Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Get Started as a Proofreader
15 Great Links: Working from Home as a Writer
It's true that working from home can bring special challenges, and working for yourself brings even more interesting situations! Further, being a writer takes real focus and brain space. Please enjoy my writing roundup of fabulous posts about working from home as a writer!
6 Essential Things to Make Your Writing Session More Productive
7 Steps to Freelance Writing Success
Dads Can Write for Parenting Publications Too!
AdvancedWriters.com: Book Review Service with Expert Writers
Interview with Jessica Fisher of LifeAsMom.com
Interview with Christina Katz of Writer Mama fame
Tips for Working from Home
Key Things You Can't Overlook Running a Home Business
Ways to Keep a Blog Secure
How to Balance Your Side Gig with Your Full-Time Job
Organize Your Freelance Career Finances
6 Essential Things to Make Your Writing Session More Productive
How to Start Your Own Mommy Blog: 5 Easy Steps to Success
What to Consider when Publishing a Book
How to be More Productive when Writing at Home
Monday, February 27, 2023
UPDATES to "The Mother of All Writing Market Books"
Updated Information in Date Order (Newest First)
Bouncebacks I'm Currently Checking Out (maybe my crappy email service just didn't actually delete these contacts when I told it to do so)
Friday, February 10, 2023
Author Interview: How to Make a Living off of Writing Books
This author is an authority on book writing and offers tips on supporting yourself as a writer. Read on to find out what he says about public speaking, the kryptonite that keeps some writers from succeeding, and more!
Do you have kryptonite as a writer?
As a writer, you could have a "kryptonite"—that one thing you can't seem to get over. It can be a writing disability, a lack of time, or something else. The most successful authors, like LB Wells, can overcome these challenges.
There are some actions you can do to combat your weakness:
- You need to identify it.
- It would be best if you eliminated it.
- You must take the necessary steps to prevent it from returning.
In a nutshell, developing your writing skills and imagination is essential to become a writer. It's vital to plan your writing week so you can write many words. It would be best if you worked on speed. It will be ideal if you have good time management skills.
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
January's Jumpin' 2023 Work-from-Home #IncomeReport $716
Welcome to the November edition of my work-from-home Monthly Income Report from The Published Parent, aka Kerrie at the McLoughlin household.
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
My Journey to Writing for Parenting Magazines
I think
it’s important to record how you started doing something you are very
passionate about, so I’m going to share my writer story here. Keep in mind I
didn’t have Internet access at my house until roughly 2013, so my early career
was spent researching and submitting at the library, at my mom’s house, my
dad’s house, friends’ houses, my husband’s workplace, etc. I was determined and
I had a fire in my belly!
I always thought of myself as a writer growing up, but I didn’t think I was that great at it…nothing special. I got good grades in English and Creative Writing classes in school and even wrote some decent papers during my community college years. I was always observing, journaling, and venting on paper. Interesting things happened to me, as well as experiences that would have served as great warning stories for others, but I didn’t know how to craft them into something people would want to read.
I had three kids when I started writing for money and was a 35-year-old stay-at-home mom with a husband who traveled frequently for work, sometimes for weeks at a time. I loved being a mom more than anything in the world, and I also loved recording every thought in my head while I held my nursing baby during her naptime and her big brothers watched PBS cartoons and Baby Einstein videos on TV nearby. Trying to not let Caillou’s whining and Dora the Explorer suck out all my brain cells was a top priority back then.
We had a
little paper in my city called Mother and Child Reunion that was a little
bit like a regional parenting magazine (RPM) only smaller and more like a
little newspaper. I always found helpful parenting articles in it each month
and wondered if I could offer them something of value. In 2006, I submitted a
series on how to make money with your kid on your hip. They were only used
online, and I was too chicken to ask for money. I was just happy to have a
writing credit, any writing credit.
Next, I
went after my local RPM which I had been reading for a long time, Kansas
City Parent. I had whipped up a piece about meal planning and
stocking up on groceries to save time and money and sent it off. “Stock-up
Mentality” ran in the January 2007 issue, I received a $25 check, and I was on
top of the world. One mistake I made was that I wrote the article out of
annoyance with a friend. The friend went to the grocery store daily for meal
ingredients, and I thought she was nuts. I could not imagine dragging my own
kids to the store daily, and I thought I was a pretty superior human being for
buying two weeks’ worth of groceries at a time, and I had also started trying
out the Once-a-Month Cooking Cookbook concept,
although I could only handle meal-prepping for two weeks at a time and,
honestly, I only did that once.
The key
takeaway from this is never to write an article out of snark. Predictably, it
damaged the friendship, plus this friend had a blog where she blasted me.
After shaking off that bittersweet experience (yay for selling an article locally and making money, but boo for pissing off a friend and looking petty in the process), it was time to tackle New Beginnings (La Leche League’s magazine). I sent off an essay on how much I loved having my kids nap on me after they would fall asleep breastfeeding. It ran in the March/April 2007 issue, I got two free copies of the magazine, and I was ecstatic once again.
And I had a grand total of $25 for three writing credits. That was NOT going to pay for braces or groceries.
I stumbled upon an article online about selling reprints and started trying to send out my “Stock-up Mentality” article. I made many submission mistakes, received one kind rejection, and didn’t hear from anyone else.
After
that, I got fired up about kids and fundraising, pounded out a piece, submitted it to my local newspaper, The Kansas City Star, and saw
it in print six months later, in January 2008. The pay was the satisfaction of
my family knowing I could write and hearing my name on a local radio station
when the host agreed with my stance. (I later turned this piece into two
articles for the RPMs which were very popular: Rock Your
Next Fundraiser and Fundraising
Life Lessons Learned, as well as a hybrid of the op-ed and one of
the articles, titled Fundraiser
Fallout.)
My
Writing Career Statistics About a Year into the Game:
Ø One
unpaid money-making series in a little local parenting newspaper
Ø One $25
article about stocking up on meals in my local parenting magazine
Ø Two free
copies of an international magazine where my piece on breastfeeding appeared
Ø One
opinion piece published in my local newspaper
Ø One
writing fire still burning in my belly
Meh. Time to head back to the regionals, I told myself, because I loved writing articles, had a million ideas, and decided I should be writing for an income. I enjoyed some success with various magazines (reworked the Mother and Child Reunion series into one article and a few places bought it, such as Columbus Parent) and I also continued to collect contact information and writers’ guidelines for markets all over the United States.
Then I
got pregnant with my fifth child in 2009 and thought it might help other
writers to learn from my mistakes and to have the list of markets, writers’
guidelines, and pay information I had compiled for myself. So I headed into the
land of ebooks while also continuing to submit parenting magazine articles and
doing some other things on the side, like blogging, writing for Contently and Scripted, and proofreading on Fiverr and
Scripted.
In the summer of 2010, I felt frazzled and stressed out about expectations that were being put on my family of seven to be in several places at once on Christmas morning that year, I wrote 8 Tips for Holiday Sanity (also known as Dreaming of a Peaceful Holiday). I have since earned over $1,000 from this one article, selling it as a reprint all over the United States.
I gained momentum and confidence and started penning informational pieces about topics that were on my mind, such as:
- Ø Conquering kid clutter
- Ø Homeschooling
- Ø Traditions
(birthday, seasonal, holidays, etc.)
- Ø Gardening with kids
In early 2022, one of our local news stations, Fox4 News, contacted me via Instagram to do a remote interview to talk about one of my articles they’d seen in Kansas City Parent about busting indoor boredom in the winter.
These
days, I’m still writing blog posts, parenting articles, and books, as well as
proofreading. I’d love to do more TV spots (maybe in person this time!) and can
see myself diversifying my income even more by branching out into writing
teaching materials for TeachersPayTeachers, designing creative materials for my
Etsy shop, and doing speaking engagements to talk about many different topics.
Writing for parenting magazines can be a springboard for so many other things, and you can continue to do it while you venture into other adventures!
If you're interested in starting, check out my book with over 600 markets!
Friday, January 20, 2023
UPDATED Chicken Soup for the Soul Writing Opportunities and Submission Guidelines
Chicken Soup for the Soul has an astounding collection of inspiring books! I remember about 15 years ago when I got the one for mothers for Mother's Day and I still have it, all Post-It noted and highlighted! Click here to check out their possible upcoming books, which you can contribute to! They update it all the time as they publish more and come up with more ideas!
Here are some of their upcoming books which are going to be published.
Did you know that you can write one article and sell it again for money to dozens of different magazines all over the world? And yes, the editors know we are doing this. It’s not a secret, just something that's not very well known. Check out my resource with 600 markets! (use promo code PPBLOG20 for 20% off) You can grab the instant download here!
Sunday, January 15, 2023
Kerrie McLoughlin References and Recommendations
"Thanks for your wonderful ebook! If it wasn't for your wonderful advice, I wouldn't be getting these articles accepted!!!" — Dr. Anne Zachry, writer
"Kerrie's book has been a go-to resource for me in finding out information about parenting magazines throughout the United States. One of her talents is a willingness to share what she's learned with other writers so that they can make progress in their careers." — Liz Sheffield, writer
"A dandy book about a very specific topic and market (parenting) that should help lots of writers get in print and fatten their larder, modestly. I like that you explain reprints and why it makes huge sense to sell and sell good copy until it expires or you do. A fun book to read too, as is your website." — Gordon Burgett, author of 40 published books and 1,700+ articles
"Kerrie has put together a fabulous resource for beginners as well as seasoned writers. She tells you all you need to know for pitching your work to publishers and editors. Her database is fantastic. And her tips for "behind the scenes," like keeping track of submissions are spot on." — Jessica Fisher, freelance writer and author, blogger/owner at LifeAsMom.com
Saturday, January 7, 2023
Writing for Regional Parenting Magazines and Selling Reprints: My 182+ Publishing Credits
Do you want to write parenting and family articles and get paid to do so? I know there are a lot of parents out there doing the job every day, thinking, "I should write about this. I wonder if others struggle with this. I could help someone with my story or with a researched article about this topic. I could learn some cool things in the process of helping others and making money!"
I had those same thoughts back in 2005-ish when I had my third baby and was in the trenches of the parenting battlefield. I cracked open my local parenting magazine after snagging it at the local children's consignment shop, sent something to them about stocking up on meals instead of going grocery shopping daily, and I made a fast 25 bucks.Then I wondered if I could maybe send the same piece to other magazines in other cities. Did they only want local content or would they take my little evergreen piece?
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Editors Don't Care Where You Live: Get Published and Get Paid Selling Reprints to Parenting Magazines
In 2006 or so, I started writing for regional parenting magazines. The success I've had since has been amazing! Here's what happened ...
- I could not comprehend something a friend was doing (grocery shopping daily with small kids). At that time I had 3 small kids of my own and had to stock up on food because grocery shopping with my kids while my husband was out of town quite frankly sucked.
- I wrote out my thoughts (I'm a huge journaler) and they eventually turned into something resembling what I had seen in my local parenting magazine, Kansas City Parent.
- I emailed my piece to KC Parent and they bought it for $25. I was thrilled! I was PUBLISHED and PAID!
- Then I realized these magazines must be everywhere. I had traveled a little and had seen similar magazines with similar articles.
- I didn't have internet at home, so I started to head to the library with or without small children whenever I could and borrowed the internet of friends during playdates. I searched online for other magazines in other cities and started emailing them my pieces.
- I started selling articles!
- I started writing more articles, usually based on things that I felt passionately about. My best-selling piece, Christmas Sanity (goes by several different titles at this point), sold close to $1,000 in reprints and is still selling (click link to see the others that have sold over $500 in reprints so far). It was written out of my struggle with continuing to travel for Christmas to see extended family on Christmas Day or stay home with my own little family.
- I figured other writers might want to know what I had found out, so I wrote a book in 2009 about how to get published in regional parenting magazines NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE and sell each article as a REPRINT again and again. I compiled information from dozens of magazines in one spot to help myself with the submissions process.
I have updated my book almost annually and now I have over 180 publishing credits under my belt (list is here so you can check it out) and am still writing. It's a great business to be in because I can take a long break to do proofreading projects or write books or work on my direct sales businesses and then always come back to it. Even without writing any new pieces for many months, my reprints keep selling.
If you aren't sure yet, join my Facebook group! I never want to try to sell you something you don't need, so join in the group and check it out first! And happy writing!
Sunday, January 1, 2023
December's Delectable 2022 Work-from-Home #IncomeReport $2,491
Welcome to the November edition of my work-from-home Monthly Income Report from The Published Parent, aka Kerrie at the McLoughlin household.
Monday, December 26, 2022
Write for Pregnancy and Newborn Magazine -- Submission Writers Guidelines
We’re glad you’re interested in the prospect of working with Pregnancy & Newborn magazine—we’re always looking to add to our pool of writers and are currently accepting freelance submissions! Please read and follow the guidelines below so you can query us effectively and we can respond efficiently.
First, familiarize yourself with Pregnancy & Newborn both in print and online. Our targeted audience is comprised of women who are expecting or have a child under the age of 1. We strive to provide insightful, informative articles that discuss all things pregnancy- and baby-related in a casual, conversational, girlfriend-to-girlfriend manner. As a national magazine, we cover topics that are relevant to pregnant and new moms across the country.

Each month, we print articles that fit into the following categories: prenatal health, prenatal nutrition, emotional well-being, labor & delivery, infant care and parenting. Examples of topics that might be of interest include, but are not limited to, baby’s development month by month, alternative pain relief during labor, choosing a name for baby, healthy snacks for hungry moms-to-be, postpartum depression, maternity leave, finding childcare, vaccinations, raising a bilingual baby and more. We’re always looking for new and creative story ideas—please send yours our way!
We prefer to receive queries via email; you may direct them to editor@pnmag.com. Please send a detailed description of your proposed article, including topics you’ll discuss, experts you’ll interview, and sidebars you’ll provide. Department articles are typically 750 to 1,000 words plus 2 sidebars; feature articles are usually 1,750 to 2,000 plus 4 to 5 sidebars. Keep in mind that we generally work under a 4- to 6-month lead time.
We appreciate it when you include clips of your previously published articles. It’s always nice to see the work you’ve done in the past.
Please be patient as you wait for our response. Oftentimes we may not have a spot for your story immediately, but will file it away to have on hand when an opportunity arises—and rest assured that when one does, we'll be in touch!