Welcome to My Worlds: A Bipolar Christian Tells All

I’d Be Published, But I don’t know where to start

Sarah said…

 

The list is so very, very long, and you have touched on many of them, but here goes: 

I’d be published but:– I have no idea where to even start querying (or WHAT to query, or WHOM to query, or… ANY OF IT)– I’m scared to death (of what, I don’t know! Rejection? Screwing up? That’s a given!)– I don’t believe I have anything better to say than anyone else.and, with myrtle, I just flat haven’t submitted anything. That makes getting published very difficult. 

I have issues. 

 

Dear Sarah-with-Ish,

 

Here are some good steps to get your feet wet:

 

   1. Buy Sally Stuart’s Christian Writer’s Market Guide if you’re writing for a Christian audience. If you’re writing for the general market, purchase the 2008 Writer’s Market. Peruse through the book, earmarking pages. Start with magazines. Choose five to query.

   2. Pick up a copy of each magazine (online, at a Christian bookstore, from a friend, from the library) and study it. What kind of tone does it have? Who is the audience? Are the articles step-by-step informative or inspirational?

   3. Brainstorm article ideas. Ask your critique group for their input. Tailor your story idea to the actual publication.

   4. Craft a query letter. Use my free query tutorial on the right hand side of this blog.

   5. Send it!

   6. Wait.

   7. If the acquisition’s editor says no, go through your market guide and find another magazine to pitch it to.

   8. Re-query.

   9. Wait.

  10. Wait for a response, and either repeat as necessary, or send in the requested manuscript.

 

As to fear, it’s something you’ll have to work through. Yes, it’s scary. But it’s not so scary that someone will kill you if you fail. So relax! And remember that rejection has NOTHING to do with you personally. You are not invalidated as a human being if you’re rejected. If anything, a rejection simply adds you to the writer hall of fame. It’s a badge of honor, proof that you’re trying.

 

Mary DeMuth (www.marydemuth.com) loves to help readers and writers turn their trials into triumphs. A nonfiction and fiction writer, Mary has two novels and three parenting books on the shelves with three more novels and a memoir slated to release in the next year through Zondervan. Because she’s passionate about mentoring writers, she recently established The Writing Spa: www.thewritingspa.com

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