Professional  Humor  Tricks  for  Writers,  Speakers  &  Other  Misfits  

Section  Six  Cheat  Sheet:  Expose  Yourself!  
 
The  spectrum  of  opportunities  for  talented  humorists  is  vast.  Markets  include  websites,  
newspapers,  magazines,  books,  scripts  and  screenplays,  greeting  cards,  cartoons,  advertising,  
and  more.      

Blogging  makes  it  easy  to  have  a  web  presence.  If  you’re  just  getting  started  as  a  humor  writer,  
blogging  is  one  of  the  best  ways  to  motivate  yourself  and  get  your  name  out  there.    

Don’t  make  the  common  rookie  mistake  of  focusing  exclusively  on  humor  publications.  Pitch  
humor  columns  to  non-­‐humor  publications  that  focus  on  whatever  your  stories  are  about.  You  
can  tailor  different  versions  of  the  same  story  to  different  niche  markets.  Repurposing  articles  
for  multiple  publications  is  one  way  professional  freelancers  maintain  steady  incomes.  

For  articles  and  short  stories,  there  are  two  primary  ways  to  approach  editors:  “queries”  or  
“on-­‐spec.”  When  you  query,  you  send  a  cover  letter  with  a  brief  synopsis  of  your  idea.  When  
you  submit  “on  spec,”  you  send  in  the  entire  article.  Some  publications  prefer  one  or  the  other,  
but  with  humor,  editors  usually  want  to  see  the  final  product  before  committing.    

Writer’s  Market  lists  thousands  of  magazines  that  buy  freelance  material.  It  exists  in  book  
form,  and  online  at  writersmarket.com.    

The  three  most  common  types  of  copyright  agreement  are:      

• One-­‐Time  Rights:  The  publication  runs  your  story  once.  You  may  then  resell  it  
elsewhere.  One-­‐time  rights  are  the  legal  default.  Unless  you  have  a  contract  stating  
otherwise,  these  are  the  understood  terms  of  sale.  
• First  Rights:  Your  story  has  never  been  published  anywhere  else.  Some  publications  
insist  on  this.    
• Exclusive  Rights:  The  publication  owns  that  story  forever.  You  cannot  ever  publish  that  
version  anywhere  else.  

Nobody  is  allowed  to  publish  anything  you  have  written  without  your  permission  –  regardless  
of  whether  you  say  it’s  copyrighted.  It’s  a  common  pet  peeve  of  editors,  the  sign  of  an  
amateur,  to  submit  stories  with  copyright  notices  at  the  bottom.    

The  more  stories  you  pitch,  the  better  your  odds  are  of  selling  your  work.  As  you  start  to  have  
successes,  you’ll  develop  relationships  with  editors,  making  it  easier  to  pitch  future  stories.  

Remember:  Think  of  this  workshop  as  a  launching  pad.  Improving  your  writing,  and  your  
humor,  is  an  ongoing  process.  Keep  observing,  writing,  and  embracing  feedback    
©  Dave  Fox  /  Globejotting.com