lot of rejection here, but one win is an awesome experience.
Lone Wolf Enterprises, Ltd.
Lone Wolf Enterprises, Ltd. (www.lonewolfent.net), is both a book producer and a book publisher. Personally, I have written more than 100 books for major publishers and dozens of magazine articles. My team produces professional reference books for major publishers. I got started writing articles in 1991 and created Lone Wolf in 1996. In the publishing world you have to build a track record and network your contacts to be successful.
Changes in the Internet
Changes in the Internet created tremendous change in the old-fashioned style of publishing. If you are just getting started, this could be the perfect time for you. Old graybeards like me have trouble transitioning from traditional publishing to modern publishing. Fortunately, you will be getting in near the ground floor, and with enough effort and ability your writing future should be quite bright. Now stop reading and start writing!
R. Dodge Woodson has been a professional photographer for more than 30 years. He is the author of more than 100 books and the founder and publisher of WPO
RDW
