I recently interviewed a management guru who’s a rock star in corporate circles, makes a mint from training sessions and has several best-selling business books under his belt. Want to know what he did at the end of the 60 minutes we spent on the phone? He thanked me for reading his books before we […]
WordCount weekly news wrap up for Jan. 31
Is it just me, or does it seem like there’s a uptick in the stories and blog posts on the evolution of the news business and the role independents – writers and others – are playing in it? The sputtering economy is speeding up the pace of change. Here are some developments of interest from […]
Stalking the reluctant source – 10 secrets to getting anybody to talk
You had the idea, wrote the query, got the assignment, negotiated the contract, worked out a deadline and did the research. Now all that’s left is interviewing the source. What’s that, the source won’t answer your email or phone calls? Don’t they realize what you’ve had to do to get this far? Unfortunately, just because […]
If you're upgrading your writing career, j-school isn't the answer
Twice in the last week I’ve encountered writers or bloggers who’ve run into a bad patch in their careers and are wondering if it makes sense to go back to school and get a master’s degree in journalism. Bottom line: you don’t need a degree to get work as a writer. Even if you have […]
I love editors who…
* Leave a job and contact you from the next one – with assignments and higher per-word rate. * Tell you they’re reining in freelance budgets due to the economy but are keeping you on their freelance short list. * Reward one fast-turnaround assignment with two more – in as many weeks. * Freelance for […]
Room to write
The first time I worked as a freelance writer I shared an apartment with a roommate and had my office in my bedroom. Between working and sleeping I probably spent 18 hours a day in that 12 x 12 room. A few years and several full-time jobs later I once again found myself temporarily working […]