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FEATURE Five Things That Can Go Wrong For a Freelance Writer [And the Remedies] By
Patricia L. Fry You’re doing everything right; you’ve
studied under the experts, you’ve been reading about writing, you network with the right people and you’ve put
time in the trenches. You are a writer. What can possibly go wrong? In a word: plenty. I’ve been writing for publication for over
30 years and have encountered each of the following problems during my career. While some of them are avoidable and some of
them can be remedied, others fall under the tough luck category. When you encounter a tough luck occurrence, the best
thing to do is to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on. Imagine this: 1: A twenty-year-old magazine that you write
for regularly, folds without warning and without having published your latest article. You sent photographs with your article
and now you can’t make contact with anyone who knows anything about your submission. In the future, maintain close contact with editors.
Don’t allow more than a month to go by without receiving an update on your project. An impromptu phone chat might reveal
the information you need in order to protect your interests. I generally don’t send photos until I know that the article
has been received and is scheduled for publication. Always send duplicate photos. 2: You spend hours interviewing a fascinating
woman tattoo artist. A local magazine issues you a contract and you write the article. But before the magazine gets around
to publishing the piece, the woman closes up shop and moves out of the country. What to do? The regional magazine editor will no
longer want to run the story, but you might be able to sell it to a national general interest, alternative lifestyles, art
or trade magazine. 3: You meet someone with an interesting story.
You query an appropriate magazine and are invited to submit an article. You do the interview, write the article and promptly
receive a rejection letter. You send the piece to other magazines and get nothing in return. The subject of the story keeps
asking you when the piece will be published. You are embarrassed each time you encounter him. Should you vow never to write another profiles piece?
You can if you want to. But, for the sake of your career, I suggest that you move on to something that will sell. When you
have pockets of time, reexamine the rejected article. Consider tweaking it to fit other magazines. 4: You are hired by a graphic designer to
create copy for a company brochure which he is designing for a client. You complete the job, and weeks later, he comes back
with a request for some changes. You do the rewrite. The designer is so close to deadline that he hastily makes the changes
and sends the project to the printer. After 5,000 copies of the brochure are printed, the client finds several mistakes in
the areas where the last minute changes were made. They refuse to pay for the job. The next time:
5: You are so excited about having one of
your stories published that you sign a contract without paying much attention to it. Later, you decide that you want to include
that story in an anthology, but realize that you have signed away all rights. This happens more than you might imagine. Never,
NEVER sell all rights to your work. All might not be lost, however. Contact the magazine publisher and ask if they will return
the rights to you. Or completely rewrite the story. 6: You learn that a particular magazine has
a new editor. You neglect to contact him, however, because the former editor never published any of your work. Always give a new editor a chance because he or
she may just adore your style. ********************* AUTHOR BIO: Patricia Fry is a full-time freelance writer. She
writes magazine articles and works with clients on a variety of projects. She is also the author of 29 books including, “The
Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book,” and “The Author’s Repair Kit.” http://www.matilijapress.com. Visit her informative blog at: http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog **************************************************************** Submissions Updated guidelines! Please visit the submission page at The Writer Within at http://shaunna67.tripod.com ********************************************************************* When Making up is Hard To
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mistakes! Bypass Blunders, The Basics of Powerful Prose, is my most popular e-book. Get your manuscripts into fighting trim and sell, sell, sell! Learn the secrets of publishing success for only $4.99 Completely updated and revised. The Writer Within http://shaunna67.tripod.com ********************************************************************** LUCRATIVE LINKS "Pink Poodle Pie (Other Tales
of How Women Get Even)" has been released! It should be on Amazon.com, B&N, Books-a-Million, iUniverse.com and other sites
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Maker" and "Growing up Barefoot in the South" can be purchased at Amazon.com. Autographed copy from the author. Check out
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Writers: Reach hundreds of writers with your writing-related ad or links to your website, blog, or Facebook page. Rates: $3 for a one-time ad $10 for a year’s subscription Please click here for more
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************************************************************************ Foray into Freelancing has twenty-eight pages full of tips to stimulate your writing and put you on the fast track to freelancing success. Only $4.99 at The Writer Within http://shaunna67.tripod.com ************************************************************************ Copyright 2009 All rights are reserved and no portion of this newsletter may be reprinted without permission. Please ask.
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