Matthew Worley sold his article, “A Resonant, Rhythmic, Writing Revival,” to Brooklyn Based.
Matthew says, “The instructor taught me the value of persistence in dealing with editors — a quality I lacked at times — and I have already seen the value of following up and phoning, multiple times if necessary, to gain an editor’s ear.”
Author and journalist Susan Orlean (left) has written two nonfiction pieces that have been turned into films. She'll discuss her new book, Rin Tin Tin, in Mediabistro's first online Literary Festival & Workshops starting July 16. Other speakers include Rebecca Skloot, Jason Boog, and Jason Allen Ashlock. Register now.Sabrina Ricci launched an online literary magazine specializing in flash fiction called FictionBrigade
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Sabrina says, “Taking Mediabistro courses has helped me improve my writing, but more important, it has helped me be tougher as a writer.”
Amy Costello launched a podcast and multimedia platform, Tiny Spark, which “ignites debate about the Business of Doing Good.”
Amy’s advice to writers: “Take risks, blaze your own path, tell compelling stories, meet your deadlines, respect the people you write about. And for God’s sake, don’t wait for permission to do the things you want to do.”
Joe Peta sold his nonfiction book, Trading Bases: A Story about Wall Street, Gambling, and Baseball (Not Necessarily in that Order), to Dutton Books, a publishing division of the Penguin Group (USA).
Joe says, “Without the combination of the nonfiction book writing and nonfiction book proposal courses, both of which were invaluable to me, a complete publishing/media industry outsider, I could never have put together the proposal which led to my book sale.”
Amy Bevan was published in Taste of the Seacoast magazine and will be published in Family Fun magazine in May 2012.
Amy says, “Learning each week about different types of writing and then challenging myself to pursue them was just the experience I needed to impress editors.”
Caroline Bock‘s young adult novel, Lie, was published by St. Martin’s Press in August. It received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which said, “Bock handles the novel’s multiple viewpoints exceptionally well, rotating among the painfully believable voices of high school students and adults.”
Kirkus Reviews said, “Realistic and devastatingly insightful, this novel can serve as a springboard to classroom and family discussions. Unusual and important.”
Caroline’s advice to aspiring writers? “Finish a first draft as fast as possible — and then, revise, revise.”
Janie Ho landed a job as a Strategic Account Analyst at LinkedIn.
Janie says, “After taking a Mediabistro social media class, I felt confident enough to present custom-tailored PowerPoint presentations and website audits to each interviewer that were impressive and well-received by longtime SEO veterans.”
Tamara Ireland Stone sold her young adult novel, Time Between Us, to Disney-Hyperion and also sold audio rights and foreign rights in 10 countries.
Tamara says, “I honestly don’t think I would have seen this success if it weren’t for the amazing instruction I received during Mediabistro’s class. The instructor provided constant direction and support on my manuscript, helped me craft a query letter that got my story noticed, and introduced me to communities like the SCBWI to help me network.”
Swaha Devi‘s personal essay “The Buddha Bird” will be published in the September 2011 issue of Slice, a literary magazine.
She says, “I have a clearer sense of my strengths and am reining in some methods that weren’t working as well, including balancing and grounding my poetic style with more prose, action, and dialogue.”
Aubrey Nodarse landed a job as a social media coordinatorat the BCBG Max Azria headquarters in Los Angeles, where she writes blog and social media content, ecommerce content, trendsheets, and other marketing collateral.
She says our Intro to Fashion Writing class “helps you realize things you are missing in your writing, and helps coach you to be more aware of them. Your writing might make sense to you, but there may be missing key details that help tell the story.”
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