Turn Summertime Fun Into Profits
By Christina Katz

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Well, it's summertime and the writing is…maybe not as easy as it was on those gray days during the winter when there wasn't so much sun-shiny competition for your attention. So if you want to get out and play this summer, but you just can't ignore the bottom line, there's only one thing to do: Make your summertime fun pay. Here are six ways to turn your summer fun into writing profits:

Going on a home tour that features historic or best-decorated houses in your area? Ask the homeowner if you can shoot scouting photos as you go. Best bets are homes owned and designed by local architects, designers and retail shop owners. Then match home style and decor to publications and pitch away. A home decorated in country style might appeal to Country Sampler , Country Home or Country Living . A bungalow might fit in American Bungalow , a teeny-weeny cottage in Cottage Living , a condo on the shore for Coastal Living . Visit your local newsstand or search a magazine database like www.magazines.com to find the most likely match.

Looking forward to catching up on that growing stack of books next to your bed? If the publication date is still current, pitch reviews to appropriate publications, then grab your pencil and sticky notes and dive in. If you're a really big fan--especially if you've already read an author's previous books--pitch an interview or profile with the author as well (but check with the publisher to make sure the author isn't on summer vacation first).

Chances are good you will have an increase in warm and fuzzy thoughts after you relax a bit this summer. So after a float in the pool or an afternoon siesta, keep a notebook handy to capture those fleeting butterflies of inspiration. Then send them to Woman's World. They publish one or two-sentence ideas in their weekly “Happiness Tips” column. Study a few tips on page three next time you're in line at the grocery store, then send your best ideas to tips editor Lauren Spitzer (lspitzer@bauerpublishing.com) .

Okay, so maybe you weren't prepared to break down with a flat tire in the middle of the dessert when it's 110 degrees and you have no water. But after you survive the experience, you will surely have lots of ideas on how to be prepared next time. Jot a list now while the memories are fresh. Then query for possible publication next summer.

The key to selling travel pieces is tying it all together for editors. We all love New Orleans at Mardi Gras time, but do we really want to go there in August? Probably not. If you have to go somewhere ghastly hot, visit the chamber of commerce while you're there and pick up the event schedule for the whole year. It will be easier to convince your paper's travel section editor to run your piece, if it ties into a newsworthy event when the weather there is more desirable.

Are you a gardener? A bird-watcher? Do you love to go to farmer's markets, flea markets or antique hunting? What you already love is prime material for an article, a series of articles or even a column. It's also a great way to expand what you love into your workweek. An article I wrote about making time for myself, one of my favorite pastimes and one I never get enough of, got my daughter and myself two tickets to N.Y.C. to appear on Good Morning America . Now that's fun.

Health, exercise and recreation stories are in-demand, which means you can make yourself invaluable to an editor who needs pieces just like yours. Whether you climb Everest or simply stroll the local shores, editors love writers who are familiar with the outdoors and will gladly pay you for your ideas and familiarity. Label a blank folder “recreation” and fill it with possibilities. Think not just summer, but also autumn, winter and spring and then pitch your local newspaper or magazines.

Thinking about tax write-offs while you're wandering the streets of that quaint out-of the way town where you stopped for lunch won't happen spontaneously. That's why you need to plan for it. So make stopping at the local library, chamber of commerce and visitor's center a habit, and grab armloads of regional publications to offer your reprints to when you get home. After you make a sale, you might be able to write off your expenses. So keep a mileage log and all of your receipts and consult your accountant when you get home.

Christina Katz is the author of Writer Mama, How To Raise A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids (February, 2007, Writer's Digest Books). She has been doing just that for the past five years and has published over 200 articles in magazines, newspapers, and online publications. She teaches eight nonfiction-writing classes a year and is publisher and editor of the online monthly zine, Writers On The Rise, voted by Writer's Digest as one of the “101 Top Web Sites” for writers. Christina is a graduate of Dartmouth College and has an MFA in Fiction from Columbia College, Chicago. Visit www.writersontherise.com or www.christinakatz.com or www.thewritermama.com for the latest about Christina.

Copyright © 2004 Christina Katz
Article originally appeared in Writers On The Rise.