Get Known Featured in NYT Bestselling Author’s Blog Today!

Allison Winn-Scotch has been kind enough to feature me in an interview about getting known in her blog today!

She’s got a great blog that demystifies the publishing industry. If you don’t see your favorite topic in the most current posts, check the archives. She’s covered tons of ground over the past couple of years.

You may also want to add her new NYT Bestselling book to your holiday shopping list. Check it out! Allison’s next book was just announced in Publisher’s Lunch as a “Significant Deal.”

Clearly Allison Winn-Scotch is a writer mama we can all learn from.

December is Sell-a-bration Month

As usual, the publication success stories from former students have been pouring in. I can barely keep up, but then again, I can barely keep up with everything at the moment. So I have an idea. Why don’t we declare December Sell-a-bration Month?

I will request detailed success stories from my former students of their proudest publication moments in 2008 and post them here in this blog.

I think we’ll all be incredibly inspired. And it seems like best way to combat some of the draggy, dreary news coming from the media and celebrate the holiday season.

Who knows what 2009 will hold. I know that 2008 was a good year for many writers.

Let’s band together and celebrate!

Topics to think about when looking ahead…

Soon-to-be first lady, Michelle Obama plans to prioritize the topics of military families and work-family balance. Are these your topics, mamas? If so, you might want to gear up for 2009 by taking my writing-for-publication classes that begin on January 14th:

• Writing and Publishing The Short Stuff
  Especially For Moms (But Not Only for Moms)

• Platform Building 101: Discover your Specialty

• Craft A Saleable Nonfiction Book Proposal

Learn more at www.christinakatz.com.

The Write Attitude: Have Fun!

By Jennifer Applin

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Be careful what you wish for.” After months or even years of dreaming about a writing career you may start to feel that the “dream” isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. The reality is that a successful writing career takes a lot of hard work and it’s not always fun. There is little glamour, and a lot of late nights. If you find yourself dreading sitting down to the computer, don’t despair and start searching the help wanted ads. Here are a few suggestions for making writing fun again:

• Mix things up a bit. Make sure your writing to-do list includes enjoyable tasks in addition to those involving deadlines. Set aside a little time every day to write for pleasure. Perhaps this is a personal blog or a few pages in the novel you hope to publish some day. Writing to meet deadlines is important, but enjoying your work is too. Make sure your to-do list involves both.

• Target new publications. You’ve worked hard to secure those steady accounts that pay the bills, but you don’t have to stop there. As your interests and hobbies change, so can the publications your write for. This is a very fluid industry with new publications starting all of the time. Keep an eye out for those that spark your interest and then have at it.

• Remember why you wanted to do this. One of the best things about a freelance writing is the variety it offers. With virtually endless topics to write about you don’t have to settle for a boring career. Although there may be times you aren’t enjoying your work, this doesn’t have to become the norm. Get creative with your to-do list and keep things fresh. Most importantly, remember why you set out on this journey in the first place and you can keep living the dream.

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Jennifer Applin is a freelance writer living in Ohio with her husband and four young children. Aside from writing for many regional publications, she is regular contributor to eLearners.com and Projectworkingmom.com. She spends her days cooking, cleaning and caring for little ones, and her nights writing about pregnancy, parenting, and the quest for peace (as in peace and quiet). You can also find her at Managing the MotherLoad.