Oldies But Goodies

I’m not that old (in my mind), but I admittedly rely on some old-school methods in my writing career. I track my assignments, leads, and other projects on spreadsheets. I use an old-fashioned paper planner. I would much rather do a phone interview than Zoom, Meet, or Teams (but use them all regularly). And when I recently made the difficult but necessary decision to drum up a few new clients, I turned to that tried-and-true Bible for fiction and nonfiction writers alike—Writer’s Market (WM).

When I was a newbie freelancer, I mean it when I say I studied the WM as though I’d be tested on it. It opened up a whole new world of opportunities I’d never considered. As time went on and I got further into my career, I was fortunate to have a regular roster of clients and didn’t need to send out pitches or LOIs as often, so I didn’t use it as often.

But then.

In the last few months, the projects have not been as abundant as I’d hoped. I found several new markets through Google and checking out other freelancers’ bios (another great way to discover new markets!) I went as far as I dared with those methods. With nothing to lose, I dusted off my trusty copy of the most recent version of WM I had (2021) and once again started looking through it, looking for new markets to pitch. I’m a very different freelancer and therefore looking for different opportunities in WM this time around:

·        I’ve taken business courses so I have a broader foundation of general business knowledge (which allows me to pitch to more trade magazines focused on operating a business) 

·        My niches over the years have equipped me with general industry knowledge, so I can both “talk the talk” and explain different concepts in ways I maybe couldn’t before

Here’s why I still find WD to be valuable:

·        It includes niche and trade titles I’m not familiar with

·        It lists pay rates (in most cases)

·        It explains what editors of the pubs are looking for

A word of caution, however: even if you find a market you want to contact in WM, I strongly suggest looking the market up online to get current contact information. The problem with WM and other books like it is it’s basically outdated almost immediately. Print and digital media changes so quickly, it’s almost impossible to keep up. Chances are the contact information for an editor in WM is no longer correct. The website should have the most up-to-date information. Sometimes the site will include current pay rates, too (which could also differ wildly from what’s in WM).

So what's the point of this story? I found about a dozen new markets to contact, and I already landed an assignment from one of the editors. (Update: I’ve landed a second assignment from a second editor since I first drafted this post). I said it before, I say it all the time, and I’ll say it again—there’s no magic bullet with freelancing. To be truly successful and sustain a career for any length of time, it takes a willingness to do some bootstrapping, research, and utilizing resources like WM.

I’m looking forward to my assignments with my new clients.

Thanks, WM!