Essay Online

I am pleased to announce that because of the existence of the American Chronicle, and the kind tolerance of its editorial staff, particularly Peter who has had to endure a lot regarding yours truly, I have been noticed by a travel guide publisher. Because I was permitted to send in article after article to this online publication, I am able to take on some bigger, paid gigs.

The way this works is that you write, a lot, and send your stuff into the American Chronicle for no pay. Hopefully, you write something that people actually want to read and, on occasion, respond to. The guys and gals at the mysterious editorial offices of the Chronicle, if you are lucky, approve your articles and put them on their web page. Though you aren’t making money in the traditional sense, you are getting exposure. You can even mention that you have written a book or two and that you would appreciate it if lots of people buy many copies for Christmas presents.

Lo and behold, when I wasn’t even looking, a travel guide publisher wrote me and asked for samples of my writing and my resume. Of course, I did what they asked pronto! I also asked which butt-cheek I should kiss. Not really, but I felt like it.

This travel guide publisher responded. After swooning to the floor and picking myself up, I read that not only were they interested in me as a contract writer but they also want to publish one of my articles in an anthology they have coming out later this spring.

After a lot of excitement-caused sleepless nights and a lot of alcoholic beverages, I was finally able to reflect on how this has all come to be. I thought I would offer some words of advice to other aspiring writers.

First, write, write, and write some more. What I mean is, write something publishable every day. Write as though you have a daily column to get out by a deadline. This doesn’t mean that you necessarily need to get it published daily. The point here is that you need to produce a lot of material. And, it needs to be publishable. Make sure it is your best stuff.

Second, in this daily writing, be sure to address your niche. I write about Mexico almost exclusively because that is where I live and what I know. I write what I know and what I want to write about&ndashlife in Mexico.

Third, find a place like the American Chronicle to file your stories. Make sure, if the online publication allows you to post key words, you choose key words that you think someone will look for within your niche. For example, with almost every story I file, I put the words, “Mexico, Guanajuato, expatriation to Mexico, travel to Mexico, etc…” or some variation as the key words.

Fourth, if you are permitted to post personal info, a bio or your web page, then do so. You want your biographical information out there. You also want to have words in your bio that correspond to the key words in your stories.

Fifth, do not ever offend your editors. Do not be a cry-baby. Do not pitch fits. Do not think of yourself as a prima donna. There are enough of them in the world. Frankly, they are not well loved. In fact, do what your editors say. Always follow their suggestions, especially when they tell you to straighten up your act and fly right. I add, reluctantly, that I know this point from personal experience.

Though none of this is guaranteed to land you a paying gig, it can be the means through which you get discovered. The more stories you can file, with lots and lots of good key words, the better your chances of getting noticed.

I will keep all my readers on the Chronicle informed as to the progress of my new writing venue. I will continue to crank out the stuff that many of you apparently like reading.

I want to thanks the Chronicle, Peter, and all those readers who have actually read my work.

And, be sure to buy my books, lots of them, for Christmas presents this year.

When I finished my book, “The Plain Truth about Living in Mexico,” I sent queries to a number of publishers. On a lark, I queried McGraw-Hill. To my utter shock and awe, they wanted to look at the completed manuscript. The editor who read the manuscript wrote back and said that he wanted to take it to the final committee for possible publication. This meant that the book passed all the requirements except the final step in which it is determined, in a kind of crystal-ball reckoning, if it will be something that will make them money&ndashthe bottom line.

Unfortunately, it did not pass that final step.

The main reason was the financial department thought the subject (expatriation to Mexico) occupied such a small niche that it would not make them money. They told me another reason they rejected the manuscript was that I had no platform.

In non-fiction (and, to an extent fiction), publishers take a hard look at who you are. They want to know why someone would want to buy your book from them. If you’ve written a book on weight loss, the publisher is going to look at what your qualifications are a selling point for your book. If you are a doctor with a very large practice, the publisher might reason that your education is a selling point. In addition, you have this platform, the medical practice, from which you can promote your book. Though the patients may only number in the hundreds in that doctor’s practice, the publisher might gamble that those patients would spread the news about the book to their friends. (Word-of mouth-promotion.)

Another example is the most beloved person (that’s a joke) in the entire world, Ann Coulter. This woman has a following she gathered from her TV platform. All those appearances she has made on television earned her a following that will buy all her books no matter what the woman says. Although I am a conservative, let me say this: She pushes it too far most of the time. However, she is a best-selling author and all of her books make the top of the list. She carefully and shrewdly built her platform from which she now has this following who buy her books.

To McGraw-Hill, I was a nobody. No one had heard of me and I had no following.

The book, by the way, got published and is still paying my $400.00 a month rent payment.

Since the year 2005, I have been busy. I’ve been writing hundreds and hundreds of articles, mostly for free. I have worked to build a following from the platform of the Internet (and a few print venues). I have engaged in article marketing to promote my books.

I have used three directories, Associated Content being one, to post my articles. I have “parked” my articles online and, through the magic of search engines as well as online publishers wanting free content, I have gathered a following. From this platform of writing free articles online, I have had three experiences that demonstrate my point.

First: A travel guidebook company contacted me and asked me to write for a book they were putting out. They asked for a contribution for the book. I wrote an article for the book, which is now on the market. It is a paying gig and provides excellent exposure for my writing.

Second: A couple of journalists who are starting a print and online magazine contacted me to become a regular contributor for their new publication. They found me online, read my work, and want me. This is more exposure and an additional platform from which to extend my book promotion reach.

Third: I just got word that an advance-paying publisher is offering me a contract for my next book. What looked attractive to this publisher was the writing itself AND the fact that I have a following. Now, with the magazine startup, I will have additional exposure to a readership of about 100,000 people. The magazine is related to the niche in which I write.

This is what publishers are looking for when you query them for possible publication of a book idea. How will you be able to sell this book, what will you do to promote it relentlessly, and who knows who you are? This is the business side of the so-called creative writing gig.

You have to find a way to gather a following of people whom you can reach to tell them, “Hey, I have a new book coming out. Will you please buy a copies for yourself and all your friends?”

So, all those articles you are not getting any upfront payments for in Associated Content?

Get them online anyway. Write the best you can. Try your hardest to promote them.

Associated Content is the platform from which you can put together your following. I did it!

The professionals are out there cruising the net looking for their next talent.