Writing Newsletters

For me, this past year has been all about writing. Since September I have decided to try and make a real go of it – and it dawned on me yesterday that the year is very nearly over. I have no doubts that the next three months will fly by…all the rest have :(

When I first started writing, the advice I found all over the place online, in books and on my course, was to subscribe to writing newsletters. They were promised to provide great insider tips, lead me to new markets and feature interesting and relevant articles.

So, in my excitement I subscribed to pretty much every (free!) newsletter I could find, and then waited eagerly for one to pop up in my inbox. After only a day the first arrived, and it contained an inspiring, thrilling, totally mind-blowing article on…word processors.

What?

That was when I decided to be a bit more discerning. I already knew about word processors and was (still am) perfectly content with the one I have. I was so keen to start something new and really do it right, that I thought I would try and get all the information, without considering whether it would be relevant to me so that I would actually benefit. That wasn't the best way to go about it!

So I seriously reduced the number I subscribe to, and so far I have found the most useful newsletters to be:

Funds For Writers: The editor, Hope Clark, always includes a thought provoking introduction, and the newsletter itself contains an article, success stories of its readers, and lists of competitions, grants, freelance markets, jobs and publishers/agents. There is also a ‘small markets’ edition, which contains markets that seem more likely to accept new and emerging writers.

Worldwide Freelance Writer: One of the things I really like about Gary McLaren’s newsletter is that it features current news stories related to the world of writing. That’s normally how I find out which awards are going on! (There are just so many…) The featured article links to other articles you might enjoy, and the market lists are often pretty cross-continental. The layout is also by far the cleanest.

Writing World: Dawn Copeman and Moira Allen’s newsletter is as full of great information as their website. Articles, Q&As, news stories, job opportunities, good websites, and competitions fill the newsletter to the brim! Moira Allen has another newsletter – Writers Weekly – but although the content is good the high level of advertising it contains is a little off-putting. 

But, hey, these might not appeal to anyone else! Do check out the websites though because they have some great info :)

I am still looking for a decent newsletter that is based in the UK and features more UK markets – if you know of any and would recommend them then please, please let me know!