Networking with Writers: Share those Leads

by Sherry Holetzky | More from this Blogger

17 Aug 2006 09:09 AM

Any freelance writer loves finding great leads. We all appreciate it when another writer shares a market that seems like a perfect fit. Sometimes we see items and think they would fit another writer we know perfectly, but do we always share this information?

Since freelance writing can be highly competitive, it may be tempting to avoid sharing leads. We may be tempted to submit something ourselves instead. There is no reason we cannot submit and share the lead with others. Most publications, especially those that put out a call for writers, need plenty of material. Even if you and another writer inadvertently choose a similar topic, you are both likely to approach it from different perspectives.

Sharing leads also encourages others to respond in kind. When you go out of your way to send a lead to another writer, you will soon begin finding more leads sent your way. It's also good to share job boards, newsletters, forums, and other resources that you find, because you never know when someone else will stumble across a great resource and want to let you in on it. That's what networking is all about.

While I have found some great venues through many hours of research, some of my best writing jobs were the results of leads given me by other writers (that's how I got my assignments right here at Families.com). I decided to check the writers' forum on a content site I work with (also due to a shared lead) and another writer had posted the call for bloggers.

It happened to be the very date of the application deadline when I saw the post. I wrote up my application so quickly that I was afraid it wouldn't be very good. I usually like to wait and read my work again later before submitting. To my delight, I was chosen to work here a few weeks later.

I've also had the pleasure of seeing another writer have her first piece published after sending her a lead. It was a fiction and poetry market and she ended up selling a story and a poem. I think I was as excited as she was.

Not only will you receive great opportunities, but you may also help someone else achieve her dream of being published.

Learn more about Sherry Holetzky

Sherry Holetzky is a work at home mom and freelance writer. Married to her best friend, Sherry and her husband are raising their family in a quiet rural setting in the beautiful Ozark Mountains.

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