Montana Magazine is not only a visual delight, but a great inspiration for writing. The publication does some warm ”slice of life” pieces that really hit home. I’ve been a subscriber for years and the magazine is a true joy to read. If you are a fan of the west why not indulge yourself? Go ahead…live a little!
Subscribe for $23
New freelance writers can learn a lot from Henry Rollins. Many people wrote Rollins off as “the guy who ruined Black Flag.” He took those early dire personal struggles–and all criticism of him as an artist– and used it all as inspiration to just keep going, battering away at a variety of projects to see what would work. Whatever you think about 70s punk, Rollins is definitely a success. He went from being an always-broke, semi-starving musical outsider to a one-man industry thanks to relentless speaking tours, small press publication, film appearances and other multi-media work.
Rollins is a force to be reckoned with when he sets his mind to putting the word out on a new project. He’s what every freelancer should be–a tireless promoter of the task at hand. Not everyone can live up to the demands of a self-employed creative person, but Rollins shows us how to do it right. Never rest, forget about self-defeating attitudes and activities. Keep your eyes on the prize.
Rollins is not the world’s greatest writer, but he’s got a real talent for non-fiction. He’s at his best when he’s writing travel pieces–his observations about life in other countries (and ours) is top notch. His fiction work is violent, transgressive and often funny, but he shows more writing prowess in his personal observations. The Portable Henry Rollins is a great primer for his work, and it is easy to take inspiration from his writing. Check out the selections from Get In The Van and his other titles…you’ll instantly get the attitude, the ferocity, the refusal to roll over and die–all the attributes a freelancer should have–or at least aspire to. You won’t learn how to make money freelance writing with this book, but you’ll take away a new sense of purpose for your own work. Rollins is infectious like that.
I was just introduced to David Nadelberg’s Mortified, based on his stage show of the same name, in which men and women take the spotlight to read aloud their own horrifically awkward adolescent diaries. The subtitle of this book says it all: Real Words. Real People. Real Pathetic. To say it’s only awkward is to skim the surface–the excerpts run the gamut from nightmare summer camp to drug addiction and sexual experimentation–but Nadelberg’s message that “we were all that same strange kid” rings true. Buy it at Amazon for $11.21 to read as a companion to your own diary. Read about the stage show in an NPR article or check out Mortified Nation to see a show near you or (gulp) participate. If my own teen diaries were not strictly meditations on Leonardo DiCaprio and acne, I might submit.
George Orwell had some misadventures, eh? Whenever I find myself in need of some inspiration I turn to a book like this to remind me just how bad it can get before you find a way to make the sale. No matter how desperate for cash you might become, chances are you won’t come anywhere near the levels discussed in this Orwell classic.
There aren’t any far-reaching government plots in this one, no telescreens and no Two Minutes Hate; just trying to scrape by as best one can. Real life, disguised as a novel. Before there could be any Henry Rollins travel journals (those in the know get my meaning here) there was Orwell telling it like it is, but unlike Rollins, Orwell attempts a thin veneer of “fiction” for respectability’s sake.
He needn’t have bothered, but apparently publisher T.S. Eliot disagreed–my research material says Eliot rejected the book regardless.
The real lessons for freelancers in this book–at least for me–have to do with recognizing that any experience can turn into a writing gold mine if you know how to look at them. Orwell certainly did.
If you haven’t read these classic tales of life and poverty in London and Paris, grab a copy and see how those lean years transform into literary gold. Some will be fascinated by the section on London gutter slang–worth the price of the book all by itself.
Buy Down and Out In Paris and London for $11.20
William Gibson is one of the world’s most renown science fiction authors. For all intents and purposes, Gibson has transcended sci-fi into a genre of his own creation much in the same way the late, great John D. MacDonald grew his own action market with his Travis McGee series. Gibson doesn’t use a central character to drive his novels the way MacDonald did with the McGee books, but the analogy still holds–both Gibson and MacDonald’s writing possess one-of-a-kind qualities often imitated, but never equalled
Gibson is a great example of how a writer survives–he’s branched out plenty with articles for Wired, spoken word appearances (including the amazing Technodon Live album by Yellow Magic Orchestra) and film screenplay credits for his work including 1995’s Johnny Mnemonic.
He’s basically a legend in his field, but even Gibson can’t just plop out a manuscript and ship it off to a publisher–he goes through the same motions other writers do, albeit with a LOT more clout. Would you be surprised to learn William Gibson submitted a proposal for his most recent book, Spook Country? It’s true.
In addition to a great interview with Gibson at Amazon.com, the same page also features this link to Gibson’s proposal for the book, fascinating reading if you’re curious to know just what it takes to capture the attention of an editor. Granted, there is no cover letter–not that Gibson needs one–and you know he’s got the editor’s attention from the second the envelope hits the desk. That said, the proposal makes for worthy reading if you can’t seem to picture what that proposal–the first introduction to the book for your editor–is all about.
If you haven’t read Spook Country yet, beware, there are some spoilers in the proposal. What is most interesting for those who know the book is how differently the proposal looks compared to the final product. Cheers to Gibson and Amazon for giving us a tiny glimpse behind the scenes.
Brett Sampson tells all. This book is about how to get listed on Amazon, how to promote your book and increase sales. We borrow a quote from Sampson’s Sell Your Book on Amazon product page:
“Penny C. Sansevieri of Author Marketing Experts says, “Finally! A book that helps you demystify Amazon. If you have a book to sell, you simply must own Sell Your Book on Amazon.”
The marketing copy for this also claims to help you “beat Amazon at their own game”, and learn how to create “virtuous circles” (as opposed to vicious cycles, I’m guessing). While I’m no fan of breathless marketing hyperbole, I have to say that any book which helps a writer properly value their work and assign a reasonable price should be worth a read. Sell Your Book on Amazon has all the right chapters, and according to the author himself, this does NOT tell you how to get on the bestseller list. Instead, it offers strategies to help your book do well over the long term. If you’re a believer in Chris Anderson’s Long Tail concept, this book should appeal.
In short, not a bad way to spend $14.95 if you have a book ready for the world, or very nearly so.
Sell Your Book on Amazon sells for $14.95
So you set your own hours. Wondering what to do with that extra time you spend Googling yourself and watching cats flush the toilet on YouTube? Volunteer as a tutor at 826CHI, a nonprofit tutoring, writing, and publishing organization modeled after the successes of 826Valencia in San Francisco. The brainchild of author Dave Eggers, the flagship center on Valencia Street is now home to 826 National, an umbrella organization that adapts the 826 model to sister centers in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Seattle, Ann Arbor, and right here in Chicago on Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park.
A trademark of each center, aside from the heavy emphasis on one-on-one attention and fostering each child’s writing skills, is the “supply store”: Valencia has a pirate store that sells pegs legs and pirate perfumes while Brooklyn has a superhero supply store with capes and secret identity kits. Chicago’s The Boring Store is by no means a store for spies (wink wink).
The wonderful aspect of 826 is their focus on publishing, and centers have long been committed to creating a tangible compilation of kids’ (ages 8-18) writing. 826CHI’s latest student publication, Right in Front of Us, is written by 47 Chicago high school students and includes an introduction by author Alex Kotlowitz. Buy it at The Boring Store (1331 N. Milwaukee Ave) or through Amazon. If you’re interested in volunteering or donating, please support our young (and future) writers!
Many people will think I’ve gone completely around the bend by recommending Hagakure as a manual for freelance writers, but try reading this with your career firmly in mind. You’ll find plenty of inspiration and practical advice. Consider these quotes:
“In the words of the ancients, one should make his decisions within the space of seven breaths. Lord Takanobu said: If discrimination is long, it will spoil. Lord Naoshige said: When matters are done leisurely, seven out of ten will turn out badly. A warrior is a person who does things quickly.”
“Master Yagyu once remarked: I do not know the way to defeat others, but the way to defeat myself.”
“According to Master lttei, even a poor penman will become substantial in the art of calligraphy if he studies by imitating a good model and puts forth effort. A retainer should be able to become substantial too, if he takes a good retainer as his model.”
Sure, some of it is a stretch when it comes to the modern day lifestyle of a freelance writer, but there’s plenty to ponder here. You can apply it to being mindful of well-crafted query letters, carefully checked final drafts and keeping your determination in the face of many rejections. Hagakure was written in the early 1700s by Yamamoto Tsunetomo. It was only read by a select few in the early years after its publication, but it has endured. And yes, other writers have found much inspiration in these pages–Yukio Mishima, one of Japan’s most famous authors, was a devoted reader of Hagakure. It’s a great book even if it does sometimes bewilder 21st century minds.
Buy Hagakure for $13.57
I’ve had Rosalie Maggio’s Great Letters for Every Occasion (1999) on my shelf for quite some time and find it a useful (and polite) way to handle various correspondence situations that come up during projects, from sticky business predicaments (covered in the “Sensitive Issues” section) to letters of introduction (found in the section of the same name). It’s never a bowl of ice cream when you have to (sometimes incessantly) follow-up on payment or you have a disagreement with your client, and while I certainly have drafted irate emails, Rosalie–whom I imagine to be a gentler, more Italian Miss Manners–always prevents me from hitting send. While some may have their own personal preference when it comes to Writing a Thank You Note (and no offense to Rosalie, but I am one of those people), this book is a handy guide to those elusive letters you may have no idea how to format, let alone write.
The two appendices (Appendix I covers mechanics and the concrete aspects of letter-writing, such as formats and postal regulations while Appendix II discusses content such as grammar and usage and superfluous words and phrases) in combination with the massive index is the easiest way to skim through the guide. The very basic sections do get a bit tiresome and reminiscent of fourth grade Language Arts. I’m always hesitant of books such as this because I always want a unique letter that doesn’t follow the format, a mini-work of literature, but sometimes, when I can’t remember how to start an effective query, it’s a relief to grab Great Letters for Every Situation and see some examples as a jump-off point.
The entry on Query Letters is certainly not the best in the biz (Rosalie herself recommends How to Publish Attention-Grabbing Query and Cover Letters by John Wood and How to Write Irresistible Query Letters by Lisa Collier-Cool, both published by Writer’s Digest), mainly because the book is almost ten years old and there are many books out there strictly dedicated the art of the query letter. What makes this section worthwhile though are the quotes like this one:
“A query letter is like a fishing expedition; don’t put too much bait on your hook or you’ll lose your quarry. Be brief and be tantalizing!”–Jane von Mehren
Writer’s Digest is a great mag to have for pretty much any type of writer. It covers both fiction and non-fiction and has solid, time-tested advice. I subscribe to keep up with the industry, and this is one of the better magazines out there for that purpose. Plus, its a business-related expense–which means a write off…
Subscribe for $19.96
The Elements of Style is a MUST OWN for all writers. If I ruled the world, this would be required reading on a daily basis. Do you want to know why your query letters suck? Skip past the front half of this book to get to the pages that list commonly abused words such as “hopefully”, non-words such as “irregardless”, and when it is proper to use the term “affect” as opposed to “effect”.
Editors can spot people who don’t know how to use common words properly a mile away, simply by reading the crap in cover letters. Why should you bother sending a reply to someone who doesn’t know the difference between “their” and “they’re”?
Yes, there are plenty of editors who really DO think along such lines. I’m one of them. Snobby? Perhaps. An occupational hazard? Definitely.
Buy The Elements of Style for $9.95
Outdoor Photographer is a terrific magazine that can help you understand how to take better outdoor photos, learn about equipment and keep you in the loop as to what is going on in photography. If you do a lot of travel writing or plan on taking your own pictures for articles to accompany your text, you have to really be committed to staying with the curve of technology if you want to be competitive. This is a good way to do that and stretch yourself a bit in the process.
Subscribe for $14.97
ByLine Magazine was founded in 1981, and is great for people who are involved in all different kinds of writing. It has articles for those who write non-fiction, fiction and poetry and also offers contests with real cash prizes. Not bad right? At $29 for 11 issues, it is a good pick (and a write off) for keeping abreast of what is going on in your genre and others.
Make A Real Living As A Freelance Writer comes highly recommended. Authored by the “writer’s writer,” Jenna Glatzer, this is a must read for any new freelancer out there. Jenna offers some advice you won’t find elsewhere, and she delivers it in a very smart, funny way in this book. A super read that is worth the investment.
Ask any established writer for some advice when you are starting out and you will likely hear, “Check out Writer’s Market for magazine guidelines.” This is some good advice. Not only will you find market information, the authors also include a series of informational articles that can be invaluable when you are starting out. (You can also opt to join online.) This really helped me when I began, and it does answer some basics, giving a good overview of queries and such. A new version comes out each year.
Buy it now for $19.79
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