Showing posts with label essays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label essays. Show all posts

Using Anthologies to Study the Market

One piece of writing advice I hear a lot, and which I agree with, is that you must read.  But not everyone agrees on the particulars.

Some say you should read like a reader and others say you should read like an editor or a scientist, dissecting what you read to see what works.

Some say read, read, read your genre and then stop reading while you write, so you don't accidentally let whatever you're reading influence your own work too much.

Others say read, read, read all the time, in your genre and others.

I write short stories in a variety of genres, novels (fantasy and sci fi), travel essays, travel guides, and various other types of work.  But I have to admit that my reading habits are a bit more narrow.  I tend to mostly read novels instead of short stories.  I read travel guides to places I plan to travel, but don't read as much other travel writing as I should.  Part of this, of course, is due to limited time.

So, to make my reading of short work more efficient, I use the anthology approach.

Benefits of Reading Yearly Anthologies


Long-standing, well-respected anthologies are great because they collect some of the (subjectively) best fiction of the year from various magazines.  You don't waste time with mediocre stories.  You get a feel for what's current and what editors are throwing their support behind.  Go ahead and dissect these stories and learn from them.

Another valuable aspect of an anthology is that you see which magazine first published which story.  This is very useful for your own work.  You know the old advice about submitting to magazines:  read a few issues first to see if your work fits.  This is excellent advice.  Unfortunately, we don't always have time to read a few issues of every magazine.  Luckily, anthologies give you a shortcut.  Pick out the stories you like or that could be good matches to yours, then see which magazines they were published in.  Start submitting to those magazines. 

Some Good Anthologies:


The O. Henry Prize Stories, edited by Laura Furman.

The Pushcart Prize; Best of the Small Presses, edited by Bill Henderson.

The Best American Short Stories, edited by Heidi Pitlor and various yearly editors.  Obviously the yearly editor puts a slant on things, so some years may be more "best" than others.

The Best American series has other genre-specific anthologies, such as The Best American Essays, The Best American Travel Writing, The Best American Mystery Short Stories, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, etcLook for your target genre to see if they have one that matches.

The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy, edited by Rich Horton.  Also in the series, The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, edited by Paula Guran.

The Best Horror of the Year, edited by Ellen Datlow.


Many of these can be found at your local library as well as at online and brick-and-mortar bookstores.



You can read (and listen to) Melinda Brasher's most recent short story sale at Pseudopod.  It's a tale of a man who doesn't believe in superstition...until he has to.  You can also find her fiction in Ember, Timeless Tales, Intergalactic Medicine Show, and others. If you're dreaming about traveling to Alaska this summer, check out her guide book, Cruising Alaska on a Budget; a Cruise and Port Guide. Visit her online at http://www.melindabrasher.com








Write for Magazine Publication - series #8


Writing for Magazine Publication is a great way to monetize your writing and test the interest level of your topic. This series has offered tips for magazine publishing. (Topic archive below)

Essays are all about the writer; articles are all about the reader. An essay is an opinion piece. An article is non-fiction text.

Today, we’ll talk about Letter of Agreements and Copyright.

Letter of Agreement:

An informal outline of all the terms you agree to is a Letter of Agreement (LOA). It is in the format of a letter with signature lines at the bottom. The agreement covers the following and acts to clarity the agreement:

1.      Annotates the services provided, and those not provided

a.       High level editing with “track changes” using Word

2.     The due date for the publishers receipt of your article or essay

a.       Delivery as a Word.doc with “track changes” active

3.     The delivery terms detailing the manner in which the publisher wants to receive and edit your piece:

a.       Format, electronic delivery or otherwise

b.      Style choices determined by AP Style Guide and client’s house style

c.       Editing shall preserve the author’s tone and style

4.      Payment rate per word or flat fee

5.      Payment terms (check/PayPal etc.)

This link may be helpful:

https://www.thebalancesmb.com/sample-contract-a-letter-of-agreement-1360549

Copyright:

A Copyright is the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, sell or distribute a piece of writing.

The best thing I can offer you are links to the technical aspects of the Copyright Law of the United States.  

Helpful Links for Copyrights:

https://www.copyright.gov/title17/

https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/index.html

https://www.copyright.gov/title37/

This series offers tips and ideas for magazine publishing: a list of genres or categories and where we find ideas (posted 5.25.18), research tips (posted 6.25.18), standard templates for essay and article pieces (7.25.18), query letters (informal known to editor 8.25.18) and (formal query tips 9.25.18), guidelines for submission (posted 10.25.18), and contracts (posted 11.25.2018), and LOA & copyright tips (posted 12.25.2018).

Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts. Visit her web-blog: Deborah Lyn Stanley : MyWriter's Life .

Write your best, in your voice, your way!

Write for Magazine Publication - series #7



Writing for Magazine Publication is a great way to monetize your writing and test your topic for readership interest. This series has offered tips for magazine publishing. (Topic archive below)

Essays are all about the writer; articles are all about the reader. An essay is an opinion piece. An article is non-fiction text.

Today, we’ll talk about a long form magazine agreement, which may be used when the editor is interested in hiring you to write an article or essay.

Magazine Contract:
Contracts cover all pertinent information, and must be considered point by point. Take it slow and break it down item by item to know the conditions you are committed to deliver.
The main sections and subsections are:

1.       Payment method and rate
a.       Payment upon acceptance or on publication, but typically between 30-90 days
2.       Rights and responsibilities
a.       First North American Serial Rights,
1.        Provides the publisher exclusive rights to be the first to publish your article. Note the time period for this exclusivity, commonly 90 days.
b.      One Time Rights,
1.        Gives the publisher the right to publish your article one time
c.       Second Serial Rights or Reprint Rights,
1.        Grants the publisher a nonexclusive right to publish, one time, a piece already published somewhere else.
d.      All Rights
1.        You are selling all the rights to your article to the publisher—this takes careful consideration. What if you want to publish the article somewhere else? And, what if they rework the piece so much that it’s not yours any longer?
e.       Electronic Rights
1.        This means all forms of electronic media: CE’s, DVD’s, games, apps, etc.
3.       Deadlines and format for delivery, and
4.      Word count

These links may be helpful to you:
Contributor’s Agreement Sample     http://publishlawyer.com/contrib.pdf

Kerrie Flanagan’s new book is an informative resource:
“Writer’s Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing”  by Kerrie Flanagan

This series offers tips and ideas for magazine publishing: a list of genres or categories and where we find ideas (posted 5.25.18), research tips (posted 6.25.18), standard templates for essay and article pieces (7.25.18), query letters (informal known to editor 8.25.18) and (formal query tips 9.25.18), guidelines for submission (posted 10.25.18), and contracts (posted 11.25.2018), LOA & copyright tips.

Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts. Visit her web-blog: Deborah Lyn Stanley : MyWriter's Life .  

Write clear & concise, personable yet professional. 
Know your reader. 
Use quotes & antidotes.

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