You're no idiot, of course. You have a reporter's eye, a poet's touch, and you absolutely love to write. Stories, journal entries, letters to the editor - you name it, you know you can write it. But when it comes to selling your ideas to magazines, newspapers and web sites, you feel like the less said, the better. Seeing your words and wisdom printed in black and white seems like a lot more trouble than it's worth. Don't write yourself off just yet! 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles' will help you get where you belong: In Print. In this 'Complete Idiot's Guide', you get answers to all your questions. Who hires writers? What newspaper, magazine, and online editors want from freelancers and how much they might pay for it! How to write effective query and pitch letters. How the internet can help your writing career take off.

Offers advice to aspiring journalists on how to write effective feature articles, and explains how to sell the articles to newspapers, magazines, and trade publications.

Never has the world of journalism been so explosive, so global, and so competitive. Forget hourly news flashes; we live in a world of 24-hour breaking news with radio and TV stations and Internet sites updating stories by the minute and newspapers adjusting to stay fresh, in-depth, and relevant. While the number of newspapers and TV and radio stations has dropped over the last half century in the United States, instant, free-access Internet news portals have grown precipitously to not only fill any gaps in coverage but to force Big Media to change its game plans or risk losing readership. But in no way does this suggest any aspect of journalism is heading for the garbage heap-especially newspapers. Never before have Americans been so engaged in their world, and many mediums are needed to satiate that collective appetite for knowledge.

Times have changed for first-time authors. Publishers have consolidated. Editors are fewer. Literary agents are more selective. The result is that it's tougher than ever to get published. That's why new authors need The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published, Fourth Edition. For years, new authors have depended on the wise inside advice and tricks from Sheree Bykofsky, successful New York literary agent, and author, and Jennifer Basye Sander, best-selling non-fiction author and literary consultant. And now, their book is even more packed with the latest information about the business of publishing and the practical advice any writer will need to achieve the all-important goal of "getting published."

Offers advice on how to get a science fiction novel or short story published, including tips on the basic elements of a work of science fiction to getting an agent, and signing a contract.

A fifty percent revision of a popular Complete Idiot's Guide that now, more than ever, offers readers a thorough, creative writing class in a book, with Dr. Laurie Rozakis as their teacher. The book is refocused to more of an academic approach. Readers can begin to unlock their creativity from the first page, with fabulous exercises that help them explore their talents and experiment with different genres and forms of writing, including: • •Short stories •Narrative nonfiction •Memoirs •Magazine articles •Poetry •Drama •Blogging and freewriting

A practical guide for a booming market. Every aspiring self-published author needs this guide, which covers everything from design to sales. It reveals all the tools they'll need, including worksheets for estimating costs, timing, and resources; up-to-date information on production and design; formats for many genres; strategies for publicity and sales; plus success stories from self- published authors. * Publishers Marketing Association estimates there are 73,000 small and self- publishers in the U.S., with 8,000-11,000 new ones each year * Of the approximately 2.8 million books in print, 78% of the titles come from small/self-publishers (PMA) * For small and self-publishers, sales increased 21% annually from 1997-2002; in 2002, these 73,000 publishers grossed $29.4 billion * 81% of the population feels they have a book inside them; 6 million have written a manuscript; and another 6 million have a manuscript making the rounds