The Renegade Writer Blog

In early November I decided to target custom publishers to let them know about the wonderfulness that is me. Of course, my first instinct was to shoot all the publishers an e-mail letting them know who I am and offering to send clips as attachments. But I was actually missing the old days, when I […]

From the November 1887 issue of The Writer (as reprinted in their April 2007 120th Anniversary Issue):
What is to be done with an editor who not only does not return your manuscript when stamps are sent for the purpose, but will not even answer civil inquiries concerning your article?
Boycott him and deal with editors who […]

If you’re like us, you use e-mail to communicate with your editors 90% of the time. But it can be hard to know how to present a professional image when no one seems to agree on the rules for e-mail. Are smileys okay? How long should a sig line be? How quickly do you need […]

This week I got an assignment from a new-to-me editor at a new-to-me market. And this is a publication I’ve had on my hit list for a long time, woo-hoo!
As I was printing out some material she’d send me, I started giggling at all these funny little things I do when I crack a new […]

This afternoon I had to mail a package of clips via USPS. Yes, I know we prattle on and on in the Renegade Writer about how cool and electronic we are, but there are still times when we need to hoof it to the ye old post office lest we piss off an editor. Today […]

I found GoDaddy’s founder Bob Parson’s blog and his rules to live by, thanks to Lifehacker. Some of these rules are very applicable to the freelance life. Enjoy!
Share This

Linda and I are back at our desks this a.m. after spending several whirlwind days in Chicago at the Writers & Editors One-on-One, a limited-attendance annual conference that, as the name suggests, brings writers and editors together to talk magazines, story needs, etc. We loved meeting writers we’ve only met online, and we thought the […]

A couple of things happened today that inspired this post. First, someone posted on a forum for professional writers asking for tips on how to get started as a freelancer. This, of course, caused many pro writers to become PO’d. (Why expect professionals to spend hours giving you advice that you can find in countless […]

Rose Strong pitched a magazine that normally pays in contributor copies — but she asked for money. She ended up with her first magazine assignment and a nice check to boot.
Q. You mentioned that you recently sold your first article. Can you tell me more about the assignment?
A. I sold my first article to Fido […]