SPARREW ISSUE FIVE
Welcome to the SPARREW Newsletter!
The newsletter for Self-Publishers, Authors, Readers, Reviewers, Editors and Writers!
Welcome to the latest issue of the newsletter! This newsletter is just for writers, book reviewers, booklovers, self-publishers, editors and authors. So glad to have you on board!
When I write something for the public to read, I try my hardest to remain objective. However, I recently got up on my soapbox while I was writing this month’s KU book to sound off against the trend of writers writing books super-fast! I’m talking a week or a month here. While it’s great that some writers are able to write their books so quickly, this has made the other writers out there who are struggling to FINISH writing a book after one or two years have passed feel pretty rotten about themselves.
In fact, they felt so disheartened that some of them gave up on their books.
I just felt that I needed to say something about it. There is no real deadline on when a writer “should” finish writing their book. Every writer is different and every writer goes at their own pace.
So, yes, I did allow myself to have my say against this sort of thing in that book. Curious? Check the ebook out! It’s a free download and you’ll find the link in this issue!
Also in this issue, you’ll get to meet author Catherine Cavendish. I was first made aware of Catherine’s work when I joined the Gypsy Shadow Publishing family and ever since then, Catherine has taken the book world by storm! It seems as though you can find her books everywhere. I enjoyed chatting with Catherine and I hope you enjoy reading the interview as well.
I was also fortunate to land an interview with the VERY busy yet VERY prolific copywriter, Peter Bowerman. I heard about The Well-Fed Writer years ago and have been following his career since. I’m a subscriber to his very helpful and insightful newsletter, The Well-Fed EPUB, and his books on copywriting as well as self-publishing have been informative reads that I often grab to reread passages of many times. Check out the interview with Peter to learn all about how he has found success as a copywriter!
For the editing section of this newsletter, I had the opportunity to interview the amazing and successful editor, RJ Thesman. I was introduced to RJ several years ago, when a fellow author reached out about getting endorsements for her book. At that time, RJ was responsible for edits on the book, and I immediately connected with her through social media. I have been enjoying her insightful posts ever since! RJ offers some great advice on editing, as well as some helpful tips. Check the interview out!
And on the editing note, the feature article in this newsletter is all about the extra steps I take when self-editing a manuscript. These things are done before I send my work off to the other editors, who I can count on to give the work a final and thorough edit before it sees publication. If you have ever struggled with self-editing your work before submitting it, maybe the advice in this article can help you out!
Meanwhile, please check out my latest posts:
Dawn Colclasure’s Blog:
“Authors Breaking the “Rules” of Writing in Their Books”
I welcome submissions from subscribers!
Are you a booklover who wants to have your book blog featured?
Are you a writer with news?
Are you an author looking for reviewers of your latest book?
Are you a book reviewer whose review just went live?
Are you a self-publisher with a new release?
Are you an editor who wants to share your thoughts on editing, complete with a bio advertising your business?
Please feel free to submit any of these notes to me at DMCWriter@gmail.com for the next issue of the newsletter!
THANK YOU…..
Many thanks to the website LoveReading4Kids for featuring my children's book, The Dream Forest, on their website here
Thank you to Enable Utah for including my book, Parenting Pauses: Life as a Deaf Parent, in their lending library.
About Enable Utah:
Enable Utah is a non-profit that was created in 1968. Enable helps people with disabilities and special needs find meaningful employment in the community through job training and education. Please feel free to learn more about Enable Utah and its mission at https://www.enableutah.org/
SELF-PUBLISHER CORNER
New Releases
Are you a writer struggling with writer's block?
Are you an aspiring writer with no idea of what to write?
Or, are you a writer looking for a fun diversion in between assignments and deadlines?
If any of the above applies to you, look no further! The Big Book of Writing Challenges is full of a variety of challenges to get your creative juices flowing! This book contains daily, weekly, monthly and yearly challenges complete with resources to help you get started! Writing challenges can certainly challenge your creativity and encourage you to think outside of the box. The best part is that you can perform each challenge as often as you like. Check out this book and get busy strengthening your writing skills and getting those words onto the page.
Grab your free copy of this ebook here
Coming Soon!
Every single day, we are exposed to things that can tear us down. From depressing and horrific events, scary news stories, doomscrolling on social media and dealing with unpleasant and even violent people, our mental health takes a lot of abuse as we try to make it through yet another day. In 10 Ways to Boost Your Mental Health, you'll find 10 easy, free and rejuvenating activities you can do to help you feel just a little bit better despite all of the bad things in life. We can't make the negative things we are exposed to go away, but we CAN do things to protect our mental health and try to keep our sanity in this chaotic world.
News in Self-Publishing
"Orland Park Teen Donates Money From First Poetry Book To Ukraine" by Eileen O'Gorman
via Patch
"Rupi Kaur Is Empowering Women Through Her Poetry. This Is How She Plans On Spreading Her Message Globally." by Laura Schreffler
via Haute Living
"Family pens book about achieving your dreams" by Karina Kovac
via LIHerald
"Bloomingdale Woman + Friend Self-Publish Tale Of Nazi Woman's Legacy" by Michelle Rotuno-Johnson
via Patch
"A professional editor completes a manuscript by making it stand out"
via Digital Journal
"For the love of writing children's books"
"Author shares stories of radio, publishing journey" by Emma Spaeth
"Photographic exhibition celebrates 90 years of the North West 200"
"Colorado Springs author's new bookstore solely sells self-published children's books" by Amanda Hancock
via The Gazette
"Write a book: Self-publishing boom evident in Tucson" by Bill Finley
via Tucson.com
AUTHOR CORNER
Author Interview
Interview with Catherine Cavendish
1. When did you start writing?
As soon as I could hold a pencil. I could read well before I started school and loved it so much, I wanted to write stories myself. Of course, my early efforts weren’t exactly publishable, and usually involved fluffy kittens.
My tastes evolved over the years, moving from Enid Blyton’s adventure stories, and her tales about impossibly amazing schoolgirls who enjoyed practical jokes and lashings of ginger beer, to Agatha Christie. At around eight or nine, I read The Monkey’s Paw – a short story by W.W. Jacobs. It’s by no means a children’s story and is incredibly creepy. It’s also one of the cleverest stories I have ever read in the way the author racks up the tension and plays with your mind. It scared the life out of me when I first read it and still gives me the shivers now. If you haven’t read it, I won’t spoil it for you but if you want to know how to create scary tension, it’s a masterclass. It inspired me and continues to do so. It also started me down a road that led to some pretty dark fiction. I then, of course, wanted to write my own so started to write my first novel in my early teens. It was terrible!
2. What was your journey towards becoming an author like?
I suppose, like most people, long and arduous with more potholes than a farm track. Trying to combine writing with a demanding full-time job is never an easy matter. Trying to find an agent is cram full of disappointments. I was fortunate to find two agents over the years who were willing to give me a chance but, in both cases, it didn’t result in a publishing contract.
I then joined an online writers’ circle and that’s when I decided to abandon writing the historical fiction I had been producing unsuccessfully for a few years and switch to ghostly, dark, Gothic and haunted house horror – with witches thrown in for good measure and where appropriate.
That’s when I found my first publisher. it’s also when I found someone every writer needs – a reader who is also a writer in the genre and knows her craft. Julia offers constructive and helpful criticism of my stories, points out where I have erred and strayed, or suspended disbelief so far the elastic has snapped. I first availed myself of her advice when I was working on a novella for a Gothic Horror competition run by Samhain Publishing. Four novellas would be chosen out of all the entrants, to appear in an anthology. The day I received an email from their editor Don D’Auria to say I was one of the successful four is a day I shall never forget. Sadly, Samhain is no more but my winning novella – Linden Manor – was republished by Crossroad Press and is still available on Kindle and Audio.
As for Don – we work together still. He’s the Executive Editor at Flame Tree Press with whom I have three published books – The Haunting of Henderson Close, Garden of Bewitchment, and In Darkness, Shadows Breathe. A fourth – Dark Observation – is coming out in September, and I am contracted for another two novels with them so far.
3. What can you tell me about your latest book?
Dark Observation takes place mainly during World War 2. Here is the official blurb which gives you a flavour of what to expect:
1941. In the dark days of war-torn London, Violet works in Churchill's subterranean top secret Cabinet War Rooms, where key decisions that will dictate Britain’s conduct of the war are made. Above, the people of London go about their daily business as best they can, unaware of the life that teems beneath their feet.
Night after night the bombs rain down, yet Violet has far more to fear than air raids. A mysterious man, a room only she can see, memories she can no longer trust, and a best friend who denies their shared past... Something or someone - is targeting her.
4. What sort of methods do you use for book promotion?
I have a blog and I use social media – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram mainly. It is an added bonus that Flame Tree Press are so active on the marketing front, so I do podcasts and participate in activities online generated by them. I also do book launches when invited and hope to return to conventions and other events which have been curtailed for so long.
5. Where do you get your ideas for stories?
From anywhere and everywhere. The Haunting of Henderson Close was inspired by a number of trips to Edinburgh and especially to The Real Mary King’s Close in the Old Town which is a spooky underground street dating back centuries – parts of a few streets actually. The Garden of Bewitchment comes from my childhood growing up near the Yorkshire moors where the Brontes spent their lives. In Darkness, Shadows Breathe would never have happened if I hadn’t contracted cancer and needed to spend weeks in hospital undergoing surgery.
A recent idea for a short story was born out of a Facebook post by Mark Lindsay – former lead singer of ‘60s group, Paul Revere and the Raiders. He wrote about a square grand piano called Rose which he inherited from the previous owners of a house he and his wife bought and lived in in Maine. The piano had been installed there back in the latter half of the nineteenth century before the house was completed. It was too big to fit through any of the doors and had to stay where it was each time the house was sold. I looked at the picture, read the post and an idea formed there and then… All of a sudden, there was a story about a piano called Emily. Of course the piano in my story hides a sinister secret
Ideas can come from anywhere. Nothing is ever wasted!
6. What are you working on right now?
On the novel side, I am about to start work on a story set around the standing stones of Avebury. It’s something I tackled years ago but the story I wrote then was never published and has long been lost. So it’s back to the drawing board, but, strangely, so much of it remains in my head, it’s like revisiting an old friend I haven’t seen in decades. I’m looking forward to getting stuck into it.
In addition to that, I am working on a number of projects mainly involving short stories with another publisher. I can’t say much about these yet but watch this space…
7. Any advice for other authors?
Rejections come with the territory. Usually, unless you are extremely lucky, you’ll receive shedloads of them. Don’t give up. Sometimes a rejection can actually be helpful – some publishers and/or agents will give you constructive feedback if they think your work shows promise.
You need a reader. Not your best friend or your favourite auntie. You need someone who will give you objective criticism and, when they do, be prepared to act on it.
Read widely and often and not merely in your own genre. Analyse how successful and respected authors create their stories.
Write. Write. Write. Also be prepared to hit the delete button. Recently I hit it and wiped out 2,500 words and two entire characters. The scenes were adding nothing to the action and plot of the story, and neither were the characters. Out they came. Chop. Chop. Sometimes you have to be ruthless.
ABOUT CATHERINE CAVENDISH:
Following a varied career in sales, advertising and career guidance, Catherine Cavendish is now the full-time author of a number of paranormal, ghostly and Gothic horror novels, novellas and short stories. Cat’s novels include In Darkness, Shadows Breathe, The Garden of Bewitchment. The Haunting of Henderson Close, the Nemesis of the Gods trilogy – Wrath of the Ancients, Waking the Ancients and Damned by the Ancients, plus The Devil’s Serenade, The Pendle Curse and Saving Grace Devine.
Her new novel, Dark Observation, will be published by Flame Tree Press in September.
Her novellas include: The Darkest Veil, Linden Manor, Cold Revenge, Miss Abigail’s Room, The Demons of Cambian Street, Dark Avenging Angel, The Devil Inside Her, and The Second Wife
She lives by the sea in Southport, England with her long-suffering husband, and a black cat called Serafina who has never forgotten that her species used to be worshipped in ancient Egypt. She sees no reason why that practice should not continue.
You can connect with Cat here:
Catherine Cavendish site
REVIEWER CORNER
Other Book Reviews
“Karen A. Wyle Releases New Nature Picture Book”
Reviewed by Jill Franclemont originally fort All Things Jill-Elizabeth
"Book review - Barking At the Moon" by Arlene Johns
"Either/Or Is a Coming-of-Age Story That Moves at the Speed of Thought" by Sarah Chihaya
via Vulture
"Iowa book review: 'Stone City' is a moving and rewarding read" by Michael Tidemann
"Book Review: The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis by Amitav Ghosh" by Shaan Kashyap
"Book Review: The Billboard, by Natalie Y. Moore" by Adam Prestigiacomo
via 3CR
"Book review: 'It Was All a Dream'"
"Book review (nonfiction): 'From Hollywood with Love' as zippy and fun as the rom-coms it honors" by Joshua Axelrod Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Book review: Phil Mickelson bio a rough take on exiled Lefty" by Tony Paul
via The Detroit News
"Review: Chronicle of campaigns past" by J. KEMPER CAMPBELL
"'Translating Myself and Others' is a reminder of how alive language can be" by Lily Meyer
via NPR
"Book Review: “Woman, Eating” — A Poignant Bite All Its Own" by Clea Simon
via The Arts Fuse
"Life of journalist Cokie Roberts explored in new book - review" by Aaron Leibel
"Book review: 'Circa' is a fierce, poignant coming-of-age novel" By Ashley Riggleson
Calls for Reviews
I’d love to find reviewers for my latest release, The Big Book of Writing Challenges. Available only as an ebook. Contact me at DMCWriter@gmail.com if interested.
READER CORNER
Book Blogs
Book News:
"Why Are Authors Like Colleen Hoover and Taylor Jenkins Reid Seeing Their Book Sales Spike? Credit BookTok" by Yashwina Canter
via Oprah Daily
"Upset by book bans, teen starts forbidden book club in small Pa. town" by Sydney Page
"My Queer Life Is Not Inappropriate, and Neither Are the Books That Reflect It" by Nicole Melleby
via LitHub
"Marie Myung-Ok Lee on the Inevitable Slowness of Writing" by Jimin Han
via Lit Hub
"Fourth graders from Blennerhassett Elementary create book of poems" by Mitchell Blahut
via WTAP
New Books:
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
Genre: Fantasy
by Isabel Cañas
Genre: Paranormal Fiction
by Chris Bohjalian
Genre: Historical Fiction
by Dervla McTiernan
Genre: Mystery and Detective
Jameela Green Ruins Everything
by Zarqa Nawaz
Genre: Satire, Action & Adventure
by Misha Pops
Genre: Cozy Mystery
by Mary-Beth Hughes
Genre: Short Story Collection
Hidden Pictures: A Novel Hardcover
by Jason Rekulak
Genre: Thriller
by Natalie Jenner
Genre: Historical Fiction
Uncertain Ground: Citizenship in an Age of Endless, Invisible War
by Phil Klay
Category: Essay Collection
You Have a Friend in 10a: Stories
by Maggie Shipstead
Genre: Short Story Collection
Sex and the Single Woman: 24 Writers Reimagine Helen Gurley Brown's Cult Classic
Edited by Eliza M. Smith and Haley Swanson
Category: Essay Collection
by Emma Straub
Genre: Science Fiction
His Name Is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice
by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa
Category: Domestic Politics
by Audrey Magee
Genre: Historical Fiction
by Putsata Reang
Category: Memoir
River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile
by Candice Millard
Category: Biography and Memoir
by Paige Clark
Genre: Short Story Collection
by Eimear Ryan
Genre: Literary Fiction
The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere.
by James Spooner
Category: Memoir
by Alexander Maksik
Genre: Coming of Age Fiction
by Cindy House
Category: Memoir
We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies
by Tsering Yangzom Lama
Genre: Literary Fiction
by Naheed Phiroze Patel
Genre: Literary Fiction
by William Brewer
Genre: Literary Fiction
My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef: A Cookbook
by Kwame Onwuachi and Joshua David Stein
Category: Cooking
Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up
by Selma Blair
Category: Memoir
The Office Bffs: Tales of the Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There
by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey
Category: Celebrity & Popular Culture
Upper Hand: The Future of Work for the Rest of Us
by Sherrell Dorsey
Category: Business & Management
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester
by Maya MacGregor
Queer Contemporary YA Mystery
EDITOR CORNER
NEW COLUMN: “Carolyn’s Editing Tips” is a new monthly installment in the newsletter. Carolyn-Howard Johnson is an award-winning author and poet who has written groundbreaking books such as The Frugal Book Promoter, The Frugal Editor and How to Get Great Book Reviews. A former publicist and journalist, Carolyn provides teaching, coaching and editing services. Her website is at https://howtodoitfrugally.com/
Carolyn’s Editing Tips
Tricky Edits from Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Generally speaking, first words and other words in titles get capitalized with the exception of articles and prepositions of four characters or less. This rule may not apply when "to" is functioning as part of an infinitive rather than as a preposition, you know, because in this case it isn’t a preposition. You’ll see it both capped, and not. The decision to cap or not cap the infinitive "to" are sometimes made based on artistic considerations.
Editor Interview with RJ Thesman
How did you become an editor?
I started as an English teacher, proofreading for grading purposes. Later, I learned more about line editing, took some courses and attended workshops and webinars. As an author, I’m always aware of the writing rules and how they have changed.
What editing tools do you feel are the most helpful?
Track Changes in Microsoft Word is my go-to tool, and I keep my big copy of the Chicago Manual of Style right next to me.
What are the most common mistakes you see?
Two grammar mistakes happen often: farther vs further and messing up the objective vs subjective voice. I see this one all the time. “Her and I” is not correct. It should be “Her and me” or “She and I.”
The other big mistake is when writers don’t realize how formatting is going to change their manuscript. They indent paragraphs which will later become a problem. They number pages which will have to be changed. In today’s indie publishing world, writers need to be aware of every piece of the process.
Which books do you feel are helpful to writers who want to write better?
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
The old standby: The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
How do you handle a situation where a client often questions or argues your edits done on their work?
Before signing the contract, I tell my clients they are the author. It is their choice to accept or reject edits. This has never been a problem.
That said, please describe your ideal client.
A writer who is willing to learn, willing to accept some coaching ideas and pays on time.
What should a client expect when working with you as their editor?
I work hard to make sure the writer’s voice remains true. The book should not sound like me. So if I have suggestions for changing a word, I give several ideas and the author can choose the best. For a book length manuscript, I require 1.5 months to complete the project. Sometimes it works out to be faster, depending on the word count. I will also be honest with my clients. I am not afraid to tell the truth about what they need to do.
What do you do in the event that you feel the client’s work needs more in-depth editing than what they have asked for?
This sometimes happens in fiction when they might need more of a developmental editor. I give them referrals.
Do you negotiate your rates?
Rarely. My coaching clients get an automatic discount when they choose me to be their editor. This is my business, and I check every word. Several clients have told me, “The edits were worth every penny.”
Do you feel a manuscript could actually be edited to death?
This can happen on the writer’s end, when they can’t let it go.
ABOUT RJ THESMAN:
RJ Thesman is a Certified Writing Coach (since 2012), an Editor (since 1990) and a prolific Author. She has written 20 books (so far) and published 800+ articles and stories in various publications around the world. Her work is included in 14 anthologies, and she is listed in the Who’s Who of Professional Women. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. She is a trained Stephen Minister and Biblical Counselor.
Thesman is a member of the National Association of Professional Women, the Heart of America Christian Writer’s Network, the Fellowship of Christian Writers and the American Association of Christian Counselors.
She is a popular speaker and teacher for numerous writers conferences. Thesman loves to help her clients birth new words and publish their books. She enjoys teaching workshops, organizing coaching retreats, speaking at various venues, reading, gardening and cooking — especially anything with blueberries.
Follow RJ Thesman on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Kobo, YouTube and Goodreads. Check out her website at: https://RJThesman.net and follow her blog. Subscribe to her YouTube channel where she posts videos about the writing craft: “RJ Thesman – Coaching for Writers.”
News in the World of Editing
"Microsoft launches ‘woke’ editing tool which advises writers to type 'assigned female at birth' rather than 'biologically female' after Google introduced an 'inclusive language' function to avoid politically incorrect words" by Stephen Wynn-davies
via Daily Mail
"Your Copyeditor Is Out to Shame You (and Other Editing Myths)" by The Lacek Group
"How to edit your own writing" by Allison Carter
via Ragan
WRITER CORNER
Copywriter Interview with Peter Bowerman
1. How long ago did you get into copywriting and how did you get your start?
I’d always wanted to be a writer, but could never figure out how to do it without starving! About a dozen years into a sales career that preceded my writing career, I came across a book on the “commercial writing” field by one of the icons, Bob Bly. The light bulb went on, and I said, “This is how I’m going to do it!” For the next two years, I talked myself in and out of the idea about 100 times, before finally pulling the trigger in January 1994.
In the first two months, I made about 1000 phone calls,
calling every graphic designer, PR firm, ad agency and marketing company in
Atlanta, and inside of four months, I had more work than I could handle. And
no, phone cold-calling (like I did it) isn’t the only way to build a
copywriting business. There’s email marketing, direct-mail marketing (like
postcards), and networking—the in-person type (less these days, post-COVID, but
will no doubt come back); the grapevine type (reaching out to friends of friends,
etc.) and platforms like LinkedIn.
2. What exactly does a copywriter do?
Well, I’ll paraphrase the back cover of my book, The Well-Fed Writer: In the course of communicating with prospects, clients and employees, the typical corporation (from the 50-person shop to the Fortune 100 company) has to create an enormous amount of written material. The only question is whether they’ll do it in-house or hire an outside contractor, and there are enough in the latter category to make it an exceptionally rich opportunity. So, we’d be those people they’d hire.
What kinds of projects do we write? Marketing brochures (of all types), newsletters, direct mail, web content, web messaging, case studies, white papers, video scripts, sales sheets, sales letters, email marketing campaigns, executive profiles, taglines, slogans, names, and dozens of other categories.
3. Can anyone be a copywriter?
If you’re a good writer, and you want to make a good living writing, that’s pretty much the baseline requirements. I’ve always said copywriting is a very democratic business. Good clients don’t care about your age, race, gender, where you went to school (or even if you went to school). They only care if you can deliver the goods, on time and on budget.
But this is NOT an easy business, and it takes a lot of hard work to get established. But anything that can pay, on the low-end, $50-60/hour, on up to $150+/hour, IS going to take hard work.
But it’s a bona fide opportunity. Fact: Companies of all sizes create a lot of writing, and constantly struggle to create good writing, so there’s an eternal demand for people who can deliver in this arena.
4. What are some of the challenges you have faced in your line of work?
The main one is the same challenge any independent businessperson in any field faces: How to get enough business in the door to support yourself and, eventually, make a handsome living. Our business is no different. Of course, I’m assuming that anyone starting this business knows that they’re a good writer, and not just because their mother told them so!
But if you do have solid writing skills (brilliance is not required, but certainly helpful), that’s half the battle, though the other half of the battle is the tough one. But as I try to remind people all the time, there really is a healthy and ongoing demand for good writing skills in the business world, and they will pay handsomely for those skills. But you have to dig for that well-paying work; you’re unlikely to find it bidding on projects on an online job site.
I had no writing background, no writing training, and I’d never written anything for money. But I knew I was a good writer, and had always been drawn to the writing tasks in any job I’d held. But, while I had little professional writing experience, my sales background helped me a lot. I wasn’t afraid to pick up the phone and call strangers, and when I did land a project, I understood how to “write to sell.”
Now, if you’re reading this, don’t decide, “well, I don’t have that sales background, so I’m doomed out of the gate.” Wrong. MOST people in our field who’ve built successful practices don’t have that background, yet they still have done just fine.
5. And how about the benefits?
The benefits are many. Once established, you get to enjoy a lifestyle most would kill for. You work on your schedule, take days off/vacation when YOU want, and make good money in the process. But, like anything that can deliver goodies like that, there comes a lot of responsibility to do the consistent marketing necessary to keep the business flowing.
Plus, I get an enormous amount of satisfaction from my work, from essentially taking the proverbial lump of clay and turning it into polished finished product. Not saying you will get all your creative fulfillment from writing marketing copy, but you might be surprised at how much you do. I know, you just want to sit at home in your sweats on the sofa, writing poetry and make $100K a year. Take a number… ;)
6. What is one of your most memorable experiences as a copywriter?
Early in my career, I was tapped by a multimedia producer for a very cool project. The Korean War Veterans Memorial was being built in D.C., and they were creating a commemorative CD-ROM (remember those?) to sell to visitors and the general public. I was hired to write the script for the CD. My sources were history books, and I had to spin a compelling story, and once the script was done, others took over and found photos and video footage in the National Archives to match my words. To see the final product was very cool.
7. Please share some things you have learned working in copywriting.
I already knew about sales and marketing, but being steeped in it further, as a copywriter, for 28 years now (on top of my prior 15 years IN sales), has helped me further internalize some fundamental sales and marketing principles, allowing me to serve my clients that much better.
I’ve learned about countless types of businesses across countless industries: financial services, education, real estate, high-tech, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, and so many more. And in the process, I’ve learned more about business in general, and the inner workings of many businesses and industries in particular.
As a result, I say I have a much broader and more informed worldview than someone who hasn’t had a similar set of experiences.
8. What books do you recommend for anyone interested in learning more about the
kind of work you do?
Well, at the risk of a self-serving suggestion… ;) I have written four multiple-award-winning books in The Well-Fed Writer series: detailed how-to guides to starting your own copywriting (i.e., commercial freelancing) practice, including the most recent edition (2021) of the book.
I say it’s an excellent primer on the subject that will give you an expansive “lay of the land” of our field, providing you with step-by-step, how-to instruction on every step to building a profitable practice.
Two books that got me started many years ago (as noted in my answer to question #1) were Bob Bly’s Secrets of a Freelance Writer (which opened my eyes to the commercial writing field), and his how-to guide, The Copywriter’s Handbook. Both excellent resources.
9. What’s your advice for anyone thinking of trying their hand at
copywriting?
If your goal is making money (and whose isn’t?), there are few fields that can pay what copywriting (a.k.a. commercial writing, or marketing copywriting) does. Just don’t spin your wheels. Meaning, some writing arenas have become “commoditized” (i.e., blog posts and articles), where countless writers have the requisite skills to write them. As such, rates have plummeted. You have to be able to do writing that NOT everyone else can do if you want to make money.
For instance, if you’re able to specialize in a particular industry by virtue of plenty of career experience, training or education, that’s a good example of being able to write well about a subject that few people can.
My mantra to those starting out is, “Leverage what you know.” Say, 10 years in financial services or 20 in high-tech, for example, can go a long way to instilling confidence in a prospect in that industry, even if you don’t have a huge portfolio of writing work.
The great thing about our field is that you can leverage virtually ANY background into a commercial writing practice. If you’ve gotten to a point, professionally, where you want more freedom and more control over your lifestyle and schedule, and don’t mind writing about an industry where you have a lot of experience, this field can be a great vehicle for doing just that.
Just as importantly, read plenty of books about marketing, and start the process of building a portfolio of samples. And enjoy the journey!
ABOUT PETER BOWERMAN:
Since 2000, through his books, courses and coaching, Peter Bowerman has been helping freelance writers and self-publishing authors separate the words “starving” and “writer,” and make a GOOD living from their words.
A 28-year veteran marketing copywriter, popular speaker and coach for writers and authors (since 2002), he is the self-published author of the four multiple-award-winning Well-Fed Writer titles (www.wellfedwriter.com), how-to “standards” on lucrative “commercial” freelance writing. His popular self-paced course, Well-Fed Craft, shows how to actually write the most commonly encountered commercial-writing projects. (www.wellfedcraft.com).
He chronicled his self-publishing success (100,000+ copies of his books/ebooks in circulation and a full-time living for 10+ years) in the 2007 release (and its 2014 update—both multiple-award-winners): The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living. www.wellfedsp.com.
In 2010, he launched the Title Tailor, providing publishers and self-publishing authors with help in creating book titles and back-cover copy (www.titletailor.com).
News for Writers
"He’s heading to nationals, bringing poems to life through sign language" by Steven Tonthat
via Oregon Public Broadcasting
"Writing in the Language of Horse People" by Judith Tarr
via Tor
"Tips For Writing Unique Meta Titles At Enterprise Scale" by Ludwig Makhyan
"The Art of Writing" by A.J. Lees FRCP, FRCPEd, FMedsci
via Psychology Today
"Lila struggled to write, then a teacher discovered why and unlocked her creativity" by Laura Kwerel
via NPR
"Is the Freelancer Market Saturated After the Pandemic?"
via nDash
"Thomas J Powell- 13 Tips for Writing Better Web Content" by Anna Duke
via TechBullion
"Before I was a novelist, audiobooks taught me how to tell a story" by Lizz Huerta
"Writing poetry helped me realise I didn’t have to conform to gender norms" by Patrick Kelleher
via PinkNews
"Digital journalism is the future, and I’m embracing it" by Kelsey Harrell
via The Daily Iowan
"The Future of the Content Writing Industry" by Bhavik Sarkhedi
via Entrepreneur
"9 Steps When Critiquing Another Writer’s Work" by Leon Lazarus
via San Diego Writers and Editors Guild
"10-year-old’s first poetry collection"
via DAWN
"You’ll want to vomit, cry, die or sleep forever: what happens when you finish writing your book" by Brigid Delaney
via The Guardian
"‘The vehicle for my feelings’: how sign language helped a deaf author find her voice" by Sara Nović
via The Guardian
"3 Common Reasons Why Freelancers Get Sued – It Happened To Me!" by Emily Thompson
via WritersWeekly
"Writing from dreams" by M.J. Cody
via Coast Weekend
"Writing Short Stories For Money: 27 Best Sites That Pay" by Chris Panteli
via Life Upswing
"Minneapolis to pay $600K to journalist blinded in one eye by police projectile after George Floyd's death by Faiza Mahamud
via Star Tribune
"Afghan journalist Ali Akbar Khairkhah disappears in Kabul, Taliban cracks down on women reporters"
via Committee to Protect Journalists
"What Skills Do Freelance Journalists Need in 2022?"
via Foreign Press Correspondents USA
"Christopher Nolan's 20 Tips for Writing Screenplays" by Jason Hellerman
via No Film School
"Top Five Grammar Apps to Help You Improve Your Writing"
via TechGuide
"Why I Quit Writing Screenplays and Wrote a Novel" by P. David Ebersole
via Crime Reads
FEATURE ARTICLE
Editing is a Lot More Than Just Correcting Grammar and Punctuation
By Dawn Colclasure
When it comes to editing, I’m old school. I don’t use any kind of software or websites to edit books or articles. I use my good, old fashioned eyeballs to scan documents I edit. I use books to refer to, of course, as well as websites such as Grammar Girl, Grammarly and the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
But when I edit, I am not just looking for typos. I am not checking how sentences are constructed, if there should be a quote mark where an apostrophe is at, or if the word “principle” was used when the writer meant “principal.”
There are other things I do when I edit material, including my own material. Doing these tasks myself may mean the editing process will take longer and it may mean more work on the writer’s part, but I just don’t feel right giving a manuscript a quick scan using some computer program then calling it “edited.” There are other factors that need to be taken in consideration when I perform edits.
Links. If the manuscript contains links, I need to make sure the full link is there. I once made the mistake of listing my website as dawnsbooks.com at a website requesting my URL, when it should have been https://dawnsbooks.com/ Right after I typed that, it became a highlighted link. During the production stage, I will insert the link into the proper word(s) to make that word or words a hyperlink, but during the writing stage, I have to include the FULL link. Not only this, but I have to make sure that all links are still good. If a link is dead or inactive, it has to go.
Fact Checking. I write a lot of nonfiction, and I need to make sure I get my information right. Not only this, but I also need to make sure that the information is coming from a legitimate source. I always try to find more than one source for a claim, because this not only helps validate said claim but it lets the reader know that there are a majority of authoritative figures making such a claim. I also check dates, locations, spelling of names and time periods. If I say that a certain item existed during a point in time, I need to look this up to make sure this is true!
Sources. I was recently told some interesting medical information. Skeptical, I asked this person, “Who is your source?” I used to work in journalism so I was trained to always question everything. If someone makes a claim, look it up to see if it’s true. One thing I have noticed is that Facebook has become a hotbed of misinformation. I am often looking up claims made on Facebook to see if there is an authoritative source behind it. And that’s the thing: You need to make sure your source is authoritative. I have been told that Wikipedia is not a good source, since anyone can put anything on there, so I try to find a GOOD source to support or validate a claim or argument. Books are good sources, too – but make sure they are written by an authoritative person! Again, anyone can write, and publish, a book. Question everything! Additionally, don’t neglect including sources for your work. If you did research for the information in the manuscript, include that information!
Organization and Story Construction. Everything we write has a beginning and an ending. When I edit, I have to make sure those factors are there. If it’s nonfiction, I need to make sure there is an introduction and a conclusion. If it’s fiction, I need to make sure the beginning does the job beginnings in fiction are supposed to do (introduce us to characters, establish the setting, introduce a conflict, etc.) and an ending (the climax, falling action, resolution and denouement). This is usually referred to as “developmental editing” and, as you can see, my kind of editing usually embraces all forms of editing: Line by line, developmental, copyediting and proofreading. Of course, fiction and nonfiction can be written in a variety of ways, but these structures of plot are essential in telling a whole story, as well as organizing your nonfiction material in a way that is easier for readers to understand.
The Big Picture. Finally, with editing, I try to see if the entire manuscript as a whole contains everything that needs to be there. If a claim is made, does the author support this claim with research and interviews? If the piece is meant to be a fantasy story, are elements of the fantasy genre actually in the story? If a poem is meant to be about an event, does the entire poem focus on that event? Basically, I am making sure that the piece accomplishes its promise to the reader (this promise is usually made in the title of the piece and/or the book’s blurb). I also check to see if there is any new information that should be included or if there’s any unanswered questions that leaves me confused. If I am not clear in my writing, then the reading experience will not be clear for the reader. Clarity is so important in what we read. If a reader becomes confused about something in the book, it’s not like they can phone the author to ask what they meant.
In summary, writers need to get things right, but of course we writers may end up missing those things, no matter how many times we read and reread our work. We need to be tenacious in our edits and ensure we cover the above elements in order to avoid problems for our readers. We writers try to do the best we can when we write our material, and we can only go so far with edits.
I never trust myself to self-edit my work; it always helps to have another editor look it over before publication. But if the editing process is done well and does indeed include those five elements, then at least we are trying to put in our best effort to get good writing out there.
Thanks for Reading! See you next month.
