Food Writing
A Bi-weekly Ezine
Volume V, Issue 16
April 29, 2008
www.food-writing.com
*****^^^^*****^^^^*****^^^^*****^^^^*****^^
For writers who love food and food lovers who write. Subscribe and Unsubscribe instructions are found at the end of the
e-zine. Our subscribers' privacy is important, I will not sell or share e-mail addresses or names with other businesses or publishers.
This newsletter, in its entirety, may be shared via e-mail and on lists. This issue goes out to 1985 subscribers! Thank you!
***^^^^*****^^^^******^^^^*****^^^^***^^^^
"The art of dining well is no slight art, the pleasure not a slight pleasure." Michel de Montaigne
*****^^^^^*****^^^^^*****^^^^^*****^^^^^*****^^^^^
DIGITAL EBOOK VERSION OF MAKE MONEY AS A FOOD WRITER IN SIX LESSONS IS ON SALE!!
Go here:
http://www.food-writing.com/foodwritingclass/selfstudycourse.html
THE COST TO YOU IS ONLY $16.95 THROUGH FRIDAY, MAY 2 AT MIDNIGHT EST. (THE SALE DOES NOT
INCLUDE THE PRINT VERSION)
This ebook is over 150 pages of step-by-step instructions to your dream writing career, insider information on how to break
into all areas of food writing, bonus chapters on the writing life, copyrights and selling rights, time management, and top info from
food writing conferences. PLUS FIFTY MARKETS FOR FOOD WRITERS
All my sales are guaranteed for the full purchase price for up to 60 days after purchase.
To buy your digital copy of Make Money as a Food Writer, go here now! Remember the sale won't last forever.
Go here
^^^^^^^^**********^^^^^^^^^^^^*************^^^^^^^^^^^^
In This Issue:
1. Editor's Note Busy AND Organized
2. THE ROLE OF AGENTS IN YOUR WRITING SUCCESS by Pamela White
3. FERRETING OUT WORK by Gayle Trent
4. Markets and Jobs for Writers
***************************************************
Make Money as a Food Writer in Six Lessons by Pamela White, available at Amazon.com:
http://tinyurl.com/2b4t3n
******************************************************
1. Editor's Note Busy AND Organized
I feel as if I'm entering a good week. A busy week, but a good one. We have warm weather, and I went to my first baseball
game of the season on Sunday. A few years ago I bought "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. It is a how-to guide for highly
placed professionals who do not feel as if they are getting all their necessary work done. When I first read it, it felt complicated and
too confining. In the interim years I've moved forward to place where I long for organization and the ability to break huge projects
into smaller steps. The bit of information that hit home this week was a discussion by the author that pointed out we cannot start a
project until we have an ideal, a vision of the end result. Yes, we might change the project during the work on it, but if we have no
real feeling for what our goal is, how do we know the steps to take to get there?
I am working on two projects:
At home, I am doing deep cleaning and house repairs room by room. It might take me three years due to the work involved and
the cost of doing it, but I can see how the house will look, and more important to me, how it will feel.
At food-writing.com, I am planning two years' worth of writing project and have begun to envelope myself with books, sites,
mentors while I do the research. This is harder for me to visualize. I try to see myself reading magazines each day, organizing ideas
and info on note cards and actually finishing the books or classes I choose to do first.
So here I am, standing at the starting line, ready to take off
.tomorrow
or maybe the next day. Progress might be slow but
it's still progress. Right?
Cheers, Pam White
P.S. - there are a lot, I mean a LOT, of links in this issue, many of which are too long for one line, so you will need to copy the
URL and paste it into your browser to get to the recommended sites. (but I know you knew that, right?)
****^^^^^****^^^^^****^^^^^****^^^^^****
2. THE ROLE OF AGENTS IN YOUR WRITING SUCCESS by Pamela White
Ten years ago I had a conversation with a now-famous novelist. I asked him about the value of getting an agent and he told me
that he had an agent briefly but that he preferred to take care of his own business with publishers. By the time his third novel was
published, he was able to attract an agent that put his interests high on her list of priorities and he's been selling his work like crazy.
Nowadays, it's more difficult, more challenging for writers to approach publishing houses on their own. Mergers of these book
publishers have not only narrowed down the number of options, but these consolidations have also made many editorial assistants'
and acquisition editors' jobs redundant. Less avenues of access assistants and editors means less work time to review any
submissions. Unagented submissions stand very little chance of being discovered by a lower level employee, more so than in the
past.
This makes agents all the more valuable to writers seeking publication of their books. Writers who want their manuscripts or
book proposals reviewed by publishers have an enormously better chance if they are represented by an agent.
Beyond that, there are many additional reasons to seek agent representation:
Writers' contracts tend to be for larger amounts of money when an agent is involved.
Agents guide projects from idea to completion, especially with non- fiction books.
They work with you, the writer, to shape your book proposal so that it will fit in with the publishers' needs and will not
duplicate other works already in the pipeline, or currently published.
Agents advise writers on the ins and outs of the publishing business and publishing process.
They give valuable feedback and moral support.
Agents have editorial contacts and can get these business associates, who trust the agent, to look at your work, reducing the
struggle to get someone, anyone, to notice you and your work.
They handle the business side of writing negotiating for more money, better distribution, money for promotion efforts and
promises to publish sequels.
Agents will get competitive bids and help the writer select the best offer.
Agents also look at where the writer is or can go with his or her writing. They have a view of the long term.
If a manuscript, as deemed by the agent, has potential, she or he will submit it simultaneously to several publishers and work to
sell the manuscript at an auction, which increases the writer's chance at larger returns.
Agents can put a whole package together, for example, selling an entire series of books (think R.K. Rowling) before the second
has been written or even proposed, and sell the publisher on unique ways to promote the books.
An agent can perform magic (well, almost) when it comes to opening publishing doors for new writers, a difficult act since
new writers have no publishing track record and, likely, no contacts in the publishing field.
When in the process do you seek representation by an agent? Anytime, is the broad answer. Even if you have attracted a
publisher, you can still reap the benefits of representation. An agent, who understands the business, will know when you are being
offered a fair contract, or if you are capable of being offered more.
The most important reason to find an agent is that to publishers, agents are seen as having the role of filtering out unacceptable
submissions. And that means that writers with agents have an important edge over those without.
Resources for finding agents include Writer's Digest's Writer's Market annual directory and the Literary Market Place,
available in most libraries. When in doubt about the honesty or quality of an agent, use your favorite search engine to see what other
writers have to say about this person.
***********************************
3. FERRETING OUT WORK, Part I by Gayle Trent
You keep hearing that there's work out there, but so far you haven't found any. Well, where is it? That depends on what you're
looking for. Are you looking for a freelance writing JOB? Or a MARKET? Or both?
First let's concentrate on JOBS.
Online Job Sites (in no particular order): John Hewitt's Writing Center This site also has a lot to offer writers. For job
information, see Freelance Forum.
http://www.poewar.com
News Jobs
http://www.newsjobs.net
Media Bistro This site offers daily media news and updates. You have to register with the site in order to see job information,
but registration is free. Simply click on Find A Job. Media Bistro also offers insider's tips such as "How to Pitch to U.S. Weekly."
http://www.mediabistro.com
Sunoasis Jobs Offers regional, telecommuting and freelance job information.
http://www.sunoasis.com
Writers Write This is a mega site offering writers job information, market information, tools, articles and resources. To find
a job, click on "Job Listings" and then choose your preference from there.
http://www.writerswrite.com
Write Link This is a comprehensive UK site for writers. Write Link also offers a free newsletter including jobs and market
information.
http://www.writelink.dabsol.co.uk
FreelanceWriting.com This site also offers both job information and a guidelines database. In addition, this site includes
moderated writing discussion forums.
http://www.freelancewriting.com
Writing-World.com Remember Inkspot? If you don't, Inkspot was a terrific site for writers that was shut down due to
financial problems a year or so ago. Writing-World takes over where Inkspot left us. The site was owned by Moira Allen, one of the
original writers for the Inkspot site. The site features a lot of valuable information and resources for writers, including publishers
who are seeking submissions and market information.
http://www.writing-
Publisher's Weekly The Publisher's Weekly site is a must-bookmark for writers. Not only does it have a classifieds section,
and sections for jobs in both the publishing and library fields, but it also keeps you in touch with what is going on in the world of
publishing. From cookbooks to mysteries, children's books to sports titles, Publisher's Weekly knows what's selling and who's
making the best deals.
http://publishersweekly.reviewsnews.com/index.asp
Her Corner.com This site features job information, market information, quotes, how-to articles and other writer resources.
http://www.hercorner.com
Writers Weekly One of the most valuable services this site offers, other than job and market information, is its warnings
page. Updating the warnings weekly in their free newsletter, Angela and Richard Hoy make sure that writers have the information
they need to avoid being scammed.
http://www.writersweekly.com
**About the Author: Gayle Trent is the author of the e-book SELF- PROMOTION FOR THE EMERGING WRITER, available
for $5 US at
http://www.graceabraham.com. Gayle's most recent novel is a comedic mystery titled BETWEEN A CLUTCH AND A
HARD PLACE, available from Grace Abraham Publishing.
****************************************************
4. MARKETS AND JOBS FOR FOOD WRITERS
MARKETS
ADIRONDACK LIFE P.O. Box 410, Rte 9 N Jay, NY 12941
http://www.adirondacklife.com/ Guidelines online:
https://www.adirondacklife.com/index.php Features run up to 4000 words;
pay is 25 cents per word. Freelance photographers are also used to illustrate articles or for photo essays, covers, calendars, etc. Only
interested in events and history of the Adirondack area.
TREASURE VALLEY FAMILY
http://www.treasurevalleyfamily.com/ Guidelines online:
http://www.treasurevalleyfamily.com/aboutus/writers.php Events, advice, activities for families in and around Boise, ID. Query with
clips. Articles run between 1000 3000 words.
KIDZ N FUN
www.kidsnfun.com
Guidelines online:
http://www.kidznfun.com/tahoe/SITE/top/listing.cfm/ntg/6098/0/direct Articles are 400 600 words
and should relate to family travel. Pay not specified. Website has articles, and pieces on gear for kids.
Seasoned Cooking
http://www.seasoned.com/ Contact:
http://www.seasoned.com/About/Staff.aspx Appears to be open to new
writers; pay is not mentioned. Beautiful site
RHODE ISLAND ROADS
http://riroads.com/ Guidelines online:
http://riroads.com/admin/guidelines.htm Articles run
between 500 and 2000 words. Must not be time sensitive. Pay not specified. All articles must be related to Rhode Island. Magazine is
archived online for easy research!
JOBS
Culinary Intern/Recipe Writer, THINKfoodGROUP, Wash, DC
http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?joid=76513&page=1
Web Editor, THINKfoodGROUP, Wash, DC
http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?joid=76520&page=1
Food Safety Reporter, Arlington, VA
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=914328
About.com, Food Writers
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=625412
Freelance Travel Writer, telecommute
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/wri/656188683.html
******************************************
"Once, during prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water." W.C. Fields
****************************************
Food Writing is copyrighted by Pamela White, 2008
Thanks for reading. To subscribe: send email to
food-writing-Subscribe@yahoogroups.com