The Renegade Writer Blog

Denise asks: I’m a full time mommy trying to turn my “hobby” of writing into a real profession. I’ve been stringing for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, covering school districts and city halls for the Metro Briefs section. The trouble is that I don’t get a byline unless they deem the subject worth more […]

I recently read an article on how to beat the competition — in any kind of business. In short, the author says that you should do the work that others can’t or won’t do.
That concept has really worked for me. Several months ago, on the advice of my life coach, I started billing myself as […]

If you’ve ever been single you know that the best way to attract a mate is to already be involved with someone. The same goes for writing. If you contact editors begging for work because the utilities company is about to turn off your lights, you’ll reek of desperation — and that’s a real turn-off […]

I just got a Google alert that someone had blogged about the Renegade Writer Market Wiki. It turns out the blog post was written in October by the director of technology at Imagination Publishing, one of the markets on the wiki. Bud Caddell writes:
“The truth is, as a company, we’re always looking for the best […]

I’ve been a subscriber to Marcia Layton Turner’s free monthly e-zine, Become a Six-Figure Writer, since the spring, and I’ve gotten a lot of good tips and advice from it. I rarely recommend e-zines, but this one is really quite useful — and with only one issue a month, you’ll actually look forward to reading […]

If you want to e-mail a magazine editor but don’t have her address, don’t fret — I’ve compiled the e-mail formats of some of the bigger publishing companies. Of course, there are always variations, such as when an editor has a hyphenated last name…but this list will still help in many cases. You can find […]

In January I wrote about my experiment using what I called “scheduled procrastination” to boost my efficiency. I’m a big proponent of “planting seeds” for future work by doing little things now, so I was excited to find the website for the book The Seven Minute Difference by Allyson Lewis. Lewis says that doing […]

Thanks to everyone who has joined and added markets to the Renegade Writer Markets Wiki! Recently added markets include Dayspa, Circle K, and DramaBiz. Please help us make the Wiki even more useful by signing up (it’s quick and free) to share market info. Once you register, participating is easy: From the main page, just […]

Many print magazines (especially consumer magazines) work at least six months ahead, meaning in spring or summer, editors are thinking about Christmas — not beach fun. Buy a cheap wall calendar and enter in all the holidays and events — except enter them in six to nine months ahead. So on one square in June, […]

Susan asks, “When should you send a query letter and when should you use a letter of introduction?”
Susan, here are the guidelines I use. I send letters of introduction (or LOIs) to:

Trade magazines
Custom publications
Editors at magazines and newspapers with whom I have some connection. For example, if an editor I wrote for at one magazine […]