The RW Makeover is in full swing over here in the offices of Jen A. Miller (where I am not only president of the company but also CFO, office manager, secretary and janitor — my dog is CEO).

To start, I’ve been sending introduction packaged to editors at target magazines. I know that intro packages are sometimes worthless, but I’ve struck gold with them before, and not just at trades but at well known publications. I’ve found that it’s a good way to say hello and then follow up a few weeks later with a solid pitch. I’ve also gone back to pitching publications I never heard back from, and I’m happy to say that this afternoon, I landed an assignment at a Big Woman’s Magazine that I’ve re-targeted since starting the RW makeover. WAHOO #1! 

I’ve also been seeing where my contacts take me and was introduced via email to a features editor at well known newspaper, and after pitching her a few ideas, have both a book review assignment and an invitation to pitch features. WAHOO #2!

I’ve also been mentioning to editors for whom I usually write service pieces that I also review books, and it turns out that one such publication might be expanding their book coverage in the near future, and she was very happy that I let her know so that they’ll come to me first when they’re ready for more book pieces. WAHOO #3!

On the other side of the makeover, I’ll be speaking to a financial expert on Monday about how things are going financially and the best ways for me to start saving for a house and retirement. I’ll post back soon!

Jen

P.S. I’d also like to give a special shout out to my friend Matt Katz who got engaged last week. Why mention it here? Because he proposed to his fiance through a story I wrote about him for New Jersey Monthly, which you can see here. Sometimes, when I’m hassling with the negative aspects of this job (like late checks, missing checks, editors who don’t get back to me, editors who want last minute changes on a story I turned in six months, drop dead boring stories, or — God help me — taxes), it’s easy to forget that what we do can really make an impact on people’s lives. So I just wanted to share

If you liked that post, you might also like:

• You Ask, We Answer: Can I Resell an Article That’s in Limbo?
• You Ask, I Answer: Can I Send Similar Ideas to Different Magazines?
• Bust My Excuse: I’m Not Sure How Long a Query Should Be!
• How to Figure Out Which Editor to Query
• Tech Journalism Boot Camp Is Back