Advice portion: I've had several articles killed this year. Some out of choice, some not. It's hard to know when I'm overcommitting. Or choosing a topic that triggers the fuck out of me. Now I know what to stay away from. My takeaway? Be really honest with editors.
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Unless you have a lot of history with an editor, expect...not the best. I've had editors effectively kill fully written essays of mine by sitting on them well past the news cycle, so I couldn't sell them elsewhere and had to repurpose them if at all. No contract.
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Advice? Know that you might not be able to ask for a kill fee from some. Ask in advance if there is one. Be okay with losing your spot in the news cycle if that happens. Because I had a full-time job, I mostly gave up on chasing the news cycle.
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The news cycle can be incredibly rewarding (that's how I have a freelance career to speak of, tbh) but it can be taxing, discouraging, and also not the best investment for a longer term career. A balance might be key. I try to strike it but mostly stay content with "evergreen"
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A bunch of newsletters like
@words_of_mouth,@studyhallxyz have been helpful in keeping on top of open calls. Twitter is great for cold-pitching (but do not DM). I've only been reached out to like 3x. I have a spreadsheet of editors I like, or who have responded nicely to me!1 reply 0 retweets 3 likesShow this thread -
In addition to these articles, I made very decent money by contracting full-time, Feb-now (applied after reading a post in a Facebook group), and got two project-based contracts with Disney and a prod company (which I haven't been paid for yet).
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My contract gig as editor/producer with Oxygen has been incredibly rewarding; desk jobs are kind of great and I've made a bestie here. I found freelancing FT lonely so it's not a great match for my personality or lifestyle, rn. If I don't get out of the apartment, I cry a lot!
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(The lessons I've learned from writing full-time are incredibly valuable; it's interesting to have a "beat" assigned to you by a boss. I have so many more bylines than I've shared in this thread, all about crime and justice.)
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Major lessons from this half-assed freelance life: - Social media is your friend for finding opportunities - You don't have to self-promote on it, though - The pitch should never be taken lightly - Cast a wide net - Be understanding of your editors - Stress is not a good thing
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Twitter has been v diminishing returns for me of late! Who knows why! But next year, I hope to: - write more about tigers and feminism and lifestyle culture - get deeper into this one WEB SERIES in development !!! - fix up this awesome FOOD DOC idea i have - be kinder <3
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Wow this is quite the hard grind
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Replying to @nansequiturs
Nah or for the course mostly. It’s why I don’t try to live on writing money.
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