Have you ever dreamed of becoming a columnist and self-syndicating your work to newspapers? If you have, you’ll want to pick up a copy of The Do-It-Yourselfer’s Guide to Self-Syndication, by Jill Pertler.
An award-winning syndicated columnist, Pertler shares her secrets of success in this engaging, informative manual written in a style not unlike her popular humor column.
Step by step, the author describes her process, from her early days to the present. Her column, “Slices of Life,” is now syndicated to more than 50 newspapers across the country, so she must know what she’s talking about.
Topics explored include: what makes a good column, how to choose the right name and topic for your column, how to organize your computer files once you start pitching your column to editors, how to initially approach editors (including what you should include in your query), building a platform and name recognition, and much more.
Pertler also discusses some of the problems columnists might face and offers advice on how to handle them, as well as the nitty-gritty details of invoicing and copyright. At the end of the book there’s a Resources section with pertinent online writing sites and newspaper association websites listed state by state.
This is a light, fast read. The chapters are short and the language uplifting and inspiring, making this little manual a delight to read. Anybody who wishes to start a column will find the information in this book practical and instructive. Pertler demystifies self-syndication and takes readers “behind the scenes.”