Thursday, March 1, 2012

Devotions--Another Market

praying hands near bible (silver)


This morning, I had a message alerting me tht a Devotion I had written for the Lutheran Parish Nurses International newsletter is now online. You can read it here. I've not written many devotions and was a bit unsure at first when asked to contribute for the newsletter. But I read their detailed writer guidelines and decided I could do it.

There is a market for writing devotions. The bulk seems to be for Christian publications, but with a little research, I'm sure you can find devotions published for other religions, as well. Remember your old friend, Google, and other search engines to help.

A devotion is usually short, often relates a personal experience and shows a spiritual revelation of some kind. Christian devotions include scripture from the bible to illustrate the topic. There are devotional books of all kinds. I have one on my shelf that is a full year of devotions for writers. I was asked to submit for that book, too. When I received my copy of the book, I kept it near my computer and read each day's offering for a full year. It gave me quite a boost, especially when I was feeling a bit down over several rejections or a piece I was working on didn't seem to be jelling like I'd hoped. It made me realize how much company I had in some of the feelings I'd experienced as a writer.

You're sure to find devotional books for other professions, too, as well as ones that individual church denominations publish. So, there is definitely a market for them.

Try googling 'writing devotions--markets' and you'll find a lengthy list of articles on the topic along with possible markets. One thing to keep in mind is that many are a no-pay, although you will also find some paying markets.

When looking into a type of writing that is new to you, do your homework before jumping in. 

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