Katz - Writer mama: how to raise a writing career alongside your kids

Writer Mama

How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids

CHRISTINA KATZ

Writer Mama 2007 by Christina Katz. Manufactured in Canada. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by Writer's Digest Books, an imprint of F+W Publications, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236. (800) 289-0963. First edition.

Distributed in Canada by Fraser Direct, 100 Armstrong Avenue, Georgetown, ON, Canada L7G 5S4, Tel: (905) 877-4411. Distributed in the U.K. and Europe by David & Charles, Brunel House, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 4PU, England, Tel: (+44) 1626 323200, Fax: (+44) 1626 323319, E-mail: postmaster@davidandcharles.co.uk. Distributed in Australia by Capricorn Link, P.O. Box 704, Windsor, NSW 2756 Australia, Tel: (02) 4577-3555.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Katz, Christina.

Writer mama: how to raise a writing career alongside your kids / by Christina Katz. 1st edition.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-58297-441-5 (pbk. : alk. paper)

ISBN-13: 978-1-58297-744-7 (EPUB)

ISBN-10: 1-58297-441-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Housewives as authors. 2. Authorship. 3. Authorship Vocational guidance. I. Title.

PN171.H67K38 2007

808.02 dc22

2006037357

Edited by Michelle Ehrhard and Jane Friedman

Designed by Claudean Wheeler

Cover Illustration by Paul Oakley

Production coordinated by Mark Griffin

Have you dreamed of being a published writer but you already have a fulltime job as a mom? Take heart Writer Mama teaches you how to make the most of your limited time, educates you about the world of publishing, and gives you tips to help you boost your chances of success. Even the busiest mom will find ways to pursue and reach her writing dreams with this motivating, practical, tip-driven book.

Kelly James-Enger, books includingSix-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money(Random House, 2005)

Writer Mama is a solid, sensible guide that is sure to help any woman who wants to pursue a professional writing career while raising her children.

Eric Maisel, Creativity for Life(New World Library, 2007)

What a find! Writer Mama is a must for any woman beginning a freelance career. A combination of inspiration and practical information, this book offers solid guidelines and tips on how to make a living writing while raising a family.

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, Pen On Fire: A Busy Woman's Guide to Igniting the Writer Within(Harcourt, 2004)

Sure to be a favorite among moms who need a little help sorting out the challenges of balancing family and career. Packed with practical advice in reader-friendly format.

Jenna Glatzer, Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer(Nomad Press, 2004)

An absolute necessity for the mom (or dad) who wants to pursue the writing life. Christina Katz' brutal honesty and excellent examples take a scary concept (getting published) and make it approachable. Even though the book's focus is the mom in the household, the advice easily applies to the writing dad as well.

Jeff Ayers, Voyages of Imagination: The Star Trek Fiction Companion(Star Trek, 2006)

Thinking about juggling a writing career with raising children? You must read Writer Mama first, where you'll get the inside scoop on everything from landing those first clips to interviewing when you have a toddler underfoot. Christina Katz maps out the journey between the playground and the Major Leagues of freelancing with wit, style, and a can-do attitude.

Diana Burrell,The Renegade Writer's Query Letters That Rock(Marion Street Press, 2006)

From the beginning writer to the experienced freelancer, Writer Mama helps you navigate the steps to getting published, winning assignments, and earning money all without leaving the comfort of your home. Using examples from successful writer mamas and concrete tips on how to submit to editors, Writer Mama introduces you to important terminology, proper editor etiquette, and simple ways to break into freelancing.

Wendy Burt, Oh, Solo Mia!(McGraw-Hill, 2001) andWork It, Girl!(McGraw-Hill, 2003)

Like taking a writing class at your neighborhood playground Writer Mama is a must-have resource that speaks to the specific challenges of the writing parent with advice from those with one eye on the monkey bars and another on their manuscript.

Sharon Miller Cindrich, journalist, columnist, and author ofE-Parenting: Keeping Up With Your Tech-Savvy Kids(Random House, 2007)

Christina Katz takes a stay-at-home-mom and turns her into a dragon-slayer with all the tools to make a writing career not just feasible, but downright practical. My copy of this book is wrought with notes, dog-eared pages, and highlighted resources, earning it a place on my reference shelf.

C. Hope Clark, author ofThe Shy Writer(Book Locker, 2004)