How Did This Writer Get Published in “The Writer” Magazine?

by K. L. Romo

After I’d spent 25 years being a wanna-be novelist, writing between juggling a full-time job and a large family, I finally retired from my “day” job.

I had more time to devote to my writing but became bored with working solely on a novel. I had things to say, and I didn’t want to want years for someone to hear them.

How My Own Family Dramas Led to My First Published Freelance Work

I knew nothing about pursuing freelance writing work, so I started by journey by reading a book—The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing by Zachary Petit (former managing editor of Writer’s Digest). Following Zachary’s guidelines (both what to do and what NOT to do), I started pitching articles and essays to magazines.

Around the same time, I experienced a very emotional turning point in my family life. My teenage daughter came out to me that she was gay. I wrote an essay about her struggle to be her true self (and my pain at not having realized she was going through such turmoil)—I Love My Lesbian Daughter: 17 Years and 27 Days—and submitted it to Your Teen Magazine, which published it (under the pen name Emily Lane).

Then I wrote another essay about my oldest daughter who’d gotten pregnant as a teen—Teenage Pregnancy: Facing it as a Family Together—and Your Teen also published it.

How I Got Published in “The Writer” Magazine

I also had things to say to the writing community and sent a pitch to the editor at The Writer magazine. It wasn’t authoritative, but the theme was something I knew a lot about: rejection. I entitled my article “How I Kick the Crap Out of Rejection.”

Although the editor I pitched was no longer there, the article intrigued the new Editor-in-Chief, Nicki Porter. She was primarily interested in a particular portion: the importance of being part of a writing community. So, I narrowed the focus and wrote Networking for Introverts.

After creating a relationship with Nicki Porter at The Writer, I periodically sent her article pitches. As I met interesting people in the writing world, some of whom already had a popular following, I asked if she might be interested in interviews with them.

If she said yes, I contacted those people to ask if they would agree to an interview for The Writer. (Ask people, even if they’re famous—all they can say is “no.”) Most of them said yes, although I’ve yet to get Jodi Picoult to agree, but I’m not giving up.

For The Writer, I’ve done interviews with agent Donald Maass, author Jon Land, Meryl Moss of Meryl Moss Media, and story coach Lisa Cron.

I also finally placed an essay with Narratively.com, My Husband Doesn’t Want Me to Be a Firefighter, working with the amazing author, essayist, and editor Lilly Dancyger. And I learned something about pitching an essay—always use a catchy title as a hook to gain an editor’s attention.

I Started Writing Book Reviews for the Free Books—Then Ended up with a Column

I’m an avid reader and joined a large virtual book club on Goodreads. After receiving advance readers’ copies (ARC’s) of new novels, I participated in online author discussions and posted reviews for the books I read. I enjoyed writing the reviews, and what book nerd doesn’t love getting free books in the mail?

I soon pitched other outlets to place book reviews, beginning with Library Journal (even though I’m not a librarian—all they could say was “no”), Washington Independent Review of Books (where I now post reviews and have a column), and The National Book Review. The review that appeared in The National Book Review led to a virtual conversation with thriller author Jon Land, who invited me to attend the annual ThrillerFest conference in New York City as part of the media.

Attending ThrillerFest Was a Career-Changer for Me

Attending ThrillerFest was a career-changer for me. I met so many gracious people in the thriller community—including literary superstars whose books I’d read for years—and tried to connect with as many people as possible. One of those contacts is a Publicity Director at HarperCollins who agreed to send me ARC’s for review. I also met the Editor of The Big Thrill (magazine of the International Thriller Writers) who gave me book review and interview assignments.

While at the conference dinner, I sat next to famed publicist and literary matchmaker Meryl Moss with Meryl Moss Media, who also founded BookTrib.com, “where readers and writers meet.” Since then, I’ve reviewed 28 books for BookTrib. Meryl also offered me several paid freelance assignments to write press releases for her clients’ books.

The second year I attended ThrillerFest, I was a panelist for book reviewers, I arranged to write books reviews for Suspense Magazine, and I became an assistant editor for The Big Thrill.

I’ve found very few outlets that pay for book reviews, and for those that do, the payment is minimal. I’ve not yet been able to break into reviewing for larger newspaper and magazine media outlets, but I’m still trying. Joining the National Book Critics Circle has also allowed me to interact with other book reviewers.

How I Write a Book Review

My primary purpose in writing a book review is to enhance the reader’s experience.

I’m sure there are many methods reviewers use to make notes when reading, but I prefer to turn down the corner of a page that includes a passage with facts, interesting information, or quotes and/or facts I can use in my review. (Or use a virtual highlighter if I’m reading on my Kindle).

After I’m done reading (including the author’s notes and acknowledgments, from which you can gain lots of pertinent and interesting information), I go back through the pages with the turned-down-corners, visually scan each page for the information I thought would be useful, and type the verbiage into my Word document with a page reference. This may sound cumbersome, but it doesn’t require as much time as it seems, and it puts me back into the story—it gets my brain going and sets the tone for my review.

Next, I write a brief engaging description of the characters and plot, using as many catchy phrases as I can to get a reader’s attention. I want to create a hook that will entice them to read the book.

I research the book and author (including prior author interviews and information from the author’s website) to identify interesting information I might include. Did the author learn how to pick locks to make his character believable? Did he go ice fishing in Greenland to make his story authentic?

I next include my impressions of the book. How did it resonate with me? What is the message? What might readers consider when reading the book, or what might the story cause us to think about?

My Thoughts on Writing Negative Book Reviews

The guidelines for the review will depend on the outlet that requested it. Some sites prefer a small word count—200 to 300 words—which doesn’t leave room for quotes. Some are longer, and I can include quotes that capture the tone and/or message of the book. Some of my reviews also include author interviews done through email. I either use a question-and-answer format or integrate author answers within the book review.

I have a self-imposed rule of not writing negative reviews. There are many schools of thought on this issue, but this is my preference. As an author, I wouldn’t want a review to “brand” my book with negative opinions. I focus on the things I like about a book, giving readers insight into what to expect.

At times, I’ve written reviews for books I didn’t particularly like. For this situation, I use word choices that indicate a decreased level of enthusiasm. Or I might just summarize what the book is about and leave it at that.

For the few times I couldn’t bring myself to read a book because of poor writing, I gently tell the author that I can’t review the book.

Three Things That Prevent a Positive Book Review

1. Flat cardboard characters. If I can’t connect with them on some level, I don’t care about them. Why would I want to read their story?

2. A plot that goes nowhere. If nothing happens in the story to make me invested in the characters—what they’re striving for, what motivates them, or how they deal with an issue—I don’t want to read it.

3. Writing that includes poor grammar, typos, or non-engaging verbiage.

Advice for a Young Writer: Volunteer, Volunteer, Volunteer

Don’t be afraid to write for free to get your work out there. Read more about this sensitive topic in my article for The Writer, “Should a Writer Ever Write for Free?”

Join writing organizations to make friends and connections, learn how to polish your writing, and get support from a writing community.

Make and cultivate your contacts. One thing leads to another, to another. Reach out to the authors of articles or stories you enjoyed reading. Writers are generally a very supportive group—we’re the only ones who understand what it’s like in the writing trenches.

Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer. This is a great way to make friendships and contacts, and to show your organizations you’re in it for the long haul.

Read a lot and study what you read. The insights you can glean from studying other writers’ books is monumental.

Don’t be afraid to ask or pitch. All they can say is “no,” and maybe they’ll even say “yes.”

Don’t be afraid to start pitching at the top of your wish list. If they decline, you can work your way down the list. But they might just say “yes.”

Writing is a hard business—you’ve got to not only have a thick skin but more like a suit of armor to handle the rejections that will most likely come. But if you want to make it work, you’ve got to persevere. Keep going. It’s hard not to take rejection personally, but you’ve got to try.

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K.L. Romo writes about life on the fringe: teetering dangerously on the edge is more interesting than standing safely in the middle.

She is passionate about women’s issues, loves noisy clocks and fuzzy blankets, but HATES the word normal.

For more information on K. L. and her writing, visit her website, or connect with her on Twitter and Instagram.