HOT OFF THE PRESS! We love to share our information with writers, and we’re happy to pass some of our INSIDER’S SECRETS along to you. Feel free to print these posts to use as a reference. Pass the links along to your writer friends. It’s packed with great information. DEADLINE-DATED lists of anthologies, theme issues, and contests are included at no charge!

In This Issue:

* * ARE “WHO’S WHO” AWARDS, HONORS, AND DIRECTORIES A SCAM?

* * GET 25+ SUBMISSIONS TO AGENTS AND EDITORS IN THREE DAYS!

* * HOW MUCH MONEY CAN I MAKE WRITING POEMS, SHORT STORIES, OR BOOKS?

* * ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS TO LITERARY AGENTS AND EDITORS: WHY THEY’RE HERE TO STAY

* * RESEARCHING YOUR HISTORICAL FICTION

* * HOW TO PROPERLY USE THE TERMS "LADIES" AND "GENTLEMEN" IN YOUR WRITING

* * You won’t find a better list anywhere (AND IT’S FREE!) of upcoming ANTHOLOGIES, SPECIAL-THEMED JOURNALS, and CONTESTS. Visit: http://www.writersrelief.com/blog/post/Anthologies-Contests.aspx.

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At Writer’s Relief we’re committed to informing our clients and Newsflash readers of publishing industry scams when we see them. Below you’ll find an article that discusses the possible pitfalls of “who’s who” scams that target writers. There are many “who’s who” organizations—organizations that claim to be the definitive list of professionals in a given industry. Some are legit, some are scams, and some are just questionable. In this article we refer to all such organizations as “who’s who” directories, since many of these companies use the term “who’s who” to describe themselves. Writer’s Relief is not referring to a specific company or scam. So before you add a “who’s who” credit to your bio in your cover and query letters, be sure that you are not being sucked into a money-making scheme.

A letter arrives, informing you that you are being considered for inclusion in a prestigious directory for writers, professionals, and executives. This is a reference publication containing brief biographical information on a particular group of people, supposedly people of note, and as a writer, you are thrilled to be included among the nation’s top professionals. What an honor! Just think of the networking possibilities! You can’t wait to add your who’s who credit to your cover or query letter, since you’re sure it will impress literary agents and editors. The letter encourages you to fill out the enclosed application and turn it in—with special emphasis on this line: There is no cost to be included in this fabulous directory.

Well, that’s all you need to hear, so you fill out the online form and sit back, feeling good. A few weeks later you receive a congratulatory phone call from this esteemed directory, and the caller has quite a few questions for you, which you confidently answer. After this lengthy interview, you are feeling rather important and validated. Finally, your talent as a writer has been recognized.

Once you’re feeling good about being included in a who’s who listing, that’s often when you’ll be hit with the hard sell.

If you’ve felt this way when a who’s who company got in touch with you, don’t feel bad. Writers have to deal with rejection on a daily basis, and sometimes our need for validation can lead to costly mistakes. At some point, the lure of a who’s who or a contest scam tempts everyone. Writers must be careful not to fall prey to such scams.

No, there is no cost to be included in this directory. There is, however, increasing pressure to purchase a membership so that you and your friends and family can access the directory. See your name in print. Peruse the competition. Plus, for a mere thousand bucks, you’ll get fabulous travel vouchers, gift certificates, even a nice award certificate to put up on your wall. Some who’s who directories even (gasp!) send you a personalized press release announcing this great honor.

When you fall over half-dead from shock at being asked to pay so much money, the friendly salesperson relents and decides to offer you a super special deal—the same price offered to nonprofit charities and libraries—but this is a once-in-a-lifetime offer, and you’d better sign up quickly. How can you refuse?

How can you not?

The sales tactics of scam who’s who directories can be downright aggressive. Aside from the “prestige” of being listed in their directory—and you’re likely to find prisoners and people who have been deceased for quite some time among this prestigious group—the focus of the sales pitch is often the promise of social-networking opportunities. But in this age of online social-networking sites, do you really need a thousand-dollar directory? Especially when its listings are randomly solicited? You’re more likely to make a useful connection through LinkedIn or Facebook, and the best part is that they’re free.

Many who’s who directories are not legitimate credits to add to your publishing bio; they work the same way as many poetry contest scams. If you list a who’s who credit that literary agents and editors do not recognize as legitimate, you’ll peg yourself as an amateur and a dupe. When a who’s who organization calls you and asks for your money, do your research before you commit to anything. Then, if necessary, head for the hills. Ask that your name be taken off of their list.

One final note: There are legitimate who’s who directories out there—one of the most respected is the Marquis Who’s Who, an organization that actually researches its candidates (rather than randomly harvesting names from the Internet) and only includes those deserving of inclusion. Marquis doesn’t care if its members actually purchase the directory, and there are no high-pressure sales calls. Who’s who directories that are NOT scams can be a great asset to your writing bio. We at Writer’s Relief watch for scams and keep our clients from mistakenly listing dubious credits in their cover and query letters.

Many writers wonder, “How much money can I make as a writer?” And while it may seem frustrating, the answer is “It depends.” How much money you can make on a book, story, poem, or novel depends on many factors: the market for your writing, the strength of your voice, your ability to research and submit regularly, etc. Here’s a breakdown by genre to help you understand how much money you may or may not make with your writing. This will help you as you learn how to get published.

Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money.  Jules Renard

How much money will I make writing poems (or books of poetry)?
Individual poems are most often published by colleges and universities—institutions that do not have much money since they are funded mostly by grants. Therefore, it’s unlikely that poets will make any significant money by publishing their individual poems. Occasionally, a magazine will choose a poem from among those it published in a given year and award that poem a prize—however, that’s not income a poet can bank on.

Some independent presses will pay their poets for a collection of poetry or a chapbook of poems; however, the advances rarely produce a living income. Often books of poems are published via competitions sponsored by independent and university presses (the poet pays an entry fee, which is then put toward the payment for the book of poems once a winner is chosen). Established poets have been known to enter many contests (and pay many contest fees) before securing a win. So be prepared to make a significant investment if you’re going to attempt to make money by entering publication contests.

See our article Five Ways To Make Money As A Poet for more information.

How much money will I make writing and selling a book?
Advances (payments guaranteed for publication) vary at traditional publishing houses. In the larger New York City publishing houses, you may expect a publisher to pay you anywhere from $2,000 and up for your book or novel. A small book deal may be $5,000 to $20,000. A middling deal may be $20,000 to $60,000. A significant deal may be $60,000 to $150,000. And, of course, advances can go through the roof for a book that every publisher wants. Some smaller independent houses may pay less than $2,000, especially for new writers or for books that may not have a wide appeal. (NOTE: These numbers are approximations, since there are no “rules” that dictate what is considered a big or small book deal.) Ultimately, the size of your book or novel advance depends on your platform, the excitement surrounding your book, and the size of the editor's budget. A good literary agent can help you negotiate the most amount of money and best rights deal for your book or novel.

If you are self-publishing, how much money you make on your novel depends on how much legwork you’re willing to do to promote it. Statistically, the majority of self-published novels do not make a profit that goes beyond the cost of printing. However, other self-published novels go on to do very well under the love and care of their writers.

How much money will I make writing short stories? How much money will I make writing essays?
Short stories and essays are generally published in literary magazines funded by universities and colleges. Unfortunately, most academic institutions don’t generally have big budgets for their presses, so writers will generally not make much money—if any—by publishing their short stories and essays in literary magazines.

As with poetry, story and essay writers may sometimes be awarded prizes for their work by the publisher (but there’s no guarantee). Story and essay writers can also compete to win a publishing contract for a collection of their writing. Please see our “How much money will I make writing poems” section above for more information on writing contests.

Some commercial publications do publish short stories, and they do pay their short story authors a significant amount of money. However, commercial markets are especially hard to break into for short story writers. If you want to have the best shot at getting your short story published in a paying market, you’ll most likely need to build a strong bio, with a history of having published in college and university literary magazines, before moving on to bigger and better known publications.

If I can’t make money, why should I write?
First of all, if you would like to make money writing poetry, short stories, or novels, then you must BUY poetry, stories, and novels. In other words, when publishers of poetry, short stories, and novels can count on turning a profit, advances will be more likely to rise.

Most writers write because they love it; they will write regardless of how much money they make or don’t make. Some of the most successful writers report that being paid for publishing is an afterthought—that an advance is just “gravy.”

That said, many writers do go on to make a LOT of money. But in order to get to that point, writers often have to “pay their dues” by not getting paid any money for their early work. A writer’s success in nonpaying markets will often determine how much a writer is paid when he or she approaches paying markets (since payments are sometimes determined by how much buzz surrounds a given writer). For more on this, please read Building Publication Credits.

Writer’s Relief can help you submit your novel or book to agents; we can help you target your poetry, short stories, and essays to the best-suited literary journals. Some writers may go on to make a significant amount of money on their writing, but we can’t guarantee writers a big income. What we can promise is that our clients have more time to write because we tackle the submission process for them, making it more effective and increasing their odds of publication. We help our writers build up their literary bios so that literary agents and editors with significant budgets will take them more seriously. How much money you’ll make writing poems, stories, and novels or books ultimately depends on your talent and stamina. If you love writing and want more time to write, Writer’s Relief can help.

The writing business is ever-changing, constantly evolving to keep up with the times. The most recent trend in publishing is the switch to online submissions. We have seen many good literary journals and agents fall through the cracks created by the sickly economy, but those left standing are eager to change if it means they can stay in business. Many of them have switched to electronic submissions to keep up with technology—to the joy of some and the chagrin of others.

To stay abreast of publishing trends and keep our clients’ acceptance rates high, Writer’s Relief has been incorporating electronic submissions into the targeting process—and with great success! Sending submissions through the Internet might feel like you’re dropping your work down a dark hole, but rest assured that there are more pros than cons.

Here are some of the advantages of making online submissions. But don’t just take our word for it; we’re including comments submitted to us by some of our clients!

* It’s the green way to go. No paper, no envelopes, no mail delivery truck gas. One of our clients says: I don't use a cell phone and am reluctant to use my computer much. But electronic submissions save me a lot of time hassling with copying, envelopes, postage, and using my car running from place to place. Damn, I'm saving the environment.

* Less money spent. When submitting online, you’re saving money on paper and printer ink or, if you get your copies done professionally, gas and copy charges. All you have to do is fill out a form. Think of it as something exciting you are signing up for, like a race. Sure, you're nervous, but just try it—you might like it.

* The ease of working from home. As one client pointed out, You can do it in your bathrobe and slippers. Online submissions can be made quickly (between your other daily tasks), and you can even make them on a Sunday (when the post office is closed)!

* Quicker response time, quicker results. According to one client, Typical magazines that require mail submissions will respond anywhere between 3 - 6 months later. Most of the magazines that accept electronic submissions respond in 3 - 6 weeks. Some even sooner. One agent in particular requested an online version of my entire novel, and she read the entire manuscript and responded to me in three weeks.

* Things don’t get lost. When using online forms, you’ll get a confirmation e-mail and the ability to track your submissions electronically, which means you’ll know your work went through. And even if something does go wrong, you can always re-send a form or e-mail much faster than mailing another packet.

* Submit from around the world. We have many clients who live outside of the US. Submitting online gives them the ease of sending their work from wherever, whenever. One of our clients in Ireland agrees: Since I live outside America, electronic submissions work very well for me due to the speed of submission and, let's face it, the reduced costs!

* It’s the wave of the future. The industry has already changed and will likely go even more electronic as time passes. Why not get in on that early? You are demonstrating that you are an up-to-date writer and part of the electronic community, a client says. I think your work gets better attention by submitting online.

If you would like Writer’s Relief to help you target your work to the best-suited literary agents and editors (via both online and print submissions), please see our Services Overview to find a program that meets your needs and budget.

When it comes to writing historical fiction, don’t panic at the word research. If you follow popular advice—write what you know—then researching your novel will help you do just that. And if you write what you love, then your research will also be a labor of love. Immerse yourself in the process and bring your novel to life.

First, find a happy medium. Don't just throw your characters into costumes and alter their speech just a tad, but don't overwhelm the reader with hundreds of pages of historically accurate detail and end up with more of a nonfiction history text either. Find a good balance. Readers of historical fiction are usually well-informed, and while they don’t want to be bogged down with useless information, they also don’t want to see a Celtic maiden wearing pleather, or a World War I soldier using laser sight.

Secondly, decide how you’re going to approach your project. You can either write your story and then do the research, or you can research your setting and then create the story, depending on how much the story relies on accurate data. For example, if you’re writing about a medieval battle in England, certain details will be crucial to your plot—the landscape, weapons, existing castles and cathedrals—but if your story takes place 200 years ago in a small town you’ve made up, you’ll have a little more leeway (although it will still bother your readers if the small town has an Internet café or a multiplex).

The basics.

You’ll need to research their style of dress and your characters’ names—a 17th-century woman is unlikely to be called Kaitlyn or Tamesha. What type of clothing would a pirate wear, exposed to the wind and rain, and what type of footwear? And don’t put a confederate uniform on a union soldier. Sometimes looking at old photographs or paintings can give you a good sense of the clothing and hairstyles of the period.

If your setting is New York City in the 1800s, find out what streets, buildings, and parks existed at that time. If the location isn’t crucial to your story, or if you’ve created a fictional town or city, keep track of the basic information and stay consistent.

Dialect is a pretty important area to get right. Nineteenth-century Southern belles will speak differently than 16th-century Irish farmers, and neither will use “thee” or “thou.” An English earl will use vastly different language than a peasant from the same time period, and neither of them will use the word "dude." Also, make sure you’ve got the correct terminology. An Australian mother will change her baby’s nappies, and an English mother will push her baby in a pram—not diapers or strollers.

Where to find information.

You can get absolutely everything you need from just one source: Wikipedia.

Okay, just kidding. Internet sources are not always reliable (although reference links on Wikipedia can be helpful), and any information gleaned from them should be carefully cross-checked. The Internet is full of great sources, and you might start at a historical fiction writers’ site for some valuable and pre-tested Web site links.

If possible, personally visit the location you’re writing about. Tourism offices and historical societies are often helpful and usually have the most accurate information about their cities and towns. Visit the local museum, attend re-enactments, or interview old-timers. Take a tour, take some time, take pictures, and immerse yourself in the depths of the setting. If this is impossible, check with historians and/or the local library.

The library is an obvious place to start, and a good librarian can be invaluable. They may have original documents and maps hidden away from the general public, or they can steer you in the right direction. Books aimed at younger readers can also boil down the basics of a time period—what people ate, how they dressed, what their bedrooms looked like, what their mother might say and more. Also, check out the history section of bookstores, and don’t forget about used bookstores—they often have out-of-print history books that can offer a glimpse of the past.

Ask the experts. Find a local expert on the Civil War, or check out the Web site of a well-known Roman Empire scholar. Many experts are happy to answer your questions as long as you’re professional and have done some of your own research in advance.

Keep in mind that you can’t please everyone. There are bound to be gray areas where you’ve taken some liberties, or you may have overlooked some pretty obvious anachronisms. If your plot and character development are strong, editors and readers will be more forgiving of technical inaccuracies, but remember—one glaring anachronism can cast doubt on the rest of your research and, ultimately, on your writing. If you're writing and researching historical fiction, check out Writer's Relief!

The terms “lady” and “gentleman” imply a degree of respect for the person they describe. A lady does not speak with her mouth full. A gentleman does not discuss his wealth with strangers. And a rough character, such as a drifter or a con man, a prostitute or a child molester, does not warrant the label. Recently there have been complaints about news reporters using the term “gentlemen” to refer to characters under suspicion of criminal behavior. “The gentleman in question is out on parole despite the murder charge.” It would seem that “man” would be a better choice of words.

When writing fiction, keep in mind the terminology you use. Aside from the titled women of Great Britain (a countess, baroness, or the daughter of a duke, for example), a lady is generally defined as a woman of refinement and manners, implying “good breeding.” A gentleman is defined as a man of noble or gentle birth; a man belonging to the landed gentry; or a man who combines gentle birth or rank with chivalrous qualities (Merriam-Webster).

So if you have a group of rugby players or roller derby champs who happen to be female, even if they’re individually ladylike and courteous in their personal lives, it would be best to refer to them as “women,” as in “The women ran roughshod over the competition.” Otherwise your reader might picture a group of delicate, prissy women politely scoring goals and gently pushing their fellow “ladies” out of harm’s way.

Be sure to use “ladies” and “gentlemen” with care and consciousness of the implications of the words and the effect your choice will have on your readers.

More articles like this:

The Use Of Gender-Neutral Language In Your Writing

Agreeing To Agree: Basic Pronoun Rules

Using Sensitive Language

REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF WRITING CONTESTS and ANTHOLOGIES! You won’t find a better list anywhere (AND IT’S FREE!) of upcoming anthologies, special-themed journals, and contests.