MEMO TO PROSPECTIVE FREELANCERS

Well said.

Well said.

wonder if this is the same (potential) intern from hell

"built in buzz"? I doubt it.

Having been an editor of an albeit much-smaller alt weekly (The Ventura County Reporter in 2007 and 2008), I can understand much of Ortega's perspective and clearly this freelancer isn't particularly professional.

On the other hand, I was surprised to read he wants material sent to him on spec and that he urges freelancers to work on spec. I get that competition among freelancers is tough and they have to show they have a worthwhile story. If time is tight for you, though, are you really going to take the time to read a manuscript on the gamble that the writer "nailed the story" and wrote it "with great skill and care?" I suspect the answer is often no.

Meanwhile, numerous publications explicitly ask potential writers not to send completed manuscripts and instead seek brief queries. I wouldn't be surprised if that's why you get some brief pitches. This doesn't excuse your problematic freelancer -- those pitches should still have enough reporting to show the writer has something concrete, and even a quality spec piece might be well-written enough that it compels you to read more (as you'd want your readers to do). In most cases, though, writers should be wary of writing a complete piece on spec, as a piece submitted to one publication might have to be radically re-worked when submitted to another publication, particularly since our time (and money) is as limited as yours (if not more so).

I still get that the Village Voice has to be highly selective about its freelancing, but I'd be pretty surprised to hear you'd read every single complete piece you receive.

Nonetheless, here's to hoping your freelancers take some of your advice to heart.

I didn't mean to give the impression that only complete manuscripts, written on spec, have any chance of getting through. I used Tucker's piece as an example of someone who had already nailed down the most important material before making a pitch.

As for reading manuscripts sent on spec, I do take the time to read them more or less in full. I wasn't aware that that was unusual.

Tony O

That's great to hear. I've definitely heard from editors who don't want to take that amount of time, but I'd imagine the commitment to read an entire submission varies. In the position I mentioned before I was able to do so as well, but it was both a much smaller pub (30,000 or so circulation a week)and only occasionally did I receive a complete piece.

Good clarification about Tucker nailing down the most important info. Writers definitely have to convince editors they have something of value (and then that they can follow through if it is but a query).

While the Unnamed Jerkwad Freelancer was clearly out of line---and weird---sending along his petulant followup email, he was certainly within the bounds of normal freelance practice when he pitched you an unwritten story.

As a writer, I don't write for moneymaking magazines ans newspapers on spec, period. I don't know anyone with more than a half-handful of clips who *does* submit to that kind of freelancerly humiliation.

As an editor, when I receive overworked pitches (clearly, the writer has already done all the work & the piece is sitting on her hard drive already) or gigantic spec pieces in email, to me it screams "amateur."

To what degree, Bill and Tony, do you expect writers to have "already nailed down the most important material before making a pitch?" How much does this vary when the editor and writer have already established a working relationship (e.g. if Jerkwad Guy were someone who'd already written a couple good pieces for you, would you gladly hear him out on his mini-pitch, even though he hadn't already put in 20 hours interviewing sources for it)?

Tiffany, what I was getting at as far as what sells here (and clearly, other publications have other needs), is that we tend to expect writers to do some crucial prereporting, at least, so they can demonstrate in their pitch that they're onto the kind of complex and rich material we require in a cover story.

In this example, if the writer had come to me with some startling information or anecdotes from one of the Air America hosts, he would have been in a much better position. It's not necessarily a spec manuscript I'm looking for, but at least more than a suggestion that he *might* find material by conducting some interviews.

For another kind of publication, that might be a terrific proposition. But for my needs, it wasn't enough.

Tony O

I need a column, lol!

I want AZ Governor Jan Brewer to show papers to prove she’s a human being. I think it was FOX that did a show on extraterrestrials that live among us, and Governor Brewer does resemble some alien from a B Movie, “Invasion of the Brain Snatchers”, right? I’ve have my suspicions about people like Jan Brewer, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner and Karl Rove because of their lack of human qualities.
lol
As far as the immigration issue goes… Republicans never made a big deal about immigration enforcement during Bush/Cheney but NOW all conservative hell is breaking loose… even though the Obama Administration is deporting MORE illegal’s than Bush ever did. Maybe we should adopt Ronald Wilson Reagan’s immigration policy (look it up, dolts)

And funny how I didn’t hear NOT ONE WORD on the Cable News about AZ Gov. Jan Brewer’s $ connection with the “Corrections Corp of America”. Not to mention I could stop this immigration problem with one thing… ARREST ALL THOSE conservative business people WHO ARE HIRING THE ILLEGAL WORKERS!
Republican Party = Hypocrisy
On 7-28-10 I was watching Republicans on Morning Joe (MSNBC) preach about being ADULTS when it comes to our economic meltdown. I say BS! The real ADULTS are trying to demand accountability from those who got us in this financial mess. Republicans want to shift the burden of responsibility on Teachers unions and others in the American working class. Ohhhh, and Black/Brown people too…

I wonder if the spoiled Silver Spoons on Morning Joe knew how much they hurt Democrats, Progressives, Liberals when they didn’t challenge NJ Gov. Christie. NOW all over the internet the Conservative wacko groupies are swooning all over Christie like he was a rock star. Of course, because of these Republican low grade thought processes, the right wing monkeys now consider teachers, 9/11 rescue workers, poor people and immigrants the biggest threat to our economy.

What kind of Americans are stupid enough to believe decent wages/working conditions, regulation, Wall St. reform and making wealthy silver spoons pay their fair share… are BAD THINGS? Republicans will take tax dollars away from grade schools to give BP tax breaks/subsidies. DON’T BELIEVE ME, you rightwing numbskulls, CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELVES!

2010 by Spo101
consciousmc.blogspot.com

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“I’m wondering if those who support that so-called Tea Party Movement really know where Republicans are leading you? It seems like the Tea Party rank and file are being used by a bunch of vain, self-serving, evil, power mad, greed stricken, K-Street Con Artists. The scum of the earth who hide their hideous faces by using Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin as spokespersons.

Just look at their agenda items. It‘s like wet dream for Ken Lay or Jack Abramoff:
1) Repeal Health Insurance Reform
2) Privatize Social Security or abolish it.
3) End Medicare
4) Extend Bush Tax Cuts for wealthy and Big Oil
5) Repeal Wall Street reform
6) Protect all those responsible for Gulf oil disaster and future environmental catastrophes
7) Abolish or cut funding to Department of Education
8) Abolish Dept. of Energy
9) Abolish Environmental Protection Agency
10) Repeal 17th Amendment
11) Rewrite Bible and school textbooks,
12) Replace JESUS with Glenn Beck, Frank Church with Joe McCarthy…
13) After USA is destroyed by Republican Party low grade thought processes, BLAME Democrats/Liberals”

wow, SPO101's post was sure relevant to this conversation. maybe that's his pitch. tony, you gonna assign him something?

Tiffany,

I'm more in the same boat as you about receiving (and pitching) spec pieces. All I meant about having something nailed down is that, as Tony mentioned, some pre-reporting helps in showing that you already have a sense of the story, the potential sources, and the relevance to the publication you're pitching. I do think that when you're an unknown quantity to the publication you have to do a touch more to show you know what you're talking about. That has to be done without either giving away the store or writing your pitch so rigidly it might be hard to hone the story for the particular publication.

I can say I felt the same sense of amateurism in the spec stories I received. Those individuals who wrote them were often the most difficult ones to communicate with if I did happen to be interested in the premise and the most petulant when I wasn't.

Of course when it comes to my own freelancing, I'm somewhat new. I only started after having returned to grad school in the '08-09 academic year. Pitching is my biggest challenge (I imagine I'm not alone). I'm often wrestling with the overworked, amateurish pitch and the underworked, vague (and still amateurish) pitch. That's probably not making the best case for myself as a reporter though. All you legions of editors out there reading up on me and seeing this comment should just ignore this last paragraph.

“House Bill 2013” and “SB1070”

0 = Arizona
2 = USA/ Our Constitution/ We the People of the United States

We are a country that is ruled by the Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence, not by the majority of the day. When you do not know the principles in these documents, therein lays the problem in losing when you are challenged in court.

This month of July 2010, our U.S. Federal courts have found the so called State of Arizona hate filled legislation namely “House Bill 2013” and “SB1070” Un-constitution (So much for the intellect of Jan Brewer, “Did you read the bills you signed?”). But we all know that they will go crying to the Supreme Court of the United States, please, please, please go. We will fight you in Arizona, any other state, and yes in Washington DC. We will not tire, we will not be silent and we will persevere, I promise you.

In my opinion the Republican Party has been taken over the most extreme of clans; the Baggers, Birthers and Blowhards (people who love to push their beliefs and hate on others while trying to take away the rights of those they just hate) and that’s who they need to extract from their party if they real want to win in November. Good Luck, because as they said in WACO, “We Ain’t Coming Out”.

It’s all about politics: Jan Brewer you were never elected to be Governor, but you have no problem trying to get elected on the back of undocumented workers, you loser (sure you may win but the long-term effects to your so called State is just beginning). Here is a partial list of your hate filled legislation;

1. S.B. 1070,
2. House Bill 2013
3. No permit conceal weapons law,
4. The famous Birthers law,
5. Banning Ethnic studies law,
6. Banning human-animal hybrid (aren’t most GOPers crossed with the Reptilian race?)
or are they just giving Laurence Gonzales, some great promotion material for his new book “Lucy”.

7. Could she be behind the Mural in Prescott, Arizona, ordered to be whiten,
8. On deck to pass, no citizenship to babies born to undocumented workers,

9. If she can read she should look up Arizona’s House Bill 2779 from two years ago (which was un-constitution and failed when legally challenged),
10. The boycotted Martin Luther King Day, what idiots don’t want another holiday? Yes, you guessed it Arizona.

Well Arizona, you can keep boycotting new holidays, passing hate filled legislation and the rest of our country will continue to challenge you in court of law and Boycott your so-called state.

Lets face it, no one can real believe anything that comes out of Brewer’s mouth, in an interview, this year, in an attempt to gain sympathy, she first said her father had died in Germany fighting the Nazi in World War II (which ended 1945) but of course we find out the truth that father was never in Germany and died in California in 1955. But we are suppose to believe everything else she says, right!

As they say in the World Cup: Gooooooooal!

I'm with Tony *almost* all the way here. I'm even going to pass the memo out to my journalism students tonight, as it consists of some pretty solid advice (including doing enough reporting to make sure you actually *have* a story idea).

My only objection is that I don't find his email so offensive. At all. In fact it seems a little petty to take a personal strike at him after he dared to criticize the choice of putting Tilda Swinton on the cover. And further, you're going to blacklist him? Aren't you kinda using hand grenades for your pesky mosquito problem, Tony? Let's face it: Celeb covers probably rub plenty of dyed-in-the-wool Voice writers the wrong way, or it would have when I wrote for it back in the '90s.

It's a tough market, indeed. But does that mean we have to walk on eggshells around everyone capable of paying us 30 cents a word or more?

Otherwise, like I said, funny, helpful memo. Only with there'd been a bit more of a charitable spirit behind it.

The iPad is an integrated device that's a combination of the Mac book laptop and the iPhone wherein iPhone applications can run smoothly.

There may be a possibility that iPad will boost multimedia application functions aside from its versatility to justify the high price so you get more value from your investment.

I will be very curious to see the numbers on people who bought an iPad and also own an iPhone or iPod Touch versus those that don't.