The Freelance Success Book: Insider Secrets for Selling Every Word You Write

by David Taylor

A former executive editor at Rodale Press, publishers of Prevention and Men's Health, takes freelance writers behind the closed doors of magazine offices to teach the tips, techniques and insider... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 097173304X
• ISBN13: 9780971733046
• Release Date: February 2003
• Publisher: Peak Writing
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Now we know!

Many of us fantasise about writing for major magazines and newspapers, but alas, writing is like everything else that we aspire to - success comes as the result of hard work, persistence and knowledge, not wishful thinking. And one sure way to acquire that knowledge is to learn from people who've not only been there and done that, but also have the T-shirt to prove it! One such person is David Taylor, who spent nine years as executive editor at Rodale Press - he knows what editors and publishers want. Submit a story idea that suits a particular section of the magazine, is written in the publication's distinctive voice, follows the House Style Rules and is in some way controversial, and you're on your way to acceptance. The book contains 300 pages of similar insider secrets for selling your writing. His step-by-step guide on how to break into the hidden freelance market offered by newspaper weeklies and dailies started bells ringing for me and has had me poring over my local publications and making lists of suitable non-local topics to write about. Throughout the book there are a number of Writer's Toolboxes that contain both online and print resources. Resources such as newspaper directories (so you can search for suitable publications to approach with your ideas), manuscript submission services, places to check what your e-rights are, legal advice regarding copyright laws and contracts, how to self-publish and more. Then there are sample freelance contracts, agreements, release forms and invoices.An excellent resource for any freelancer.

A needed boost

I have to admit that this book came along at the right time for me--in the middle of a bad run of rejection slips and self-esteem to match. With this book Taylor managed to get me jacked up to send out stuff again with chapters like "How to Make Editors Beg For It"--the first time I had read about what really goes on in editorial offices where we freelancers send out stuff. I feel like Taylor's insider stuff gives me an edge I didn't have before.The chapter on queries and titles taught me how I have to pay more attention to actually selling my writing with right-between-the-eyes headlines. Taylor talks a lot about getting inside the editor's head and discovering the "reader benefits" that editor is trying to deliver. As he says, freelancers have to play that radio station: WRIT-FM or "What's Really In It-For Me," because without good reader benefits the piece is dead before it ever hits the editor's desk.I guess all in all, reading books like this is necessary to learn new tips and keep motivated and fresh. This book did all that and more so that's why I rated it high.

Packed full of useful information

Book and magazine editors are engaged in a never-ending search for writing that people want to read, which means that there is a large demand for good freelance writing. This book, written by a former magazine editor, tells how to get your name and phone number into an editor's Rolodex. The first thing a budding freelance writer should do is get a copy of a book like the yearly Writer's Market and read the submission guidelines for your intended target publication (books, short stories, magazine non-fiction, etc). If your target is a specific magazine, read and analyze several issues of that magazine. Know it better than its editors, and find a niche that no one else has filled. To call yourself a writer, it's necessary to actually do some writing. The act of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) is covered, along with what to do when the words just won't come out. After your masterpiece is on paper, then comes dealing with editors. How do you write a query letter (or should you)? Mak sure you deal with the right editor, not just any editor. Some editors do business by phone, or fax or email; adjust your approach accordingly. Don't gush about how much you love the magazine; editors don't want fan clubs. Get right to the point. The biggest mistake a freelancer makes in dealing with an editor is laziness; not knowing the magazine backwards and forwards. Writing for the internet is totally different than writing for print. Your average web surfer is not going to read the equivalent of a magazine article on a screen. It's best to break up the text as much as possible, with bullets, numbers, colored backgrounds, etc. Also provide lots of hyperlinks, so the web surfer can do more research on their own. The book also covers the legal end of things, including contracts, libel and ethics in general. I learned a lot from this book. A copy of this book belongs right next to the dictionary on the bookshelf of every freelance writer, and every would-be freelance writer, in America. It is packed full of useful information, and is money very well spent. Hmmm, I hope this also works for book reviewers...

A Useful and Inspiring Guidebook

I've wanted to become a serious writer for some time, always felt I had "things to say" but I just couldn't seem to get started. One of the impediments was, once started, and hopefully writing cogent and interesting material . . . What would I do with it? I had no idea how to expose my work, much less sell it.Chapter 2 "Getting Comfortable in the Harness" set the stage, helped me create a structure within which I could work. Chapter 3 "Your Writing Process: the need for speed" was the catalyst that got me started. I too had fallen into the trap of "headwriting", writing in my mind, then trying to transfer the words to paper. As Taylor says, it doesn't work. The concepts he advances: speedwriting, freewriting, copy and write opened the door and now the words are flowing.I have only scratched the surface of this book, but I'm beginning to gain a basic understanding of how to maneuver through the intricacies of the publishing business.Like most people, I knew nothing about this, it was a closed, unknown realm.I believe Taylor has written a useful and inspiring guidebook. If a person intends to get serious about writing, this is the book. It is my standard reference as I develop and progress as a writer.

Cuts to the Chase

It seems like so many books about writing are, well, over-written. It was so nice (not to mention helpful) to find this book. The style is straightforward, clean, no beating around the bush. Taylor lays out tips, techniques and advice I could use immediately.Another thing that impressed me is that I felt like I was getting stuff that I couldn't get anywhere else because of Taylor's experience as an editor. The guy has been there, done that and now he wants freelance writers to do the same.I'm still digesting a lot of this stuff, it was so new to me. But the chapter on how to please an editor was worth the price of admission.