How wonderful to have the opportunity to speak at the Bournemouth Writing Festival for the second year in a row.
It was so much fun, and fantastic to meet so many writers, illustrators and publishing industry professionals. There was so much on offer, and so many connections and friendships made.
I can't wait for next year.
Photo: Awesome festival organiser Dominic Wong introducing my talk to the lovely audience in attendance.
What did I speak about?
As you can see from the photo above, the title of my talk this year was Earn as You Write. (As speakers, we were asked to come up with short snappy titles so I did my best.) Basically I was talking about the steps I took to get commissioned to write regular, paid articles for magazines.
As a writer, it is always a good idea to have lots of different types of writing in your portfolio. Especially writing that earns you money. If you diversify, there are more opportunities to reach a wider audience and grow your author platform. That author platform is a key way to build your readership and start marketing your books, if nothing else. Plus, it is great for developing your skill, proving that you can write under different conditions and for different markets.
I enjoy writing for magazines because the money these articles of mine bring in is not allocated to mortgage or bills. I can use it to buy festival tickets, attend writing courses, pay for editorial reports and generally network with other writers and industry professionals in order to build my career as a writer.
Did you know...?
Writing for magazines counts as a form of traditional publishing? So if you're struggling to break into the whole traditional book publishing market, via the whole agent or direct submission route and having no luck, maybe pitching to magazines is another option for you. After all, getting an article published in a newspaper or a magazine is evidence you can write to a publishable standard. It's also proof that you can work to a deadline, be flexible and professional, and that you are capable of writing to a specific market. All, things that agents and publishers want to know.
Mentioning that you have been published in a newspaper or a magazine might make your query letter to an agent stand out.
Who knows? Anything is possible.
What sort of articles could you write?
There are so many different types of articles out there that you are bound to find something that suits your style and interest. For example:
Reviews
Practical How-To- articles
Opinion Pieces
Personal Essay
Short stories
Interview style or Q&A
Stay tuned if you would like more details on these or to hear more of my thoughts on writing for magazines and how I worked out how to get paid commissions. There are more blog posts coming. Why not subscribe to my newsletter (see home page) so that you don't miss anything?
For now, though, I have to pop off and write a How-To- article on painting buttercups...
Thanks for joining me. I hope to see you again soon.
Alice
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