latterdayauthors.com

[Patricia Wiles]

Hi all--

My local paper hired me as a staff writer a few months ago. It's an interesting job.

If you have any questions about writing for newspapers, post it and I'll do my best to answer!

Patricia
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Patricia Wiles
"Those of us who are blamed when old for reading childish books were blamed when children for reading books too old for us."--C. S. Lewis

[Gaynell Parker]

Yeah...I'd love to be able to land something that wanted a weekly article. I don't really have a local paper, so I'll just dream. Good luck with yours!!

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http://ldspaz.blogspot.com/

Writing is life

[Suzanne Reese]

So I was just offered a job with a monthly local paper. I have the time (it's only about 15 to 20 hours a month, plus a couple of my big commitments are over). But it pays about the same as flipping burgers, and will take me away from my goal of getting my manuscript polished and submitted to publishers. Plus I have another one dancing around in my brain and anxious to get on paper. I'm sure I would enjoy getting my hands into reporting again, but not as much as I enjoy writing novels. With the money being such a trivial amount, I'm wondering if there are any opinions out there about whether working for a newspaper could help forward the goal of publishing a novel? Would a publisher care about current work experience, as opposed to just past experience and education? I go back and forth between telling myself I ought to have more newspaper experience beyond just college, then asking myself why, if that's not my ultimate goal?
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Suzanne Reese
http://chocolatedaydreams.blogspot.com/

[Gary McCallister]

I think I posted about this elsewhere, but I have been writing a science article for the local paper for the last year. It actually pays less than flipping burger . . . like nothing. But it has driven me to write over 25 science for the lay person articles. Each is only between 600 and 1000 words, so not a lot of pages, yet. But I am seeing what develops because I think there may be the possibility for a book of collected essays out of this.

I have done some research about this and the market for non-fiction dwarfs the market for fiction. I am not sure why more LDS authors aren't into this. Perhaps it is because it is much more difficult to bring in philosophical points of view and control the message in non-fiction.

Patricia, are you still writing for the newspaper after almost two years? What has that been like for you? Has it interfered with your other writing?
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Gary McCallister
http://www.onemanmormonbluesband.com/home.html
http://flaming-moth.blogspot.com/
http://beebarbeeranch.blogspot.com/

[T. Lynn Adams]

Okay Gary, I'll post on that one.

Does newspaper writing interfere with creative writing? Yes. Sometimes that's a hinderance...sometimes it's a welcome change. It all helps you learn and improve.

I've been writing for newspapers since I was 15. I was recently hired to be the editor of a newspaper that covers all of Montana and Wyoming. Before that I was able to write many features for a large daily and have my own column on any topic I wanted for years.

Your idea is good because it WORKS! Many newspaper writers have done just that. You could even convert them into a science-for-children book. There is a need for non-fiction books, too!

I think it is wonderful that you are writing for a local paper. You can build name recognition, even if it is a little bit at a time. You can also add it to your resume and your cover letters...and you should!

Best of all, you can syndicate your column NOW. Get going! Contact other papers of similar size in your area and tell them you can offer them a weekly column. Send them a month worth of samples with a photo of yourself and a title for your column. (Many columnists offer to let the paper run the columns for free saying if the readers enjoy them and the paper would like to continue the column, they are willing to visit later about details including deadlines and a price that works for them and the paper's budget. Editors love that. Just be aware if you are hired that papers often change columnists every six months to a year just to keep reader interest high. It's nothing against you. It just means there are always new papers out there looking for your column!)

Small papers (those that print 1, 2 or 3xs a week) are always looking to pick up outside columnists. They may not be able to pay anything or very little ($5 to $10 a column is common) but as you get more and more papers taking your articles that add$ up. But the numbers also add up. Pretty soon you can say to the daily papers: "My weekly articles currently run in XXX papers" or "my articles are read in XX states by XXXXXXX readers each week". Then move on from there.
Why only get paid only once when you can electronically send out your columns with the push of a button to 5, 10, 25 or more papers?

T. Lynn
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Tombs of Terror, YA adventure fiction
Author's Website: http://tlynnadams.blogspot.com/

My LDS Thoughts http://myldsthoughts.blogspot.com/

"The greatest books have yet to be written, the greatest inventions have yet to be made." -Rex R. Reeve

[Gary McCallister]

T. Lynn Adams! You have just substantially complicated my life. I had never even thought about syndication. I sort of knew it existed. But my time for thinking has been in short supply for several years now and it never entered my mind. (By the way, everyone should think as much as possible when they are young, before you get too busy to think, which seems to happen to many adults.
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Gary McCallister
http://www.onemanmormonbluesband.com/home.html
http://flaming-moth.blogspot.com/
http://beebarbeeranch.blogspot.com/

[Gary McCallister]

Ooops! I forgot and sent this before I finished. (I guess I wasn't thinking.) Can you tell me a little about how to find newspapers and editor names etc.? Are they found in Writers Digest? Are there any books or articles about this process that one could study to get started? For a variety of reasons, your post has hit me at a significant point in my life. Thanks for any added info. Thanks for the suggestion and encouragement.
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Gary McCallister
http://www.onemanmormonbluesband.com/home.html
http://flaming-moth.blogspot.com/
http://beebarbeeranch.blogspot.com/

[T. Lynn Adams]

Gary, 50states.com has a newspaper directory of over 3,000 U.S. newspapers. Here is the link for Colorado http://www.50states.com/news/colorado.htm You can also consider expanding into surrounding states. (Anyone else reading this post, just go to 50tates.com, click on Newspaper Directory and select your state or anyone else's state.)

If it is still in print I would recommend the book "You Can Write a Column" by Monica McCabe Cardoza. It talks about a lot of stuff and is very positive as well as being easy to understand and digest. Just be careful not to trade your 'style' for Cardoza's style. As with all 'how-to' books, be willing to throw out some of the author's suggestions and use only those that will build or improve your column, not change it.

As for an initial contact, I would still use snail mail. Yes, I know it's slow but we get so many e-mails for columns, editorials and cartoons every day that we delete them without reading them. It's the rare envelope that appears that gets opened and read. After they pick you up you can work electronically but if you want their attention, send a legal enevelope (those 4.5 x 9.5 inchers) with a:

* SHORT cover letter (3 maybe 4 paragraphs, no more. Explain your column, its history--you've been writing it for a year for XXX paper--and any scientific and writing background about yourself. Also include that blurb I told you about in closing.)
* 4-5 columns they can use (enough for a month)
* a small photo of yourself they can run with the column
* and a tearsheet (This is an actual page from the paper with your column on it. A xerox of one of your columns in print will also work and is less inky. Cut it to be an 8x11 inch-size if possible.)

Package those envelopes "assembly style" and it won't be so hard. Get a lot done at once.

That's it.

Oh, no it's not. Small papers generally have a publisher (who may or may not work in the office), an editor, an assistant editor and a bunch of staff writers. In most smaller papers you will want to send it to the editor or the assistant editor.

Good luck.

T. Lynn
_________________
Tombs of Terror, YA adventure fiction
Author's Website: http://tlynnadams.blogspot.com/

My LDS Thoughts http://myldsthoughts.blogspot.com/

"The greatest books have yet to be written, the greatest inventions have yet to be made." -Rex R. Reeve

[T. Lynn Adams]

Oops, guess I wasn't thinking either...You're right...it's something about age.

Anyhoo...Yes, you can also find newspapers listed with Writer's Digest.

T. Lynn
_________________
Tombs of Terror, YA adventure fiction
Author's Website: http://tlynnadams.blogspot.com/

My LDS Thoughts http://myldsthoughts.blogspot.com/

"The greatest books have yet to be written, the greatest inventions have yet to be made." -Rex R. Reeve