Times are tough for freelance writers, so you need every edge to secure work and maintain good relationships with your clients.
This is especially important in a custom media environment, where many magazines operate with a small staff. Editors have to know their writers will hit the mark every time. Deadlines are always fast-approaching and there is precious little time for extensive rewrites.
Based on my experiences working with dozens of freelance writers over the years, here are some steps you can take to keep yourself working:
Keep on pitching.
Instead of thinking of editors as impregnable forces, think of them as people with problems who really need writers who can deliver on time and write clean copy that services your readership. After the dotcom bust in the early 2000s I decided to do some freelance music writing, something I always wanted to do, but never had the time for because I’ve always needed full-time jobs with medical benefits. I’m an upright bass player, so I found a bass magazine in London and pitched the editor three stories.
Each pitch was carefully targeted to the magazine’s readership of professional bassists. To make a long story short, one of my pitches succeeded and I wrote for DoubleBassist magazine for several months during my search for a new job. I had no real experience writing for this audience (serious orchestral and jazz bassists), but I simply decided that the editor would appreciate well-formed pitches delivered in an easy-to-digest manner. Too many writers just wait for the next assignment to be handed out. If you’re waiting a long time, your editor is telling you something.
Use quotes sparingly.
So many stories that are handed in to me are strings of quotes with no transitions. I also get lots of fragments of quotes and quotes that mean nothing like the new IT system “is a big deal” for our university. So what. I edit a magazine targeted to IT managers at colleges and universities. Tell me why the IT system is improving productivity and making teaching and learning more effective on college campuses, that’s what I’m looking for.
If you plan to use a quote, make it accentuate the main point of the story. Look at newspapers and magazines you trust and I’m sure there won’t be many quote fragments in their copy. What I object to is the lazy writing. Best to paraphrase if there’s a question in your mind about a quote.
Carefully review any documents that your editor sends back.
This is important. When an editor sends back a document, he or she is dropping hints as to what they want a finished document to look like. Next time an editor sends you back a document with queries, look over the formatting carefully. See how they set heads and decks. See if captions are included or web links. The links can be important, especially if the story will run online. Next time you hand in a story, try to make the document look similar to the one your editor sent back to you the time before. They will appreciate that you are trying to match the magazine or newspaper’s style.
Learn the publication’s billing system.
While there are certainly some editors who are hardnosed about payments, most are fair and want to maintain good relations with their writers. That means it’s in the editor’s best interests to see that you get paid on time. Most organizations have a Net 30 Day policy and ask that you submit a purchase order number with your invoice.
Today, more and more companies have automated purchasing systems where writers will get purchase orders sent to them as PDFs in e-mail. Find out how the publication operates and try to avoid duplicate work. Your editor will appreciate that you’ve taken the time to learn his or her system.
Related articles
- Why a Curator Isn’t an Editor | Fast Company (fastcompany.com)
- Chris Mandle: Tips on pitching (wannabehacks.co.uk)
