Breaking into Nonfiction

February 24, 2009

 

Mary Rosenblum:  Hello all! Happy Tuesday to you all.  We talked about breaking into today’ s electronic publishing world at our Friday Forum. And today, I wanted to continue the ‘ breaking in’  theme with a look at nonfiction. It’ s actually quite easy to break into the NF marketplace. That is a huge market and a whole lot of editors need quality material every month or quarter or week, depending on how often they publish. Many magazines these days have both a print version and an electronic version.

 

Julia: Is it better to specialize?

 

Mary Rosenblum:  Julia nearly every freelancer does end up ‘ specializing’  to some degree. The reason for that is contacts.  Let me explain the way the pro freelancing universe works. It’ s not all about writing something and then sending it out and selling it.  That’ s the fiction market. It’ s all about developing a working relationship with particular editors. That editor is going to call you and say, ‘ I need a 500 word filler on rose diseases by Friday’ .  So you are going to have to do that rose disease article quickly. Now if you’ve been writing a lot of gardening pieces, you have made contact with a lot of gardening experts. Every piece you write you’re probably going to need at least one expert, three for a feature. So you know lots of people. You get our your rolodex, look up the name of that rose grower you know, and ask him. So freelancers tend to ‘ specialize’  in certain areas simply because they have a lot of contacts they can call quickly when they need quotes. And when you’ re starting out, assessing your own personal contacts is a great way to get started. Are you interested in biking? You have friends who have bike shops, repair bikes, ride in races? Voila! You have a pool of contacts. An easy way into the markets will be to start pitching biking related articles.

 

Gail: I like the term specialize as opposed to selling ‘expertise  -- it makes non-fiction seem much more accessible.

 

Mary Rosenblum:  Well, Gail, you don’ t have to be an expert, you just have to meet a lot of experts. My freelancer friend Rick, who writers for National Geographic, Science News, and the like, goes to a lot of conferences just to meet new contacts.

 

Andipandi:  Mary, I have an autobiography on growing up with heart disease I’ m finishing up. Can you talk a little about where non-published writers can find an editor for such material?

 

Mary Rosenblum:  Andi, you are writing what is called ‘ personal narrative’.  That is, it’ s not an informational piece, but rather it’ s a piece about your life experience and it may be of interest to readers who have connections to heart disease as well as to readers who simply find your experiences interesting. This is sold much the way a fiction novel is sold, submitted to a book publisher who publishes this type of personal experience book.  It’ s going to sell for much the same reasons a novel sells -- because it’ s well written, engages the readers, and suits a particular market. The market for nonfiction experience books is much larger than the fiction marketplace, by the way. We like truth. 

 

TrinityClark: Thank you--your answer to Andi about answered all my questions in that area as well.

 

Mary Rosenblum:  So you’ ll browse the bookstore shelves to see who is publishing this type of real life experience book. Watch for something that is sort of like yours, but not exactly. If you find a publisher who recently published a popular personal account of growing up with, say, cystic fibrosis or MS, that publisher might be interested in your book.  But here, remember, the book can contain all kinds of interesting and useful information, but people read this type of personal narrative predominantly to be entertained, so here, as with fiction, the WAY you write is just as important as WHAT you write. I have several novel course students working on personal narratives. They’ re learning the same writing techniques as if they were writing fiction, only they’ re telling a true story.

 

Millylady:  Is Three Cups of Tea the same idea?

 

Mary Rosenblum:  I’ m sorry, milly, I don’ t know that book. But if it’ s about real life experience, that’ s the same thing.

 

Millylady:  It’ s Greg Mortenson’ s account of how he built schools for the poor in Pakistan, a bestseller.

 

Mary Rosenblum:  Yes, milly, that’ s the same thing.  It’ s a very large marketplace. Mainly, you have to have something to write about that will interest readers.

 

Gail: Mary, I may have finally found a niche for myself in the non-fiction world. My question: Is a blog a good way to “ sell”  one’ s non-fiction work, or is it better to seek paying publication first, and then post links from it to a related blog-site?

 

Mary Rosenblum:  Gail, you’ ll find a lot of ‘ how to sell yourself’  columns and books that tell you to ‘ start a blog’  as a sure way  to publicity.  But.  And this is a BIG but... The blog has to accumulate lots and lots of hits. You have a million blogs out there. If yours is boring, is simply an account of what you ate for breakfast and fed your cat, forget it. The people I know who write well hit, popular blogs, put hours a day into them. Literally.

 

Andipandi: I’ m telling my story from first-person point of view. do I need quotes, or is just telling my story ok?

 

Mary Rosenblum:  Andi, personal narrative is totally different from informative nonfiction. You are not selling information here, as you are with an informational piece (the hot new breakthrough in the search for water on Mars, for example). You’ re selling your own personal story, not information per se. No quotes needed, although quoting your doctor is fine if it suits the nature of the book. But you don’ t need to go search them out.

 

TrinityClark: Mary, if you are writing a narrative in which the actual places and names have been changed--- will that change the fiction/non- fiction heading? 

 

Mary Rosenblum:  Trinity, most people do change names and locales to protect the people involved. As long as you can tell the editor who those people really are, you don’ t have to tell anyone else. And in my opinion, you should not. I don’ t consider it ethical to put the general public on stage. The criterion for ‘ nonfiction’  is that the event must have happened. Now there is a gray area in personal narrative. Do you really remember exactly what Granny Dee said at that infamous Thanksgiving dinner? You probably didn’ t write it down. And it’ s considered fine to simply give her the words you think she said. As long as you convey the same meaning.  Where you step over into fiction is if you ‘ create’  a relative who wasn’ t really at that dinner or add events that didn’ t really happen.

 

Andipandi: Should I be changing the real names in mine, or can I use real ones? If use real ones, do I need their permission to use them?

 

Mary Rosenblum:  It’ s up to you, Andi. It’ s not illegal to use real names as long as you don’ t libel that person. will the person you include feel weird about finding himself/herself in a publicly read book?

 

 

JuliaB:  What if you’ re telling a story about an underage teenager and want to protect her but you’ d like to use quotes from a letter she wrote?

 

Mary Rosenblum:  Julia, you can use those quotes with her permission.. That’ s a copyright issue, you know. She has copyright to that letter. You cannot use it without her permission. If she’ s underage, then I believe that you need her parent/guardian’ s permission, but you’ d have to check that. Remember that ALL written or saved work is copyrighted. Everything...EVERYTHING on the internet is copyrighted. Images and text.

 

JuliaB:  But I could summarize what’ s in the letter or rewrite it in my own words?

 

Mary Rosenblum:  Yes, Julia, you certainly can. I would certainly change this girl’ s name, too. I would certainly change this girl’ s name, too. She may not object, but her parents might.

 

JuliaB:  I will, thanks.

 

Mary Rosenblum:  Paraphrasing is always your ‘ easy out’  with copyright concerns. Want to use someone’ s diary entry but don’ t want to get permission? Paraphrase it. As long as you’ re not libeling the person it’ s totally legal. You’ re not violating copyright, not libeling. If that person never speaks to you again, or punches you out next time you meet....that’ s between you and that person. 

 

JuliaB:  That’ s why reporters can get away with publishing facts that people don’ t necessarily want public?

 

Mary Rosenblum:  As long as they don’ t libel, Julia, they’ re in the clear. And libel suits are notoriously hard to win, by the way. But I would suggest that thinking about the feelings of the people you’ re using in your nonfiction is a good idea.

 

BSS:  writing a family history book, if you copy printed marriage records, can you get by by including the title, and page number, and isbn number I think its called isbn number.

 

Mary Rosenblum:  Bss, you’ ll have to check on this, but marriage and birth records are PUBLIC records. I do not believe that any copyright limits apply to them. If you can go to the county clerk and photocopy the document, you can, I believe, publish it. But you can check the US government copyright website to be sure.  http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/  

 

TammyC: Is it the same when using historical information...one can only paraphrase the Alamo and the okay corral in so many ways. How would I get around the facts of both without crossing copy right?

 

Mary Rosenblum:  Tammy, as long as you don’ t use the exact words from those books you’ re not infringing on copyright.  Ideas are NOT copyrightable. You can write about the Alamo and OK Corral all you want. Many people have. Anyway, the copyright issue does get sticky if you’ re writing historical nonfiction. But copyright does expire, although it has been extended in some cases. You can certainly include a copy of the Declaration of Independence in your piece, no problem.

But back to the topic of breaking in. Once you’ ve decided on a particular area where you want to break in, where you can find contacts easily... say showing dogs, or gardening, or horses, then you want to start researching markets. In freelancing, you really do not write a piece and then start sending it around, the way you do in fiction. That won’ t get you anywhere fast, most likely. Instead, you begin by researching markets.

 

Claryce: Are copyright expirations uniform or worked out under individual arrangement?

 

Mary Rosenblum:  Mostly they’ re uniform, Claryce. After the lifespan of the author. But they can be extended by application. I believe Sherlock Holmes stories are still quite solidly copyrighted, and the copyright is held by the family.

 

Coffee: When does copywrite become outdated?

 

Mary Rosenblum:   I think it’ s forty years after the author’ s death, coffee, but you can find out for sure on that government FAQ page I put up here.

 

BSS: what if their guide lines say no query, send quips and ms on a cd in word format?

 

Mary Rosenblum:   You always give a publisher what he/she asks for bss.  Usually publishers want the complete mss for a personal narrative piece, usually they want a query for informative pieces. Not always. READ THE GUIDELINES.  Professional editors expect you to act like a pro and if you don’ t read the guidelines you fail that test right now. And they won’ t even talk to you.  But...and here’ s an important BUT folks...  If you send the editor a query that shows that you don’ t know the magazine, that editor won’ t even answer your query.

 

TrinityClark: I may be out in left field with this one but___ I worked for a private freelance writer doing 500 word articles---many subjects , some were re-writes and had to be within 10 % or less duplication. These paid only $2---so am I correct in assuming she research the market to resell our articles?

 

Mary Rosenblum:   Yep, trinity.  Most freelancers sell multiple articles from one pool of information. The record among my nonfiction LR students is now nine sold articles from one interview. Pretty good, huh? You use the same information and you change the....anyone know what you change?  You didn’t know there’ d be a quiz, did you?

 

JuliaB:  slant?

 

TrinityClark:  Wording?

 

Mary Rosenblum:   Yep, Julia. Well, the wording will change because the slant changed. And you won’ t be duplicating the piece.

 

Claryce: That’ s what I’ve always read, Mary. Don’ t throw out any research because you maybe able to use other aspects of the information for a different “ twist”  to the nonfiction piece.

 

Mary Rosenblum:   Exactly, Claryce.  My friend Rick figures he had to sell one feature and six smaller articles to make a three day conference pay for him. He usually sells much more than that.

 

Andipandi: I have a LONG list of internet faves from all of my online articles, in case I need to write more on the subject.

 

Mary Rosenblum:   Good, Andi.  You know what I’ d do, Andi, before you try marketing your book? I’ d work really hard at getting short bits from that book sold to magazines as personal narratives.  Then you can take clips to the editor to prove that people want to read what you’ve written. Bailey White, you publishes her personal narrative book and sells lots, started out writing short personal narrataives in magazines -- gardening mags, womens’  mags.

 

Andipandi: ok, I hate to ask this, but what type of mags. would I look at for my piece?

 

Mary Rosenblum:   Well, that’ s a question every NF writer has to answer. And you do so by asking yourself a: Who are my readers? b: what magazines might they read? Those are the mags you pitch to. The reason White published in the gardening mags is that while her narratives tend to focus on her relatives and aspects of southern culture, they often involved somebody in her or his garden. Thus gardening mags. They weren’ t ABOUT gardening, but they fit the theme of the mag.

 

Claryce: What is your advice about pitching airline mags, Mary?

 

Mary Rosenblum:   Airline mags for the most part are hard nuts for a novice to crack, Claryce.  I would try for some respectable clips first. The travel mag market is not easy to break into, but its VERY lucrative when you’ re there. While anybody will buy the right piece even if you’ re a novice, you may not have that irresistable piece. And then you can work your way in by starting with smaller mags, then using those clips to sell to larger mags.   

One warning.

If you pitch an idea to an editor that is exactly what she featured in last month’ s issue, you get a serious black mark against you. Obviously you know NOTHING about that mag.

 

Claryce: So do we need a subscription to every mag we want to pitch? Or serious library time?

 

Mary Rosenblum:   Yes, Claryce. Sorry. But that’ s the only answer. The reason you need to do this... and yes, it IS an expense.... is that you have to know what the ‘ tone’  of the magazine is, who the readers are, and what that editor has featured in the last year. There is NO point in pitching something that was published in October. And if you write for the wrong readers, the editor probably won’ t even answer your query. But if you write for their readers, you pitch reasonable proposals, you’ ll probably get an assignment from the editor eventually. Even if she doesn’t’ t buy what you just pitched. I do NF once in awhile, just to keep my hand in (I started there, lo these many years ago). If I don’ t get an acceptance, and I usually don’ t, I’ll nearly always get a suggestion for what they do need.

Read the articles critically.

Analyze the tone of the pieces. Are they breezy and ‘ light’ ? Are they very serious and scholarly? Do they use a lot of vernacular or is the tone formal? You must write for this magazine. 

I had a student who took hiking trips into extreme locations. He would have had NO trouble selling tons of pieces to the hiking mags. But he would not vary his voice, which was slow, contemplative, wordy, everything that the mags he queried were NOT.  So he never sold one. I used to grind my teeth, but he was gonna do it his way and so there.

 

Claryce: I write grant proposals and when a foundation sends back suggestions..then I know I have their ear. Sounds like it works the same here!

 

Mary Rosenblum:   It’ s exactly the same, Claryce. If you get a ‘ no thanks’  on a query, you’ re in the ball park. If you pitch two or three ‘ near misses’  you’ ll probably get a ‘ we could use this’  suggestion. Editors DO want new writers. But they do NOT want to take their cramped time to educate you on how to write for them. That is your job.

 

Andipandi: wait a minute, are you saying that if we get a “ no”  response to our query, that means they are interested in seeing what else we have?

 

JuliaB: I got an editor who rejected a story, but wanted to see more of the same. I was such a novice, I didn’ t recognized the opportunity and so missed it. What a dunce.

 

Mary Rosenblum:   Yeah, Julia, we all have those ‘ ouches’  early on. Do try to jump on that ‘ see more’  invitation.  Andi, in nonfiction editors don’ t reply to queries that miss the mark. They don’ t want to encourage you!   Realize that editors usually plan their features six months to a year in advance. You may not offer something that suits those plans.  Once you’ re a regular, you’ ll get asked to write those articles as they plan out the year.

 

Andipandi: wow! I wish I had realized that in the past. Is it the same with fiction?

 

Mary Rosenblum:    Well, andi, in fiction, if you get a personal note from the editor it means that you were close.

So the long and short of breaking in to Nonfiction is to analyze a particuliar market, propose an article that suits that particular market, and do that a lot.

 

Millylady:  I had queried an idea and the editor accepted to see the article on spec. Four weeks later, i submitted the article and never heard from them. Does that mean I failed?

 

Mary Rosenblum:    Milly, it could be one of several things. The editor expected the piece back much sooner and by the time it arrived it was way too late. Or it got lost. I would have queried. But if you told the editor you’ d have it to her in four weeks and didn’ t get a ‘ that’ s too slow’  then you may hear yet. How long ago did you send it in?

 

Millylady:  No Mary, I respected the time frame they allowed me.  More than a couple of weeks ago.

 

Mary Rosenblum Oh goodness milly!!!!  Two weeks is hardly any time! Get used to publishing time. They want it tomorrow. You’ ll hear from them in two months. Or longer.  You’ ll get the contract when they actually schedule if for an issue, Milly.

 

Claryce: What are the guidelines for multiple submission of NF articles?

 

Mary Rosenblum:    Claryce, read the submission guidelines. If they don’ t say sim subs accepted, don’ t.  I would simply query with different slants. Then you can get ‘ yes’  to all.