http://keithholler.com/ Articles posted to KeithHoller.com. 2010-09-05T11:00:33+00:00 http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=67 by Keith D. Holler<br /> <br /> After spending twenty years as a Network Engineer and freelance Web Designer, I decided to make a life change and pursue my first love... writing. No matter how hard I try though, I just can't seem to leave the geek behind.<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=69 by Keith D. Holler<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=68 by Keith D. Holler<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=66 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> In a recent survey of magazines, I asked a relatively simple question: "Do you offer a formal contract?" A surprising number said "no." Even more surprising, however, was the number who then added something like, "we write a letter detailing our terms" or "we negotiate a separate agreement with each author."<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=64 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> One of the primary benefits of exploring international markets is the ability to resell the same article to more than one publication. To do this effectively, however, you need to know what rights to offer -- and what rights to retain at all costs.<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=63 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> In the August 30 issue of Inklings, I asked: "Should writers sell all rights?" More than 175 readers responded, with answers that demonstrated just how complex this issue is. The majority were opposed to selling all rights, but many had mixed reactions, offering interesting and compelling arguments in favor of the practice.<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=62 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> Book collaborations begin with the best intentions. Someone you know has an idea or area of expertise that, paired with your writing skills, should lead to a surefire success. You're the best of friends, so surely you can work well together. What could possibly go wrong?<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=61 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> Electronic rights are becoming one of the most hotly debated (and contested) issues in the writing industry. How are these rights defined, and how are they used? Most of all, how are writers affected by this controversy?<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=60 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> <i>I want to resell an article that has already been published by one magazine. I don't want to change the article. It's my understanding that the original manuscript belongs to me, and that only the magazine version belongs to the original publication. So I should be able to resell my original article to other publications, right?</i><br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=59 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> The devil, it's said, is in the details. So, too, is much of the work of a writer. Too little detail leaves your characters wandering through the narrative equivalent of an empty stage. Too much, and you end up with great blocks of description that tempt the reader to skip and skim, looking for the action.<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=58 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> Ask most fiction editors how to avoid rejection, and you'll hear the same thing: Read the guidelines. Review the publication. Don't send a science fiction story to a literary magazine, and vice versa. Don't send a 10,000-word manuscript to a magazine that never publishes anything longer than 5,000 words. Spell check. Proofread. Check your grammar. Format your manuscript correctly. Be professional. Failure to observe these basics, many editors say, accounts for more than 80% of all short fiction rejections.<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=57 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> One way for writers to turn their experience into cash is by teaching online classes. A number of sites sponsor electronic writing courses, and these sites are always in search of instructors. Since such classes are typically handled through e-mail, no real-world "classroom" experience is required; instead, your best credential is your ability to communicate effectively in writing.<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=56 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In the world of publishing, this is not simply a parable, but the absolute truth. Magazines aren't simply a verbal medium; they are also a visual medium. That means that for every 1000 great words an editor receives, s/he will need at least one great picture.<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=55 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> You've probably read other articles on the wonders of selling reprints. A lot of them sound something like this: "I've sold the same article 462 times, and netted thousands of dollars!" Such pieces tend to make one feel like a total slouch for having sold a piece only once.<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=54 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> You've just gotten a new dog. Or perhaps it's a cat, a hamster, a ferret, an African grey parrot. Whatever the nature of your pet, as a writer you can't help but see a whole new range of article possibilities. And with good reason: The pet magazine market is wide open to freelancers, including those with little previous experience. All you need is an understanding of pets, a way with words-and an understanding of the markets themselves.<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=53 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> Remember the first time you ___________ (fill in the blank)? Remember the novelty of the experience? The emotions it evoked? The insights revealed to you? Surely there's a special interest magazine somewhere that would love an account of your first experience.<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=52 by Moira Allen<br /> <br /> When writing another article on "taking the plunge" and becoming a full-time freelance writer (<a href="http://www.writing-world.com/basics/plunge.shtml" target="_blank">To Plunge or Not to Plunge?</a>) , I asked a number of writers to share their tips on how to "take the plunge" and go from a regular, paying "day job" to full-time freelancing. Nearly 50 writers responded. Here are their suggestions on how to quit your day-job and pursue the writing career of your dreams:<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=51 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> Wouldn't it be great to quit the rat race? To leave bosses and timeclocks behind, skip the commute, ditch the heels or tie, and work in the same clothes you wear to weed the garden?<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=50 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> Do you know what a writer's resume looks like? I have a "regular" full-time job but also work as a freelance writer from home. Recently I saw two ads for writing jobs, requiring a resume along with clips and a query leter. Should I include only my writing credits and education? Or should I include my whole employment history even though many of those jobs had nothing to do with writing? -- <i>A Reader</i><br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=49 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> When you first start freelancing, your "plan" is often simple: Send out as many queries or submissions as possible, and hope for sales. By your second or third year, however, your writing business can benefit from more careful planning. This is the perfect time to create a business plan that can help you identify goals and develop a strategy to reach them.<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=48 by Moira Allen<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=47 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> Thanks to the Internet, writers today have a huge advantage over writers of a decade ago (or even of five years ago) when it comes to conducting research. The power of this tool to streamline your research process should not be underestimated. What might have taken hours to find in a library (if you could find it at all) may now be available in minutes with a well-planned online search.<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=46 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> I don't know any writer who likes the prospect of creating an outline. That's probably because we all remember being taught that horrible "1,2,3 -- A,B,C" format in high school. (Hands up, everyone who used to get around those exercises by writing a paper first, and then creating the outline after the paper was done?) Relax -- I'm not going to "teach" that kind of outline.<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=45 by Moira Allen<br /> <br /> The Web is a great place to find information. However, there's a flip side to the benefit of all this online data: the question of whether what you find is accurate!<br />Updated: http://keithholler.com/index.php?module=article&view=44 by Moira Allen <br /> <br /> Most special-interest magazines look for "expert" commentary on the subjects they cover. But even if you lack a professional's expertise on a particular topic, your chances of making a sale may still be better than you think. When I edited a pet magazine, I preferred non-expert writers to non-writer experts, because such writers offered expertise in six critical areas:<br />Updated: