The Freelance Success Book: Insider Secrets for Selling Every Word You Write (Write It, Sell It) (Paperback)

by David Taylor (Author), Bob Teufel (Foreword) "childhood that turned you inward..." (more)
Key Phrases: delivery memo, miss cobb, fam trip, Writer's Market, National Writer's Union, Hidden Freelance Market (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"David Taylor is a master teacher and writer. 'The Freelance Success Book' will help writers earn more paychecks and bylines." -- John Griffin, President, Magazine Group, National Geographic Society

"No other writing book is so crammed full of useful stuff. Taylor shows you how to write fast and well." -- Amby Burfoot, Executive Editor, Runner's World

"The most practical and entertaining book I've ever read on freelance writing. A must for every writer's bookcase." -- Mike Lafavore, Editor-in-Chief, TV Guide

Product Description
A former executive magazine editor takes freelance writers behind the closed doors of America's top publishing companies to reveal insider knowledge and techniques for breaking in. Taylor, who worked on such leading magazines as Prevention and Men's Health, shows writers how to analyze a magazine's underlying editorial matrix and to shape stories accordingly. Foreword by Bob Teufel, Chairman, Magazine Publishers of America.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Peak Writing (February 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097173304X
• ISBN-13: 978-0971733046
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #539,023 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A needed boost, April 16, 2003

By	Janine Beverly (Concord, NH) - See all my reviews

I have to admit that this book came along at the right time for me--in the middle of a bad run of rejection slips and self-esteem to match. With this book Taylor managed to get me jacked up to send out stuff again with chapters like "How to Make Editors Beg For It"--the first time I had read about what really goes on in editorial offices where we freelancers send out stuff. I feel like Taylor's insider stuff gives me an edge I didn't have before.

The chapter on queries and titles taught me how I have to pay more attention to actually selling my writing with right-between-the-eyes headlines. Taylor talks a lot about getting inside the editor's head and discovering the "reader benefits" that editor is trying to deliver. As he says, freelancers have to play that radio station: WRIT-FM or "What's Really In It-For Me," because without good reader benefits the piece is dead before it ever hits the editor's desk.

I guess all in all, reading books like this is necessary to learn new tips and keep motivated and fresh. This book did all that and more so that's why I rated it high.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Packed full of useful information, March 19, 2003

By	Zanne Marie Gray "[e-mail]" (Monona, WI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Book and magazine editors are engaged in a never-ending search for writing that people want to read, which means that there is a large demand for good freelance writing. This book, written by a former magazine editor, tells how to get your name and phone number into an editor's Rolodex.

The first thing a budding freelance writer should do is get a copy of a book like the yearly Writer's Market and read the submission guidelines for your intended target publication (books, short stories, magazine non-fiction, etc). If your target is a specific magazine, read and analyze several issues of that magazine. Know it better than its editors, and find a niche that no one else has filled.

To call yourself a writer, it's necessary to actually do some writing. The act of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) is covered, along with what to do when the words just won't come out.

After your masterpiece is on paper, then comes dealing with editors. How do you write a query letter (or should you)? Mak sure you deal with the right editor, not just any editor. Some editors do business by phone, or fax or email; adjust your approach accordingly. Don't gush about how much you love the magazine; editors don't want fan clubs. Get right to the point. The biggest mistake a freelancer makes in dealing with an editor is laziness; not knowing the magazine backwards and forwards.

Writing for the internet is totally different than writing for print. Your average web surfer is not going to read the equivalent of a magazine article on a screen. It's best to break up the text as much as possible, with bullets, numbers, colored backgrounds, etc. Also provide lots of hyperlinks, so the web surfer can do more research on their own. The book also covers the legal end of things, including contracts, libel and ethics in general.

I learned a lot from this book. A copy of this book belongs right next to the dictionary on the bookshelf of every freelance writer, and every would-be freelance writer, in America. It is packed full of useful information, and is money very well spent. Hmmm, I hope this also works for book reviewers...

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now we know!, January 28, 2004

By	Jennifer Stewart (write101.com Brisbane, Australia) - See all my reviews

Many of us fantasise about writing for major magazines and newspapers, but alas, writing is like everything else that we aspire to - success comes as the result of hard work, persistence and knowledge, not wishful thinking. And one sure way to acquire that knowledge is to learn from people who've not only been there and done that, but also have the T-shirt to prove it! 

One such person is David Taylor, who spent nine years as executive editor at Rodale Press - he knows what editors and publishers want. Submit a story idea that suits a particular section of the magazine, is written in the publication's distinctive voice, follows the House Style Rules and is in some way controversial, and you're on your way to acceptance.

The book contains 300 pages of similar insider secrets for selling your writing. His step-by-step guide on how to break into the hidden freelance market offered by newspaper weeklies and dailies started bells ringing for me and has had me poring over my local publications and making lists of suitable non-local topics to write about.

Throughout the book there are a number of Writer's Toolboxes that contain both online and print resources. Resources such as newspaper directories (so you can search for suitable publications to approach with your ideas), manuscript submission services, places to check what your e-rights are, legal advice regarding copyright laws and contracts, how to self-publish and more. Then there are sample freelance contracts, agreements, release forms and invoices.

An excellent resource for any freelancer.