Finding the Bacon
By Kimberly Ripley
Greetings, avid freelancers, and welcome to this issue of
Finding the Bacon. It is a great misconception that writing for children is an
easy market. Readers indulge in simple storylines and peruse colorful
pictures—ultimately ending their reading sessions with, “I can do something
like this!” Certainly, many of you can and will, but it won’t be easy.
Children’s markets aren’t that simple to crack. The following selections are
good, solid options, known for accepting work from those starting out writing
for children’s markets.
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Highlights for
Children
803 Church St.
Honesdale, PA. 18431
Guidelines Online:
No
E-Mail Queries: No
Highlights buys
articles and short fiction geared to two age ranges—3-7 and 8-12 year olds.
Fiction runs up to 900 words—nonfiction averages 800 words. In addition to
fiction and nonfiction, they buy party plans, crafts, puzzles, and games
appropriate for the combined age group. It is imperative that freelancers
include resources when querying for nonfiction pieces. Send query via standard
mail, and include resources as well as published clips and an outline.
Buys: All rights.
Pays: On
acceptance—up to $150.
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Owl Magazine
49 Front St. E.
Toronto, Ontario M5E 1B3
Canada
Guidelines Online:
No
E-Mail Queries: No
Owl delivers
lively and accurate environmental information to children. Likes features that
include children as active participants in environmentalism. Buys
nonfiction—including how-to, humor, personal experience, science experiments,
and book excerpts. Features run up to 1500 words.
Query via standard
mail, and include published clips.
Buys: All rights.
Pays: On
publication. Up to $500 (Canadian)
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Pockets
1908 Grand Ave.
PO Box 340004
Nashville, TN. 37203
Guidelines Online:
Yes
http://courtyard.upperroom.org/pockets/guidelines.html
E-Mail Queries:
Yes
pockets@upperroom.org
In addition to
their popular yearly fiction contest, Pockets features both nonfiction and
fiction for a Christian nondenominational readership for children up to age 11.
Each issue reflects specific themes, which may be obtained by visiting the
Website or by sending a SASE to the address listed above.
Features run
500-1400 words, and should not be preachy or overtly religious. Query via e-mail
or standard mail and include published clips.
Buys: First
rights. Will consider reprints.
Pays: On
acceptance—14 cents per word.
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CLICK Magazine
332 S. Michigan Ave.
Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60604
Guidelines Online:
Yes
http://www.musemag.com/cgi-bin/cricket.cgi?tpl=guidelines&session_id=10412618010972
E-Mail Queries: No
This
publication—one of the Cricket group of magazines, is for 3-7 year olds. They
want nonfiction, heavy with illustrations, about natural, physical, or social
sciences, the arts, technology, math, and history--and fiction if the goal is to
address a question about the world. Length runs up to 600 words. Send complete
manuscript instead of query letter.
Buys: All rights
Pays: On
publication—25 cents per word.
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Dynamath
555 Broadway
New York, N.Y. 10012
Guidelines Online:
No
E-Mail Queries: No
Dynamath is
published by Scholastic, Inc., and is geared for children in grades 5 and 6.
Their main focus is on critical thinking activities. They also buy articles on
student or classroom math successes, math-related puzzles, games, and
activities.
Buys: Rights vary.
Will consider reprints.
Pays: On
publication. Up to $300.
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Kimberly Ripley is a freelance writer and published author from
Portsmouth, NH. A wife and mother of five, her family's antics have led her to
write books like ''Breathe Deeply, This Too Shall Pass," a collection of
thirty tales of the trials and tribulations of parenting teens. She is the
owner/publisher of Writerip Publishing, and editor of a newsletter and web site
called ''Freelancing Later in Life,'' based on her book by the same name.
Visit her site at http://www.freelancing1.homestead.com.
Air Mail Markets
By Amy Brozio-Andrews
Hello again and welcome to the latest issue of Air Mail Markets.
This week's issue is for writers who also love to get outdoors. Saltscapes Magazine celebrates the culture, lifestyle, and natural world of the Atlantic Canadian provinces. Rock and Wild magazines are sister publications from Australia. Rock Magazine's focus is the sport of rock climbing, while Wild Magazine is all about outdoor adventures in the mountains, hills, caves, national parks, and rivers of Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. As is common with many magazines, accompanying photography is always welcomed at these three markets, and in the case of Rock and Wild magazines, submissions with photography are even given preference.
Bonne chance!
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Saltscapes: Canada's East Coast Magazine
Suite 303, 40 Alderney Drive
Dartmouth NS
B2Y 2N5 Canada
Website: http://www.saltscapes.com
Email: editor@saltscapes.com
Snapshot: Written for Canada's Atlantic provinces, Saltscapes provides fresh angles on regional getaways, people, history, hobbies, culture, nature, and lifestyles. This is a bimonthly magazine that aims to appeal to a broad readership. Saltscapes avoids mainstream topics, preferring to find subjects that residents of Canada's eastern seaboard will find new and interesting.
Writers' Guidelines Online: Yes, at http://www.saltscapes.com/index.php3?topic=writefor
E-Queries: Accepts
Payment: Negotiated according to writer's experience and complexity of article. All payment made upon publication.
Rights: First North American Serial (unless otherwise negotiated)
Notes: Article lengths for various departments and features range from 400 to 1800 words. No kill fee offered. All queries do receive a response; please be patient. This magazine does not accept fiction submissions.
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Rock: Australia's Climbing Magazine
Wild Publications Pty. Ltd.
P.O. Box 415
Prahran, Victoria 3181
Australia
Website: http://www.wild.com.au/rock/core.htm
Tel: (03) 9826 8482
Fax: (03) 9826 3787
Managing Editor: Chris Baxter
Email: rock@wild.com.au
Snapshot: Published quarterly, Rock: Australia's Climbing Magazine, publishes articles on rock climbing instruction, training, profiles of climbers, competitions, relevant product reviews, and guidebooks. Rock also publishes travel articles spotlighting different climbing venues around Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand.
Writers' Guidelines Online: Yes, at http://www.wild.com.au/wild/pdf/Rock%20Guidelines.pdf
E-Queries: No
Payment: Payment is made upon publication. The rate for articles is up to $85 (USD$50) per published page of text and photographs. Payment for articles published at less than 9 pt. type is proportionally higher. Refer to the writer's guidelines for information about Australian GST (Goods and Services Tax) that may affect payment.
Rights: Writers assign copyright to the publisher (including the right to reproduce the work in electronic/digital form and communicate it to the public); publisher may agree to a request by the author to reprint the work after the expiry date of the issue in which the work originally appeared. If the publisher seeks to reprint the work in another form, it will negotiate the agreement of the author and arrange for a second payment. If any payment is received from the reproduction of the magazine, the money will be split equally between the publisher and the author. See the magazine's submission guidelines for further details on rights purchased.
Notes: Average length of submissions is 2000 - 3000 words. Articles accompanied by photography are given preference. Rock aims for a strong human-interest appeal to its articles.
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Wild: Australia's Wilderness Adventure Magazine
Wild Publications Pty. Ltd.
P.O. Box 415
Prahran, Victoria 3181
Australia
Website: http://www.wild.com.au/wild/wildcore.htm
Tel: (03) 9826 8482
Fax: (03) 9826 3787
Email: wild@wild.com.au
Snapshot: Wild Magazine is published quarterly and features outdoor adventure and travel articles, including hiking, climbing, snowboarding, endurance events, caving, skiing, kayaking and
bushwalking. The magazine's focus is specifically Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. Wild Magazine also incorporates a strong emphasis on conservation. Other features include relevant product reviews, profiles, surveys, track notes, and news.
Writers' Guidelines Online: Yes, at http://www.wild.com.au/wild/pdf/Wild%20Guidelines.pdf
E-Queries: No
Payment: Payment is made upon publication. The rate for articles is up to $125 (USD$73) per published page of text and photographs. Payment for articles published at less than 9 pt. type is proportionally higher. Refer to the writer's guidelines for information about GST (Goods and Services Tax) that may affect payment.
Rights: Writers assign copyright to the publisher (including the right to reproduce the work in electronic/digital form and communicate it to the public); publisher may agree to a request by the author to reprint the work after the expiry date of the issue in which the work originally appeared. If the publisher seeks to reprint the work in another form, it will negotiate the agreement of the author and arrange for a second payment. If any payment is received from the reproduction of the magazine, the money will be split equally between the publisher and the author. See the magazine's submission guidelines for further details on rights purchased.
Notes: Average length of submissions is 2000 - 3000 words. Articles accompanied by photography are given preference. Wild aims for a strong human-interest appeal to its articles.
Amy Brozio-Andrews is a freelance writer living in New York; she
writes on a variety of topics for print and online publications, and is hard at
work on her first novel. Please feel free to check out her website at www.penpadandpixel.com,
and e-mail her at amy@penpadandpixel.com.
Promoting Your Prose
By Mary Emma Allen
ACHIEVING NAME RECOGNITION
A important aspect of promotion consists of getting your name before editors and
the reading public. Name recognition is a key in being regarded as an author
that editors and readers seek, that book stores want for signings, and
conference coordinators want for workshops and keynote speeches.
Some people call this "branding," or developing a characteristic that
is associated with your name and books. Promoting yourself and gaining name
recognition becomes a continual process throughout the years of your career.
Developing an Internet Presence
Many writers find the Internet is a great way to gain recognition all around the
globe. There are a variety of methods you can employ. Generally it’s best to
use, among various options available, a combination of creating a web site,
joining e-mail lists, and developing a newsletter.
*On your web site you can introduce yourself, have print-offs, descriptions of
workshops, updates on your activities, links to places where you're published,
summaries of your books and even free first chapters, along with order forms.
*By joining lists for writers and readers, your name becomes a familiar one as
you participate in discussions and contribute information. However, it’s
frowned upon to join an e-mail group simply to "push" your product.
*Some writers publish a newsletter sent as a free ezine which furnishes
information and gives updates on what you're doing. Sometimes, for variety, you
use the work of other writers in this newsletter.
Joining Writers’ Groups
In addition to joining writers’ lists and groups on the Internet, you'll find
groups that meet in physical locations for workshops, readings, and critiquing
sessions. These may be local, regional, and national.
Sometimes these groups also have e-mail lists where you can exchange
information. Many send out a print and/or e-mail newsletter with members’
news... a great place to achieve wider name recognition.
Contests
Many writers never consider that entering contests may serve as yet another
method for gaining recognition of their work and promoting their name. They may
think they'll be just one of many who enter the contest and their work will be
lost midst the shuffle.
However, writers often receive recognition this way, whether or not they win the
contest. If their work is regarded with merit, editors sometimes approach them
for other projects or suggest they submit the non-winning entry to their
publishing house or publication.
You might be required to enter a contest with a whole book, a short story, a
chapter of your book, a poem, a play or a non-fiction piece which could be a
winning entry or simply catch an editor’s attention.
Business Cards, Postcards, Bookmarks
Distributing business cards, postcards, and bookmarks which publicize your work
keeps your name circulating. Whenever you correspond with someone about your
writing, include a business card (with e-mail address and web site) or bookmark.
Use postcards with book cover illustrations on one side to place your work
continually in front of people when sending messages. It was pointed out to me
by a publisher that postcards are seen by many more people than the sender and
recipient.
Teaching/Speaking
Teaching and speaking requests come to the writer who becomes well-known.
However, as a writer whose name isn't a household word, you can seek our
teaching and speaking, beginning with small groups and even your critique group.
This becomes yet another method of gaining more exposure and credibility, as
well as earning extra income.
Book Signings/Readings
You don't have to be a well-known author to have book stores and libraries agree
to your doing a reading and book signing. Yes, most of the larger, well-known
book stores want authors whose name will bring the public in.
However, smaller book stores, particularly in the area where you live or where
your book takes place, will be delighted for you to provide an event there. The
"big name" authors often don't have the time to schedule signings at
smaller places.
Attending Conferences
Attend conferences to learn, to network, and become acquainted with editors and
other authors. You never know whom you'll meet who will express interest in your
work, who will put you in contact with an editor, or who will later remember
your name when someone asks about an author in your category.
Volunteering to help at the book table at a conference and in other ways will
help you meet many people. If your book is included among the sale items, make
sure you ask if the purchaser wants it autographed.
Once you begin gaining name recognition, you'll find more and more methods to
build upon these suggestions... until your name becomes a household word!
© 2003 Mary Emma Allen
Mary Emma Allen writes for children and adults, fiction and non-fiction,
books and columns and stories in anthologies. Her latest book is The
Magic of Patchwork. Visit her web site:
http://homepage.fcgnetworks.net/jetent/mea;
E-mail: me.allen@juno.com
