WHY DID THEY REJECT ME?

I’m often asked,
”Why did they reject my  last piece?”                                                           
“Why did they take the last two stories essays I sent them but not this one?”
“ I think my stories are good and everyone says so, so why doesn’t  …..magazine publish them?”

There many possible reasons why articles /queries/ essays are rejected.

1. The magazine may  have recently published something similar.

2. It might be on a subject that just doesn’t interest their readers. Take it from me, the editors know better than you, what interests their readers.

3. It might be too long or too short for them – most publications have standard length for their articles and you need to read a few  copies to get an idea of their length and style.

4. If you’re writing for the religious Jewish market, the particular  subject that you’re writing about or the way that you have written it may not be handled by the publication, or be too questionable or with to many problematic ideas/ thoughts to pass their rabbinical editorial board.

5. It may not be written well.

Notice that reason #5  which is the reason most people think is THE  reason, comes last,so that you don’t always take rejections personally. If you have had several items published then the chances are that you are able to write well. However it is always  possible that you rushed this off too fast and didn’t take enough care with it. Read it through again and check for typos, incorrect grammar, sloppy word choice – just in case this is the reason
                             ------------------------------------------
Only essays, humor and short stories should be sent in already written to the publication.

All non-fiction article  ideas should be sent as queries before you start writing. them.It’s a waste of time to write the article and then send it in, unless the publication asks to see only completed articles.

These are a few possibilities for rejections, please feel free to add more in the comments section below

WRITING FOR THE WEB

Do you long to give up your day job and write full-time?
Maybe you don’t  have a day job but would like to make an income writing from home?

If so, then Naomi Elbinger’s ebook  “HOW TO MAKE MONEY WRITING FOR THE WEB”   is the book for you . It gives you a complete step by step  guide showing you how make it happen.
 Naomi is the blogger behind the popular business blog, MyParnasa.com and  blogger-in-chief for a leading Web Development and Marketing Firm, NewEdgeDesign.com so she has plenty of practical experience to offer newbies and those who are just now  getting their feet wet in the web writing world.




The book is divided into three parts taking the reader point by point through;

1. writing for the web
2.building a career as a web content writer
3.setting up your own blog.

If concepts such as keywords and  S.E.O ( search engine optimization)  make your eyes glaze over and are preventing you from considering this form of writing, don’t worry. Naomi explains them  all in simple, clear language and details  how to write your articles with all these and other web concepts in mind.

Other sections of the book include:

• Writing exercises.
• Discussions of the pros and cons of writing for content-mills.
• Points to consider regarding working freelance or being employed.
• 7 things  NOT to do if you want to succeed. 
• How to find jobs before they are advertised
• Links to many sites  which are hungry for articles which you could write NOW.
• Checklist for  web writers before submitting any article..

Even if you don’t intend to write for the web, Naomi packs in  a lot of information  that will help you improve your writing for print publications as well, such as:

• The  types of articles that editors love. 
• The 4 step formula for writing great articles
• How to rewrite a not-so-great opening so that it becomes irresistible.
• How to write amazing attention catching  titles.

This book is pure ‘tachlis’;  practical, hands-on tips, exercises and information. In fact it seems to contain all you need to start a potentially well-paid career as a web-content writer.

Web-writing isn’t a get-rich-quick-while-lying-on-the-couch career.  It will probably  mean leaving your comfort zone and trying things you’ve never tried before

But if you really want to try this profession, are prepared to work hard and  follow the blueprint in this book, you have a great chance  of building a successful new career.

Click here to view more details

START LOCALLY

Are you ignoring  a great potential market that is right on your doorstep? I’m talking about your local newspaper.
It may not be glamorous or glossy and it may not pay big bucks, but it needs to fill its pages day after day, or at least week after week, with material that you are in a wonderful position to provide.
It’s also an ideal place to start,if you haven’t yet been published and are nervous about querying the big glossy magazines.
Although it will probably provide a small amount of national or even international news, its importance lies in its local angle. The editor wants to know about people,places and events in the area the newspaper covers.
But it still needs some research before you rush off a query about your nephew’s kindergarten teacher who moonlights as an opera singer.

• Read the publication thoroughly from front to back making notes about the types of topics that are covered.
  
• Note how how much space is given to community events/ education issues / profiles of local people  etc.
  
• Read several editions to check if some topics/columns are regulars and are always written by the same person. If so your chances of writing on this topic are less than on a topic which is always written by different people.
  
• Look through the list and see which section you could contribute to.
  
• Brainstorm some ideas making sure they have a local angle  Perhaps an interesting off-the-beaten-track  local site/ someone with an unusual hobby/ a special activity at  your children’s school
  
• .Develop one or two into full-blown queries indicating why you think it would be a good story for your newspaper.
  
• Check the paper’s masthead to see which editor covers your topic and send off your query.
  
• If you haven’t heard anything within a week, drop another email checking on your idea.
  
• If they aren’t interested in these ideas, don’t give up. Think of some others and query those.

                                                 GOOD LUCK