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Coffee Break for Writers Monthly E-zine |
In This Issue: • Straight Talk From the Editor • Feature: "Quiz for Sale" • Paying Quiz Markets • Writing and Publishing News • Writing Exercise • Free Writing Contests • Café Fun • Answers to Last Month's Café Fun • Legal Information • Advertising Information • Suggestions • Feedback • Brewing for April 2008 Straight Talk From the Editor Happy March! I don't know about you but I'm so happy spring is almost here. Springtime is when my creative juices seem to flow the most. I guess it's the smells within the spring air that keeps my brain working overtime. Here in Southern Illinois we've had two ice storms this year and the temperatures fluctuate from cold to warm. Therefore, I truly am ready for spring! In fact, once spring arrives, I plan to grab my laptop and head outside to the picnic table to take advantage of the beautiful spring day. Not only does March bring warmer temperatures, but it's also the month that I celebrate three birthdays: my first novel (1st), my youngest son (8th) and mine (11th). My first novel, "Help From Above," was first published on March 1, 2002, and this year I'm celebrating "Help From Above's" 6th birthday by giving one lucky winner the gift. So if you're a fan of the television drama "Touched by an Angel" or enjoy stories where the hero is the angel, then I'd like to invite you to take part in the "Help From Above Birthday Contest." Who knows, you just may be the one to win an autographed copy of "Help From Above." Until those warm temperatures arrive, enjoy this month's edition of Coffee Break for Writers to help you prepare for another season. Never give up on your dreams — work toward them, Misti Sandefur Has Coffee Break for Writers helped you land a new client, publish an article or
enhanced your freelance writing skills? Then by all means, please tell let us know how we've helped you. Maybe you have suggestions on how we can improve our e-zine ... feel free to send
those our way as well. Quiz for Sale By Pamela White Writing quizzes is: A. Fun B. Easy C. Profitable D. All of the above Answer: D. All of the above. Many writers have found their niche writing quizzes for all types of magazines. At $30 and up for a quiz, the pay is not substantial when looked at as a per piece amount, but once a writer becomes adept at choosing topics that sell, the hourly rate can be quite satisfying. What's the Goal? To write a quiz, first select a topic. The topic can be anything from silly to educational, but it must be relevant to the magazine's readership. The style of the quiz will vary from magazine to magazine also. When researching an article, writers make choices concerning the length of the article and the thesis of what the writer means to get across. These goals are also important for quiz writers to determine. A quiz can be fun, as in a quiz on matching up 70's rock tunes with the bands that performed them. It can also be informational like a quiz that asks questions to determine the reader's dating style. The former example would require a list of songs and the bands, listed in two columns for easy matching. The answer key would also be simple: 1.d, 2.g, 3.a. The latter type of quiz would entail more research so that the answers chosen by the respondent would add up to an analysis of their style of dating. For example, if you answered mainly D for the questions, you are a serial monogamist, if you answered mainly C, you love the idea of dating more than the dates. Keep in mind that magazines use quizzes as fillers for quick scanning by readers, or as a brief introduction or sidebar to invite the reader into a larger article. Readers are likely to lose interest with quizzes after a minute or two, so writing a quiz of 5 to 12 questions is fairly standard. The choices for answers should be brief as well, but these will also depend on the purpose of the quiz itself. Research the Topic After determining the topic and number of questions plus the style of quiz, start the necessary research. Quizzes lose their sparkle if the information is wrong or if the questions are too obscure. Readers take the quizzes that offer an analysis of their personality quite seriously, so make sure the answers help quiz takers to better understand themselves. One way to research is to call an expert. For a dating style article, call the author of a popular book on the topic, or talk to a radio or television relationship expert. This person will be able to clarify or offer direction on the structure of the questions and answers. Perhaps there are only six dating styles according to this expert. She can define the types and explain how each type behaves, making writing both questions and answers easier and resulting in a more valuable quiz. Write the Questions As you write the questions for the quiz, you may change your mind on the number of questions. You may also reconsider the number of questions based on the magazine you are pitching it to. Matching songs and rock stars can be a fun brainteaser as a filler when you have five questions and answers. It can be a sidebar to an article on why 90's rock is popular with today's teens if you write 12 questions or songs to match with bands. Using the rock band example, think about ways to use the research for more than one quiz. A magazine for musicians might require a serious quiz on songs and bands that were not at the top of the charts. A magazine for seniors could include songs that were played at proms and graduations during those years. Don't be afraid to make the questions and answers silly or tongue-in-cheek. Readers (and editors) won't be interested if the quiz is boring. For a quiz on "Find Your Perfect Pet," the questions can lead the reader to understand what kind of pet would make them happiest and still be fun: "Find Your Perfect Pet" Finish these sentences: 1. I love sleeping snuggled next to: a. A glowing light b. A purring, fluffy bundle c. A pet that takes up half the bed d. A cold-blooded creature that eats mice. The answer key would be built on the basis that "a" answers would equal an aquarium or fish, "b" would indicate cats were best, "c" would point to big dogs and "d" could lead the reader to feel that a snake was the perfect pet. Other questions could include: "On the weekends, I prefer:" and then list options that are linked to the pets' needs, like going for long walks, shopping for angelfish, visiting the reptile house at the zoo. The Answer Key The answer key depends entirely on the purpose of the quiz. If the quiz is to be a sidebar for a feature article on Middle Eastern conflicts, the quiz could list events allowing the reader to choose the dates they occurred from the choices. The answer key then could just state the correct answer, a., b., c. or d. It could also include two sentences to explain why the answer is correct in this type of quiz. When creating quizzes that provide an analysis of something (dating style, neat-freak or messy-bessy, financial personality), then the questions and answers would be keyed to make it easy for the reader to grade herself or himself by making all A's lead to one conclusion, all B's leading to another, etc. One last step: before mailing or e-mailing that quiz to the editor, pass the quiz on to a friend to make sure that the quiz is easy, the answer key is correct, and the quiz meets the goal of entertainment, education or both. When looking for a market for quizzes, don't overlook newspapers and tiny newsletters, even if they don't usually run quizzes, but do use fillers. Never shy away from contacting editors with great quiz ideas or the quiz itself. See "Paying Quiz Markets" (below) for samples of markets that have published quizzes in the past or are specifically in need of them. Pamela White is the author of "Make Money as a Food Writer in Six Lessons" and the
publisher/editor of two e-zines: Food Writing and The Writing Parent. Paying Quiz Markets Are you looking for writers? If so, send your information to Coffee Break for Writers. Your information will then be posted in our April 2008 issue. There is only one requirement: you MUST pay writers at a rate of $.10 or more per word or a flat rate of $25 or more. It won't cost you a dime to have your call for writers placed in Coffee Break for Writers. Deadline for sending your information: April 1, 2008. Writers, this month's market listings will be a short list of paying quiz markets, brought to you by Pamela White. Good luck! AARP Contact Info: Editorial Submissions; AARP: The Magazine; 601 E St., NW; Washington, DC 20049. Payment information: $1 per contracted word. Girls' Life Contact Info: Mandy Forr, Associate Editor; Girls' Life magazine; 4529 Harford Road; Baltimore, MD 21214; mandy@girlslife.com. Payment information: No pay specified. Teen Contact Info: Hearst Magazines; 3000 Ocean Park Blvd. Suite 3048; Santa Monica, CA 90405. Payment information: $50 and up. Wyoming Living Contact Info: Community Publications, Inc.; 179 Fairfield Ave.; Bellevue, KY 41073. Wyoming Living requires query prior to submission. Payment information: No pay specified. Writing and Publishing News Have you launched a new e-zine, newsletter, magazine, blog or Web site for writers? Has your publication made editorial changes? Are you currently running a contest for writers that doesn't require an entry fee? Will you be hosting an upcoming event for writers? Send us your press release and your news could appear in the next edition of Coffee Break for Writers! Editorial Comings and Goings: On March 6 Scott B. Meyer, About.com's chief executive, will be departing. Meyer told The New York Times that he's ready for a change. Until the New York Time's Company can find a replacement, Ron McCoy will take over. Ron McCoy is About.com's chief technology officer. [Source: The New York Times] Beginning March 3 Lindsay Sagnette will become editor at St. Martin's Press. New Magazines and Upcoming Magazines: Discovering Family History will show you how to trace your family's roots. Discover Family History will release their debut issue in April. The magazine will be a bimonthly publication. Palavahut will launch their debut issue this spring. Palavahut will cover problems that African immigrants are facing. Palavahut issued a call for stories as well. To find out how to break into this new magazine, read their call for writers at Craigslist. Writing Exercise Pick a subject you know well then write a short quiz related to that subject. Free Writing Contests Bebo Author Writing Contest Category: Short stories Prizes: Books, Entrecard credits, Amazon vouchers and more. Deadline: March 21, 2008 Eric Hoffer Award Category: Short prose less than 10,000 words. Prize: $500 and publication in the "Best of Writing" anthology. Deadline: March 31, 2008 Mint's $5K Cure for Your Holiday Spending Hangover Category: Short stories Prize: "The winning contestants will get their credit card bills as of December 31, 2007 paid for by Mint!" Deadline: March 15, 2008 Just Tomatoes Recipe Contest Prize: Two grand prize winners will receive $500 in addition to two free products a month for one year. Deadline: April 15, 2008 Café Fun For this month's "Café Fun," surf over to Bella Online and find out how well you know the writing and publishing terms. Answers will be revealed there. Answers to Last Month's Café Fun 1. The debut issue of Writer's Digest magazine was published in 1920. 2. Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com. 3. The National Writers Union was founded in 1981. 4. Christopher Sholes invented the first commercially successful typewriter in 1867. 5. Microsoft Word was first released in 1983. Source for all of the above answers: Wikipedia Legal Information Coffee Break for Writers has made every effort to be factual with regard to the content and information provided in this e-zine; however, your results may vary. Coffee Break for Writers accepts no liability of any kind for any losses or damages caused or alleged to be caused — directly or indirectly — from the use of the information generated within this e-zine. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form — either whole or in part — without the written permission of the copyright owner. Violations of this copyright notice will be enforced to the fullest extent of the law. If you're interested in any article published in this e-zine, you must contact the editor of Coffee Break for Writers. When inquiring about an article, make sure to mention the title and author of the article. Upon receipt of your inquiry, Coffee Break for Writers will forward your request to the copyright owner of the article or articles. Advertising Information Coffee Break for Writers e-zine is an advertisement-free publication. Therefore, we do not place any advertise- ments in this section of our Website. However, we will accept advertisements on other sections of this Web site as long as they relate to the writing or publishing industry. We offer advertising at an affordable rate. To find out more about our advertising, visit Affordable Advertising. Once there, you will also find our demographics. Suggestions If you have any suggestions at all for future issues of Coffee Break for Writers, send them our way. It can be suggestions for articles, new columns or etc. Feedback We also welcome your comments on anything in this issue, past issues or future issues. Don't be shy; send your letter to the editor. We value every word. Brewing for April 2008: • An article by Suzan L. Wiener entitled "Eight Tips to Get Your Manuscript Sold." • More paying markets. • ... and much more! |