In kindergarten I was tasked with making a shoebox diorama that showed me engaged in my future vocation. The little cardboard me I cut out wasn’t playing a professional sport or fighting a fire or walking on the Moon. Instead, Mini Me sat solo in the empty Vans shoebox, in a tiny cardboard chair, behind a tiny cardboard table, in front of a tiny cardboard typewriter. It wasn’t a dream I chased very far. At some point growing up I was dissuaded by pragmatism. Having learned that I stood the same chances of becoming a successful writer as my kindergarten classmates did becoming a professional baseball player, I steered clear of ever being caught playing the dreamer.
Nearly five years ago–almost four decades out of kindergarten–we left to go cruising and I was suddenly rich in time. I decided to start writing in earnest. I began selling my writing.
Now, I’m proud and eager to announce a new book filled with all the knowledge I’ve gained: Selling Your Writing to the Boating Magazines (and other niche mags) (2016, Force Four Publications).
I hope this book gives aspiring writers the knowledge and confidence to get published in their favorite magazines.
Jen Brett, Senior Editor at Cruising World magazine, wrote that Selling Your Writing to the Boating Magazines, “Should be required reading for anyone looking to break into freelance journalism.”
Following are additional early reviews I’m pleased to share:
“From now on when I get queries from sailors wanting to know how to get started as writers for the sailing press, I’ll recommend this book. It’s not just the book editors have been waiting for, it’s the book long awaited by every sailor who hopes to make a buck while pursuing his sailing dream.”
—Karen Larson, Publisher of Good Old Boat
“Concise, useful and encouraging for any aspiring magazine writer, not just those in the sailing field.”
—Lin Pardey, author of more than 400 magazine articles
“Michael Robertson has done a great job composing a primer of practicalities for freelance writers. His clear advice is reinforced by having been widely published himself, allowing him to cite numerous useful examples from his own efforts.”
—Tim Queeney, Editor of Ocean Navigator
“If you’ve ever thought about sharing your passion by writing about what you love, you need this book. Michael Robertson has put together the ultimate toolkit for launching your freelancing dream.”
—Beth A. Leonard, freelancer, speaker, and author who supported herself for two decades writing from her boat
Available at Amazon.com
