The Parent-Writer: Strategies for Success
By Sharon Miller Cindrich
‘Tis the season to give thanks for all your blessings – and this year that means those who support you, write along side you, edit you and publish you.
Editors. Interns. Fellow writers. Teachers. The holiday season gives you a unique opportunity to acknowledge your professional relationships and express your hopes for and interest in an even more productive new year.
Check out these ideas when sending holiday cheer:
Send an e-mail. A simple e-mail costs nothing, yet allows you to use your writing skills to extend best wishes for continued success in your working relationships. Do check out www.hallmark.com or www.cardfountain.com for some fun, festive–even talking–e-mail options. Don’t send a bulk e-mail.
Send a card. A hand written note of thanks is something to be treasured in today’s e-world. Find cards with a fun writing theme and handwrite a simple, yet personal message inside. Do send individual cards to different editors at the same address. Don’t forget to include your business card and contact information inside the card.
Send a small gift. Small trinkets of thanks can be inexpensive and memorable. Pencil-shaped chocolates, fancy paperclips or a donation to a charity in the name of your colleague can really make an impression. Do send something creative–a ball that reads “I had a ball working with you this year” from www.sendaball.com or coffee with an “Editor’s Brew” sticker on the package. Don’t send something too expensive–it sends the wrong message.
My favorite: Each year, I purchase several beehives through Heifer International in the names of my colleagues, and send cards thanking them for keeping me “busy as a bee” during the year. Check them out at www.heifer.org.
Giving gifts to your clients and colleagues can also give a gift to you when it’s time to report to the IRS. Don’t forget to keep track of expenses, as business gifts, cards, postage and charitable donations are tax deductible.
Sharon Miller Cindrich is a freelance writer whose work has been published nationally in magazines and newspapers around the country including The Chicago Tribune, Parents Magazine, and The Writer. She is a Contributing Editor at FamilyFun Magazine and writes a bimonthly humor column for West Suburban Living Magazine in the Chicago Suburbs. She is a regular contributor to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Lifestyle section and Metroparent Magazine. Her book E-Parenting: Keeping Up with Your Tech-Savvy Kids is now out from Random House. Read more about Sharon at http://www.pluggedinparent.com/.