Publishing Requires Advanced Planning

by W. Terry Whalin

I started my writing career in the newspaper world. The deadlines were steep but it was an exciting experience as a writer. We’d have editorial meetings in the morning, get our story assignments, have an 11 am deadline to write and  turn in our story. Then we would read it in the afternoon newspaper.

Magazines are a little slower with working two to six months ahead on the various issues. As a writer you should understand that December issues are generally put together in July. You have to plan ahead for such issues—and the writer has to know about it to pitch appropriate seasonal stories.

Books are the slowest. Sometimes a book will take 18 to 24 months after it is contracted to get published. As a writer such information will feed into the planning of your publishing.

For Writers on the Move, I write once a month. I want to give you an opportunity to help me celebrate an amazing milestone. Billy Graham will turn 99 on November 7^th. For the last six decades, Mr Graham has been on the list of the most admired men in America. He has mostly disappeared from the public eye except for rare occasions. I’m encouraging you to wish Mr. Graham a Happy Birthday and I want to give you some tools and ideas for those wishes. I’ve prepared a series of social media posts and some images that you can use at:

http://BillyGrahamBio.com/HappyBirthday.html

Beyond this advanced planning to celebrate Mr. Graham’s birthday. I’ve been working on the audiobook version of my book. You can hear the retail sample of the book here and even use this link to encourage your local library to order the book.

If you hear this sample, you will know that it is not my voice but Andrew L Barnes, an experienced audiobook specialist. As I wrote about recently here, audiobooks continue to explode in the book world and I’m happy to announce my book’s availability in audio.

How is advanced planning affecting your writing? Let me know in the comment section below.

Tweetable:

How do you plan in advance for your writing? Celebrate an amazing milestone here.  (ClickToTweet)

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W. Terry Whalin is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written for more than 50 magazines and published more than 60 books for traditional publishers including his latest Billy Graham, A Biography of America's Greatest Evangelist. Terry is active on Twitter and lives in Colorado. 

Happy Christmas

Christmas Eve and those of us who have everything under control can relax and look forward to a more--or less--peaceful day. Me? I'm still winding tinsel round the bannisters and hanging cards, wrapping parcels and eyeing in despair the muddy mess that was my kitchen floor. Yep--feeling just like the cross-eyed penguin in the front row right.

And it struck me that maybe how we cope with Christmas is how we cope with our writing life. I'm a deadline junkie, always flying in at the last possible moment when I know in my heart how much easier everything would be with better planning and, more importantly, sticking to a plan.

Happy. Happy Christmas if you're ready and set to go and scanning this post at leisure.

Happy, Happy Christmas if you're like me in the manic throes of preparation.

And Happy, Happy Holiday if you're managing to take the time out to catch up with your writing life.

My dear husband keeps asking what I want for Christmas. Dare I ask for the day off to plan a new novella?

What's your life lesson from the run up to Christmas? Whatever you're doing, have a wonderful day. And remember, even the disasters will be marvelous fodder for your writing.

 Anne Duguid is a freelance content editor with MuseItUp Publishing and she tries to pass on helpful writing,editing and publishing tips at Slow and Steady Writers