8 Quick Tips for Publication 

Persistence is the key to success. Out of 100 people, only 50 will finish their writing  project. Out of those 50, about 25 will quit after their first rejection. Out of the remaining 25, only 12 will submit again. Four of those will not follow the guidelines & submit properly. That leaves approximately 8 out of 100 people who will make it. Why? They took writing courses, matched their work to the right market, followed the guidelines, and were persistent. Yes, you can do it, too!

      *  Choose your market FIRST and then write the story/article to match the market. (Line up three markets at a time so that when [not if] you get your rejection          slip, you can pop it into the mail to the next market)

      *  Finish the project

      *  Edit it properly

      *  Read the market’s guidelines and follow them to the letter

      *  Call the market and learn the editor’s name. Be sure to get the spelling correct.  (Editors move around a lot. You may see the editor’s name as you research, but that’s old news. That editor may not still be there.)

      *  Submit, submit, submit, submit

      *  Keep your rejection slips. Frame them in gold. It means you went further than 92%
          of the writers did.

      *  When you get a rejection slip, have your next market lined up, and pop it in the mail the next day. If it doesn’t sell after three submissions, something is wrong.

 Possible problems:

         (a) You aren’t writing for the market

         (b) Poor story structure

         (c) You aren’t using Show, Don’t Tell

About the Author:

Deborah Owen is the founder of the Creative Writing Institute. You can send your work to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and ask for a free evaluation. One per person, please. Visit Deborah's website at http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com