A Guest Post by Wayne E. Pollard, Creator of Bo’s Café Life

I believe that persistence is the most important trait you should have if you want to get published. To get my first piece published in The New York Times, I pitched it to at least five different editors until I found one who was interested in the piece.

Before pitching that piece to The New York Times, I had pitched it to an editor at The Village Voice, who rejected it. If I hadn’t pitched it to The New York Times, the piece would still be sitting in a file on my computer, unpublished.

To get published, you must query constantly. Send out queries every day if you can and be persistent because persistence pays. Yes, persistence pays – but not enough to cover the rent. In addition to being persistent, to get published, you must know how to effectively query.

I’m going to tell you how to increase your chances of getting an article published. These are the steps that I followed to get articles (mine and my client’) in publications ranging from American Banker to Wine Enthusiast. Here are my seven steps to querying success:

1. Position Yourself as an Authority.

Just as an author should have a platform, a writer should also have a platform. What makes you qualified to write the article? Write a brief, two to three sentence bio sketch that establishes your credibility and then put this in the first paragraph of your query letter.

2. Have a Strategy.

To get bylines in better publications, you must stick and move; hit one publication and then move on to another one. Your aim is to build momentum. What do I mean? Start with smaller publications and then work your way up. Submit a few pieces to your community paper or magazine. Then use those clips to get into a regional publication.

After that, use those clips to get into a statewide publication. My bylines in a county-wide newspaper enabled me to write for the #2 paper in my state. This enabled me to get a piece published in The Village Voice, which then enabled me to get a byline in The New York Times. Get the idea?

3. Be Choosy.

You must strategically choose where you submit your work. The truth is that some bylines are more prestigious than others. I occasionally blog for The New York Times The Local. Another writer who wanted to blog asked me if she should submit pieces to The Local or to another blog in my community. I told her that if she’s trying to get build her career as a writer, then she should submit pieces to The Local because having a byline in The New York Times will give her more credibility as a writer.

I know that some writers don’t feel comfortable hearing this, but it’s the truth; there are some publications that editors-in-chief and managing editors will respect more than others. And if you are trying to build your career as a writer, you can’t waste too much time writing for publications that won’t help you achieve your writing goals. Do you understand?

4. Research. Research. Research.

The key to successfully getting published is to do your research. Once you have your article or an idea for an article and you know which publication you want to target, study what’s been published in that publication in the past two years. If you find nothing similar to your article, great! Mention this in your query letter. If you come across an article that covers your topic, tell how yours will be different.

5. Give the Benefits.

In your query, tell why the publication’s readers will find your piece informative or interesting. This is crucial. My very first piece that was published in a national magazine was, “Confessions of a Software Salesman.” It was published in CIO (Chief Information Officer), a difficult magazine to get published in.

When I pitched the article to the managing editor, I told her that I was a former software insider and that I could give her readers tips that would help them save hundreds of thousands of dollars. She bought my article. You, too, in your query, must tell how readers will benefit from your article.

6. Pick up the Phone.

Unless the submission guidelines say, “absolutely no phone calls,” you should consider calling the editor. I loved doing telesales and I’m extremely effective over the phone. If you, too, know how to effectively pitch over the phone, then by all means get on the phone and call that editor!

Create a brief pitch that gets the editor’s attention. Here’s mine: “My name is Wayne Pollard and my work’s been published in The New York Times, The Village Voice, and Writer’s Digest. I’m calling you because I’d like to submit an article on… I’ve researched your archive and you haven’t published anything like it in the past two years.î

In the few seconds that it takes to say this, I establish that I’m an experienced writer who should be listened to. I also establish that I’ve done my research. Go back to your bio and create a five second pitch that will get an editor’s attention. The key thing is, when you deliver this over the phone, DO NOT PAUSE. Once you’ve gotten the pitch out, wait for the editor’s response. And if the person says that now’s not a good time, just apologize and say that you’ll send an email. Then get off the phone!

7. Let Them Know that You’re a Pro.

Finally, in your query letter, let the editor know that you’re a pro. In my queries, I say, “I can meet any word count and any deadline. I’m also willing to make any edits.” You’re probably thinking, edit my piece?! Yes – if you want to get published, you must be willing to edit your piece. Do you want to get published or do you want to hold on to your precious piece?

Bo’s Café Life is my look at the writing life through the eyes of Bo, an aspiring novelist who spends his time in a café writing and talking to other writers who are also on the quest to get a book deal. It is an honest look at the writing life.

Writers find the strip funny, however, Bo’s Café Life is primarily about determination; Bo is determined to get a book deal. That’s what the strip is really about, pushing on with a dream despite the rejection and the tremendous odds you face.

Have you heard of writers who knew from the time that they first held a #2 pencil that they wanted to be writers? I’m not one of them. I didn’t even major in journalism. I only decided to start writing about ten years ago. Before that, I was in public relations and sales, which is how I learned to be persistent and how to effectively query.

By using my seven steps to querying success and by being persistent, you will get more of your articles published. And don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the process. This is another key message in Bo’s Café Life. See the lighter side of trying to get published and enjoy the ride.

Wayne E. Pollard is the creator of  Bo’s Café Life, a comic strip about an aspiring novelist who spends his time writing in a café and talking to other writers.

This guest post is by Sarah Wilson

I can get disproportionately excited about new online devices that help me write more efficiently. Like, a while back, I was frothing about Instapaper, a 2.0 equivalent of the Post It note. Here’s how Instapaper works:

You’re wasting time online and stumble on an interesting blog post or New York Times article. You can’t read it now; you’re meant to be finalizing a spreadsheet or something. Printing it out is just wrong. After all, you have one of those Please Consider the Environment email signatures. And you offset your Virgin Atlantic flights. Perhaps you could email it to yourself and flag it. But that seems way too clunky and cluttery.
What to do?

• Install Instapaper (go to instapaper.com) in three easy online steps, or thereabouts.
• Drag the “Read Later” button to your Bookmarks menu.
• Next time you’re reading something you want to go back to, simply click the “Read Later” button and your article is filed in a special folder in cyberspace. For perusal at a more languid juncture.
• Finally, head to instapaper.com every now and then and read what you’ve stored. You can also file the clippings into folders. I’ve divided mine according to the three different magazine columns I write, plus one for my blog, and another for general interest.

More recently I’ve come across Readability, which can then convert my saved reading into a more readable format. Here’s how Readability works:

Again, it’s a new FREE! button that changes stuff you’re reading online into clear, simple, old-school text, getting rid of pop-up ads and annoying eyeball clutter.

• Install the Readability button. Seriously it’s one step.
• Actually it’s two. Once installed, you then adjust your preferences. You can choose between “newspaper”, “novel”, “ebook” and “terminal”. And change the font size and column width. Journalists will love that you can convert to a newspaper format. I read mine like this. Newspapers and magazines were designed to have the best type of font (serif) and column width (narrow enough such that your eye can flick quickly from one line to the next) to make for simple, elegant, fast reading. Just so you know.
• When you’re reading something online, just press the readability bookmarklet on your toolbar and it converts the text into a far happier format. A treat for sore eyes!

Is it just the Capricorn in me, or are these really nifty?

Well, I certainly used to think so. But this week I had a look in my special cyber folder and the sheer volume of tagged URLs sent me into a spiraling fug. It resembled the stack of books piled next to my bed that I’ve “been meaning to read”. And the folders of saved emails that-might-come-in-useful-down-the-track. And the basket next to my couch bulging with newspaper clippings and back issues of Vanity Fair with cornered pages, marking Christopher Hitchins essays I might need to refer back to one day.

And it suddenly occurred to me – my entire life is flagged-for-follow-up. I’m one big backlog of informative material waiting to be attended to. If only there were a rainy Sunday long enough to get through it all, I might finally … get on top of myself.

I hang onto articles because I’m scared of what will happen if I need them one day, and they’re not there. This fear binds me to my stuff. Like many people, I buffer myself with my just-in-cases, instead of flying naked, instead of seeing what will happen if I head out into the clamber armed with just my inner-resourcefulness.

I’ve flown naked before. I hitchhiked through Greece when I was 18 with just the clothes on my back (so, not literally naked); I lived in Paris for a fortnight with no money, no passport, not a single possession to my name (I’d been robbed). Lately, I’ve been thinking I’d like to fly naked again.

I hate making sweeping generational generalizations, but it must be said that those Y kids can teach the rest of us a bit about flying naked. They don’t get excited about Instapaper. This is because they don’t hang onto things. They skim read at the time of receipt, delete and move on. (And they don’t really need Readability. They’ve grown up accustomed to blocking out pop-up ads and scanning different formats.)

The under-30 crew were schooled during a time when you could look up references online in 2 seconds, instead of via the Duwey system when the librarian got back from lunch. They’re au fait with flying naked. Back when I was studying law, some time after the last ice age, if you lost a case note, you were stuffed. Little wonder we hang onto every scribble.

But, let me be the one to break it: times have changed. Information can be Googled or Binged instantly, emails retrieved from servers. Further, ideas move around so fast. There’s no point hanging onto today’s idea because it’s bound to be RT’d or Digg’d to death by tomorrow anyway.

My 20-something brother doesn’t save anything. Why would you, he says. That’s just looking backwards. Where’s the flow of information? Roll forward and gather no moss, is his adage.

I still love my Instapaper and Readability discoveries. But what I loved more this week was going in to my special folder, selecting all and hitting delete. Then hauling my Vanity Fairs and New Yorkers into the communal foyer of my apartment for the neighbors to take. Information shouldn’t be held on to; it should be passed on, like a hot potato. Information in, information out. Sweetly, it’s left more room in my life and my special folder for fresh ideas.

Sarah Wilson is an Australian TV and print journalist (and former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine) who writes about how to make life better. Follow her adventures at sarahwilson.com.au or on twitter.

A heads-up for WTD readers
Leo and Mary will run the next A-list Blogging Bootcamp, How to Create a Blog that Rocks from 13-17 February. Everyone had a blast last time! We’ll be emailing some great articles on blogging. Get yourself on the mailing list by clicking on Leo’s report in the sidebar.

A guest post by Karol Gajda of Ridiculously Extraordinary

If you’re anything like me, you have a hard time breaking away from the fun of travel to actually sit down and write. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a 3 day holiday or living a nomadic lifestyle like I currently am, there never seems to be enough time to get all the writing done.

If you’ve already developed strict writing habits then this advice might not pertain to you. If you write no matter what, no matter where you are, then you’re on another level and you probably already use the tips I’ve learned.

Personally, I’ve set up my lifestyle to where I need to work 2-4 hours/day (in addition to writing for my blog) while I’m on the road or at home (which is currently nowhere since I sold all my belongings and rented out my house). Approximately half of that work time is devoted to writing and editing.

If you’re not traveling, just having trouble finding the time to write, these tips will work for you too.

1) Schedule Writing Time Like You Schedule Other Activities

You schedule time to visit the sites in whatever city you’re visiting, right? There’s no reason why you shouldn’t do the same for your writing.

I’ve found it’s easier for me to schedule in 1-2 hour blocks. The best time for me has been after lunch and before bed.

Immediately after eating lunch I will head to a cafe, library, or park, and work for 1-2 hours on my laptop. If I haven’t scheduled anything for after that block of writing, I will take a short break, and then work some more.

If I have scheduled an activity after that 1-2 block of work time I will then schedule another 1-2 hour block of writing time before I go to bed. Sometimes that means less sleep, but the work gets done.

If you’re an early morning get-started-right-away type of worker, then scheduling your writing time immediately upon waking or after breakfast might work better for you.

2) Write During Dead Time

Even if you’re in the middle of a fantastic holiday you’ll find lots of dead time.

Examples of dead time:
- Waiting for a table at a restaurant.
- Waiting for your food at said restaurant.
- Taking a bus or train to your next stop.
- Waiting for said bus or train.

In an average day I probably have to wait 60 minutes for buses, trains, and food. During that time I pull out my small notepad or my netbook and write. If writing by hand I transfer it to my computer during my next scheduled writing session.

3) Schedule Full Work Days

This mostly pertains to you if you’re on a long, slow, trip. You don’t have to rush around seeing all the sites and packing it all in at once so you have some luxurious leeway. That’s my preferred way of living and traveling.

And because of that style of travel I schedule full days where my only goal is to work. I still enjoy the city I’m in because I schedule some of that work time in local parks, restaurants, or cafes, but I can relax and write without feeling rushed.

A friend I met in Sydney, Australia actually schedules full weekends in the Blue Mountains (~2 hours from Sydney) where he does nothing but write. He loves the mountains, and he loves to write, so it’s a double whammy.

I’m currently in Adelaide, South Australia for a few days longer than expected because I didn’t make a train. I’m using this “found time” to mostly work.

As a blogger I have myself on a set posting schedule. It’s one blog post per week, every Tuesday. I know that’s not as often as a lot of other bloggers, but it’s important that I meet that deadline. It allows me the time to craft well thought-out blog posts.

I don’t believe in “writing it in.” That is, I don’t believe in free-writing a blog post and then immediately posting it to the blog. That works for a lot of successful bloggers, but it doesn’t work for me.

I have to schedule a lot of time to write and edit my blog posts. I’m still learning and would love your tips for finding time to write when it might not be the most convenient. Leave them in the comments. With your help we can turn this simple blog post into WriteToDone’s Ultimate Writing While Traveling resource. :)

Karol Gajda writes about Freedom, Health, Travel, and Life at Ridiculously Extraordinary. To learn how to live a Ridiculously Extraordinary Life subscribe to the RSS feed here.

A guest post by Vin Miller

Most people regard writing as nothing more than a tool for communication. In fact, many of us hold an unpleasant opinion of writing based on the many hours spent doing it for school or work. However, most of this writing was probably about boring topics that made it easy to overlook the therapeutic and inspirational effects of putting your thoughts into words.

Writing Can Inspire Happiness

Happiness is something that everyone wants, but unfortunately, many find it to be elusive. Because of this, most people are willing to invest a lot of money and effort into achieving it. From this perspective, it might seem ridiculous for something as simple and commonplace as writing to be a powerful source of satisfaction and fulfillment, but it really can be!

The unfortunate reputation that writing often bears as being boring and laborious is likely a result of people writing about uninteresting topics and doing so only out of necessity. Granted, not everyone is destined to enjoy writing just as some people don’t enjoy playing sports, but you’ll never know what you might be missing out on unless you give it a fair chance. The key is to write about subjects that are related to your passions and values which means that you need to have some self awareness to fully enjoy the benefits.

My Uplifting Experience with Writing

Despite having done well on school writing assignments and having received numerous complements on my writing from coworkers, I considered it to be nothing more than a communication tool and never really gave it much thought. This changed dramatically after I started my blog.

Surprisingly, writing was one of the reasons why I didn’t want to start a blog. This was primarily because of how much work it can be, but I wanted to become more involved with the internet and thought it was worth a try. I’ve been writing about healthy and inspired living, which is one of my deepest passions, for almost a year now and am still amazed by the effects that it has on my mood and perspective.

As most bloggers know, it’s not a pleasant feeling when you’re running out of time to write the next post, are having trouble finding a topic to write about, are busy with other things, and simply don’t want to write. At times like this, writing can seem like a real drag, and on many occasions I’ve had to force myself to sit down and get to work. However, it never takes long before I’m absorbed in my thoughts, completely engaged, and oblivious to my surroundings. Hours pass as if they were minutes.

My most notable experiences with this have come when I was tired or in a bad mood. Writing is usually the last thing I want to do in such cases, but once I get started, it almost always makes me feel energized, invigorated, and pleasantly fulfilled. The effect has been so dramatic that if I hadn’t experienced it many times for myself, I wouldn’t believe it.

Extending the Natural High

I consider the uplifting and energizing feeling that I get from writing to be somewhat like a natural high and similar to the endorphin rush that many people seek through exercise. Depending on what you choose to do with your writing, there are several ways that you can leverage your work to maximize this effect.

If you’re passionate enough about something to sit down and write about it, there’s a good chance that you’ll also enjoy conversing about it. Once your thoughts are organized and formalized into a document, you can post your work to a blog, an article directory, or simply share it with friends. With minimal effort, you can inspire new and interesting conversation for days, weeks, and even years. People will be reading your material while you’re sleeping, eating, and tending to other aspects of your life. You never know when someone will show their appreciation for your wisdom or offer additional insight that you hadn’t considered, and when they do, you’ll likely find it to be rewarding.

Another great benefit of writing is that it forces you to process and organize your thoughts. This often leaves you with unanswered questions and new ideas, both of which can be very exciting to pursue. Not only does this keep you engaged, but it also helps to expand your knowledge.

Give it a Try!

If you’re not already an experienced writer, one of the easiest and most meaningful ways to embrace writing is to keep a journal. Doing so is therapeutic in the sense that it allows you to process your emotions, and in some cases, may even inspire a revelation or a solution to a problem. You can also write about procedures, stories, concepts, or ideas that you’d like to share or document for future use.

If you find writing to be a rewarding experience, you should consider starting a blog even if you have little interest in becoming a serious blogger. It’s an easy way to organize and share your writing and you never know where it may lead. You can even be up and running in just a few minutes at one of the free blogging sites such as WordPress.com or Blogger.com. What are you waiting for?

Vin Miller is the author and owner of NaturalBias.com which is a blog about maximizing your life through natural health, practical fitness, and a positive perspective.

Photo by OkayCityNate

How long is it now that you’ve been a writer? A year? Five years? A decade or more? Perhaps you don’t even realize that you are a writer, or maybe you’re not sure if you should be claiming such a thing. But here’s a tip – if you’re reading this blog, chances are you’re a writer. Whether you know it or not.

I’ve been a writer for years. Dating well back into my school days – if not my entire life. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do; in some ways it’s what I’ve always known I’m meant to do. Sure, I’ve dabbled in other ideas, called myself by other names, even made a living doing other things (most of the time, actually). But despite all that, writing is my true passion.

But if you’re thinking this means I’ve been well and truly published and publicized, then you’d be wrong. The truth is that, until recently, the past 15 years has seen me do little more than reach critical acclaim from my school English department, publish a few magazine articles, and maintain fairly regular entries into my journal. Over the past year I’ve built my blog to the point where I’m now gaining new readers daily, but still – all that combined doesn’t really account for enough, does it?

How about you? Can you relate? If so, then here’s the million-dollar question – perhaps literally if it means you finally get off your butt.

If you are a writer, then why is that you don’t write consistently? I mean, let’s be honest here. I know I’m not the only one who has had weeks, even months, pass by with no new material to show.

So how often do you write? Or – more importantly – do you write as much as you’d like to? I’m not talking about issues of time, you understand. After all, we both know that even 10 minutes each day can pay off over the course of a year. No, what I’m asking about is the regularity with which you follow through on a commitment to yourself and put pen to paper (so to speak) despite not having anything in mind to write about.

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