Multiplying Sales As A Writer

Multiplying Sales As A Writer
By L C Peterson

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. The Internet will save you much postage and time from when I started. Study their web sites as well. What do they tell you about the publication's readers?

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 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.

Take a look at your sales. What has worked for you? How can you multiply your sales? Brainstorm more ideas. Making more money per manuscript is possible.

L. C. Peterson is a freelance writer and web site marketer. The writer's personal web site is http://www.lcpeterson.com. More publishing tips can be found at http://www.publishingebooks.com.