How many times each day do you check your email? Five? 10? More than that?

If you’re tuned in to your inbox all the time, you know how powerful email is — even after all these years — for connecting people around the globe. And if you’re not reaching out to your readers via a growing email list, you’re missing out on a valuable opportunity to connect with and build your audience.

We’ll look at the best email marketing platforms in this article, but first, why do you need an email newsletter?

Why Writers Need an Email Newsletter

An easy way to grow your email list is to send out a regular email newsletter to your audience.

So what can a regular email newsletter do?

You can use an email newsletter to:

• Stay connected with your readers
• Inform your readers of upcoming events or book launches
• Send out surveys and get potentially helpful feedback
• Attract new readers
• Share exclusive insider content

If you don’t already have an email newsletter, it’s time to start thinking about it as a part of your marketing efforts to build an author platform. It will go a long way toward helping you land writing gigs and sell books.

Plus, there are a lot of benefits to writing an email newsletter:

1. It’s easy to get started

I didn’t have to design a site. I didn’t have to make anything pretty. I just started writing. 

2. It forces you to write regularly

A lot of us struggle with productivity. The news is distracting, your kids are distracting, the existential dread of the whole year is distracting. And while we should all be extra nice to ourselves during this time of colliding crises and inevitable doom scrolling, we still need to work.

I find that productivity begets productivity, and forcing yourself to write can be a really helpful way to keep writing more. 

When I started my newsletter, only a handful of people were opening it. But I told that handful of people I would publish something every Tuesday and I stuck to that promise. Even if it meant getting up at 5 a.m. on Tuesday to make it happen, I didn’t want to let my subscribers down. As my list grew, and I saw that people actually wanted to read my words on a regular basis, so did my commitment to showing up every week and writing something I thought they all might enjoy. 

It became this peaceful little garden in the landscape of online distractions where I could take my time and nurture my words. I saw my work reaching people, and it reminded me that I have something special to share with readers. It feels good to do that every single week. 

3. Your newsletter is a home for your voice 

We’ve all had an editor cut a line that we loved. Editors generally know what they’re doing and those cuts and changes are for good reason. But writers should all have a place where their message and their voice is exactly as they intended it to be. 

Your newsletter can be that place. 

4. You’ll build credibility

Whether you write about writing, gardening, climate change or comedy, your newsletter is an opportunity to establish your credibility in something. 

And you don’t need an editor or a client to approve the topics you want to focus on. You can just write about the thing you love and share it with other people who care about that thing, too.  

5. Nobody can take your newsletter away

We’ve all lost a lot during the pandemic. Over 11,000 journalists in newsrooms lost their jobs. Magazines shuttered and layoffs piled high. Freelance writers lost clients and paychecks as everyone tightened their budgets. 

But if you build something yourself, like an email list, it can’t be taken away. 

6. You can monetize your newsletter — but you don’t have to 

After about three months of writing for free, I started charging $5/month for full access to my newsletter. At first, only a handful of subscribers upgraded. But I was honored that anyone who would be willing to pay for my work, and it motivated me to keep at it. 

I continued offering more and more value and working hard to give my subscribers the kind of advice and support I wish I’d had when I first started writing professionally. 

So now that you’re convinced it is a good idea, let’s look at email platforms.

Which email platform is right for you?

So whether you’re just starting to build your brand as a writer or already have a loyal group of fans who keep asking what you’ve written lately, it’s time to consider growing an email list.

Here’s a peek into some of the most popular email marketing platforms, plus quick pros and cons for each.

1. ConvertKit

For beginners? Yes

Initial cost: Free

This service specializes in email marketing services for bloggers and authors. Key features include easy organization of sequenced courses, customizable automated messages and integration with the ecommerce platforms bloggers favor. Most users say it’s easier to use than the other platforms on this list, so it’s a good starting place for beginners.

Start building your email list with the free ConvertKit plan, good for up to 1000 subscribers. The free plan doesn’t have access to all the more strategic features. To get those, their Creator Plan starts at $9/month.

One other cool feature of this platform is you can easily create unlimited landing pages, sales pages, and forms.

ConvertKit has been growing steadily since its 2013 launch. We moved to this platform in late 2019 and have since enjoyed an increase in subscribers to our email list. 

2. MailerLite

For beginners? Yes

Initial cost: Free

This email platform is best for you if you’re just getting started and have a small list. You can have up to 1,000 subscribers and send up to 12,000 emails in a month for free. In other words, if you had 999 people, you could send 12 times in a month for free. If you had 500 people on your list, you could send 24 times in a month for free.

Overall, it’s a great option for beginners and comparable with Mailchimp and ConvertKit on the free options. For more on pricing, click here.

3. MailChimp

For beginners? Yes

Initial cost: Free

MailChimp is one of the most popular email services for new businesses building their email lists. Some users think MailChimp is cute, but it can be clunky during the editing process. The big perk is that it’s free for up to 2,000 subscribers and 10,000 sends per month, which is a good starting point for most email newsletters.

While MailChimp is great for new email lists, the full-service features that MailChimp offers are important for the more strategic email marketer.

The recommended Standard package starts at $17 per month.

4. Constant Contact

For beginners? Yes

Initial cost: $9.99 per month

Constant Contact is geared toward businesses, so if you’re growing your brand, this option might be a good fit. The basic plan starts at $9.99 per month for a list of up to 500. All plans feature unlimited emails and include customer growth tools.

And if you’re not tech-savvy — and maybe don’t have time to even want to learn — Constant Contact offers additional services ranging from account setup to designing blasts for the copy you provide.

5. AWeber

For beginners? Yes

Initial cost: Free

Many big-name bloggers swear by AWeber. It was once the DIY choice, because it didn’t have pre-designed templates like many of the other platforms. But AWeber has become more user friendly over the past few years. In fall 2019, the company launched Smart Designer, which analyzes your website to quickly create an email template that matches your brand. 

Use AWeber for free and get unlimited emails for up to 500 subscribers. The paid plan with more customizable features starts at $16.15 per month for up to 500 subscribers and $26.15 for up to 2,500 subscribers.

6. GetResponse

For beginners? Yes

Initial cost: Free

GetResponse offers a free plan for up to 500 contacts. The paid, more comprehensive plans after 500 subscribers start at $12.30 per month Like many of the platforms we describe here, the company offers customizable email templates and landing pages.

If you just want to send emails to your community, GetResponse may not be your first place to start. But if you want to build a marketing funnel and sell products, this is a great all-in-one option packed with marketing tools for you. 

7. Substack

For beginners? Yes

Initial cost: Free

This one’s a little different from the rest. Instead of paying a fee to send emails through Substack, your readers pay to receive your messages. Every time you publish, you decide if it’s for all subscribers or just for those who pay a subscription fee you set. If you have paying subscribers, Substack keeps 10% plus about 3% for payment processing fees.

If you want to build your email list to primarily share promotional updates, Substack is probably not right for you. But if you want to monetize your writing beyond traditional or self-publishing and you already have a solid following, it may be worth considering. 

8. TinyLetter

For beginners? Yes

Initial cost: Free

TinyLetter is a MailChimp product, and its focus on text makes it a popular choice for writers. And unlike some of the MailChimp products, TinyLetter is completely free to use. The only catch: You’re capped at 5,000 subscribers.

“TinyLetter is to MailChimp what Tumblr is to WordPress: It’s newsletters for dummies,” Rebecca Greenfield explained at Fast Company. “Unlike MailChimp, which caters to businesses and offers all sorts of testing and analytics features, TinyLetter provides just the basics. Writing a message is just like writing an email in Gmail, meaning the process takes only as long as crafting the body text.”

Noted early adopters of TinyLetter include freelancer Ann Friedman. Since she writes for several publications, her weekly newsletter guarantees that fans never miss an article. (Ed. note: Friedman has moved up to TinyLetter parent MailChimp. You can read more about her experience here.)

9. Campaign Monitor

For beginners? Yes

Initial cost: $9 per month

Pricing plans start at $9 for 2,500 emails — not subscribers — per month. If you want to send unlimited emails or automated messages to your list, pricing starts at $29 per month. Campaign Monitor gets mixed reviews for usability, similar to concerns about MailChimp.

Campaign Monitor also offers users the option to only pay per email campaign, which is perfect if you only plan on sending occasional emails to your readers, when you have an event coming up or when you have a new book coming out.

Next Steps After You Choose an Email Marketing Platform

Regardless of the email marketing platform you choose to use, remember that readers won’t open your emails unless you’re writing interesting content that provides value. And your list won’t grow unless you make compelling content and new offers. So, before you sign up for one of these services, think strategically about how you’ll communicate with your network and what value you’re offering. We put together a list of Email Newsletter Best Practices: 4 Things to Consider that can help you get started.

If you’re an author or writer of any type looking for more information on how to actually grow your email list, check out this article.

Ready to get more inspired to dive into using email lists more strategically? Tune into this inspiring interview Dorie Clark Interview: Building an Email List, the Long Game & Becoming a Full Time Author.

Ready to grow your email list today?

Which email list service do you use? Which feature is your favorite? Tell us all about it in the comments!

This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

Photo via Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock 

Here’s the hard truth: You have to hustle to get new writing clients. Even the most experienced freelancers have to expand their circles on a regular basis to ensure they have a stable stream of paying work.

Websites that post freelance writing jobs are plentiful, but require a critical eye. It’s easy to get sucked into a trap of getting paid $1 for every 300-word post you research and write. And while that might be a good place to start, especially if you’re looking for freelance writing jobs for beginners, it pays to take a more strategic approach once you’re ready to level up your income.

How do freelance writers get new clients?

If you’re going to get high-paying writing gigs and repeat clients, you’ll have to think beyond the job board.

While these strategies can be more effective in the long run than job sites, they might take longer to show results. A job board offers the possibility of an immediate project, while the ideas outlined below sometimes return client opportunities months or even years after you put in the effort.

When you’re ready to go the extra mile, here are some fresh ideas for how to find clients.

1. Personalize your cold calls and emails

Don’t send your pitch to a generic inbox. Do some research to figure out which editor will review your pitch, and then spend more time sleuthing to find their contact information.

“Make sure the right people — the decision-makers — see your message,” advises Francesca Nicasio. “If you’re dealing with a small business or startup, the company’s founder is usually a good bet.”

Yes, this takes more effort than dashing off an email to a company’s inbox for general inquiries. But it’s far more likely to land you a byline.

2. Partner with other freelancers

Do you know any project managers, web developers or graphic designers? Their projects often require top-notch writing skills, which opens opportunities to work together.

If your web development buddy knows you’re willing to team up for a website redesign project, she can recommend you to the client. By sticking together, you might find ways to help one another.

“I have a list of writers I trust to get my clients to hire,” writes Paul Jarvis, who specializes in web design. “I know writing makes or breaks websites and I know the difference a professional makes. So I always suggest experienced writers to all my design clients and they often hire them.”

Supporting other writers can generate referrals, too, as writers who don’t have the bandwidth for a project often want to pass along the name of a qualified writer who can do it instead.

3. Volunteer your services

Volunteering may not pay the bills, but it’s a useful way to network without having to deal with small talk at happy hour.

“Volunteering is a great way to get to know influential people who can help with your freelancing career — especially if you volunteer to do the writing and promotional duties for those projects,” writes Narendra Motwani. The people you meet while volunteering could turn into connections at companies you’d love to write for.

4. Book a speaking engagement

This tip only works if you’re comfortable in front of a crowd. But if you’d rather give a speech than approach strangers at happy hour, it could be a fit. And remember, even speaking in front of 20 people counts; you don’t have to keynote to an audience of thousands of people to be effective.

In an ideal world, you’d speak to audiences that could become clients. For example, if you write in the healthcare space, look for opportunities to speak to people who work at healthcare companies.

But even if you can’t find a perfect match for your niche, getting in front of any audience could pay dividends. Share knowledge that shows you have something to offer, and the people who see you speak might pass your name to someone who needs your expertise.

5. Get back in touch with former clients

If you’re not in regular contact with previous clients or organizations you’ve volunteered for, you could be leaving business on the table.

This outreach can be as simple as a short email or LinkedIn message to check in with someone you once worked with. Look for a way to mention that you have bandwidth for additional work. “You never know when a client might send work your way simply because you popped up on their radar at the right time,” writes Samar Owais.

6. Search for opportunities on Twitter

You’ll never get any work done if you spend all day on Twitter. But by scheduling time each week to use Twitter’s advanced search, you might notice when companies are looking for help.

David Masters has a quick how-to that will get you started and help you refine your search terms. Or you could lean on a service that aggregates Twitter opportunities, like Sonia Weiser’s Opportunities of the Week newsletter.

7. Use your skills in a different way

If you feel like you’re banging your head against the wall trying to land a certain type of paying work, push yourself to be more creative about how you use your skills.

For example, can’t find a freelance writing job you feel good about? Consider going after transcription jobs instead. You might find a new niche you enjoy!

8. Write a niche blog

If you’re looking for work as a blogger, you should certainly write a blog of your own. Your blog should focus on a niche, says Carol Tice of Make a Living Writing, although the topic doesn’t have to line up exactly with your target market.

“Clients love to see that you understand how to develop many strong story ideas on a single theme, stick to a topic, write great Internet headlines, attract subscribers, and how to get engagement — comments and social shares,” Tice says. “[Potential clients] will want you to do all that for them.”

9. Sell a product

You only have 24 hours in a day, but selling a product you created help showcase your expertise, which can lead to clients over time. Plus, it never hurts to make money while you sleep.

Consider writing an ebook or white paper as a starting point. With so many online platforms and tools available to digital sellers, it’s never been easier to collect money for your work. If you’re not sure where to start, check out GumRoad, ConvertKit or Substack.

10. Pitch guest blog posts

Guest blogging might not bring in revenue — only some sites pay for guest posts — but it will get your name in front of a lot of potential clients. In fact, some businesses find freelance writers by looking at who writes for their competitors’ websites.

Don’t spread yourself too thin by guest-blogging for everyone, though. After all, you’ll need plenty of time for paid work as it comes in.

11. Sharpen your skills

Still getting nowhere? You might consider investing in yourself by taking some online writing courses.

Of course, you never want to put yourself in a position where you’re spending more than you can earn, but sometimes it’s worth paying for training to set yourself up for success. Many online courses offer feedback from the instructor and interaction with other students, and that could lead to insight about your own skills or approach.

What are your tried-and-true methods for reeling in new clients?

This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

Photo via fizkes / Shutterstock 

Just a few weeks later, governments started issuing stay-at-home orders as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the United States. Local businesses — including the coffee shops where I spent much of my disposable income with pleasure — closed their doors without knowing when they’d be able to serve customers again.

I can’t begin to imagine how my writing process would have differed if I had worked on my book during those quarantine weeks. So much of the regular activity that takes place at coffee shops had come to feel integral to my writing routine: Getting up to pay for another cup of something hot every hour or two so I wouldn’t feel bad for lingering. Eavesdropping on strangers’ conversations. People watching. Dog watching! Gathering up all my items each time I needed to use the restroom, or asking another regular to watch my stuff.

Maybe you feel the same way. Actually, I know a lot of you feel the same way, because you chimed into the conversation in our Facebook group about how you’re faring without your favorite writing hangouts.

Perhaps you were a regular at your favorite coffee shop and made a habit out of writing in the same spot with the same perfectly made beverage each time you visited. Or maybe, now that you’ve spent a large part of this year at home, you’re just desperate for a writing experience that feels different.

Adjusting to our new normal isn’t easy. As you figure out what works best for you, here are seven tips for replicating the things you love about writing at coffee shops.

1. Write with a friend (virtually)

If what you miss most about coffee-shop writing sessions is the community, it’s time to team up with other writers for virtual writing dates. 

No need be formal: Simply set a time and date, and make sure you’re logging on to the same video conferencing platform. Take a few minutes to catch up on life, share what you’re working on, then dive in—for 30 minutes, 45, or any limit you choose. Make sure to mute yourselves during your work session so the other person’s typing or snacking doesn’t distract you. 

Share your progress at the end and schedule your next session. Platforms like Zoom and Google Hangouts make it easy to get together as a group if you want to add more than one participant to your virtual table.

Don’t have a robust network of writing pals to invite? You can find some virtual writing buddies in our Facebook group. Or maximize your productivity by working with a stranger on the FocusMate platform. You can participate in three 50-minute virtual coworking sessions per week for free.

2. Choose the right sounds 

Sure, you’ve got your go-to playlists for every occasion. But no matter what song is on at your favorite coffee shop, there’s always that hum of activity layered on top of it, from conversations to coffee grinders. Replicate the feel of sitting in a bustling coffee shop while at home by adding the appropriate ambiance.

Try one of these websites that offer cafe sounds:

• Noisli
• Coffitivity
• A Soft Murmur
• Hipstersound
• Rainy Cafe

Each one has a free edition, and some have mobile or desktop apps you can install if you’re trying your best to reduce your number of open browser tabs. 

Many of you noted in our Facebook discussion that you rely on these tools to get in the writing zone. Just keep in mind that if you’re writing at home with your family or roommates around, you may need to employ a pair of noise-canceling headphones to truly transport yourself to your imaginary coffee shop. 

3. Level up your coffee game

Miss your usual coffee-shop treats like flavored drinks and warm pastries? Recreate some of that magic at home and treat yourself while you write.

No, you don’t have to charge yourself five dollars every hour you sit at your kitchen table. Mimic your coffee-shop favorites at home by picking up a bottle of flavored syrup, your favorite dairy or non-dairy creamer or a new-to-you tea blend. You may not instantly become a latte-art expert, but you can pick up a battery powered milk frother wand for about $15. You might even be able to order or pick up a bag of coffee roasted by a local shop.

Need a snack? Pick up your preferred pastry from a local bakery or your grocery store’s bakery department. You can probably freeze your treats and pop one in the microwave for a few seconds when you’re ready to sit down and write. Why not have a sweet reward while you’re doing the work?

4. Create a writing ritual in a designated spot

Half the reason you head to the coffee shop to write is for a change of pace, right? You can’t spend another moment sitting at your desk or parked at the same table where you eat all your meals. 

Carve out space in your home that’s dedicated to writing. Not all the stuff on your to-do list—just your writing. Even a couple of cozy pillows piled up in a corner of your living room can be more inviting than your desk chair. Or stack your writing-time must-haves like your notebook, tablet or reference books by your favorite chair. 

The space you choose doesn’t matter as much as the effort you put in to make it yours. Put a little sign up that says “Writing in progress! Do not disturb!” once you’ve made your coffee or tea and settled in.

5. Work outside

Why not take your writing outside if the weather is right? Set up at your local park with a blanket and lawn chair, or find space on a bench or at a table. 

If you like to type but don’t want to deal with glare on your laptop, set up a shade for your computer—yes, we’re serious. It’s worth it for the people-watching, fresh air and ambient noise that will keep you focused on your work.

6. Check in with your favorite coffee shop

It’s true that many cafes and coffee shops that have started to reopen haven’t been able to offer indoor seating yet. But you might be surprised at what your favorite coffee shop has cooked up to allow you to linger safely. 

I recently visited a coffee shop that featured a walk-up window for ordering (through Plexiglass, of course), a separate area for picking up your order and another separate area with outdoor seating designed for social distancing. Imagine a picnic table that’s sliced in half so no one can sit across from you. Last year, it would have seemed weird. Now? It’s the perfect spot to sit a spell.

Of course, follow the rules in your town, as well as the rules at the coffee shop. But if you’re really craving that cafe scene, a bench outside might help you satisfy your social and caffeine cravings all at once.

7. Splurge on a hotel day

Is your favorite part of writing at the coffee shop that it’s a space outside your home, away from distractions like laundry and family members? Then it might be time to get out of the house for a while. 

With travel still at a near standstill, hotels want to fill their empty rooms. And they’re getting creative to do it by turning some of their rooms into workspaces. 

You can book an upscale hotel room for up to 12 hours for a price that starts at about $110 (but can certainly go up from there, depending on the location). Some reservations come with a credit to use for room service or a discount if you want to spend the night. Coffee? That’s included too, naturally—your in-room coffee maker will be ready and waiting.

Check boutique hotels in your town for workspace offers, or check out Hotels by Day, which offers daytime reservations at major chain hotels for about 50% of the usual rate. Bonus: Book one with a pool and you can take a well-deserved afternoon break.

Remember that it worked for Maya Angelou, who used to reserve a hotel room for months at a time and wrote in her room for a few hours a day. That may inspire you to schedule a writing day in a room of your own soon.

Have any other suggestions for recreating the coffee shop experience from home? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo via LightField Studios / Shutterstock

As I embarked on my first writing residency, I knew I’d be joined by artists from all over the country seeking a focused period of independent work. I was ready — or so I thought.

I had packed and repacked the car. I had checked out helpful library books for research. I had acquired plenty of snacks. I had obtained not one, but two new notebooks waiting to be filled with the fresh inspiration that was sure to come.

What I didn’t expect was to feel like a fish out of water, as the only writer attending during my two-week session. Being a lone ranger wasn’t a big deal. But I had no other writers to turn to for perspective, or for a boost of encouragement. It was up to me to forge my own writing path.

I made the most of my time at Penland and returned feeling accomplished. But I also learned important lessons about planning for writing productivity while you’re away from home.

1. The first few days will probably be a wash

Anyone who’s sat down at their desk and waited (and waited…and waited) for words to come knows the anxiety of not being productive enough during a writing session. This gave me some anxiety as I embarked upon my first residency.

A friend advised me to give myself a few days to settle in, both to my surroundings and my temporary writing routine. Of course, someone doing a shorter retreat or residency may not have the luxury of spending a half day importing their chapters to Scrivener, or avoiding writing by reading a book on Cold War-era bunkers, as I did. But I was grateful to have the first few days of my stay to putter around and get comfortable, not only with my space but with myself, and no other tasks to complete but writing.

Tip: Plan a few low-energy tasks to get you started in the first few hours or days of your residency. A valuable way to start your stay may be to read over the work you’ve already done, to remind you why you’re here — and what needs work.

2. It’s good to have goals

Here’s where my strategy of “ease into the residency!” has its drawbacks.

Working in a residency for primarily visual artists meant it was easy to say, “Hey, what did you make today?” to a fellow resident, and be shown beautiful works-in-progress at a moment’s notice.

When they turned that question back to me, asking, “What did you write today?” I would chuckle half-heartedly and give them a big toothy grin. Then I would change the subject.

I didn’t always have something to show for my day of work.

In my first week of my residency, my major accomplishment was figuring out the emotional catalyst for my entire story, and summarizing it in a paragraph. It was a huge accomplishment for me, but on paper, it didn’t look so massive.

My colleagues were still excited for my progress. But because I didn’t set any goals before I started my work, I couldn’t truly gauge my progress during this valuable time.

Tip: Make a work plan, however minimal. Whether it’s a set of chapters, a character development arc, or research for technical aspects of worldbuilding, you’ll want to be able to look back on your time and say, “Yes, I did (at least part of) what I set out to do.”

3. Distractions are everywhere

It’s natural for others to be curious about your work at a residency, and it’s natural to be curious about theirs.

But it’s easy to let those side conversations about your work, your life back home, your pets, and that one city you visited once derail your productivity.

An artist at my residency referred to procrastinating as “chasing squirrels.” Everyone did it. Some of us more than others. If you let distractions like conversations, social media, and fiddling with the coffee pot take over, and you’ll wonder where your day — or entire residency — has gone.

Tip: Set a writing schedule, even if it’s as simple as working two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. That way, you can protect those hours — and let distractions run rampant outside those limits without feeling bad.

4. You will hit a wall

Right when you think you’ve hit your stride and it’s going to be nothing but multi-thousand-word writing sessions from there, you’ll hit the wall. Stuck. Burned out.

It happened to me: I started my second week of residency with a super-productive day where I wrote several pivotal scenes in my work in progress. I felt like I was on top of the world.

Until the next morning, when I sat back down at my desk and…nothing.

The cure? A 90-minute hike on a cold, but sunny day fixed me right up. I knew I needed to clear my head, and when a fellow resident volunteered to keep me company along the path, I happily took her offer. Leaning into this opportunity for distraction helped me reset my brain and sit down at my laptop with clarity and confidence the next day.

Tip: Accept that even in a special environment, some days will be more productive than others. Embrace the ebb and flow of your residency and listen to your body, mind and surroundings along the way.

5. Make a work plan before you depart

Your residency might feel like a rush of creativity and uninterrupted writing. But you can’t take it with you — at least, not in the same form.

When I returned from my residency, I chatted with my mother on the phone, who asked if I had a productive trip. Then she said, “Now you’ll have to keep up the momentum.”

Again with the half-hearted chuckling and toothy grin she couldn’t see through the phone.

I didn’t have a plan. In fact, in the month after my return home, I wrote zero additional words. I did zero additional plotting. I felt inert, sluggish back in my surroundings, with a day job to attend to and errands to run.

The momentum of a residency is hard to replicate for writers who don’t typically get time and space to write.

Tip: Before you depart, make a plan for how you’ll continue writing when you return home. Sure, maybe life will require you to tone it down from 2,000 words each day to 500 three days a week. But setting expectations for yourself will help you feel motivated to follow up on your residency-facilitated burst of creativity.

My lessons might seem obvious to someone who has taken writing trips before. But for a newcomer who loves planning and reviewing agendas, I felt overwhelmed with lightbulb moments. Of course it takes planning and preparation to make the most of your time — just like writing at home.

Now, it’s a matter of applying those lessons as I daydream about my next residency.

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

It’s a climate fiction story that started as a kernel of an idea this summer. I scribbled the first 10 pages or so, then left it to rot until November 1. (Not for lack of love, just for lack of time. You know how it goes.)

Now, each day, I open my story document and…make it up as I go along.

I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m a pantser.

The idea of outlining a plot, crafting character profiles or weaving story maps bores me. So I fly by the seat of my pants and let the story take the controls.

Does this sound like you? Or are you a planner?

Let’s take a look at these two writing styles and how they can benefit your craft.

Planners: small steps toward big ideas

Planners are methodical writers from start to finish. Sometimes before there’s a lick of dialogue on the page, a planner knows the key plot points of the story.

Take J.K. Rowling, for example. One image that floats around the web features a handwritten looseleaf page organizing plot points and characters for her epic Harry Potter series.

Rowling’s idea for the boy wizard popped into her head during a train ride, and she immediately got to work scrawling the first few pages of what would later be her first book about Harry and company. As she considered how to mold and shape that first book, Rowling also plotted out major events throughout the series, including the ending.

After all, with a magical world and host of characters, many of whom came of age over the course of the seven books, it behooved Rowling to have her outline as a guide. Otherwise, Harry and the rest of those wizard kids could have ended up printing t-shirts on the Jersey Shore instead of going to Hogwarts. You never know.

Planning isn’t just for the type-As and overachievers among us. It’s for anyone who doesn’t want to sit down in front of a blank page without help. It’s for people with minds too busy or preoccupied to keep track of the nuances of an entire story.

If you’re a planner, remember that your notes, outlines and resources are a guide, but not a turn-by-turn GPS unit. Deviating from your planned route — perhaps as a brief experiment to get your wheels turning on a tough day — could lead to some interesting discoveries for your characters.

Pantsers: It’s all under control

Stephen King is my favorite pantser. He’s got the chops to prove it, with more than 50 books on the shelves — many of them major horror favorites.

How did some of King’s most famous supernatural tales form? Organically, it turns out. One day at a time.

“I distrust plot for two reasons,” King says in On Writing. “First, because our lives are largely plots even when you add in all our reasonable precautions and careful planning and second, because I believe plotting and the spontaneity of real creation aren’t compatible.” The stories make themselves, he argues.

He goes on to explain that stories are like fossils. You find a piece of one and start to carefully unearth the rest of it. When you first discover the fossil, you don’t know what the final specimen will look like.

You don’t know if your own kernel of an idea has potential for a full novel, or maybe just a blip of flash fiction. You have to play with it (carefully, because it’s a fossil, remember) until the full story shows itself to you.

Pantsing is about trusting yourself. Trusting yourself to come to your writing desk regularly, to test ideas, to be willing to scrap entire chapters — or entire ideas — if they don’t work. By committing to your creativity, you give yourself room to play with the words until you’re satisfied.

So, which kind of writer are you?

This is not a debate about whether you like wizards or creepy clowns better. J.K. Rowling and Stephen King could both teach us lessons for days.

But if you’re still figuring out your writing style (Hint: many published authors are still working on this), it can help to bring awareness to your planning methods vs. your …well, your planning avoidance.

Author Heloise Jones recommends keeping an evidence journal, or a log of each time you sit down to write, in her book The Writer’s Block Myth. By keeping notes about each session, you can look back at the time you spent, what time of day you were productive, what you worked on, and how you felt about it.

You can also keep notes about your current project. Pay attention to how your plot develops during a writing session. Did you mull over a piece of dialogue or a key event on your walk to work in the morning? Did you dig through your purse to find a scribbled note to guide your next writing session?

Use the hints your life leaves you (yes, sometimes crumpled up in your purse) to determine whether you’re a pantser or a planner.

Maybe you’ll find you’re a little bit of both. Either way, if you’re sitting down to write, you’re a winner in my book.

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

Luck and personal connections may help, but here at The Write Life we believe that doing the work — and doing it over and over again – helps you achieve expert level.

But crafting the perfect pitch can be tricky, even for experienced writers.

Here, we’ll dive into three real examples from writers with various industry experience. While each takes a different approach in their pitching style, all three got hired to write the story they pitched. And each has lessons you can take back to your own pitches.

Example 1: Expert sources seal the deal

The article: America’s Obsession With Social Media Is Undermining The Democratic Process by Lisa Rabasca Roepe, appearing on Quartz

The pitch:

Hi [redacted for privacy],

I saw your post in [private Facebook group] a while back asking for pitches for the Ideas Section of Quartz.

Here’s a pitch for you to consider.

Voters are creating an election echo chamber 

Voters today are embracing presidential candidates who appeal to their specific passions and ideals much like they only trust news sources that align with their ideological views.

Our ability to self-select our newsfeed via Facebook, Twitter and even whether our main source of news is MSNBC or Fox News is creating an echo chamber for voters. As a result, the only news voters get about their candidate is favorable and the news about the candidates they don’t like is always negative. 

This piece would focus on how voters are no longer receiving balanced (and, in some cases, accurate) news about election candidates. This is not because the media is biased but because voters have an unprecedented ability to self-select the news they receive.

This article that would include interviews with:

• Tom Rosenstiel, executive director of API and former director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism at the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C.
• Carroll Doherty, director of political research at Pew Research Center

My articles have appeared in Fast Company, Men’s Journal and Daily Worth. 

Please let me know if I can provide you any additional information or clips, or if you have any feedback for me.

Thanks.

Why the pitch worked

Rabasca Roepe was ready with backup info when her potential editor had questions. After being asked how she would prove that voters were self-selecting their news, she crafted “a response full of facts and figures, demonstrating my knowledge on the topic,” she explained.

She was able to think fast and back up her argument to give the editor confidence in her ability to write a convincing piece.   

Here’s what she wrote back:

There is a fair bit of data available through Pew Research Center about consumers self-selecting their news channels and who and what they follow on social media. Plus, for many people Facebook and Twitter has become their main source of news.

For instance, a study conducted by Pew Research Center in association with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, finds that clear majorities of Twitter (63%) and Facebook users (63%) now say each platform serves as a source for news about events and issues outside the realm of friends and family.

Pew has also done research on which news channels a majority of liberals and conservatives trust. No surprise here. Most liberals favor MSNBC, The New York Times and NPR, while most conservatives trust Fox News.

I can tell you that I’m guilty of this myself. I never watch Fox News. My three favorite news sources are, in fact, The New York Times, MSNBC and NPR.

Some added background about me: I’m the former managing editor of Presstime magazine, the monthly magazine of the Newspaper Association of America. I worked at NAA for about 10 years and I also worked at the American Press Institute for two year, right around the time that news websites first started to allow readers to “customize” their new feeds.

I think the key to this article will be interviewing experts at Pew and API about the growing trend of consumers self-selecting their news.

Lisa

The experience

An hour after sending her response, Rabasca Roepe’s pitch was assigned.

“This editor was great to work with and we ended up working on several stories after this initial piece,” Rabasca Roepe says. “She even bumped up my rate.”

Example 2: Personal essay personality

The article: I Work in PR But I Hate Statement Necklaces by Lauren Sieben, appearing on Racked

The pitch

Hi there,

[Name redacted] pointed me in this direction for a pitch about the collection of statement necklaces I’ve amassed but that I admittedly don’t like all that much.

A few years ago, statement necklaces became a professional crutch for me. When I made the switch from journalism to PR, I felt like the shlubby and out-of-place little sister who walked in on a party of much cooler, older, prettier high school girls. I moved from my job at a local newspaper in Iowa to a PR job in a bigger city, and overnight I became hyper-aware of my dress pants that were too uptight and my Target basics that were too, well, basic. Every woman working at an agency in town seemed to own the same variation of that chunky J. Crew statement necklace, so I went out and bought one of my own (a much cheaper version at Charming Charlie’s, but it was the gateway necklace). Years later, I’m still working in PR, but I’ve settled into my own style and I don’t feel the need to cling to costume jewelry to fit in. And now I’ve got all these damn statement necklaces that aren’t my style at all.

I’d love to explore this topic as an essay for Racked. About me: I’m a Milwaukee-based writer and a reader of Racked. For a look at some of my past work, you can find my most recent essays for The Billfold and for A Practical Wedding. My complete portfolio is here.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I hope to hear back from you and hopefully we can collaborate soon on this piece.

Best,
Lauren

Why the pitch worked

Sieben focuses her pitch on how one type of jewelry has impacted her personal style, rather than trying to fit her entire jewelry box into her essay.

She admitted to The Write Life that her pitches can be too wordy, but in this case the finished essay delivers exactly what she proposed —  something editors always appreciate.

The experience

Sieben was asked to add a small section to her essay, but “It went up pretty much as I had submitted it,” she says. “The only downside is that piece went up months ago and I’m still waiting on payment because of some payroll glitch.”

Sieben returned to the editor who picked up her first piece and has another in the works.Example 3: Adaptability and a new angle

The article: A Wine Drinker’s Guide to Climate Change Winners and Losers by Jamie Cattanach, appearing on Vinepair

The pitch

Hi [redacted for privacy],

Pleased to meet you! I saw your call in [private Facebook group], and I’ve got a story I think might be a fit for VinePair.

I’d like to write a piece explaining how climate change could completely wreck winemaking as we know it, and even render certain varietals and blends impossible to create should temperatures rise too far. I would briefly explain how varietal characteristics depend on terroir — which, in turn, is defined in part by climate — before imagining how certain varietals’ expressions might change should temperatures reliably increase by even just a few degrees.

Long story short: if we don’t take action, our children might not be drinking the same elegant, cool-weather pinots or slatey Chablis we enjoy today.

I spent more than a year on-staff at The Penny Hoarder as their head food writer, and I’ve also worked with the Purple Carrot subscription box, Ms. Magazine, BUST, Roads & Kingdoms, RVshare, Santander Bank, Barclaycard and others. I have a piece forthcoming on SELF magazine’s website, as well. Here are a few relevant clips, and you can also take a peek at my website and full digital portfolio.

Thanks for your consideration; I’m looking forward to hearing what you think!

Thanks again,

Jamie Cattanach

Why the pitch worked

Without getting too deep in the weeds about the science of this piece or her potential sources, Cattanach sets the scene for a piece that has wide interest even for a niche publication.

The experience

Cattanach’s initial contact at Vinepair left the site between the assignment date and due date, which caused some confusion. She had to adjust her angle in the midst of researching her piece, as a similar article was published on Vinepair about a week before Cattanach’s.

“I had to change my angle from ‘What will happen to terrior?’ to ‘Where will the new fancy wine regions be and also, by the way, some wine growers are totally thinking about switching to pot, isn’t that funny?’

Despite the challenges, she was paid promptly and was proud to get her first clip in a wine-focused publication.

The common thread: Networking

All three of our pitching examples included mention of a personal reference or Facebook group for writers. That doesn’t mean that these three writers have endless connections in the industry. It just means that they’re paying attention and taking advantage of opportunities as they appear.

As a colleague reminded Cattanach: Your story idea definitely won’t get picked up if you never pitch it anywhere.

You learn by taking the chance, and doing so with confidence. Good luck, writers!

Note: We’ve removed some of these contributor’s clips that they shared in their pitches, but the text of their pitches otherwise remains as emailed.

Oh please, internet guru. Remind me that if I have an hour a day for my side hustle, I’ll undoubtedly reap the financial rewards.

What happens when your side hustle is writing? And your day job (or any number of part-time jobs you’ve cobbled together) also requires a lot of writing?

In your case, an hour of free time might send you running as far from your laptop as possible.

Writing takes a lot of brainpower. It takes a different kind of concentration and mental energy than say, raking leaves or walking dogs. Not better energy; just different energy.

And if your 9-to-5 already uses some of the same skills you need to be a good writer, it’s too easy to get drained.

If you spend all day on the phone or in meetings with clients, interviewing business owners to ghostwrite their blog posts on the side is going to feel exhausting. If you’re a proofreader by day, the idea of editing projects from Upwork at night is probably going to make your eyes cross.

But since side hustle advice so often focuses on cultivating skills you already have, turning to your writing skills may feel like a natural fit — even if you already use those skills for eight hours each day.

Here’s why that natural fit may actually make earning your second income harder.

Side-hustle pro admits failure

Breaking news: I’m a case study for side-hustle failure.

My day job as a reporter stipulates that I can freelance to my heart’s content as long as the content isn’t in conflict with the work I do for my salary. (You’ve checked your contract or employee handbook for limitations there, right? Good.)

So when I took this job and gave up my life as a frequent-traveling, frequent-napping freelancer, I expected I would be able to do the same type of work during my time off.

I’d keep my content marketing clients with whom I had a great working relationship and a smooth workflow. I’d continue to write personal essays, integrating reporting elements like expert consultation, where applicable. And I’d write new reported pieces for the web publications on my bucket list.

This is the part of the movie where everything stops and you hear the record scratch.

How was I going to to do reporting when I was already trying to pin down sources from 9 to 5 every day? How was I supposed to cultivate new sources? I can hear the outgoing voicemail message now: “I can be reached between noon and one and again after 5 p.m. Eastern.”

Wow, that sounds professional.

I even tried to outsource some of my research. When I had an idea but didn’t have time to do the initial research I needed to figure out my pitch, I enlisted the help of a researcher. I paid her for a few hours of work, and she delivered a document with key points, summarized news items on the topic and a bibliography.

It was money well spent on a subject area I’m still curious about. But I still wasn’t able to refine my pitch enough to have it land with the publication for which I intended it. And had they accepted it, how would I have had time to pursue the story on a deadline? I didn’t even have time to do my own initial reading on the topic.

So I made a hard decision: no more reporting outside of work, no matter how far removed the topic might be from what I write about there.

Instead, I’m sticking with nonprofit content marketing, which takes energy and concentration, but doesn’t require chasing down anyone to try to get a good quote.

It means my freelance work won’t be a factor in increasing my income this year. But it does mean  I’ll have some free time to work on personal writing projects. I can sketch out drafts of personal essays. I can work on flash fiction or short stories. The only deadline these projects will have are the ones I set for myself, and let me tell you, they are very generous deadlines.

So when you see an inspirational quote about how many hours Beyonce has, just remember that she has assistants. Her assistants probably have assistants.

That’s not you. I know, I’m bummed too.

How to hustle without burning out

If you’re working full-time and trying to freelance on the side, please stop lamenting the work you could be doing on a given evening, weekend, holiday or lunch break.

Instead, remember the following:

• Writing is hard. Doing it well is harder. Don’t burn yourself out because you’re trying to write everything, everywhere, all the time.
• Your brain needs space to breathe. You also need time with friends, exercise and fresh air, and probably to do some laundry on occasion. You are allowed to have free time that isn’t dedicated to your full-time job or freelance writing.
• Don’t try to replicate your 9-to-5 job into a writing-related side gig. Use adjacent skills, not the same exact ones. The idea is to generate income while keeping your work fresh, not to get stuck in a rut because you have to come home from work and do the same exact work.
• If the ideal reliable, income-generating side hustle for you isn’t writing, that’s OK. Dog walking and yard work can be great gigs, and the screen-free time may even help generate some ideas for your next writing project — whether that project is paid or not.

Day-jobbers and side-hustlers, how do you make it all work? Share your tips in the comments!

What about cli-fi?

Oh, you’re kind, but I didn’t sneeze. I said cli-fi. Climate fiction.

The genre crept up on me before I knew it had a name. I had been eating up dystopian novels, like breakout YA series The Hunger Games and critically acclaimed Station Eleven.

Then, after moving to coastal Florida, where rising sea levels due to climate change is daily local news, a kernel of an idea popped in my mind. I told a friend the premise for a story that I couldn’t truly describe as dystopian, but didn’t fit into the supernatural mold of science fiction, either.

That’s when she told me about climate fiction, which the Chicago Review of Books defines as “a genre of literature that imagines the past, present and future effects of climate change.”

I know, it sounds grim. But this genre, which has emerged with some strength in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis, is about emotion over academics. Good climate fiction, it seems, doesn’t have to get bogged down with the science of the reality of a warming earth.

Instead, it focuses on universal feelings of loss and grief, adapting to change or the pull of science versus faith.

Cli-fi: It’s everywhere!

Margaret Atwood is a self-proclaimed cli-fi writer. Barbara Kingsolver’s latest novel, Flight Behavior, is in the genre. Ian McEwan’s got a cli-fi novel, 2010’s Solar.

Climate fiction has even snuck into my headphones, thanks to legendary actor LeVar Burton’s new podcast, Levar Burton Reads. In “What it Means When a Man Falls From the Sky” written by Lesley Nneka Arimah (and excellently told by Burton), Nneoma is a mathematician who can relieve others’ grief caused by the washing away of several continents and the worldwide turmoil that followed it.

Although we get snippets of information about the events relating to the changing climate throughout the story, Arimah provides additional context in this passage:

The girl lowered her eyes to her lap, fighting tears. As though to mock her, she was flanked by a map on the wall, the entire globe splayed out as it had been seventy years ago and as it was now. Most of what had been North America was covered in water and a sea had replaced Europe. Russia was a soaked grave. The only continents unclaimed in whole or in part by the sea were Australia and what was now the United Countries but had once been Africa. The Elimination began after a moment of relative peace, after the French had won the trust of their hosts. The Senegalese newspapers that issued warnings were dismissed as conspiracy rags, rabble-rousers inventing trouble. But then the camps, the raids, and the mysterious illness that wiped out millions. Then the cabinet members murdered in their beds. And the girl had survived it.

It all feels appropriately post-apocalyptic, but ultimately the story focuses on how Arimah’s characters react and adjust to the new world they live in with those they love. There’s not much reflection in the form of nostalgia, but rather analysis of how great change has settled on human shoulders.

Hints of cli-fi also welcome

But you don’t need an entire story packed with global-warming details to dip your toe (OK, maybe not the best metaphor?) into the cli-fi genre.

Take, for instance, the short story “Fulfillment” by Chantal Aida Gordon. Focusing on a woman finding her place in the artificial intelligence industry in a future version of our world where oversharing on social media has long been considered gauche, there’s just a whiff of cli-fi to sets the scene early on:

Some attributed the reversal to the whipping storms, rising sea levels, a hip-height rain rivers that had become a constant in the forecast. Stranded, intoxicated, drowning, their survival rooms washed away, people along the eroding coasts needed to share their locations and desperation.

And then it’s back to protagonist Celine and her relationships with her parents, her coworkers and even Glenn, her personal robot. Gordon provides just enough context to put us in Celine’s world, then moves the plot onward.

I asked Gordon to ask how she would categorize her story, since to me it falls into a captivating gray area. She suggested both sci-fi and the umbrella genre it shares with cli-fi, speculative fiction.

Ready to try a little cli-fi?

Let’s be honest: I’m a cli-fi newbie. But I’m an enthusiastic one, mulling over details to weave into my work in progress that takes place about 15 years beyond the present.

If you’re interest in trying your hand at this genre, here are a few tips, from one newbie to another:

• Read, read, read. Soak up these wonderful novels. The Chicago Review of Books shares a few titles recommended by the man who coined the term cli-fi, if you’re looking for suggestions beyond the pieces noted above. Dissent Magazine also has a great primer on the genre with recommendations. Let yourself get carried away in the story, but take note of where climate-change elements are the most blatant or subtle.
• Start with short exercises or scenes. Play with cli-fi in your Morning Pages, as a warmup exercise in your writing group or when you have an idea you haven’t fleshed out. Consider the details you include carefully and why those details would be important — or excessive — for your readers.
• Don’t overdo it on the science. It’s counterintuitive to throw science out the window when writing about climate change, but remember that you’re not a scientist (unless you’re a scientist and a writer, in which case, you win this round). Don’t fall down a research hole about climate change but forget to develop your characters and plot. You can even write early drafts without the inclusion of specific scientific facts. Write the story first, then supplement scientific gems to support that story later. Remember, cli-fi is speculative fiction! Go ahead and speculate.

Have you noticed the cli-fi writing trend? Would you try writing some of your own, or would you rather read books from this genre?

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

But this spring, I got lucky.

While at a writing conference, I attended a panel where several editors described how they work with freelance writers.

I knew one of the editors on the panel: I speed-pitched her at an event the previous fall, followed up afterward and got the assignment.

When her turn came to talk about what makes a good pitch, she told the audience she would describe two recent pitches she received, and why they worked.

She started to describe the first example. “I liked this pitch because the writer answered a question I hadn’t even thought about asking,” she said.

And then she told the audience about my article.

She had no idea I was sitting in the front row until she saw me fist-pump in triumph. There was no collusion at work here, pinky swear.

Why my pitch about sandwiches worked

I’ve been thinking a lot about that panel, not because I’m narcissistic but rather because I’ve been in a pitching rut. So I dug the original pitch out of the depths of my Google Docs to see if it really did work as well as my editor’s memory served.

Let’s take a look:

Why is There So Much Philly Food in Central Florida?

The Tampa – St. Petersburg, Florida area has a ton of Philadelphia-style food.

Philly Phlava, a sub shop specializing in Philly-style cheesesteaks and hoagies, has three locations in the Tampa area. Rita’s Italian Ice? The Philly-born dessert franchise? Three locations on the St. Pete peninsula alone. Wawa skips from Virginia right down to Florida, where the Mid-Atlantic staple is opening 17 deli-meets-coffee-haven stores with gas stations — and it already has three within a stone’s throw of downtown St. Pete. The Philly Pretzel Factory has stores scattered east of the Mississippi, but has two near the Gulf Coast of Florida.  

What’s the deal? My best guess is that Philadelphians who flock to Clearwater, Florida, each February and March for Phillies spring-training baseball want to stick with their hyperlocal junk-food diets wherever they are. A friend of mine recently made her own, broader conclusion: “Maybe it’s just for all the old people.” #FloridaProblems.

In this CityEats post, I’ll figure out why the heck there’s so much Philly food in the Tampa area. I’m from Philadelphia and I’m moving in St. Pete in November. My mom’s worried about me adjusting to the southern coastal scene, but it already feels a little like home.

Although I originally pitched this piece in person, I had printed out the above text and my contact information to leave with the editor.

A few features stand out:

1. I proposed a headline. The final headline on the web? “Why Is There So Much Philly Food in Florida?” It made up for every time an editor chose a headline I wasn’t thrilled about.
2. I asked one clear question. I knew this piece wouldn’t be long, so I had to narrow my focus.
3. I did my research. I planned to reach out to all the businesses I mentioned in my pitch for their comments.
4. I proposed two possible answers to the question, showing the general direction in which I would take my research.
5. I noted where on the website I thought my piece would fit, which shows I’ve done some reading.

Was this the most beautifully written pitch? Nope. But it got the job done.

Approach your next pitch like a scientist

Thinking about a freelance-writing pitch as a place for a question and a possible answer, I thought back — way back — to high school biology.

Weekly lab reports always used the same format and the same section headings. Each time I wrote one of these reports, I had to present a question, my hypothesis for the answer, a detailed explanation of the steps I took to determine the answer and a conclusion where I wrapped up my findings.

I hated doing it, but knowing I could come back to the same format every week helped me get the task done with a little less foot-dragging.

A good pitch can benefit from the same approach.

Here’s a quick checklist for your next pitch (and mine, too):

1. Did I suggest an attention-grabbing headline that I could imagine this publication using?
2. Did I present a specific question I want to answer, instead of a broad topic or subject area?
3. Did I provide my hypothesis for the question I presented?
4. Did I propose a few sources I plan to interview or consult?
5. Did I show I’m paying attention by directing my pitch to the ideal editor or department, referencing similar work in the same publication, or suggesting a section for my piece?

If the answer to all five is “yes,” you’re well on your way to a “yes” from your editor.

But as technology evolves alongside the publishing industry, a gray area has emerged.

Carrie Rollwagen makes no apologies about being in that gray area. This Birmingham, Alabama-based writer has years of experience selling books and spent several years running a bookstore of her own.  

Her new podcast, Everybody Hates Self-Publishing, sounds, well…sort of mean. But it goes beyond basic pros and cons to explore the nuances of the self-publishing world.

And what better way to do so than by examining her own project?

Two years after self-publishing The Localist, she’s looking back at the self-publishing process through in-depth conversations with the people who helped her make it happen, from early readers to her cover designer — and everyone in between.

We asked Rollwagen about her new podcast and the state of the self-publishing industry.

The Write Life (TWL): You have background as a bookstore owner, you’ve worked in publishing and you’re an author yourself. How does that all come together into this perfect storm of saying, “This is a podcast I need to make”?

Carrie Rollwagen: My degree is in journalism, and I started out at a newspaper, like you do. And journalism is at an interesting point now…so pretty soon I started freelancing. I found myself at a bookstore, just to have a steady income on the side right after college.

For a long time, I was a freelance writer and bookseller or bookstore owner. And as a bookseller, self-publishing is just not really perceived as a good option. I was definitely on that side.

When I was first working at a bookstore, about 10 years ago, people would ask about self-publishing, and I would just say, “Don’t do it. If you ever want to be picked up by a traditional publisher, this is going to look really bad for you. This is a bad option.”

Also, you had to order thousands of books, and you probably weren’t going to sell thousands of books. The technology wasn’t there. Then about five years ago, I opened a bookstore. And again, people started asking all the time, “How do you self-publish? I’m interested in this.”

And I knew the reasons I had for not self-publishing have changed a little bit. The [traditional publishing] industry still doesn’t like it. So I wanted to explore what it looks like now.

TWL: Your book, The Localist, had a Kickstarter campaign. And then you self-published it, right?

CR: I had this blog I had worked on for a couple of years about shopping local. And I thought, “Oh, I’ll just copy and paste that into a book.” And then I read it, and it didn’t work that way at all. And then when I got into rewriting the book, I thought, “OK, I actually think this is worthwhile. I really want this to be a book.”

I raised the money to print the book and then take a book tour. And it was definitely a really shoestring book tour.

TWL: Are people who discovered you through The Localist excited about your podcast? Does the audience carry over from one project to another?

CR: My projects kind of are connected. And there’s definitely crossover there. But also my podcast is about the book, so I think that’s kind of going to happen. When I was getting ready to go to the launch party [for the podcast], I was talking to one of my friends to make sure I had everything,  and she said, “Well, did you get your book?” And I was like, “Why would I bring my book?”

TWL: Might be able to sell a few!

CR: And I actually did! To me, they’re different projects, but [that crossover] did happen. It’s definitely helpful.

TWL: What’s the biggest challenge still for people who are interested in self-publishing?

CR: There’s a couple of things. One big thing is when people are told that the tool is going to do all the work, they don’t realize how much work they’re going to have to do. You really do need people to make the book better. I’m not saying I’m such a stellar writer, but I have written professionally for a long time. And I still felt like the first draft of the book was fairly unreadable. Like, my mom said it was unreadable. But I’m so much prouder of the product now. Some people don’t like it, and that’s fine. But I know I’m proud of what I came with, what we created as a team.

TWL: What can listeners expect from Everybody Hates Self-Publishing over the next few episodes?

CR: I’ve gotten a bookseller, a librarian and a book buyer from a big-box bookstore to come on, talking about issues with self-publishing. It is very difficult to get your book into stores, so I’m excited to be able to talk to some of them about why. I hope it gives a different perspective.

You can find Everybody Hates Self-Publishing on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.