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Mary Rosenblum
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Hello all.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I hope you had a lovely
Thanksgiving holiday and didn't get trampled in the Holiday Shopping Rush.
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Mary Rosenblum
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As most of you probably know,
I started a new competition for the year. This is the Most Persistent
Writer Award .
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Mary Rosenblum
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The rules are in the
Newsletter in the Applause section, but essentially, keep track of your
submissions...NOT your sales, your submissions...
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Mary Rosenblum
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and the person with the most
submissions between 9/1/07 and 9/1/08 will win a prize.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Fiction and Nonfiction are
separate categories.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So today, I want to talk about
all things related to submissions.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you don't submit your work,
very few editors will call you up to ask if you just happen to have written
something. :-)
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geezer
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How long and how detailed should
the synopsis of the novel be?
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Mary Rosenblum
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For submission, geeze? That
entirely depends on the guidelines and they vary wildly from one agent to
another, one
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Mary Rosenblum
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editor to another.
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Mary Rosenblum
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When you're planning to market
a novel, you need to read the specific guidelines for that agent or market
and send exactly what they ask for.
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barbiq
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How long should you wait to hear
from a query letter? I sent one with SASE in Sept and haven't heard
anything yet.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Was that for an article, barb,
or for a novel?
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barbiq
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an article to Better Homes and
Gardens
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Mary Rosenblum
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Ah. You probably won't get
one. Alas, the editors of the major magazines get tons of query letters and
most of them are either
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Mary Rosenblum
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inappropriate for the magazine
or poorly written or what have you. A lot of the major magazine editors
have a policy
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Mary Rosenblum
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of not answering queries at
all unless you are a 'near miss'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And BH&G is not real open
to writers without an extensive track record, except in one or two of their
'by the readers' type departments.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Make a note that this was not
an article that interested the editor -- that way you won't send in
something like it by accident later.
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johnw
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If you submit an article in a
9x12 envelope (with the increased postage) does the SASE have to be the
same size?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Depends, John. In this day of
cheap printers and expensive postage, many authors, myself included, submit
'disposable manuscripts' with a business sized SASE.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The editor can toss the pages
and send the acceptance or rejection back in the business sized envelope.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But if you do this, do write
'Disposable' on the top of the first page. And if you want the manuscript
back (novel manuscripts are expensive to copy and print for example) then
yes, you must provide postage for its return.
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barbiq
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So can I submit the query to
other magazines now? or should I wait.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'd go ahead and query
elsewhere, barb.
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geezer
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It would be a problem if you
sold an article to magazine B, then received an acceptance
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geezer
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from Magazine A
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Mary Rosenblum
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It would be a very bad thing,
because the editor of Mag A has already slotted space for that piece in a
future issue and will probably
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Mary Rosenblum
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not buy anything from you for
quite a while. That's why violating that no simultaneous submissions rule
is pretty risky.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But in this case, when you
haven't heard back in two months and the likelihood of BH&G accepting
your query is pretty low, you're reasonably safe.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you DID get an acceptance,
just be sure that the piece you send in isn't exactly the same as the one
you've sold elsewhere. :-) You can write a half dozen
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Mary Rosenblum
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separate articles about any
topic using different slants and sell them all simultaneously.
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copper
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So how long do we wait? About
two months?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Depends, copper.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Most guidelines tell you how
long you an expect to wait for a reply.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If I'im a new writer trying to
break in, I'm going to give the editor LOTS of slack to think about my
piece. I generally wait until twice the stated 'reponse time' has passed
before I query.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Editors get busy, assistants quit,
their mother in law goes into the hospital.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And often, an editor will hold
a novice piece until they have a place for it in a particularly strong
issue, since as a novice writer you're not going to bring fans in the door.
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Mary Rosenblum
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So you can have a slower 'yes'
than a 'no'.
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adularia.moon
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What is the easiest way to keep
track of what was sent where and who did or did not like it?
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you're comfortable with
spread sheet software like Excel, do that.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'm not. I use a small steno
notebook with lined pages.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I put down date, place sent, postage
and later, date returned and outcome.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I have a log of every piece I
have sent out since I started writing seriously, back in 1988. Kind of cool
to look at.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You can send out a lot of
queries if you're doing nonfiction and you don't want to send the same
thing to the same editor more than once!
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johnw
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Follow up: but one shouldn't be
cheap and try and cram a 6 page article, cover letter and a SASE into a
business size envelope?
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Mary Rosenblum
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If it fits, go ahead. Remember
that the publisher will NOT pay any postage. :-)
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barbiq
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What is the apporaite (sp) time
to wait before submitting an article to another magazine with a
simultaneous rule?
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you have submitted a
complete piece and you don't hear back for months and you have queried and
gotten no response and you decide you are done
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Mary Rosenblum
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waiting and want to send it
elsewhere, then you really do need to send in a withdrawal.
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Mary Rosenblum
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The danger is that you'll sell
first rights to magazine B and before they publish the piece, the editor
will pick up a copy
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Mary Rosenblum
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of Magazine A and see the same
article on page one. That editor will be angry at YOU for a simultaneous
submission
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Mary Rosenblum
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never mind that you thought
editor A didn't want the piece!
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Mary Rosenblum
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The safe way to handle this is
send a formal withdrawal, stating that you are withdrawing the piece from
consideration
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Mary Rosenblum
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and send it registered mail.
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barbiq
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what if you just sent a query
and not the ms.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Then don't worry about it. If
you should get two 'yes' back, just write two different articles! Not a
problem.
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janecj333
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Who are the 'near miss's'? Can
you give examples?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Which near misses, Jane?
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gail
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When the response timeline is
not clear, is it wise to write a letter or email retracting your article or
story before submitting it elsewhere?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Yes, but don't be in a rush.
Your sense of 'long time' is WAY different from an editor's sense of 'long
time'
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you think the piece is
right for that publication, I'd wait three months before querying, wait a
month longer for a reply, then pull it. Editors are grateful if you're
patient and their lives are in turmoil But editors do lose things.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Of course, meanwhile, you're
sending out lots of other work, right? Never wait until you hear back on
one piece before you write the next!
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janecj333
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For the big hitters?
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janecj333
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I guess I mean that 'near miss' sounds
like one of those code words writers learn to hate. What do we really need
to know about Better Homes and Gardens that we can't learn by reading it?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Nonfiction editors are very businesslike,
Jane. There's no code. They are in the market for articles they can use. If
you don't have what they want, they won't talk to you.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you do, they will. If they
read your query, like your clips or your style, could have used this
article but already have one in inventory
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Mary Rosenblum
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they'll drop you a note.
Thanks, not this one, try again.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you're not in the ball park
they won't answer you at all.
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scopexula
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Is there a sure-fire way to have
a submission accepted?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Write an outstanding piece
that is just what the editor wants.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Sorry, scop, I know that's not
what you were asking for, but there really is no 'magic'' to getting
accepted.
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Mary Rosenblum
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And in fiction, what one
editor loves another editor shrugs over. So you send your work to every
editor who might like it
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Mary Rosenblum
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until you find the one who
loves it.
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copper
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How flexible is the "Rights
Purchased" if it says "All Rights" and should we be willing
to give up all rights?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Copper, this is a tough issue.
A lot of small publishers and ezines ask for All Rights because they don't
know how to write a good
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Mary Rosenblum
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contract and don't want to
spend money for a lawyer to do it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Be VERY careful of this in
fiction. I have sold most of my stories at least twice and sometimes as
many as six or seven times. That adds up
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Mary Rosenblum
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to good money, even at reprint
prices. If I had sold 'All Rights' that would not be possible.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In nonfiction, if you write a
small piece for an ezine and sell all rights, it's not so awful. You can
slant a piece a bit differently on the same topic, sell it, too.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I don't sell 'All Rights'
unless I am specifically taking on a 'work for hire' contract (like the LR
novel course).
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Mary Rosenblum
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Then I am doing the work for
hire and they're not my words.
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reece
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say a big publisher asks to see
my MS after they have looked over my querry and synopsis, would they prefer
to have the entire novel on a disk or printed up?
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Mary Rosenblum
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That depends on the publisher,
reece, and how that editor or agent likes to read. Most agents and editors
in my experience want a hard copy first. They'll ask for the electronic
copy
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Mary Rosenblum
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when they get to editing and
production, after they've bought the novel. But as more people are
comfortable reading large quantities of print onscreen I'm sure that will
change.
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adularia.moon
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For nonfiction, how can you find
out if a magazine accepts freelance, esp if that magazine is not listed in
The Best of the Magazine Markets?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Write to them at their
edtiorial office, adularia, and request a copy of their writers guidelines.
Include a business sized SASE
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Mary Rosenblum
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They'll send you guidelines or
they'll tell you they don't accept freelance. :-)
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glory7
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I'm a student - what if I can't
find the market for my piece
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Mary Rosenblum
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Keep writing and keep looking
for markets. You'll keep getting better and eventually you'll find markets
that work for what you are writing.
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michellen
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Does "All rights"
include international markets?
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Mary Rosenblum
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All Rights means that you no
longer own those words, michellen.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If that publisher turns your
story into a block buster movie, you don't get a cent.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You can never use them again, either,
unless you buy them back from the publisher.
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copper
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If I may answer that question,
Mary, Media Bistro, a writer's group website, offers an entire a "How
to Pitch" section for most national magazines. An excellent resource.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Thanks, copper. And if you get
the LR newsletter, you'll find that I often publish sites like Media Bistro
in my webeditor pick section.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you're writing fiction
Ralan.com is a great market list, too.
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gail
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What criteria do you use when
choosing clips? And, is there any form of expiration date for clips,
particularly if they are few and far between?
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you have lots of clips,
choose the biggest magazines first...if you have published for National
Geographic Online, mention it. Then choose clips that are similar to the
magazine you're querying...
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Mary Rosenblum
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a travel mag clip for a travel
magazine, and so forth.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Don't send dozens! Just pick
the biggest and the most like.
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adularia.moon
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Would it be better to query
someplace that doesn't state
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adularia.moon
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all rights vs someplace that has
limited rights?
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Mary Rosenblum
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It is always better to sell
limited rights, adularia. That means you still own your words and you can
use them again if you want to.
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copper
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How does a writer query to offer
a reprint of an already published story?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Most of the time editors come
to you and ask. But sometimes you'll find markets...especially
ezines...that take reprints. You can query them. That's much more common in
small NF markets.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In fiction, editors read the
short fiction markets and will query authors if they want a reprint for an
anthology or a starting magazine where they can't afford big name rates.
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kish100
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Most I come across have first
rights...how is that different
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Mary Rosenblum
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First rights are the most
expensive rights...most lucrative to you the author. You are selling that
publisher the right to print your piece first. Before anyone else gets to
see it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You can sell first north
american rights -- they only apply to the US, Canada, and Mexico,.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You can sell First World
Rights. (More common now, with the internet).
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Mary Rosenblum
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After that story or piece has
been published by the purchaser, you can resell it as 'second rights'
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jackm
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Could you explain Archive or
Anthology rights?
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Mary Rosenblum
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They are different, jack.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Archive rights apply to ezines
usually and give the website the right to keep your piece 'archived' on the
site for either a specific length of time or permanently.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That means it's not on the
main pages, but a browser can find it if they look for it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Anthology rights means the
publisher is buying the right to include a story in a collection of stories
by different authors.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You can sell First Anthology
rights or second rights. I sell a lot of second anthology rights once my
stories have been published in magazines.
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gail
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Do clips expire from relevance
at some point in time?
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Mary Rosenblum
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No. If you have published in a
big circulation mag that means you have a high level of professional skill.
You just don't say 'it was in 1936'!
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janecj333
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Would you say that someone with
lots of clips is a 'near miss', not even considering the article topic? How
about someone who has an interview with a very famous person already lined
up? Someone who has a platform, as they say these days?
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Mary Rosenblum
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No, Jane. You can be a regular
for National Geographic and if you send a query that's out of the ballpark
to say, Women's Day, you might not even get a response from the editor
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Mary Rosenblum
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who will be offended that you,
an obvious pro, didn't do your homework. Name means nothing in NF article
writing. Content means everything.
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Mary Rosenblum
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It's quite different from
fiction.
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Mary Rosenblum
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A lined up interview is great!
One of LR's BIP students sold his Assignment Four, I think it was, to
Newsweek.
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Mary Rosenblum
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He had something they wanted.
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adularia.moon
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How would I query if I would
like to be published under a penname? Or would that hurt the chances of
being published?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Pen names don't hurt you,
adularia. You simply by the pen name in the by line instead of your name.
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Mary Rosenblum
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You deal with the editor as
you. Otherwise she'll write the check to your pen name. Will your bank cash
it?
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destiny8
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Must I specify "I want By
line" when all rights purchased?
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Mary Rosenblum
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No. That's part of the
contract. Many publications only give a by line to the features.
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Mary Rosenblum
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A full time freelancer friend
of mine writes a lot for National Geographic. Rarely gets a by line there.
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geezer
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Can the author or his agent
dicker with the payment, or is it always take it or leave it?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Sure you can dicker but you'd
better have something to offer. :-) Agents love bidding wars, but if you
demand a higher price and that editor says no
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Mary Rosenblum
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and you can't sell it
elsewhere, you probably won't be able to take it back to that editor.
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copper
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To clarify: NF, send in a query
so the editor can work with you and get exactly what she's looking for in
the mag. F, send a query with the completed piece for the editor to read?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Not quite, copper. You only
query when the editor does not want to see the complete piece.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Read guidelines very
carefully.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Often NF magazines want the
entire piece if you're writing a personal narrative.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Then you merely send a cover
letter that mentions your clips if any and says 'here it is, here's my
sase, thank you for your time, I hope you enjoy it'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Because it is HOW the piece is
written that matters in fiction and personal narrative, edtiors need to see
the whole piece.
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Mary Rosenblum
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In NF the editor assumes you
can write competently. There it is WHAT you are offering that matters, so
the editor only wants to know
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Mary Rosenblum
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what you plan to write about.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That is why it is really
really critical to read issues of the magazine if you want to break into
NF.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you offer the editor the
same topic that ran in last month's issue, you get branded with 'Stupid'
and editors have very good memories.
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Mary Rosenblum
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They remember good stuff, too.
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Mary Rosenblum
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If you are making 'near
misses' over and over again, most editors will throw you a bone and assign
you a piece.
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Mary Rosenblum
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'No, I don't want this, but
write that for me.'.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'm talking nonfiction here,
not fiction.
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scopexula
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How can I purchase some of your
books to read?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, scop, 'Horizons' just
came out in paperback so it should be in the chains right now. 'Water
Rites' a collection of a novel and three novelettes is available from
www.fairwoodpress.com
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ltsonya
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I've run into a few instances
where the editor asks for the article, I submit it, and then I don't hear
anything back - several of these were submitted on spec. One magazine does
have me sign a contract, but another doesn't mention it. Should I ask about
contract and payment after I submit the article?
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Mary Rosenblum
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That's very unprofessional of
them, lt. Now it may be that they pay on publication and are holding your
article.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'd surely query and ask when
it will be published.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Usually, you sign a contract
when you sell something. If you don't sign a contract, how do you know what
rights they plan to use?
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Mary Rosenblum
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You have no legal rights if
they have not made a formal agreement about how to use it. They can claim
you have granted them everything.
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revswife77
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as a new writer should I not
bother with the big mags until
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revswife77
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I have a track record?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Not necessarily, revs. If you
have a topic that you think suits the particular magazine perfectly, pitch
it.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Editors will work with a
newcomer with no clips (like that LR student who sold to Newsweek) if you
have something that editor wants.
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copper
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Should a cover letter with the
piece or a query letter be sent for a human interest story on a specific
person?
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Mary Rosenblum
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It depends on what that
publisher wants, copper. The guidelines will tell you. Always read them.
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gail
|
So, are you saying that in lieu
of any declaration of rights offered, a given market can assume All Rights,
not First Rights?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, yeah, gail, if they
didn't SAY what they are taking, how do you know? If they state in their
guidelines that they take only First rights, you're okay.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But if you want only to sell
first rights, you need their signature below that statement.
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ltsonya
|
one magazine never got back to
me after I finished the article, then did a follow up query on the article
a few months later and still nothing. What would you suggest that I do?
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Mary Rosenblum
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Depends, lt. Do they have it?
Do you expect to be paid for it? Do you want them to publish it? Do you
have another market you could sell that same piece to?
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gail
|
Then, is it wise to state in the
query letter what rights we're willing to negotiate, (if it's not clearly
stated in their guidelines, that is)?
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Mary Rosenblum
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If they do not state in their
guidelines what rights they are buying -- and every professional publisher
I've looked at does -- I would spell it out that you are offering first
world rights only. Others are negotiable.
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Mary Rosenblum
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That gives them plenty of
slack, but they may simply reject you if it's a marginal ezine and they get
plenty of novices willing to give them what they want.
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Mary Rosenblum
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But if that's the case, publishing
there is probably not doing your professional reputation any good anyway.
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copper
|
Do we just move on to another
mag. if they specify "All rights"?
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Mary Rosenblum
|
As I said, up to you. If it's
a one time NF piece that you don't expect to sell anywhere else, you might
want to let it go. I wouldn't sell 'All rights' to fiction.
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ltsonya
|
they have the article, I'd like
to be paid for it and it hasn't been published yet. I've already sold two
other slants on the same topic to other magazines. I could sell the article
to another magazine, but I'd like to keep them as a market if I can
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Mary Rosenblum
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Lt, you should KNOW If you're
going to be paid for it. That's in their writers guidelines.
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geezer
|
If they get all rights, does
that include the characters too?
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Mary Rosenblum
|
Yes.
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Mary Rosenblum
|
If I own the rights to my
story, you can't use my characters without my permission.
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Mary Rosenblum
|
See why I say don't sell 'all rights'
for fiction?
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adularia.moon
|
Many of the magazines listed in
the Best of Magazine Markets state that the "rights vary." At
what point do rights get discussed, obviously before signing anything...
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Mary Rosenblum
|
When you read the contract. If
you don't like the rights, email or call the editor and tell them what you
want to change...
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Mary Rosenblum
|
all rights to first world
rights for example.
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copper
|
If we're in a situation like lt,
at what point do we email, call, contact the editor in some way to find out
what's going on?
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Mary Rosenblum
|
If you submit an article that
an editor has asked for and don't hear anything back in three months, I'd
query. Ask if the editor was happy with it and ask if it's scheduled for a
particular issue yet.
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Mary Rosenblum
|
Your contract and guidelines
will tell you if they pay on publication. That means you don't get the
check until the piece runs.
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|
Mary Rosenblum
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Just an FYI...'Dog and Kennel Magazine'
a paying market, is being rather annoying about that. They're accepting pieces,
don't answer queries, but eventually the piece runs. If you want to publish
there, just be prepared for a wait.
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Mary Rosenblum
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They'll get to it.
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ltsonya
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if an article is written on
spec, do you include in the cover letter that if they like the piece to
send you a contract?
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Mary Rosenblum
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No. They should do that
automatically.
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adularia.moon
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How long are writers guidelines
good for? Do they expire?
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Mary Rosenblum
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They change. Always use this
year's print market list and the online lists are more current.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Well, I've got to run.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'll be doing an Open
Questions session at our Friday After hours on December 7.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Another chance to ask all
kinds of questions!
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Mary Rosenblum
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You'll find some good articles
on submitting and rights on the LR website in Writing Craft
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Mary Rosenblum
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Business Side of Writing, and Nonfiction.
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Mary Rosenblum
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I'll post the transcripts in
the usual place: Writing Craft: Forum Transcripts.
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Mary Rosenblum
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Have a good week!
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