If you want to submit your writing in the new year, we need to receive your work ASAP.

We are accepting e-mail queries, as well as regular mail submissions to our review board. Be sure to include the words “Review Board” in your subject line.

This is a great time to enroll in our services and to energize your submission strategy. If your work is chosen, you'll begin the new year with your writing as a priority. You'll be enrolled in our client list for the current cycle, and your submissions will go out when the majority of agents and editors are reading. It's a great time of year to begin your new submission strategy. We’ll list openings in specific genres below. Please DO NOT send work in genres that are not listed.

If you're NOT a do-it-yourselfer and want to utilize our FULL service (rather than our A LA CARTE services), you need to send work to our REVIEW BOARD.

There are some important differences between the three levels of services. A complete list of pricing and services may be found at http://www.WritersRelief.com/comparison.asp.

If you are accepted into our FULL-SERVICE client list:

We propose, prepare, and proof content for cover letters. (You’ll benefit from what we’ve learned since 1994.)

We review and target your work to specific markets based on content, length, reading dates, etc. (You’ll never again have to spend hours researching markets for your work.)

We proof and prepare your work to industry standards, prepare master copies, and maintain electronic or hard copy versions of the work here at Writer's Relief, Inc.  (If your computer crashes, we’ll have a master copy of every title on file.)

We prepare 25 - 30 submissions for each title (or group of poems) within each two-month cycle.  (When was the last time you accomplished this?)

We print your individually addressed cover/query letters. (You don’t have to create merge files, etc.)

We track every submission. (You’ll know what’s going on with every submission without doing any filing.)

We offer guidance regarding submissions, acceptances, etc.  (Each client is assigned two personal submission strategists.)

How many submissions have you mailed in the past two months? This is a great time of year to focus energy on your writing. If you've been putting off getting your work to us, NOW is the time to send it. Writers submitting their work regularly and extensively increase their odds of acceptance . . . dramatically. This cycle is one of the best times for you to enter our client list.

We have room to invite a few more writers into our Writer's Relief family. We are reading in the following genres only:

Nonfiction (books)—Send chapter outline, proposal, sample chapters (30 pages) of your unpublished manuscript, your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, chapter outline, proposal, and sample pages may be in one file.)

Novels—Send synopsis, first 30 pages of your unpublished manuscript, sample query letter, your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, synopsis and samples pages may be in one file.)

Poetry—Send 10 - 12 unpublished poems, your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, paste poems into one file; one poem per page.)

Short Stories or Personal/Creative Essays—Send three unpublished stories (each under 5,000 words), your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, each story should be in a separate file.)

Our review is FREE. If our review board determines your writing is strong enough (and markets are plentiful enough), they will send you an invitation to join our services. They will quote you FLAT FEES at that time. You may accept or decline their invitation.

Keep in mind that we must turn away 80 percent of the work that comes to us. However, if your writing is strong, don't let procrastination, hesitation, lack of marketing experience, or fear stop you from submitting your work.

Wouldn't it be amazing to get your submissions in the mail to all the best publishers and agents? Writer's Relief has successfully helped writers beat the procrastinator in them since 1994. We help clients find the time to write.

Writers have been looking to us for years to help them alleviate the countless hours needed to research ever-changing writers' markets. We continue to have the most current and best writers' markets included in our database. Because our database is updated daily from information we receive from all of our clients, as well as thousands of journals and agents directly, our lists are more up-to-date than any market book or online source.

Send Writing Samples To:

For e-mail queries: Send to Kriste@wrelief.com. We will accept the samples as attachments ONLY in .DOC, .RTF, or .WPD format. (E-mail submissions MUST include all pieces itemized above, including complete contact information, cover letter, and BIO pasted into the body of your e-mail, and sample pages attached, or they WILL NOT be reviewed. No SASE needed for e-mail submissions.) Include the words “Review Board” in your subject line.

Or mail your submission to: Review Board, Writer's Relief, Inc., 409 South River Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601

We want to be your partner in the submission process. Call us toll-free (between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time) if you have any questions. One of our personal submission strategists will be happy to spend a few minutes with you on the telephone.

Keep Writing And Submitting!

Our A La Carte PLUS Service:
You have already heard about the affordable alternative to our Full Service—our A La Carte Service. You may be interested to know that we now offer an A La Carte PLUS Service. Writer’s Relief will prepare your COVER/QUERY LETTERS in addition to targeting markets and preparing preaddressed mailing labels.

Clients have been requesting this service:
We are delighted to offer you an additional service that helps to fulfill your personal submission needs. We can now prepare a succinct cover/query letter and provide printed cover letters for each of the markets specially targeted for your work. You’ll save lots of time and avoid errors.

We know what editors and agents want in a cover/query letter:
Editors and agents want you to follow industry standards when composing these letters. We’ve been creating successful cover/query letters for clients since 1994. We’ve happily provided clients with information on how to do this themselves. In spite of your fear, there is no big mystery involved. If you love to create cover letters, great! If not, we can alleviate the stress associated with developing and addressing these letters. You’ll also save hours of worry and preparation. We know, if you’re like most writers, what you want is more time to write.

Here’s how the PLUS part of this service works:

1) We’ll ask you for the information we need to insert into your cover letters. This will include your name and contact information, as well as some biographical information and publication/writing credentials (if you have acquired any).

2) Writer’s Relief will create the template for a universal cover/query letter for you. This will be based on the information you give us in addition to the standards set by our industry.

3) You will review the letter, return it with your feedback, and send any proposed changes or your final okay. (Pricing allows for one back-and-forth or revision before we prepare final letters.)

4) Writer’s Relief will target submissions for your work and prepare an individually addressed cover/query letter for each of your 25+ submissions. (Please note that industry standard now requires letters be addressed to the editors’ full names. Example: Dear Ronnie L. Smith, as opposed to Dear Mr. or Ms. Smith. This is the format that we follow.)

How much will it cost?
If you wish to sign up for our A La Carte PLUS Service and receive printed cover/query letters, the total cost of this service is $200 – $250 (plus $6 for US postage and handling; international rates vary) to target and prepare cover/query letters and labels to 25 markets.

Stop spending your time wondering if your cover/query letter will do its job, and stop worrying whether you’ve typed all of that contact information correctly. Let us help you by providing this additional service that so many of you have asked for—just think how amazing it will be to send out professionally prepared cover letters with your submissions in a matter of days! A list of itemized services and prices may be found at http://www.writersrelief.com/comparison.asp.

If you would like to sign up for this service, please call us toll-free at (866) 405-3003, and ask to speak with Marissa or Kriste. They are specialists in handling A La Carte clients and cover/query letters.

We're so excited to present this information to you. When you download Insider's Secrets: What You MUST Know To Submit Your Children's Book, you'll also get a FREE REPORT that contains contact information for 100+ agents and publishers who specialize in children's books. 

Click here for more information: http://www.writersrelief.com/children.html

The NUMBER ONE reason that writers don’t succeed (other than not writing well) is a lack of understanding about rejection. To help you overcome the most difficult hurdle for writers, we have written this E-book, entitled Rejoice in Rejection: The Art of Surviving the Submission Process. When you order this E-book, you’ll also receive a FREE REPORT that includes manuscript FORMAT guidelines for poetry, short prose, novels, nonfiction books, and plays. These guidelines will ensure that you are submitting your work using industry-standard formatting. 

Click here for more information: http://www.writersrelief.com/rejection.html.

Please see individual URLs for complete contest and anthology information and submissions guidelines.

Upcoming Anthologies 

Deadline: 01/31/09.
Submit to: Untitled Anthology. E-mail to: littlesuperheroes@gmail.com.
Theme: Boys 3-8 years old who wants to be superheroes. 
Type: True stories (500-750 words).
URL: N/A. 

Deadline: 02/01/09.
Submit to: Rattle. E-mail (via pasted-in text) to: submissions@rattle.com.
Theme: African-American poets.
Type: Poetry and essays (5,000 words MAX).
URL: http://www.rattle.com/callsforsubs.htm 

Deadline: 02/01/09.
Submit to: Windfall. PO Box 19007, Portland, OR 97280.
Theme: Poetry of place, specifically the Pacific Northwest.
Type: Poetry (5 poems MAX).
URL: http://www.hevanet.com/windfall/index.html

Deadline: 02/08/09.
Submit to: Pockets. 1908 Grand Avenue, PO Box 340004, Nashville, TN 37203-0004.
Theme: Priorities.
Type: Stories (1,400 words MAX), poems (24 lines MAX), and articles (1,000 words MAX).
URL: http://www.upperroom.org/pockets/writer_guidelines.asp  

Deadline: 02/16/09.
Submit to: New Plains Review. Submissions, PO Box 184, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK 73034. Or e-mail (via Word attachment) to: doug@janestreet.org.
Theme: Service. “Military, community service, school service requirements, jury duty, all forms of volunteering, religious services, food service, customer service, serving a subpoena or tennis ball, etc.”
URL: http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/english/newplains/issue.htm

Deadline: 02/28/09.
Submit to: Queer SF Anthology submission. E-mail (via pasted-in text) to: editor@queeredfiction.com.
Theme: Queer Science Fiction (GLBT).
Type: Short stories (4,000 to 10,000 words).
URL: http://www.queeredfiction.com

Deadline: 03/01/09.
Submit to: Thema. Virginia Howard (for fiction). Gail Howard (for poetry). Box 8747, Metairie, LA 70011-8747.
Theme: Put it in your pocket, Lillian.
Type: Poetry and fiction (20 pages MAX).
URL: http://members.cox.net/thema/submissions.html

Deadline: Unspecified.
Submit to: Novel & Short Story Writer's Market. E-mail to: nsswm@fwpubs.com.
Theme: The Writing Life, Craft & Technique, Getting Published, For Mystery Writers, For Romance Writers, and For Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Writers.
Type: Nonfiction (see examples of previous editions).
URL: Unspecified. 

Upcoming Contests

Deadline: 01/15/09.
Submit to: 2008 Lyric Family Prize, PO Box 2494, Bloomington, IN 47402.
Entry fee: $10. First prize: $300, a broadside, a lifetime subscription, and publication.
Type: Poetry (MUST have strong musicality and lyricism).
URL: http://www.lyricreview.org/contest.html

Deadline: 01/15/09.
Submit to: Sonora Review Short-Short Contest. Department of English, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721.
Entry fee: $15. First prize: $1,000 and publication.
Type: Short shorts (3 pieces MAX/1,000 words each MAX).
URL: http://www.coh.arizona.edu/Sonora/contest.htm

Deadline: 01/16/09.
Submit to: Buffalo Carp Flash Fiction Contest. Quad City Arts, 1715 Second Avenue, Rock Island, IL 61201. Or e-mail to: buffalocarp@gmail.com.
Entry fee: $10. First Prize: $250, publication, five copies.
Type: Flash fiction (3 pieces MAX, 600 words each MAX).
URL: http://www.quadcityarts.com/

Deadline: 01/31/09.
Submit to: Fulton Prize for Short Fiction sponsored by The Adirondack Review and Black Lawrence Press. E-mail to: diane@blacklawrencepress.com. Subject line: “[Your last name] Fulton Prize Submission.”
Entry fee: $10. First prize: $400 and publication.
Type: Short fiction.
URL: http://theadirondackreview.com/FultonPrize.html

Deadline: 01/31/09.
Submit to: New Millennium Writings. PO Box 2463, Knoxville, TN 37901-2463.
Entry fee: $17. First prize: $1,000 and publication.
Type: Prose (6,000 words MAX), short shorts (1,000 words MAX), poetry (3 poems, five pages MAX).
URL: http://www.newmillenniumwritings.com/awards.php

Deadline: 02/08/09.
Submit to: Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest.
Entry fee: None. First prize: $25,000.
Type: Unpublished novels.
URL https://www.createspace.com/abna

Deadline: 02/15/09.
Submit to: Julia Peterkin Award. Converse College, Department of English, Spartanburg, SC 29302.
Entry fee: $15. First prize: $1000 and travel expenses for a reading at Converse College.
Type: Fiction (5,000 words MAX).
URL: http://www.converse.edu/academics/majors/peterkinjuliaaward.html

Deadline: 02/16/09.
Submit to: Tiny Lights Essay Contest sponsored by Tiny Lights Publications. PO Box 928, Petaluma, CA 94953.
Entry fee: $15. First prize: $400.
Type: Essays. (Specify which category: Standard [2,000 words MAX] or Flash [1,000 words MAX]. MUST show the author’s growth/change.
URL: http://www.tiny-lights.com/contest.php 

Conferences

Georgia: Voices of Christ Literary Ministries International will sponsor a conference "An Introduction to The Scribal Anointing" to be held in Atlanta, GA, on January 31, 2009. More information at: http://www.voicesofchrist.org.

Tennessee: Tennessee Mountain Writers, Inc. will host their "Januray Jumpstart" on January 9-11, 2009 in Sweetwater, TN, and their annual conference on  April 2-4, 2009 in Oak Ridge, TN. More information at: http://www.tmwi.org.

Massachusetts: "Writing From The Heart; A Retreat For Women" will be held January 23-25, 2009 in Rowe, MA. More information at www.rowecenter.org.

News of Interest

The Cell of a Soul, Maria Logven's first book of short stories illustrated by a surrealist artist Michael Cheval, is now available at http://www.amazon.com/Cell-Soul-Maria-Logven/dp/1434399966/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229530126&sr=1-1.

Naomi Ruth Lowinsky's memoir on being a poet, The Sister from Below: When the Muse Gets Her Way has been accepted for publication by Fisher King Press. Advance orders welcome: http://www.fisherkingpress.com/order.html.

If you want to submit your writing in the new year, we need to receive your work ASAP.

Writer's Relief Review Board Meets: Monday, December 15 and Tuesday, December 16 (Writers enter our FULL-SERVICE BY INVITATION ONLY, so send your work to our review board ASAP).

We will be accepting e-mail queries, as well as regular mail submissions to our review board. Be sure to include the words “Review Board” in your subject line.

This is a great time to enroll in our services and to energize your submission strategy. If your work is chosen, you’ll begin the new year with your writing as a priority. You’ll be enrolled in our client list for the December – February cycle, and your submissions will go out when the majority of agents and editors are reading. It’s a great time of year to begin your new submission strategy. We’ll list openings in specific genres below. Please DO NOT send work in genres that are not listed.

If you're NOT a do-it-yourselfer and want to utilize our FULL Service (rather than our A LA CARTE Services), you need to send work to our REVIEW BOARD. Keep reading.

There are some important differences between our A La Carte Services and Full Services. If you are accepted into our FULL-SERVICE client list:

We propose, prepare, and proof content for cover letters. (You’ll benefit from what we’ve learned since 1994. We know what editors and agents want to see in your cover/query letter.)

We review and target your work to specific markets based on content, length, reading dates, etc. (You’ll never again have to spend countless hours researching markets for your work.)

We proof and prepare your work to industry standards, prepare master copies, and maintain electronic or hard copy versions of the work here at Writer's Relief, Inc. (Proper formatting ensures a good read,  and, if your computer crashes, we’ll have a master copy of every title on file.)

We prepare 25 - 30 submissions for each title (or group of poems) within each two-month cycle. (When was the last time you accomplished this?)

We print your individually addressed cover/query letters. (You’ll simply sign your letters, and they’ll be ready to go. You don’t have to create merge files, etc.)

We track every submission. (You’ll know what’s going on with every submission without doing any filing.)

We offer guidance regarding submissions, acceptances, etc. (Each client is assigned two personal submission strategists.)

How many submissions have you mailed in the past two months? This is a great time of year to focus energy on your writing. If you've been putting off getting your work to our review board, now's the time to send it to us. Writers submitting their work regularly and extensively increase their odds of acceptance . . . dramatically. We have a limited number of openings available in specific genres. This upcoming cycle is one of the best times for you to enter our client list.

Our review board will meet Monday (December 15) through Tuesday (December 16) and make selections for the coming cycle. This means you will have the opportunity to have your work read in a very timely manner. If you would like your work considered, be sure it arrives in our office before this date. After selections are made we will not be registering new clients for at least two to four months. Use the e-mail or street address below.

We are reading in the following genres only:

Novels—Send synopsis, first 30 pages of your unpublished manuscript, sample query letter, your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, synopsis and samples pages may be in one file.)

Nonfiction (books)—Send chapter outline, proposal, sample chapters (30 pages) of your unpublished manuscript, your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, chapter outline, proposal, and sample pages may be in one file.)

Short Stories or Personal/Creative Essays—Send three unpublished stories (each under 5,000 words), your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, each story should be in a separate file.)

Poetry—Send 10 - 12 unpublished poems, your biography, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (For e-queries, paste poems into one file; one poem per page.)

We will mail our letters of acceptance or rejection before December 18, which means you won't have to wait long for our decision. Our review is FREE. If our review board determines your writing is strong enough (and markets are plentiful enough), they will send you an invitation to join our services. They will quote you FLAT FEES at that time. You may accept or decline their invitation. A list of fees and services may be found at http://www.writersrelief.com/comparison.asp.

Keep in mind that we must turn away 80 percent of the work that comes to us. However, if your writing is strong, don't let procrastination, hesitation, lack of marketing experience, or fear stop you from submitting your work.

Wouldn't it be amazing to get your submissions in the mail to all the best publishers and agents? Writer's Relief has successfully helped writers beat the procrastinator in them since 1994. We help clients find the time to write.

Writers have been looking to us for years to help them alleviate the countless hours needed to research ever-changing writers' markets. We continue to have the most current and best writers' markets included in our database. Because our database is updated daily from information we receive from all of our clients, as well as thousands of journals and agents directly, our lists are more up-to-date than any market book or online source.

Send Writing Samples To:

For e-mail queries: Send to Kriste@wrelief.com. We will accept the samples as attachments ONLY in .DOC, .RTF, or .WPD format. (E-mail submissions MUST include all pieces itemized above, including cover letter and BIO pasted into the body of your e-mail, and sample pages attached, or they WILL NOT be reviewed. No SASE needed for e-mail submissions.) Include the words “Review Board” in your subject line.

Or mail your submission to: Review Board, Writer's Relief, Inc., 409 South River Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601

Be sure to include your contact information including e-mail and phone number.

We want to be your partner in the submission process. Call us toll-free (between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time) if you have any questions. One of our personal submission strategists will be happy to spend a few minutes with you on the telephone.

Keep Writing And Submitting!

Ronnie L. Smith, President
Writer's Relief, Inc.
(866) 405-3003 (toll-free), (201) 641-3003
http://www.writersrelief.com

P.S. Have your work in our office by Monday (December 15).

…will help you get your submissions in the mail by next week! We’ll do the market research and give you clear and simple instructions to properly prepare submissions to industry standards. You’ll have your submissions in the mail within a few days—REALLY! You don't need to enroll in our full services in order to benefit from what we've learned about publishing since 1994. (If you do want a more full range of services—including creating cover/query letters, tracking submissions, proofreading, etc.—you’ll need to apply and send work to our review board. Call for details.)

If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, our a la carte service is quick and easy. We provide the best market research available to creative writers.

It's simple AND affordable. Keep reading.

You’ll get:

** A CUSTOM list of 25+ literary venues that specialize in YOUR type of writing. (Your work will be targeted to the best markets based on the topics, word count, etc. of the particular piece [or group of poems] you’re submitting.)

** Self-adhesive labels (one for each contact) containing the most up-to-date address information. These labels make it very easy for you to mail your own submissions.

** An online database that lists all your submissions. You'll have access to your submission list 24 hours a day for 30 days.

** BONUS: We will also include a FREE bonus packet of informational tip sheets that will teach you the insider's secrets we've gathered since 1994. We want you to be successful. Following these guidelines (including sample format sheets, submission do’s and don’ts, etc.) will ensure that your work is well-prepared, which will, in turn, ensure a good read. This bonus packet of materials will include an easy-to-follow checklist for creating a most effective cover/query letter.

In order to create a CUSTOM list for you, we will need you to provide topics covered in your work. We will make this very EASY for you by giving you access to our online Work Cover checklist. We will prepare your specially targeted list of markets after receiving this information.

Call us with your credit card authorization between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, and we can get started. We will prepare your submission list within one business day of receiving your completed Work Cover Sheet. Imagine how it will feel to have 25 properly targeted and prepared submissions in the mail within days!!

How much will this cost? Only $100, plus $6 U.S. postage and handling (international rates will vary). Your packet of specially targeted markets will arrive via U.S. Priority Mail. Our a la carte service or our full service? Choose the one that works best for you. Both services include targeting your work to the best markets. We outline both services and costs at http://www.writersrelief.com/comparison.asp.

We invite you to give Kriste or Marissa a call to discuss your needs at (866) 405-3003 or (201) 641-3003. They are trained as personal submission strategists here at Writer's Relief and will be happy to speak with you.

Our A La Carte Service, our BRAND NEW A La Carte PLUS Service, or our Full Service? Choose the one that works best for you and suits your budget. All services include targeting your work to the best markets. We outline all three services and costs at http://www.writersrelief.com/comparison.asp.

Call us between the hours of 8:30 and 2:30 Eastern Time, and speak to one of our personal submission strategists.

Full Service: Your work must be presented and accepted by our review board. If you don’t have time to take care of all the tasks required to get your submissions in the mail, this service is for you. http://www.writersreliefblog.com/post/Submission-Guidelines-For-Full-Service-Clients.aspx.

A La Carte Service: Get started right away! This is a more do-it-yourself service, with Writer’s Relief targeting markets and guiding you through the process. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, our a la carte service is quick and easy. We provide the best market research available to creative writers. Info about our a la carte service may be found at http://writersreliefblog.com/post/Our-A-La-Carte-Service.aspx.

A La Carte PLUS Service: Everything fast and affordable about our regular a la carte, but with the added bonus of full service cover/query letter preparation. We will target the best markets for your work, prepare mailing labels, and create 25 to 30 personalized, professional cover/query letters. More information may be found at http://www.writersrelief.com/comparison.asp

It’s simple AND affordable. Keep reading.

Included with ALL services:

** Targeting 25+ literary venues that specialize in YOUR type of writing. (Your work will be targeted to the best markets based on the topics, word count, etc. of the particular piece [or group of poems] you’re submitting.)

** An online database that lists all your submissions. You'll have access to your submission list 24 hours a day.

We invite you to give Marissa or Kriste a call to discuss your needs. They are trained as personal submission strategists here at Writer's Relief and will be happy to speak with you.

by Gilda Haber, Ph.D., Department of English Composition, Literature and Professional Writing

As instructors some of us love to write, and some of us also enjoy attending writers’ conferences. This summer I attended three writers’ conferences—one in Manhattan at Marymount Manhattan College, one at UDC, and one at Georgetown University, held by Washington Independent Writers (WIW).

Prior to the conference registrants receive a program and a list of available agents. It is wise for participants to choose the panels they wish to attend and to research and make appointments with agents in your genre prior to the conference. The writing conference is a good opportunity for the serious writer with an idea or a manuscript to network.

We meet other writers and authors, share our interests, attend specific panels of choice (such as a fiction, nonfiction) or meet, one-on-one, with literary agents. Each member of a panel speaks on his or her expertise and takes questions on how to write and sell one’s work. Most importantly, serious writers usually sign up to meet agents who attend the conference. Although hard to get, agents are interested in finding new talent.

One of the goals of a writers’ workshop is to meet agents in person. But both panel speakers and agents are relentlessly focused on writing as a business. Either work is well-written and has possibilities of selling to the public or it isn’t. You may have one but not the other advantage. Agents and publishers also put in long hours without compensation for the love of bringing a book from conception to birth. You must seek out the agent right for you, one who has sold books in the field that interests you, and one with whom you feel comfortable. The agent not only judges your work, but judges you personally, as to whether he or she likes you. You do the same.

I came armed with business cards and with queries, hoping, in 60 seconds, to seduce some agent with the excellence, uniqueness, excitement, and salability of my work. Who else but a writer labors intensively, creatively for months or years for the love of writing, to create a work of art and with no sure reward in sight?

Frankly, I was terrified of meeting some of these agents in person, especially those who have represented famous people. So far I had only read agents’ credentials on paper and seen the kind of deals they made, the kind of books they sold. The agent I most feared seeing turned out to be friendly but strictly businesslike. From my experience and from agents met at writing conferences, I learned the following:

One needs talent to write but, to paraphrase Edison: "success is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration." Work hard and be persistent in sending out your work.

Do not copy anyone else’s style. Be yourself and develop your own. Welcome constructive criticism. It is the highest form of friendship. Give constructive comments to friends’ writings. If your grammar is weak, find a good copy editor.

Writing groups are very useful for feedback. (I, myself, run a writing group.)

Find out which books are written on subjects that interest you and who was the agent, editor and publisher for those books. Such information is often found in the book’s acknowledgments or by Googling the book’s name and author. Get to know that agent’s background, even his/her hobbies and interests.

There are books in public and school libraries on publishing markets. Buy one.

Do not send work sloppy in appearance or make spelling mistakes.

Be professional. Make sure to spell the agent’s name correctly. Read the agent’s rules for submission, and strictly observe those rules.

Do not unduly flatter the agent or boast about your own work.

Research dates, times, names, events, even names of paintings for authenticity.

Use verbs. Avoid adjectives and adverbs; show and do not tell readers what happens. Where appropriate, use dialogue; but dialogue must move the action.

Prepare a query before writing to an agent. Your query can refer to one or two books that agent has sold but not to all the agents’ sales. This is gratuitous.

Your query should consist of: why you chose this agent; why you are writing this book; what the book is about; why you are qualified to write this book; and how it differs from other books written on the same theme; say who will read your book and what you can personally do to promote the book’s sales. All this information should be written on one page. This is one of the hardest parts of writing.

If the agent answers your one-page query and says he/she is interested, either you know what the agent wants you to send next or ask the agent what he/she wants you to send. Do not get too excited. This is only the first of many steps.

Only send material when it is your very best work. There are no second chances with an agent. Revise and share it with peers and/or an editor relentlessly.

Fiction should be complete before sending; nonfiction has different rules.

Do not expect to be accepted at once. Expect many rejections. Some famous books were rejected as many as 50 times before becoming best-sellers. Some great books never become best-sellers. Do not leave your job or expect to become rich unless, besides being a good writer, you happen to be lucky. When it is rejected revise, revise, and share your work with other writers. As you revise early work, you will become more adept; writing ages like fine wine. Revisions with constructive peer comments or editorial assistance will refine your writing.

Keep a journal or a diary to write down interesting material, even dialogue as it occurs.
This will make your writing fresh, even if you use the material years later.

Write what you know about, but be careful in writing about someone you know. People may sue a writer if they recognize themselves and object to your presentation of them, especially if their personal lives are revealed.

There are grave challenges and risks to take as a writer. One exposes all of one’s skills and charms, as well as one’s weaknesses and foibles to others. But what joy when I see one of my 40 articles or stories in print, and what a joy it is to write!!

Good luck! See you at the next conference!

Our great-grandparents might not understand, but many of us now wake up to our Yahoo! or MSN home page to get our daily news and celebrity gossip fix. While daily newspapers will continue to be an important part of our lives, there’s no denying the impact of having such an array of online reading material. According to many surveys, more and more people than ever before are using the Internet to read the news, access blogs, articles. Studies also show that people tend to access online journals more frequently than print journals. Again, print magazines and journals aren’t in danger of disappearing anytime soon, but the Internet offers an alternate source of reading material—material that is usually up-to-date, easily accessible, often free, and conveniently waiting for us in our own homes or on our laptops. And as we ease into the world of cyberspace, online magazines and literary journals are quickly earning prestige and increased readership.

Online Magazines and Journals

There is a proliferation of literary magazines popping up on the Internet, and this is changing the way literature reaches readers. Suddenly, literature is more accessible to the entire world, and E-zines are offering more selections to their readers. These online magazines are finding better ways to meet the needs of writers and their readers, becoming a defining force in literature.

Literary journals and E-zines usually publish poetry, short fiction, and essays and offer information about authors and book reviews. Much of the work is written by new writers, so beginning writers take note: The Internet offers greater opportunities than ever before to get your work published. It hosts a variety of smaller-niche publications that offer new writers a forum for their work, as well as a worldwide audience. This translates to more people seeing a writer’s work than ever before. And, as it should be, the goal of these E-zines is to feature the work of deserving writers, both experienced and inexperienced.

Suppose you’ve placed a short story in a respectable print journal. Your story will be in active circulation for a certain number of weeks, and then it will be moved to the archives. If your story appears in an online literary journal, it may be viewed by thousands, and when it is archived, a mere click of the mouse will bring it back to life. No trips to the back rooms of libraries. Plus, your story will be viewed by people all over the world who may not have access to work you’ve published in print. This long-term exposure is a definite advantage for the author. This may explain why many mid-list literary magazines are switching to both online AND print editions.

New writers who are looking to be published in a print magazine would do well to target the mid-list (or second-tier) literary magazines. Obviously, the very best placement for an author’s short fiction would be in first-tier magazines; but if this goal is unattainable, online publications are a great way for new writers to get those first credits.

The Internet also offers writers newsletters, chat rooms, and forums where they can network with fellow writers from all over the world. This is a great way to stay current and glean information about particular editors and agents or hear about new E-zines and what they are looking for.

Blogs (short for Web log) have been on the Internet since the early ’90s. Originally, blogs started as personal diaries online, but that has since evolved and expanded. Not only are blogs for personal use, but blogs are often vehicles for sharing and discussing specific subjects, such as travel, politics, entertainment, and, of course, creative writing. Some of these blogs for creative writers can serve as an online journal, publishing a new poem or short story on a daily basis. Other writer-friendly blogs, such as http://www.writersreliefblog.com, offer information and advice for improving one’s writing skills.

Editors/agents will consider your work published if it’s posted publicly on your blog. Avoid sharing your work until it’s already been published elsewhere, giving credit to where it was first printed. In addition to sharing already-published work, if you’re promoting a book you’ve written, you can have friends and loved ones comment with reviews, announce book readings/signings, etc. Start sharing your blog link—that is, the URL, the WWW to get to your blog—in your e-mails and other communications. The more people you have visiting your blog, the more likely people will spread the word. An added bonus is that your rankings in Internet searches will increase.

Like E-mail, E-vites, and E-queries, E-publishing refers to electronic publishing, representing a brand-new concept in providing reading material electronically. The work can be published online or on a CD or in a format that is compatible with a handheld reading device. Aside from general formatting, the production and printing aspects have been eliminated from the publishing process altogether

It may seem like one of those sci-fi visions of the future—people reading books and magazines from electronic devices as they hover over to the next docking station—but E-publishing is here, and it’s probably just a matter of time before it becomes mainstream. Nothing will ever take the place of a cozy paperback to read by the fire, but in this age of eco-awareness and with the love affair humans seem to have with gadgets, E-books just might be here to stay.

One of E-book readers’ common complaints is that no one wants to sit down at a desk and read a novel off the computer screen, and even though you can curl up on the couch with your laptop, the resolution of the screens leaves much to be desired. So readability is a problem. Handheld reading devices were invented to resolve that issue, and there are several models on the market, such as the Sony Reader, Microsoft Reader, Amazon Kindle, and eReader. There are also Webpads and PDAs that offer E-book reading capability. Some of these devices have enough memory to hold dozens of E-books, including reference books that could be invaluable to students and business people. And they’re lit from within, so it’s easy to read in bed without disturbing your sleeping partner! The technology for these devices changes daily, and for now it’s a wait-and-see to determine what will become standardized in this market.

So far there are thousands of e-books to choose from, and this number is sure to increase dramatically if the concept catches on. Nonfiction and how-to books were the forerunners in this new technology, but Stephen King paved the way for more famous novelists to explore the medium. His E-book, Riding the Bullet, shook up the industry and forced publishers to begin the process of adapting to the changes. It took a big-name author to make publishers sit up and take notice, but E-publishing offers newer writers an alternative to traditional publishing.

For writers considering breaking into the world of E-publishing, there are a few things to consider.

ADVANTAGES:

• The author usually makes a higher percentage of royalties for E-books, and royalties are often paid more frequently—but sales numbers can be markedly lower than print, at least for now. And there are no advances paid to e-book writers.

• Because there is little financial investment required by the publisher, editors are more willing to take risks on new writers and nontraditional work.

• Electronic publishing is ideal for smaller work, since a print run on a small project is rarely cost-effective for a traditional publisher.

• Printing is the most expensive aspect of publishing, and E-publishing offers a more economical and eco-friendly alternative. E-publishing also offers a much faster turnaround—generally a few weeks or months after acceptance—compared with up to two years at traditional houses.

• It’s extremely easy and cheap to make updates to E-books that are already in circulation, which is invaluable for nonfiction, how-to books, and technology-related work that changes constantly.

• It’s easier to self-publish in E-book format when traditional publishers don’t feel the work would sell well. If E-book sales prove the publisher wrong, they are sometimes willing to pick it up and sell it in print.

• Authors usually retain all other rights to the work, while traditional publishers claim as many rights as possible.

DISADVANTAGES:
 
• The reading devices are still quite expensive, and it’s hard to commit to the price when the technology may be obsolete a year from now. And the price of the works themselves is not significantly cheaper than their paper counterparts, which hurts sales.

• E-publishing does not offer all the layers of quality control that traditional publishing provides. You, the author, are responsible for the editing of the book, and you must do all the marketing yourself. At a traditional publishing house, there are a host of professionals to provide quality control and up sales for your work.

• E-book publishing credits do not carry the same weight as print credits.

• Piracy is much easier with electronic work.

• You miss out on seeing your baby on the shelves of Barnes & Noble. (However, since e-books have ISBN numbers, your readers can walk into B&N and order a copy of your book.)

There is no substitute for the smell and feel of a brand-new paperback or your dog-eared copy of Wuthering Heights. But be prepared for a marked increase in online reading material and electronic reading habits. You may find yourself reading The Wall Street Journal in bed on Sunday mornings from an E-book reader sooner than you think.

In June 2008's issue we talked about the query letter and its components. Now let's look at the business aspects of your query and focus on marketability.

Every day agents and editors receive countless queries and unsolicited manuscripts. As they sift through the backlog, they are looking for one thing and one thing only: work that will sell. Publishing is an industry, and if the editor can't get a clear idea of what kind of work you are submitting, he or she can't tell if it is marketable. It's your job as the author to present this information up front in your query letter.

Visualize your work as a commodity. Suppose you approach a store and tell Mr. Jones, the owner, you have a brilliant new gadget that would sell well in his store—but you hem and haw and never quite make it clear to Mr. Jones what your product is or who might buy it. There's a long line of salesmen waiting outside to pitch their products, so the owner dismisses you, irritated that you have wasted his time.

Editors and agents are also pressed for time and looking to weed out work that they can't sell. One of their first criteria is genre, so it's important to make this clear right away. This is a 100,000-word historical fiction romance. Make sure you target your historical romance to an agent or editor who actually represents this genre.

Address the following when composing your query letter:

Fiction or nonfiction
It may seem obvious but clearly state what you're submitting.

Genre
Identify your genre right away. Horror, science fiction, romance, Western, chick lit, children's lit—if you don't know what genre your work is, keep reading.

Audience
Who will be buying this book? Women ages 25-40? Single fathers? Beginning readers? This is where you determine your target audience. Be specific and avoid sweeping generalizations like "This book will appeal to everyone who breathes oxygen!"

What makes my book different?
You don't want to approach an agent with a query that says, "I have written something just like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale." Your book might appeal to the same readers who would purchase Atwood's book, but it must be unique in some way. Compare your book to a similar title that has sold well if you can, but don't expect to sell a Harry Potter knockoff unless you've found a truly original angle.

Marketing
Publishers have their own marketing departments, but you should do some brainstorming of your own. It's impressive to note that you're an expert in your field and have some valuable contacts who may help with visibility. Or you have an idea for a Valentine's Day tie-in and have some verbal agreements for book signings. Show the agent or editor that you've been thinking of your work as a commodity, and they will too.

If you're having trouble determining your work's genre, you'll need to start with some research. First, find other authors and books that are similar to yours. Then, either do a Google search or go to the largest chain bookstore in your area and hunt down those titles. If your book would fit in with the others on the shelf, you've found your genre. Check the back of the book too, as the genre is usually identified there.       

An editor will notice if you've done your research, and this lends you credibility and professionalism. This begins with targeting the agent or editor who is most likely to read your query. Read trade journals to narrow the field, and do your best to find the most current editor and the correct spelling of his or her name. If the editor does not publish horror, do not send horror. If you're not sure of the agent's gender, do not make assumptions. (Address your letter to the agent's full name to avoid any embarrassment.) And, above all, give the agent or editor exactly what he or she needs to make a decision. This alone will set your query apart from the others.

Whether you’re submitting your work via postal mail or e-mail/online, it is important to have your computer files organized and properly named, so you can immediately identify what piece to submit and what you have previously sent.

Making Folders

Create a new folder in "My Documents." Name this folder "Creative Work." This folder can hold whatever genres you write, but you want to distinguish it from any academic work that you might write and from other non-creative writing folders.

Within the "Creative Work" folder, make at least three subfolders: Accepted, Drafts, Poetry (Short Stories, Essays, etc.; you want to make a separate folder for each genre that you write).

The Accepted folder will contain work accepted for publication. It’s imperative to keep all of your work, but you also don’t want to make a mistake and resubmit any previously accepted pieces. The Drafts folder can be the holding place for works in progress, brainstorm ideas, work that is in a state of being proofread, and earlier versions of a finished piece (in the event that you’re the type of writer who likes to save every draft). The genre folders will hold completed versions of your work.

Naming Your Files

Imagine that you’ve written a piece called "The Red Stone." You can drop the beginning articles and spaces when you’re naming a file, but we recommend saving the file with the name of your piece. Let’s say you’ve submitted the named file "RedStone" to 25 markets. As some responses come back, you decide that you want to revise "The Red Stone" for the next time you submit. Make a copy of the original "RedStone" file. Rename this file "RedStoneOLD." Back at your list of documents, you will now rename "RedStone" to "RedStoneNEW." It is in this NEW file you will make revisions. You want to maintain the same name formatting so that the two pieces sort together.

It may happen an editor wants to publish "RedStoneNEW," but he or she wants you to retitle it to "The Brick-Red Stone." You, being the compliant writer, agree. In your files, you need to copy the file "RedStoneNEW" and paste the file in your folder. On a PC, the file should read "Copy of RedStoneNEW." On a Mac, the file should read "RedStoneNEW copy." Rename this file to "Brick-RedStoneWASRedStone." Next, rename the original "RedStoneNEW" file to "RedStoneNOWBrick-RedStone." By doing this, you’re able to see that "Brick-Red Stone" is the latest version, but you’re also able to maintain its previous versions. Since X Journal has accepted "The Brick-Red Stone," you now can move all of these versions into your Accepted folder.

On a PC, sort your files by the "List" view. Select a file to see the details of the file, which at the bottom of the screen. It will show the last date modified; that is, to say the last time you worked in that file. This is another way to be sure you are choosing the most current version to work with. On a Mac, choose the "list" view as well and highlight a file to see the last date modified and other information that opens to the right of the document.

This process of naming and saving files this way works well for prose and book writers who make postal and electronic submissions. However, if you’re a poet, there is more to the process.

Poets should keep each individual poem saved in its own file. It is easier to move poems individually and keep track of newest versions this way.

Organizing Poetry Submissions

E-mail/online submissions are a bit trickier for poets. Some outlets want the poems sent in one document as a DOC or RTF file. Other outlets want the poems sent individually via attachment. Then there are still others who simply prefer that your poems be pasted into the body of the e-mail with no formatting embedded. On a PC, the icons for a DOC and RTF file look the same. We recommend putting "rtf" at the end of the poem file names for RTF files so that you can easily identify RTF from DOC. On a Mac, you’re able to see the difference between these two files, so this isn’t applicable. Nevertheless, when you’re submitting via e-mail/online, always follow the guidelines of each individual journal.

It’s important to know that when you are making poetry submissions, literary journals and magazines only accept groups of poetry consisting of 3-6 titles. We suggest that you create subfolders with a group number to correspond with a specific group of poems. Once you’re happy with the way a particular group of poems reads together, keep these poems submitted and organized together in that group until you’re ready to totally revise and retitle (or retire; that is, to never submit it again) a particular poem in the group.

If you’re making poetry e-mail/online submissions and the journal requests that the poems be sent in one file, paste all the poems into one document, then save the file with the appropriate group name. You should also maintain a separate document called "Groups" that lists each set of poems by group.

We highly recommend this strategy since it will save you time and energy when it comes to tracking your submissions. If you mix and match poems with different groups, you’re more inclined to submit a poem to a journal that might have already seen it.

Back Up Your Files

A final note: It is crucial that you always save your work and create backups for your work. You can save your work onto floppy disks, zip disks, CDs, external backup drives, or flash drives. We personally recommend zip disks or flash drives because your work is less likely to get corrupted on these devices. Also, flash drives can be carried in your pocket when you travel or have a few minutes to work on someone else’s computer (with permission, of course.) In addition, there are also various Web storage sites that can hold your work for you for minimal prices a year.

At Writer’s Relief, our full-service clients benefit from having us be a hub for all their electronic files. We also track your submissions and responses, and we’re here to provide you submission strategy and acceptance advice. Our full-service clients have access to their own personal online database (for submission tracking purposes) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please call our offices toll free at (866) 405-3003 between the h