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When a writer recently complained of having to do a quick turn on revisions for a freelance magazine piece that was written as queried, here was my response:
Article due: Feb. 15
Article publishes: May 1
Editor gets back to you and demands rewrite/fix/whatever in a matter of days: April 15
This happens fairly often. You just have to build it in. Also, even if the editor likes your query, he may assume that when it fleshes out in an article it falls within a fairly narrow set of article guidelines of what their articles of that nature read and feel like.
The key is -- learn to suit your editor. That's the bottom line of who you have to please. If the editor ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. If you don't think you can, move on. But be warned: they're all different, they all have their things, and there's no getting away from that.
I had an editor liked my query, took the story, over-reacted with strong, irritated language, I tweaked two small things that WERE NOT EARTH-SHAKING, she's happy as a lamb. Which made me think her problem may just have been her manic/depressive meds got out of whack. Whatever. I catered, I kowtowed, I got the check, got the byline -- and got the next assignment.
One of the things that I think I've noticed on one occasion: I've seen an editor overreact and realized that she herself shrinks from fixing copy because she doesn't like to write and doesn't have time to figure out what the story is so that she could fix it.
Whereas when she explained it to me, who did the research, the fix was simple. So if you have a panicky edit, instead of panicking yourself, just work calmly to fix it to spec. Could be easier than you think, especially if you're experienced.
Showing posts with label freelance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freelance. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Rent the kingdom keys for a nickel? No more writing sweatshops
I have to scratch my head over this one:
A freelance work service I subscribed to sent me a chance to bid on a project first advertised on zinester.com. The stunner wasn't the appallingly low $25 for the project, a 1,000-word sales letter -- although I run an office, not a sweatshop for writing.
No, the jolt I got from reading the ad stemmed from the fact that it was a freelance marketing person looking for help with a sales letter marketing their own services.
In some kind of crazy loop, the writer seeks another writer who's "gotta lotta personality" to do what she can't.
She kindly provided main points and text she had brainstormed to give an idea of the feeling she was going for.
"The times they are a'changing. It's not enough to have a simple affiliate site or a poorly written sales letter up on the web. In these hard economic times, you need these new, guerilla marketing strategies to boost your sales."
To a woman who has been involved "in a variety of online and offline businesses" and who says she knows "what it takes to sell products - especially in this tough economic market" and plans to "show you how," I'd say "Physician, heal thyself."
And if it's true that a person with all those skills and all that capacity to make money regardless of the state of the economy has to hire someone else to write tantalizing copy to sell it, I propose that it's worth more than $25 to the person who can actually do it. A lot more.
Like the one I read last week about the woman who was going to write an e-book about copywriting but didn't have time and figured she'd job it out (for cheap) to a ghost writer. Might have even been the same chick. She probably sees it as subcontracting -- best to call it by its name, a ripoff of talent.
Don't sell yourself short as a writer by renting the keys to the kingdom for a nickel. Unless, of course, you think you can live on a nickel.
A freelance work service I subscribed to sent me a chance to bid on a project first advertised on zinester.com. The stunner wasn't the appallingly low $25 for the project, a 1,000-word sales letter -- although I run an office, not a sweatshop for writing.
No, the jolt I got from reading the ad stemmed from the fact that it was a freelance marketing person looking for help with a sales letter marketing their own services.
In some kind of crazy loop, the writer seeks another writer who's "gotta lotta personality" to do what she can't.
She kindly provided main points and text she had brainstormed to give an idea of the feeling she was going for.
"The times they are a'changing. It's not enough to have a simple affiliate site or a poorly written sales letter up on the web. In these hard economic times, you need these new, guerilla marketing strategies to boost your sales."
To a woman who has been involved "in a variety of online and offline businesses" and who says she knows "what it takes to sell products - especially in this tough economic market" and plans to "show you how," I'd say "Physician, heal thyself."
And if it's true that a person with all those skills and all that capacity to make money regardless of the state of the economy has to hire someone else to write tantalizing copy to sell it, I propose that it's worth more than $25 to the person who can actually do it. A lot more.
Like the one I read last week about the woman who was going to write an e-book about copywriting but didn't have time and figured she'd job it out (for cheap) to a ghost writer. Might have even been the same chick. She probably sees it as subcontracting -- best to call it by its name, a ripoff of talent.
Don't sell yourself short as a writer by renting the keys to the kingdom for a nickel. Unless, of course, you think you can live on a nickel.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Advertorial Schmadvertorial: Words for Sale
Some people are confused by the word "advertorial." Those who aren't confused may be irritated! But for ad departments at daily newspapers, advertorial can be the best thing since sliced bread that can help keep revenues on an even keel in iffy times.
The word "advertorial" is a blending of the words "editorial" and "advertising." Some bigger papers have advertorial departments that fall within the advertising department. The ad staff develop advertising sections ranging from auto to business to bridal to real estate to holiday themes, but instead of only being filled with ads, they contain advertorial copy.
If this is locally generated, it probably has advertisers featured within it. Sometimes advertorial sections run specials -- Buy a (minimum size, say 1/2-page) ad, get an advertorial piece free! Buy a full-page ad, get an advertorial story AND a picture free!! They don't always guarantee the story and ad will run in the same area, because that can be hard to do, depending on the layout. Also, different placement can maximize the impact.
The copy is usually designed to complement the section's themes. Done right, advertorial looks and reads great and feels like authentic editorial copy, giving the piece tremendous credibility and authority. Done poorly, some publications put out cheesy advertorial copy, or print nearly verbatim the clunky press releases the clients give them.
A great advertorial story is informative, adheres to good writing standards, and is a pleasure to read. It's also often the best bargain an advertiser can get in the paper in terms of exposure.
Ad clients may get authority to look over the advertorial copy ahead of time -- it's pretty common, since it's purely a function of advertising, but generally the newspaper's advertorial staff maintain final control so standards can be adhered to. The best scenario is that the person in charge of advertorial has real paper experience.
At bigger dailies, advertorial writing is often shopped out to freelancers. I was advertorial editor for a daily newspaper and then advertorial director for a small newspaper group about 12 years ago. For the daily, I did much of the advertorial writing myself; at the news group, I had two advertorial writers on staff plus we used freelance.
While advertorial can help keep revenues on an even keel in iffy times, there are whole editorial departments up in arms about advertorial. The biggest concern is that uninformed readers will read it an assume it's regular editorial copy. It does need to be differentiated lest readers get confused and think they can buy regular editorial space, etc. (They get confused anyway, but making the distinction helps.) Frequently the section or each page bears the note "An Advertorial Section of the Blablabla Herald."
In a bigger paper, regular staff writers will not be asked to mess with advertorial, as a general rule. The smaller the newspaper, the more likely regular editorial staff will have to play some part in advertorial.
On occasion, when lines blur, thanks to editorial and advertorial departmental plate tectonics, writers or editors may get caught in the middle and it's not pretty.
Two attitudes seem to prevail in many editorial departments. Writers and editors often either look at advertorial with contempt, or with gratitude that it brings in revenue and that they don't have to mess with it. -- J. Louise Larson http://writingporch.blogspot.com/
The word "advertorial" is a blending of the words "editorial" and "advertising." Some bigger papers have advertorial departments that fall within the advertising department. The ad staff develop advertising sections ranging from auto to business to bridal to real estate to holiday themes, but instead of only being filled with ads, they contain advertorial copy.
If this is locally generated, it probably has advertisers featured within it. Sometimes advertorial sections run specials -- Buy a (minimum size, say 1/2-page) ad, get an advertorial piece free! Buy a full-page ad, get an advertorial story AND a picture free!! They don't always guarantee the story and ad will run in the same area, because that can be hard to do, depending on the layout. Also, different placement can maximize the impact.
The copy is usually designed to complement the section's themes. Done right, advertorial looks and reads great and feels like authentic editorial copy, giving the piece tremendous credibility and authority. Done poorly, some publications put out cheesy advertorial copy, or print nearly verbatim the clunky press releases the clients give them.
A great advertorial story is informative, adheres to good writing standards, and is a pleasure to read. It's also often the best bargain an advertiser can get in the paper in terms of exposure.
Ad clients may get authority to look over the advertorial copy ahead of time -- it's pretty common, since it's purely a function of advertising, but generally the newspaper's advertorial staff maintain final control so standards can be adhered to. The best scenario is that the person in charge of advertorial has real paper experience.
At bigger dailies, advertorial writing is often shopped out to freelancers. I was advertorial editor for a daily newspaper and then advertorial director for a small newspaper group about 12 years ago. For the daily, I did much of the advertorial writing myself; at the news group, I had two advertorial writers on staff plus we used freelance.
While advertorial can help keep revenues on an even keel in iffy times, there are whole editorial departments up in arms about advertorial. The biggest concern is that uninformed readers will read it an assume it's regular editorial copy. It does need to be differentiated lest readers get confused and think they can buy regular editorial space, etc. (They get confused anyway, but making the distinction helps.) Frequently the section or each page bears the note "An Advertorial Section of the Blablabla Herald."
In a bigger paper, regular staff writers will not be asked to mess with advertorial, as a general rule. The smaller the newspaper, the more likely regular editorial staff will have to play some part in advertorial.
On occasion, when lines blur, thanks to editorial and advertorial departmental plate tectonics, writers or editors may get caught in the middle and it's not pretty.
Two attitudes seem to prevail in many editorial departments. Writers and editors often either look at advertorial with contempt, or with gratitude that it brings in revenue and that they don't have to mess with it. -- J. Louise Larson http://writingporch.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Where The Writing/Editing Jobs Are: Thinking Outside the Lines
For fledgling and experienced writers alike, getting a job in a tight market can be challenging, to understate it.
Layoffs at newpapers, magazines and websites dump more candidates into the job market. Some of these are absorbed as writers and editors resolve to control their own destiny and be their own masters (freelance) or finally get into a line of work that pays (PR). Retiring wordsmiths are replaced by whole new classfuls of bright-eyed graduates looking for that foot in the editorial door--willing to work harder, unencumbered by family, able to survive on a smaller paycheck, while experienced candidates may offer a more settled lifestyle, extensive background and family to support as a reason to stick around.
Whether you're starting or seasoned, here's a reminder that getting into the queues for available jobs can mean creativity in the job search process. Here are some suggestions for improving the odds:
Layoffs at newpapers, magazines and websites dump more candidates into the job market. Some of these are absorbed as writers and editors resolve to control their own destiny and be their own masters (freelance) or finally get into a line of work that pays (PR). Retiring wordsmiths are replaced by whole new classfuls of bright-eyed graduates looking for that foot in the editorial door--willing to work harder, unencumbered by family, able to survive on a smaller paycheck, while experienced candidates may offer a more settled lifestyle, extensive background and family to support as a reason to stick around.
Whether you're starting or seasoned, here's a reminder that getting into the queues for available jobs can mean creativity in the job search process. Here are some suggestions for improving the odds:
- Job search is like sales -- it's a numbers game. The more applications you make, the better your odds of getting an interview.
- Be prepared -- a good resume, a knock-out cover letter http://www.savvymiss.com/career-woman/career-advice/9-to-5-grind-archive/article/how-to-write-a-great-cover-letter-292/news-browse/5/sspn//c7613c060b.html, prepared references, interview clothes, a prepared approach for your interview.
- Be your own best PR person. Without boring others or droning on and on about yourself, find ways to demonstrate and talk about the things you shine at, from your cover letter to conversations at family reunions.
- Brush up on job search skills -- here's a book that I've recommended often. (It includes ways to answer the 100 toughest interview questions) http://www.amazon.com/Knock-Dead-2008-Ultimate-Search/dp/1598691651/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202272121&sr=1-1
- Look the usual places -- In addition to employer job boards, company sites (check the HR department for posted jobs) popular journalism jobs sites include journalismjobs http://journalismjobs.com/, mediabistro http://mediabistro.com/joblistings/ , editor & publisher http://edpub.careercast.com/js.php?qInd=vnuuscategoryjournalism.
- Thinking outside the lines can mean looking further afield. True, New York City has huge concentrations of jobs in publishing. There are also a lot of candidates subsisting as baristas at Starbucks while they hope for even editorial crumbs. Check out state press assocation links (you can start here http://www.texaspress.com/StatePressLinks.html) to find jobs outside your region.
- Network like crazy: Ask around. Join writers groups, online forums like mediabistro.com's http://mediabistro.com/bbs/ and associations. Mingle! Get to know other writers. Get informational interviews at places you'd like to work. And be helpful -- bring something to put on the table; networking is a two-way street. http://www.rileyguide.com/network.html
- Don't be too proud to do what you need to do to survive while you look. Use some other marketable skill. http://www.monster.com/ Waiting tables and all other kinds of stop-gap work have their own dignity as you support yourself.
- In the meantime, demonstrate your ability to master technology, as well as an area of expertise, by blogging about an interest at http://www.blogger.com/. See my list of articles on searchwarp.com here. http://searchwarp.com/Author129511.htm Don't forget a succinct, upbeat bio about your skills and background.
- Add experience to your portfolio with volunteer work within your field.
- And get your freelance going by looking for publications needing articles in your area of expertise, or in need of your ability to write about anything. Study up on freelancing here. http://www.absolutewrite.com/
Good luck!
J. Louise Larson http://writingporch.blogspot.com/
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