Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The Value of Persistence


A Report on the Writing Life
by C. Eric Banister

One of the goals I set for myself in January of 2007 was to have an article published in a magazine called Bluegrass Unlimited. If you are a bluegrass fan, this is comparable to being the Rolling Stone of the genre in terms of name recognition within the genre. I sent several queries in a row, each either already assigned or they weren't interested in the artist at the time. After about 5 rejections the editor noted that she had to admire my persistence.

I followed that up with a thank you - and another pitch. As my luck goes, it was already assigned. About a week later, I got an e-mail from the editor that the person assigned to that story dropped out and it was mine if I wanted it. Of course I did! So I had my first story (the first nice paycheck too) published in Bluegrass Unlimited in August. I have tried a few more queries, but haven't hit another story idea yet.

With summer winding down and classes starting again I hadn't had time to query for a couple of months. Yesterday I got an e-mail from the editor asking if I would be interested in becoming a regular reviewer for the magazine! It's a paying gig and one that will help build my visibility in that community.

So the lesson I offer is that persistence and professionalism really do pay off!

1 comment:

Carter said...

You are *so right, Eric! I learned that a long time ago, and it's made a huge difference. Congratulations on your triumph! It's a start for a great career.