Multiplying Sales As A Writer
Often, time is an enemy of writers. Sales seem slow and checks
too small. How does one make the most of their effort? Here are
some tips that will multiply your sales.
1. Companies accepting manuscripts from freelancers offer copies
of their writing guidelines and sample copies. Assume there's a
reason for them. Study them. Study their web sites as well. What
do they tell you about the publication's readers? The Internet
will save you much postage and time from when I started.
2. Think ahead. Lead times for publication are rarely short.
Writers' guidelines often teach Christmas is in July. Lead times
can be shorter for the Internet. Learn what they are. Submit
accordingly.
3. Take advantage of your research. Write more than one
manuscript for the same effort. This adds to your productivity.
Interviewing a camp director? Write a feature article on how to
select a camp for more than one market. Write a filler article.
Write an article on finding work at a camp.
4. Resell the same manuscript multiple times. My record for
off-line for publication with one manuscript is seventeen
reprints. It is easy to surpass this on the web.
5. Resell to editors. Once you sell to a company, send another
query or manuscript to its editor. Some companies may buy from
you for each issue, others will buy only once every so many
months. Learn what they want before you submit. Learn this from
studying their publication before you query. If they like what
you do, keep them happy.
6. Use query letters whenever possible. When an editor has OK'd
a query letter first you usually succeed at selling the
manuscript . This saves valuable time! Kill fees are more often
offered if article results from a query letter as well.
7. Take a look at your sales. What has worked for you? How can
you multiply your sales?