Well, my goodness, I can hardly keep up with all the success stories that have been rolling in lately. Yahoo!
So, let’s start a collection. This is the new place to post your writing-for-publication success stories, which resulted from reading Writer Mama or taking a class or classes with Christina Katz. 
Just post a comment below and we’ll be able to scroll down and view them all, when we need some inspiration!
Thank you so much for sharing!
I’ll start by posting a few reports I’ve received recently…and you all just take it from there. Okay?
Dear Christina,
I just need to say thank you! This was my blog post today!!!!
*******
Today I had an expected surprise. A few months ago I took the advice of Writer Mama (from her wonderful book, Writer Mama: How To Raise A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids) and started looking at writing some “filler” pieces and submitting them. Well, being the busy mom that I am, I didn’t get very far but I did submit one little blurb to Today’s Christian (a publication by Christianity Today). It was a comic piece for their Kids in the Kingdom column. I e-mailed my submission and promptly forgot all about it. (I guess I didn’t follow Christina’s advice on tracking submissions very well!)
Anyway, today I got an envelope in the mail. Inside were two copies of the January/February 2008 issue of Today’s Christian with a notecard saying, “Thank you for your contribution. See page 7″. So, I did and there was my little anecdote! But it wasn’t over yet…I looked inside the envelope and there was a $35 check! My first writing paycheck!!! Whoo-hoo!
Does that make me an official Writer Mama?
In Unison,
Melissa Baldwin
Ravings of a Creative Suburban Housewife
Dear Melissa,
I would say that this makes you a very official, publishing writer mama!
Congrats again!
I’m a Writer Mama, hear me ROAR!!!!
I decided to dust off my freelance writing career October of last year and, as part of that, I felt I needed to dust off my resources in order to achieve this goal. This, of course, included reading (and USING) Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids.
Well, three months and hundreds of queries later, I’ve landed a book contract (book will be released June 2008), a monthly column, three copywriting clients, and requests for three additional book proposals from three separate publishers.
**phew** It’s crazy-excitingly-awesome! When I first heard this book was coming out, my first thought was how perfect the timing was . . . because I was seriously struggling with how to balance my three children and my career. Thank you for such a valuable resource, from one Writer Mama to another!
Fresh out of a Writer Mama class last October, I was ready to embrace the phrase, “I am a writer,” despite the fact that I had no publishing credits to actually use as proof. I started filling in the Occupation box on my kids’ school forms with the word ‘Writer.’ With my youngest son now in Kindergarten, I even scheduled time to write and sent off a few manuscripts to publications.
A few weeks later, I saw an invitation in the newspaper to meet the writers and editors of The Seattle Times at the local office. How could I pass this up when I aspired to be one of them? With all the courage I could muster, I set off for the Open House. It was awful. It reminded me of a cocktail party where you know no one. I ran for the beverages and spent as long as possible opening my water bottle and arranging my cookie on the napkin.
The first three people I met initiated the conversation with, “And who are you with?” Was I supposed to be “with” someone to be at this party?? Everyone else in the room seemed to be with some well-known local organization, business, or political group. “Actually”, I choked out, “I am a new freelance writer and just interesting in learning the business.” The reply was the same from all three people - “You should meet Scott.”
I finally met Scott, Editor of the Snohomish County section of The Seattle Times. “Come take my class,” he said. And so I did. During my eight weeks of class I got a lot of attention (there were only two other students), found a story I was passionate about (an orca whale named Lolita), and became hopeful I may have found a good first publication.
The class ended and I hit a brick wall with both the editor and my writing. In a huge leap of faith, I decided I needed to fly to Miami to meet this whale that people were trying to free after 37 years in captivity. My brother, a pilot, provided the super-cheap ticket and my husband agreed to my crazy idea for a two-and-a-half day solo escapade to Miami. Meeting Lolita made me even more determined to publish my story. I completely rewrote the story on the plane and sent it off to the editor when I came home. Ten days passed – no response. Finally, I stopped checking my email twice an hour and decided to pursue other publications.
Two days after Christmas, I got the best Christmas present ever. A short email from Scott with a request to publish the story in two weeks. In the end, we agreed they would publish three related articles, one of my photos, and two sidebars. It was to be the feature story for the Snohomish County section. But strange things can happen in the newspaper world overnight. The next morning, I almost fell over as I opened The Seattle Times and found the story had landed on the front page.
According to the paper, my story graduated to front-page news because it was at the right place at the right time. Just like I was back in October at that awful Open House. Perseverance and ambition carried me the rest of the way. I am a writer - just as I was back in October.
Thanks Jenn and Erika! These are great reports.
Keep up the great work!
Two years ago I decided to return to my freelance copywriting career after taking several years to focus solely on my two kids, but I had always wanted my career to expand into other types of writing. I found Christina’s “Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff” class while reading an issue of Writer’s Digest and enrolled.
It was a big boost for me and I learned a lot, so I decided to take Christina’s “Pitching Practice” class next.
That class was so targeted and so awesome that I’m happy to say I landed my first non-trade publication article assignment with the local mag, Chicago Parent, based on one of the queries I wrote for Pitching Practice.
My article is coming out next month in the March issue of Chicago Parent and I just learned that it will be one of their feature stories.
This is especially exciting for me because I wrote an article about coping with food allergies, which my oldest daughter suffers from. It’s great to know that not only do I get published, but I get to write about a topic that is important to my family.
I plan to use this clip to help me break into the nationals, so wish me luck!
Congrats to everyone else who posted their stories! I love to hear about other Writer Mama successes. Thanks to Christina for cheering us all on!
Oh, and I almost forgot–I have a new blog, too. Christina suggested to our class that we have a blog and web site, so here’s my blog address:nut-freemom.blogspot.com. Web site to come!
Awesome, Jenny! Thanks for sharing your process! Look forward to seeing you in the targeting class.
C
After taking WPSS, I developed a relationship with the editor of a regional parenting magazine. So far, I’ve written eight articles with four more in the works. And I’m getting ready to pitch them on letting me handle the magazine’s blog. Because of this relationship, I also sold a reprint to another regional because my editor recommended me.
On the full-time job front, the newspaper where I’m a copy editor just bought a local parenting magazine and they want to add more local copy. Guess who’s going to be writing for it? Me. Why? Because I asked. Sometimes it’s as simple as that: If you want something, you gotta ask for it!
Thanks!
My writing has been plugging slowly but steadily along, courtesy of a class I took with Christina quite a while back and then Pitching Practice last winter. Learning how to pitch properly has made all the difference - still refining it, of course.
So, here’s what’s been going on in my life. In September, I landed an assignment with FamilyFun - a family travel article that has at last hit the stands this month (March issue). It was a huge article for my family (we took a four-day trip for it), and it’s exciting to see their lovely faces in print. I am now at work on another article for FF, another assignment rather than something I proposed. Also have a rock climbing/kids article coming out this summer with Wondertime, a sister magazine to FF, and just had another proposal accepted by WT on a topic close to my heart (kids and winning and how success can lead to poor coping skills when kids lose). I continue to write for a local magazine but in January I gave up the editing I was doing for it to make more time for writing. The next week, the FamilyFun assignment came through - that’s what I call meant to be.
I’m also entering the blogging world as Moxie Mom at a new website called neighborhood-kids dot com, based in Bellingham, WA for local parents. The posts should begin appearing next week (Feb. 19 or so). And a website is in the works - yes, I know it’s time, and I’m inspired by the websites I’ve found through the WM blog. I’m also learning not to say I’m a “sort of” writer. Actually, that’s not what I say. Until recently, I was saying “I’m trying to make a go of freelance writing.” Well, it’s a go.
Awesome,Joanna! Thanks for sharing. You go, mama!
Christina,
I read your book last summer, and it was very inspirational, but the prospect of becoming a “real” freelance writer was daunting to me. I floundered around for a while, trying to hone my writing skills and find someone who would be willing to publish what I had to say.
Last fall, I discovered your WPSS class, and those six weeks of WPSS made all the difference! I still haven’t published any of the articles I wrote in the class, but WPSS gave me the techniques, onfidence and direction I needed to help my writing take off. Since the class ended in Novemer, I’ve written a a 1,500 list article for Primal Parenting magazine, a 2,000 word list article for Natural Child, and a book review/filler for AllGreen magazine (my first PAYING article!). The editor of AllGreen also assigned me another paying filler, and one of my queries for a filler article has been accepted by Family Fun (I am REALLY excited about this one!!)
I am amazed at my own progress,and I can honestly say I owe it all to you, Christina. If I hadn’t read your book, I never would have known it was possible for someone like me to become a freelance writer. Thanks!
Way to go, Andrea!
All the credit goes to your focus and hard work!
And now it’s paying off. Thanks for the great example!
Christina,
Well, I did it!! I just received a contract from MOMSense Magazine (published by MOPS International.) They accepted my list article “42 Ways to Play and Pamper” for their July/August 2008 print issue. It was the second article I submitted to them, though this one was much more specific to their requested theme list, and hence a successful sale!
I’m still shaking and I read the email last night! It was too late to call anyone, but I did scare the (bleep) out of my husband when I bombarded into the other room: “C’mere, c’mere, c’mere!” I shouted and dragged him back to my laptop so he could read the words in black and white!
I also forwarded the email to all my girlfriends and answered my first congratulatory call this morning at work from my friend Trish who shouted “Whoo-Hoo!” into my ear.
Christina, I want to thank you and your AWESOME teachings in Writer Mama, because before I read it I didn’t even know what a “list article” was. And lo and behold, it happened to be the first piece I wrote that got accepted!
As you know, I’m currently in your Writing the Short Stuff Class and we’ll begin the list article assignments this week. Now I have a success story to share with the class and hope to learn tons more (and publish tons more!)
And as Danny from Grease says, “This is just the beginning!”
On a writer’s high,
Mary Jo
Just purchased Writer Mama!! Can’t put the book down. Have been in the process of writing my first book for the last 3 years! I will finally get a boost knowing what to do with this book. Thanks Christina (author of Writer Mama) for giving me that push and inspiration that had gotten stagnant. I also have dozens of poems that will be sent out this week that have been lying around collecting dust. Should be getting checks soon for them I’m sure!!
Good luck to all the other writer mamas out there. GFree
I was reading this post, and it dawned on me that exactly a year ago, my husband gave me Writer Mama plus some other writing resources for my Mother’s Day present. Since then, I’ve started a blog (Musings from the Mitten), started a digital magazine (theWAHMmagazine), in which you, Christina were our featured Voice last issue, and somehow managed to get my 15 minutes of fame a few times in a bunch of printed and online publications. And inspiration, being what it is, I ended up drafting a Mother’s Day meme thanking you (and countless other writer mamas) who’ve inspired me to live the dream. Among my latests achievements, aside from reaching the half-way point in TWM’s first year, I got an acceptance from one of my “dream” publications. So thank you for writing Writer Mama, and Happy Mother’s Day!
-Erika-Marie S. Geiss
Christina,
I took your WPSS class in the fall of 2006. My daughter was one, and I was ready to launch my long dreamed of writing career. Unfortunately, life intervened, and I spent most of 2007 dealing with other things. Rather than letting it derail me again, I let it inspire me: if I could handle what 2007 threw at me, I could handle whatever 2008 had in store plus writing. A year after taking your class, I called a local parenting magazine and sent them my final WPSS assignment. They assigned me an article based on it. When I learned what their next issue’s theme was, I pitched another idea. So far in 2008 I’ve written four articles for them. It’s not a lot, but it’s what fits in my life right now with an infant, a 2 year old and a husband who’s gone for work for months at a time. I recently bought your book, Writer Mama, and hope that, when the time’s right, I can use it to move my freelancing to the next level. Thank you, Christina, through your class and your book you’ve given me the confidence to call myself a writer.
~Joelle
http://swahmmom.wordpress.com