Breaking into Print:
How to Get Paid to be a Freelance Writer – Fiction or Non-Fiction
By Valerie Young
You’ve always been drawn to writing – and to the freedom
and flexibility of a freelance writer – but you don’t know where to begin to
turn a long-held interest into income. Fortunately I do.
When the developers of a course Breaking Into Print
asked to review their writing course, I was unprepared for the quality and depth
of what they had to offer. First off, I have a background in marketing. They not
only shipped me a huge box of course materials but samples of their marketing
and informational packets as well.
Maybe it’s my marketing background. Or maybe, like most
people, I’ve become cynical about advertisers with their grand promises and with
the number of scams preying on people who desperately want to work for
themselves from the comfort of their own home.
So you can imagine how impressed I was to read a sales
letter that not only encouraged me to check the organization out with the Better
Business Bureau but actually provides step-by-step details on how to do it. More
on that in a moment.
Far more impressive though is Long Ridge’s promise to
students who pass the mandatory pre-registration writing course: “You will
complete at least two manuscripts suitable for submission to an editor by the
time you finish the program.”
How can they make such a bold promise? Simple, while most
writing schools do not require any type of pre-qualification, Long Ridge is
selective. Do you have to be a polished writer? No. But then people who want to
go the next step to become paid writers tend to have a gift and an enjoyment for
writing. They just need the guiding hand of a good teacher and editor to help
them get to the next level. Because they aim higher, Long Ridge graduates
superior students.
In this age of internet and other self-employment type
scams, it’s wise to be skeptical. Chuck Mayer of Clatonia, Nebraska was. Chuck
writes:
“Thanks for renewing my faith in the
great American way. When I received your writing test, I figured it was just
another scam and that no matter what I wrote, you would come back with a
high-class sales pitch. So I tried to ‘flunk.’ (I have edited a weekly newspaper
for over 20 years and thought I would test your test.)
“I must admit I was more than just a
little surprised when I received your letter telling me that I did not qualify.
I will long remember Long Ridge Writers Group as a school that can be trusted.”
This kind of don’t waste people’s money who don’t have a
basic aptitude for writing is just one of the reasons I recommend this writing
course to anyone who wants to break into writing – whether it’s a published book
author or freelance magazine writer or both.
10 Reasons I Recommend the Breaking Into Print Self-Study Writing
Program
1) Credentials. Long Ridge Writers Group out of West
Redding, Connecticut has been teaching people how to write and sell what they’ve
written to editors and publishers for over 15 years. (Per their sales letter’s
advice, to receive a free Better Business Bureau report, you can call or fax the
Connecticut Better Business Bureau at (203)269-2700, extension 2.)
2) One-on-One Personal, Individual Instruction. If
you’re a fan of best-selling author Barbara Sher then you’ve no doubt heard her
mantra: “Isolation is the dream killer.” If you love to write but find you just
can’t seem to find the time or motivation to sit down and do it – you’re not
alone. Even when we love to do something, it can be tough to get and stay on
track!
You can take a college or other writing class, but then
you’re on your own to stay motivated enough to write on a regular basis. But,
when you’re accepted into the Long Ridge program, you’ll be paired with a highly
professional, published writer or editor who will give you personalized,
specific, and immediately useable feedback and encouragement to help you achieve
your goal of becoming a paid writer. Your instructor reads every word you
submit, edits your manuscript line-for-line, and writes a detailed critique of
your performance with specific advice on how to improve.
Of her experience, published writer Theresa Blesi Altmann
of Roberts, Wisconsin writes:
“The most precious and priceless part
of the course was my instructor. Her words of encouragement were like leaning on
the shoulder of a trusted friend. Within days of finishing my course work, I
earned my first published article. How do you thank someone who helps you turn a
lifelong dream into a completed goal!”
Together, the instructors have written more than 14,000 stories and articles
that have appeared in a wide range of magazines, newspapers, and on the
Internet. And they have published more than 240 books.
Help is a phone call away. In addition to your personal
writing mentor, counselors are available by phone five days a week to answer
your questions about any aspect of the program including text and course
materials, and your assignments.
3) Outstanding Training Materials. At 464 pages, the
course manual is worth its weight in gold. In keeping with their
one-step-at-a-time approach, the manual arrives in three parts. Here’s how the
folks at Long Ridge Writers Group describe what you can expect:
Part 1 includes four
assignments including worksheets to help you sketch out your story line. This is
where you learn the basics of characterization, point of view, and dialogue.
You’ll also learn how to find ideas, choose a slant, and write a dynamic lead.
And you’ll understand how to build frameworks for your stories and articles and
learn to put your work into proper assignment format, a skill that will give you
a competitive edge when you begin to submit your work to busy magazine editors,
who demand proper manuscript form.
Part 2 is where you
continue to put your new-found knowledge and discipline to use as you further
sharpen your writing skills. You’ll delve deeper into techniques that you can
use in fiction (such as developing a plot, creating secondary characters, and
adding details of time and place) and non-fiction (conducting research and
interviews, testing your ideas of marketability, and writing attention-getting,
professional query letters). You’ll also learn how to revise the first draft of
your story or article.
Perhaps most importantly, you’ll
expand your knowledge of the magazine market. Part 2 reviews the market for both
fiction and non-fiction in great detail, and guides you in zeroing in on the
magazines most likely to publish your work. You’ll learn why market research is
the key to becoming a professional published writer.
Part 3 is appropriately
titled Launching
Your Freelance Career.”
The assignments in this section will show you how to look are your early work
for new ideas and how to strike out in new areas if you want to. Armed with your
instructor’s advice, your own knowledge of techniques, and market information,
you’re ready to prepare your final assignment – and launch your freelance
career!
4) You Learn How to Market and Sell What You Write.
If you knew how to get your writing published, you would have done it by now.
They don’t call it Breaking into Print for nothing. The whole purpose of this
program is to get you published. When you succeed, Long Ridge succeeds. As
early as possible in the program you’ll get actual editorial assignments so that
the manuscripts you write are “on target” and aimed directly at a sale.
Plus along with your comprehensive training materials
you’ll receive a hefty (think large city phone book size here) directory of
1,694 publications that buy freelance material. Each listing describes the
publication and the freelance potential. For example 75% of the articles in
Western Horseman are written by freelancers with 100 such articles published
yearly. You’ll also find out how to submit submissions, how to get a sample
issue, and how much each pays.
The directory also contains feature articles like:
-
Insider tips on
breaking into the red-hot science fiction and fantasy markets.
-
How writing
about pets can offer a wealth of publishing opportunities.
-
Your personal
experiences may be wanted in the nostalgia market
-
And more…
5) Everything You Need to Break Into Print. When I agreed to review
Breaking Into Print, I was taken aback by the depth and number of the
materials. In addition to the huge course binder and the directory of magazine
markets, you also get not one, not two, but five books essential to writing
success.
You get books like:
- William Zinsser’s On
Writing Well (more than one million copies sold)
- Jon Franklins,
Writing or Story: Craft Secrets of Dramatic Nonfiction by a Two-Time
Pulitzer Prize Winner, and
- Self-Editing for
Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne and
Dave King
6) Write What You Like. You don’t have to choose between fiction and
non-fiction. Breaking into Print combines the two basic and most marketable
forms of contemporary writing – fiction and non-fiction – to prepare you for
virtually any kind of writing.
7) High Satisfaction Ratings. Every year U.S.
News & World Report magazine surveys 1,400 colleges and universities. The
highest-ranking institution in terms of student satisfaction received a score of
73%. By comparison, 89.7% those completing Breaking into Print report being
“very satisfied”; a whopping 98% “would do it all over again”; and 97.7% would
recommend it to a good friend. It doesn’t get much better than that!
8) Approved for College Credit. The Connecticut
Board for State Academic Awards recommends that students who complete our
program be awarded seven college credits. No matter where you live, these
credits may be obtained from Charter Oak State College, which functions under
the degree-granting authority of the Connecticut Board. For a nominal fee, you
can have these credits submitted on a Charter Oak transcript to any college or
university. (If you are a teacher, your transcript will be sent to your school
board at your request.)
9) Money Back Guarantee. The Long Ridge
Writing Program is simple. If you are not satisfied that you’ve become a better
writer and learned how to market your writing to publishers by the time you’ve
completed [this] program, you can obtain a full refund.
10) Affordable. Because you can pay in low
convenient monthly installments this course is affordable to anyone who aspires
to become a paid writer.
I recommend this course wholeheartedly! Click here to learn more and to
receive your free writing aptitude test:
BreakIntoPrint.com/T1419
About the Author
Off the beaten path career
counselor, Valerie Young, abandoned her corporate cubicle to become the Dreamer
in Residence at
ChangingCourse.com, offering free resources
to help you discover your life mission and live it. An expert on the Imposter
Syndrome, she's presented her How to Feel as Bright and Capable as Everyone
Seems to Think You Are program to over 30,000 people.
Find more articles written by
Valerie at
ChangingCourse.com/articles/ | 
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