Win the Global Marketing Game

by Mike Sedge

Today, a successful writer is not one who creates the best phrases or plots, but the one who can win at the marketing game.

In the quarter-century that I've been selling my writing around the world, I have given numerous reasons why one should follow the practice of global marketing. The "bottom line," as Wall Street is fond of saying, is that writers cannot afford to NOT sell their work internationally.

Recent figures indicate that average annual incomes for freelance magazine writers in the United States are between $3,000 and $10,000. When I mentioned this to a friend, he tried justifying his passion to become a professional writer with "Well, I plan to produce books, so those figures won't apply to me."

That is true, I must confess, because for book-writers the economic picture is even worse. As two-time Pulitzer nominee Greg Raver-Lampman recently pointed out, "The truth is, nine out of ten authors never make a penny after their initial advance."

What does that mean? The average book advance in 2000 ranged from $1000 to $5000. Let's imagine, then, that my friend gets the higher end of this figure. To maintain a living above the poverty level he would have to sell and produce a book every 65 days -- a hard task for any wordsmith. Otherwise he might do better flipping burgers at the local McDonald's.

So how does a writer overcome this depressing economic state? Confidence and global marketing.

I hear you, praising the joy of writing and moaning at the challenges (work) of marketing. While the latter is not an easy task, particularly when you expand to foreign nations, it is a necessity; unless you do not depend on making money with your prose.

A good example of how global marketing can boost one's income came last week after I'd completed a travel feature for Military.com, originally commissioned for $200. I would normally not have accepted such low rates, but I suspected this article could sell well abroad. I therefore simultaneously queried publications in the UK, Greece, Germany, and the U.S.

The British expat magazine purchased it for their print and online editions, the Greek magazine bought reprint rights. These two sales added another $700 to my income, with relatively little added work.

Two days ago, I sold Japanese serial rights to a general interest periodical in Tokyo, for $300, bringing my revenue to date for this single article to $1200. Considering that it took four eight-hour days to research and produce the article, I earned $37.50 an hour writing it. If I am able to maintain this rate, my annual income will be $72,000. With global marketing, that is a realistic goal. The key is to maximize international sales while decreasing time involved in producing articles.

Today, a successful writer is not one who creates the best phrases or plots, but the one who can win at the marketing game. I know that some writers don't want to hear that. Unfortunately, it is the reality of the job. I also know that many readers -- perhaps even you -- are saying, "But I don't know how to do this. I'm not a big-time writer so how could I ever approach editors around the world?" In this regard, I'd like to offer some thoughts from my book, Marketing Strategies for Writers:

"Aggressive, nontraditional marketing and a willingness to write to editors' needs can often be the keys to your success. In today's marketplace, in fact, this approach and attitude are frequently the factors that result not only in increased business, but in better-paying jobs as well.

"Perhaps you are sitting in Down-the-Blues, Kentucky, and the only thing you've ever published is a local newspaper article. Who are you to question an editor's authority? Who are you to break the rules [and submit simultaneous queries throughout the world]? My friend, you are just the same as any other writer. The only difference -- as Rush Limbaugh would quickly point out -- is that 'you just don't know that because you are trapped into situations where you either can't be yourself or you are afraid to be yourself.'

"Whether you work from a Beverly Hills mansion or a tiny, one-room apartment in SoHo has no bearing on an editor's decision about prospective articles and books. That's one of the better aspects of the writing business: It doesn't discriminate. The fact that editors are not dealing with you face-to-face -- unless you wish to do so -- gives you the ability to present your tiny, one-person business as a vast and growing empire. It gives you the opportunity to become the CEO and president of a media agency. It gives you the power to influence the world with your words..."

Don't let the opportunity pass you by.

-- MS
©2001 Michael Sedge