Writing Questions for the Experts

            

By Margaret S. Hamilton

On September 14^th, I attended a writers’ event at the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Main Library. Novelist and Writer-in-Residence Jessica Strawser was joined by Zachary Petit, a freelance journalist, copywriter and adjunct college professor, and Maija Zummo, Editor-in-Chief of Cincinnati CityBeat, a weekly arts and issues publication. All three panelists have a background in journalism and editing.

Audience members spent ninety minutes asking questions about writing-related topics: Do I need an agent? How do I get out of a vanity press contract? Can local authors donate a copy of a new release to the library? I gave up querying after I read Janet Reid’s blog.

Former Writers Digest colleagues Strawser and Petit described both the traditional path to publication and royalty distribution, and touched upon indie publication. Strawser encouraged authors to join organizations specific to a writer’s genre: Sisters in Crime, Women’s Fiction Writers, and SCBWI for children’s book writers and illustrators.

Zummo and Petit discussed freelance writing—which publications, including CityBeat, hire freelancers, and how to become a reliable member of an editor’s “stable” of writers. Internships at local publications are for registered students, though writers can gain experience and add to their professional clip file by volunteering to write press releases and blogs for a non-profit agency. CityBeat considers 1000-word spec features on all topics except theatre and restaurant reviews. Zummo suggested that authors promoting books write short feature articles on some aspect of their fictional world (travel, interior design and home renovation, gardening) and encouraged aspiring freelance writers to contribute to or establish their own blogs.

Querying writers expressed their discouragement. They’re doing “the whole Query Shark thing” with no response. Strawser mentioned several resources available to the Cincinnati area: Writer’s Digest hosts querying workshops, and the upcoming Books on the Banks event offers panel discussions. In January, I attended an Author’s Guild publishing bootcamp and continue to participate in their on-line programs.

Strawser will continue her ten minutes-per-person-once-a-month-office hours at the Sharonville library, recommending sources of information for writers, advice, and encouragement.

Cincinnati is full of writers anxious to learn their craft and publish their work. I commend the public library for establishing a writer-in-residence program and hosting workshops and seminars.

Writers, what community resources have you used during your path to publication? Readers, have you attended writing workshops or lectures?