Transcribed Conference Notes (lengthy, but hopefully useful for anyone into writing/media)
Notes from the College Media Advisers' 2009 Spring Conference
Times Square, New York City
March 15-17, 2009
Jess Huckins, Venture Literary/Arts Magazine, Editor-in-Chief
Writing for Magazines: Breaking into the Business
(here, “magazine” mostly means your standard magazine, not literary journals. These ideas and techniques can easily be adapted, though, and it's best to write in many forms if you want to make a living off of it.)
*Introduction
-Magazine editors want to know not only how well you write, but how much you know about the business of writing.
-It's important to know the market. Look at the magazines you're interested in writing for. Write in the same style, with the same sort of point of view, and follow the length guidelines. You can find plenty of magazines willing to work with new writers in the annual Writer's Market.
-Always address your query letter to a specific person, not just “Editor.” Look at back issues to find this information.
-The query letter: A one-page proposal to the editor/publisher to sell yourself and your idea. You MUST attract his/her attention within the first sentence, even if it's a long sentence (this is called the “hook”). If your proposal is accepted, stick with it. Make sure you give the editor what you proposed in terms of content and length.
Query letter sections: Hook/Lead, Formal proposal, Business and personal disclaimer, Credentials, Contact information, Thanks/Close.
-Think of yourself as a business person! You need to sell yourself!
-Look for local magazines/papers. Your geographic location/knowledge can be leverage.
*Selling the Rights
-First (North American) Serial- offers the magazine or newspaper the right to publish your piece for the first time in any periodical. This is a good right to offer in the business section of your query letter. You can re-sell the article, you retain control, and sometimes you get paid more. Don't re-sell to other magazines in the same locale/market, though-that's bad form.
-One-Time (Simultaneous)- does not guarantee a publisher will be the first to publish the article.
-Second Serial or Reprint- offers a publication the right to print an article after it has appeared in another periodical.
-All Rights- offers buyer total ownership of work. You don't get to sell it or revise it again later because you don't own it anymore. They can do whatever they want with it! Stay away from this.
-Work for Hire- Copyright law of 1976, section 101 defines work for hire as:
1. A work prepared by an employee within the scope of his/her employment.
2. A work specially ordered or commissioned for use as a contribution to a collective work.
You don't have any rights to work you do for hire.
-Simultaneous submissions- When submitting a story/article to multiple publications in non-competing markets, you must inform the editor/publisher (“This is a simultaneous submission”). Let all the other mags know if your article/piece gets accepted elsewhere!
-Kill fee- Keep this is mind when negotiation contracts. If you're in a contract and the mag decides not to publish your work, they still have to pay you half if you've agreed on a kill fee. Very useful!
*Building Credentials: Developing a Portfolio
-Write for your campus newspaper/magazine/journal/website.
-Do internships!
-Build an online portfolio with bios and resumes, but be careful on social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace. Check user agreements before posting original material. Don't post anything that could get you fired or not hired in the first place.
-MULTIMEDIA PLATFORM SKILLS ARE ESSENTIAL. You MUST know how to work with video/audio, you MUST know how to interview people, and you MUST be able to work in both print and online formats!
*Other thoughts
-Be patient. Lots of other people are competing for the same bylines.
-Your goal, at first, should be to GET PUBLISHED. You need to worry about building your portfolio, not making money. The money comes once you have a solid portfolio.
-Keep a log of where you send things. Make columns in a spreadsheet (article idea/story title, publication, name of editor, date sent, response expected date, and Y/N [was it accepted?])
-Prepare for rejection. It's gonna happen, and it's okay.
-Plan ahead when you're sending out your query letters. Magazines plan far in advance (i.e. skiing articles may be planned in July).
-If you're writing an article on an organization or foundation, etc., make sure you mention that you're not affiliated with the organization (as long as you're actually not, of course). Editors want to make sure you don't have ulterior motives.
Careers in Media
-Once again, you absolutely positively NEED MULTIMEDIA SKILLS.
-Read journalism.org's “State of News Media” to get an idea of the current job climate.
-Most jobs are moving online.
-It's very hard to get full-time work right in media right now. Look for part-time, temp, freelance. Salaried positions and benefits are difficult to come by.
-Many of these positions will be decentralized-work from home or in small groups-peer networking is getting more and more important.
-Check out local and non-profit media. Also, alternative/community media: not a lot of money, but it's fun and there's lots of freedom.
-More jobs in the promotional, PR, technical fields.
-Look into non-traditional jobs: walking tours, group blogs, community media centers, etc.
-Archive work- writing, research, organization; database research and organizing.
-Target niches and go after online publications. Be aggressive! Sell yourself!
-GET YOUR NAME OUT THERE. Unpaid work can lead to paid work!
Breaking into Health Writing
-Good sites to look for jobs/internships:
mediabistro.com
asme.org (American Society of Magazine Editors)
-And yet again, they mentioned that you need to have cross-platform appeal. Multimedia skills for the win.
-You should have a news hook. Aim for 4-5 experts per pitch and be able to package the article in a variety of ways (multiple pictures, charts, etc.--be able to add things in, take things out, move things around with ease and still have the story work).
-You must have a clear point of view.
-KNOW YOUR MAGAZINE.
Life at a Literary Journal
-Cast a wide net. Look for internships.
-Try working for an arts section at a newspaper/magazine, write reviews, etc.
-WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. The best way to impress a journal, for both publication and employment purposes, is to have something good published.
-Read everything you can get your hands on. Know the current trends and be unique but appealing.
-Every journal's goal is to discover a great new writer in the slush pile.
-Good stories should engage with the world around the protagonist, not just be introspective. Journals aren't really looking for the “I,” the internal experience, anymore.
-Assign one editor per story.
EDIT WITH AN IRON FIST BUT RULE WITH A VELVET GLOVE
(For Editors Only)
(this is a bit more toward the journalism/newspaper side of things, but the ideas are sound, easily adaptable to a literary journal staff, and the presenter was frickin' hilarious)
-Some stories must die so that others may live. Triage your editions/issues and save what you can. Some editions/issues may not be as good as others-just live with it.
-Fire a slacker; set an example.
-Publish crap as long as it's increasingly better and better crap.
-Don't speak for yourself to get things done-blame your adviser.
-Save material in case of late stories/slacker staff.
-DEADLINE IS ALWAYS. Staggered deadlines are okay, and lying about the deadline to make sure it's done on time is totally cool. Just don't get caught because that blows your credibility.
-Be impatient.
-Meetings: short but often is better than long but only once in awhile.
-Make an example of yourself-be on time.
-(Not really prudent to journals, but...) “The worst thing you can say to a college student besides 'you have chlamydia' is 'hey dude, can you write me a headline?'”
-Ask for ideas, but don't assign them.
-Cheat on critiques-talk about it in advance with an adviser or professional, and know the answer to every question you ask.
-Start out as an asshole and ease up later, not the other way around.
-Don't give your staff too much freedom. They'll get busy/distracted and wander off.
-Say what's missing, not “it's too short.”
-Recruit people from everywhere! NESAD, business school, other majors!
I know I've been spammy today, but yeah. Need to get things done. I hope this helps some of you!
Times Square, New York City
March 15-17, 2009
Jess Huckins, Venture Literary/Arts Magazine, Editor-in-Chief
Writing for Magazines: Breaking into the Business
(here, “magazine” mostly means your standard magazine, not literary journals. These ideas and techniques can easily be adapted, though, and it's best to write in many forms if you want to make a living off of it.)
*Introduction
-Magazine editors want to know not only how well you write, but how much you know about the business of writing.
-It's important to know the market. Look at the magazines you're interested in writing for. Write in the same style, with the same sort of point of view, and follow the length guidelines. You can find plenty of magazines willing to work with new writers in the annual Writer's Market.
-Always address your query letter to a specific person, not just “Editor.” Look at back issues to find this information.
-The query letter: A one-page proposal to the editor/publisher to sell yourself and your idea. You MUST attract his/her attention within the first sentence, even if it's a long sentence (this is called the “hook”). If your proposal is accepted, stick with it. Make sure you give the editor what you proposed in terms of content and length.
Query letter sections: Hook/Lead, Formal proposal, Business and personal disclaimer, Credentials, Contact information, Thanks/Close.
-Think of yourself as a business person! You need to sell yourself!
-Look for local magazines/papers. Your geographic location/knowledge can be leverage.
*Selling the Rights
-First (North American) Serial- offers the magazine or newspaper the right to publish your piece for the first time in any periodical. This is a good right to offer in the business section of your query letter. You can re-sell the article, you retain control, and sometimes you get paid more. Don't re-sell to other magazines in the same locale/market, though-that's bad form.
-One-Time (Simultaneous)- does not guarantee a publisher will be the first to publish the article.
-Second Serial or Reprint- offers a publication the right to print an article after it has appeared in another periodical.
-All Rights- offers buyer total ownership of work. You don't get to sell it or revise it again later because you don't own it anymore. They can do whatever they want with it! Stay away from this.
-Work for Hire- Copyright law of 1976, section 101 defines work for hire as:
1. A work prepared by an employee within the scope of his/her employment.
2. A work specially ordered or commissioned for use as a contribution to a collective work.
You don't have any rights to work you do for hire.
-Simultaneous submissions- When submitting a story/article to multiple publications in non-competing markets, you must inform the editor/publisher (“This is a simultaneous submission”). Let all the other mags know if your article/piece gets accepted elsewhere!
-Kill fee- Keep this is mind when negotiation contracts. If you're in a contract and the mag decides not to publish your work, they still have to pay you half if you've agreed on a kill fee. Very useful!
*Building Credentials: Developing a Portfolio
-Write for your campus newspaper/magazine/journal/website.
-Do internships!
-Build an online portfolio with bios and resumes, but be careful on social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace. Check user agreements before posting original material. Don't post anything that could get you fired or not hired in the first place.
-MULTIMEDIA PLATFORM SKILLS ARE ESSENTIAL. You MUST know how to work with video/audio, you MUST know how to interview people, and you MUST be able to work in both print and online formats!
*Other thoughts
-Be patient. Lots of other people are competing for the same bylines.
-Your goal, at first, should be to GET PUBLISHED. You need to worry about building your portfolio, not making money. The money comes once you have a solid portfolio.
-Keep a log of where you send things. Make columns in a spreadsheet (article idea/story title, publication, name of editor, date sent, response expected date, and Y/N [was it accepted?])
-Prepare for rejection. It's gonna happen, and it's okay.
-Plan ahead when you're sending out your query letters. Magazines plan far in advance (i.e. skiing articles may be planned in July).
-If you're writing an article on an organization or foundation, etc., make sure you mention that you're not affiliated with the organization (as long as you're actually not, of course). Editors want to make sure you don't have ulterior motives.
Careers in Media
-Once again, you absolutely positively NEED MULTIMEDIA SKILLS.
-Read journalism.org's “State of News Media” to get an idea of the current job climate.
-Most jobs are moving online.
-It's very hard to get full-time work right in media right now. Look for part-time, temp, freelance. Salaried positions and benefits are difficult to come by.
-Many of these positions will be decentralized-work from home or in small groups-peer networking is getting more and more important.
-Check out local and non-profit media. Also, alternative/community media: not a lot of money, but it's fun and there's lots of freedom.
-More jobs in the promotional, PR, technical fields.
-Look into non-traditional jobs: walking tours, group blogs, community media centers, etc.
-Archive work- writing, research, organization; database research and organizing.
-Target niches and go after online publications. Be aggressive! Sell yourself!
-GET YOUR NAME OUT THERE. Unpaid work can lead to paid work!
Breaking into Health Writing
-Good sites to look for jobs/internships:
mediabistro.com
asme.org (American Society of Magazine Editors)
-And yet again, they mentioned that you need to have cross-platform appeal. Multimedia skills for the win.
-You should have a news hook. Aim for 4-5 experts per pitch and be able to package the article in a variety of ways (multiple pictures, charts, etc.--be able to add things in, take things out, move things around with ease and still have the story work).
-You must have a clear point of view.
-KNOW YOUR MAGAZINE.
Life at a Literary Journal
-Cast a wide net. Look for internships.
-Try working for an arts section at a newspaper/magazine, write reviews, etc.
-WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. The best way to impress a journal, for both publication and employment purposes, is to have something good published.
-Read everything you can get your hands on. Know the current trends and be unique but appealing.
-Every journal's goal is to discover a great new writer in the slush pile.
-Good stories should engage with the world around the protagonist, not just be introspective. Journals aren't really looking for the “I,” the internal experience, anymore.
-Assign one editor per story.
EDIT WITH AN IRON FIST BUT RULE WITH A VELVET GLOVE
(For Editors Only)
(this is a bit more toward the journalism/newspaper side of things, but the ideas are sound, easily adaptable to a literary journal staff, and the presenter was frickin' hilarious)
-Some stories must die so that others may live. Triage your editions/issues and save what you can. Some editions/issues may not be as good as others-just live with it.
-Fire a slacker; set an example.
-Publish crap as long as it's increasingly better and better crap.
-Don't speak for yourself to get things done-blame your adviser.
-Save material in case of late stories/slacker staff.
-DEADLINE IS ALWAYS. Staggered deadlines are okay, and lying about the deadline to make sure it's done on time is totally cool. Just don't get caught because that blows your credibility.
-Be impatient.
-Meetings: short but often is better than long but only once in awhile.
-Make an example of yourself-be on time.
-(Not really prudent to journals, but...) “The worst thing you can say to a college student besides 'you have chlamydia' is 'hey dude, can you write me a headline?'”
-Ask for ideas, but don't assign them.
-Cheat on critiques-talk about it in advance with an adviser or professional, and know the answer to every question you ask.
-Start out as an asshole and ease up later, not the other way around.
-Don't give your staff too much freedom. They'll get busy/distracted and wander off.
-Say what's missing, not “it's too short.”
-Recruit people from everywhere! NESAD, business school, other majors!
I know I've been spammy today, but yeah. Need to get things done. I hope this helps some of you!