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free*lance: n (1820) 1 a. usu free lance: a mercenary soldier esp. of the Middle
Ages: condotierre.
Editor: Michael A. Casano
Publisher: George Giokas/StaffWriters Plus, Inc.
Welcome to -30-, found exclusively at the StaffWriters Plus Web site. One of the most
common challenges faced by freelance writers today is keeping up with the latest trends
within the industry and the changing needs of their customers. This is where -30- will
help. Each installment of -30- will deal with a topic or issue of interest to the freelance
community, from ideas on how to grow your current client base to techniques that can enhance
the quality of your work. We hope you find -30- a useful tool in your pursuit of new business.
We also look forward to hearing from you. Please submit your messages and thoughts for future
articles to (info@staffwriters.com).
IN THIS ISSUE:
In this issue of -30-, our main story looks
at the benefits of networking, and how to overcome the anxieties some writers face when presenting themselves to
potential clients, colleagues, and competitors. Our Q&A
focuses on Pamela Mendels, an online journalist who writes a column for CyberTimes, featured at The New York Times
Web site. Finally, we'll follow Melanie Hauser on her quest to write the
"perfect" query letter.
ABOUT OUR NAME:
Reporters used the symbol -30- at the end of their typewritten copy to indicate to
editors that they have reached the last word. It was adapted by the pencil press from teletype operators who used
the symbol to indicate the end of a transmission.
LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF:
The Fine Art of Networking to Grow Your Business
by Michael A. Casano
"How do you do?"
A simple enough question to ask, right? But for many at a networking event, saying those words can be harder
than trying to pitch a script idea to Steven Spielberg.
The mere mention of the term networking sends chills down some writers' spines, especially if you're the type
who's only comfortable with strangers during an interview.
A networking event is one of the best ways to meet potential customers and expand your writing opportunities,
but it can also be extremely stressful if you're not comfortable in that environment.
Ellen Eichelbaum understands your fear. The president of a corporate communications consulting company, the
Speakeasy Group (1-877-SPEAK88), Eichelbaum wants to assure writers that they are not the only ones who deal
with "networking" anxiety.
"Networking is scary, and I don't care how aggressive you are," Eichelbaum emphasized. "But remember as scared
as you are, so is the other person [you are talking to]. Everyone in the room thinks that they are being judged
by everyone else."
As an example, Eichelbaum recently completed a three-day workshop with a California company's top sales
representatives. She said, "When I began, I asked them on a scale of one to 10 [with 10 being very uncomfortable],
how comfortable they were getting up in front of a group and speaking. They were all between 7 and 8. So, you
don't necessarily have a person who's aggressive being an excellent networker."
While fear can be an issue at a networking meeting, the other is approach. Eichelbaum found that people usually
end up acting in one of two ways when facing a room full of strangers. They either try to shake everyone's hand
(and make no contacts at all), or they meet somebody and never leave that person's side all night.
"The hardest thing not to do is sit with people you know," she said, "because when you do that you're not really
networking at all."
So what is the best way to network? Eichelbaum suggests doing your homework before you attend a meeting.
That means if you've been invited by friends or colleagues to go to a networking function, ask them if there
is anyone they can introduce you to whom they feel would be beneficial to meet. Or, find out if they have a
list of member names and professions so you know who to focus on when you're there.
She explained: "When you get an introduction from someone like an executive director, it's very different
than when you just walk up and introduce yourself. And if one of those people uses you or refers you, that's
better than meeting 100 people who don't remember you."
Another way you can present your skills is to bring handouts of an article or other pieces you've written,
especially if it's on a topic of interest to members of the organization. That way, members can walk away
with something that shows your expertise, and may lead them to remember your credentials if they need support
in the future.
Although it may be difficult at first, the long-term benefits of networking can be great. Just ask Louise
Cassano, whose company, LuCas Communications, handles writing, graphics arts and media relations for clients
in the educational community. The former president of the Long Island chapter of the International Association
of Business Communicators, and a former reporter with This Week Publications, Cassano found networking and
professional organizations to be a great opportunity to make contacts and give her a presence among other
professionals in her field.
"The organizations that are most valuable to me are the ones where you can actually develop a one-on-one
relationship with people," Cassano said. "[It's great] to be able to walk into a room and feel comfortable
enough to know that I'm going to meet at least one or two people that I've seen somewhere else. I may
not remember a name. I may not remember a face. But just from that [familiarity], I can start a
conversation with somebody. So, that continuous relationship is important."
Cassano also loves the professional development opportunities a professional organization offers.
"It's one of the things that's very important to bringing people out to these meetings," she said. "It's
very valuable to me, even if it's a topic I believe I know thoroughly. I don't hesitate to go to a
meeting because I'll listen to what other people say. I'll look at another slant, and it's a good way
to know what your competition is doing."
Regardless of which networking organization you join or meeting you attend, make sure the forum is worthwhile
for you, and that your intentions simply are not to ask for business.
"I think the worse thing people can do for themselves is just look to network when they need something,"
Cassano said. "You're most vulnerable at that point. Any rejection that you do receive is going to hurt
much more. So, you really don't want to put yourself in that situation."
Eichelbaum added: "If you're leaving a networking meeting, you should be able to feel good about following
up with at least one person. If that hasn't happened for two or three meetings in a row, then you are either
attending the wrong meetings or you're doing it the wrong way. You have to look at the composition of the
members and see what they have to offer."
Copyright © 1999 Michael Casano
INTERVIEW: PAMELA MENDELS
CyberTimes columnist says journalism is journalism, online or off
Pamela Mendels has made the successful transition from the printed page to the Web page. As a
writer for CyberTimes, located at The New York Times web site www.nytimes.com,
Mendels writes a weekly education column, as well as articles relating to education, law, government and civil
rights.
Her introduction to online journalism came while working for iGuide, a Rupert Murdoch venture.
During the late eighties and early nineties, Pam wrote a weekly column for Newsday, reporting
on workplace issues.
Mendels has received numerous journalism awards for her efforts including the Exceptional Media
Merit Award (EMMA), the Newspaper Guild's Page One Award and the Long Island Press Association
Award.
QUESTION: How did you get involved in online journalism?
MENDELS: I was a newspaper reporter for many years. I began freelancing for an online venture that
at the time was known as Delphi, which later became iGuide. I had freelanced a couple of pieces
to iGuide about the workplace, which is what I was covering at the time for Newsday. After New York Newsday folded,
I took a job with iGuide and worked there very briefly, about two months. But I learned enough in
those two months to get up to speed on online journalism and [what] the online world was all about.
The New York Times had just launched its web site in early 1996. After iGuide folded, I began writing
for The New York Times online for a feature within the web site called CyberTimes, and I still write
for it.
Q: What's the biggest difference between print journalism and online journalism?
MENDELS: In a way, there's not a whole lot of difference. You still have to have your fundamental
reporting and writing skills. You have to know how to report a story fairly and accurately.
Having said that, to me one of the biggest differences is that because you're reporting online,
you're in the online world a lot. That means I'm constantly using e-mail to contact people, and
looking at web sites. I think I probably use the Internet a lot more than I might if I were a
print reporter. The other difference from print reporting is finding links to put into your story,
and judging whether the links are appropriate.
Q: How do you determine which links to use?
MENDELS: Generally, if you are writing a story in which you quote people from certain organizations,
and those organizations have web sites, the links just sort of make sense because you [readers] may
want to write to them. At this point, because there are so many web sites, you have to decide which
are the most important links to include because it could get ridiculous if you list everyone.
So, you have to use your judgment.
Q: How crucial is it for you to keep up with the latest technology, or use the latest equipment?
MENDELS: I'm not a particularly "tech-ee" person. You certainly have to know what's going on
out there, but you don't have to be an expert in the technology itself unless you're being
very specialized. That hasn't proven to be a particular problem for me since I write about
education and free speech issues; I don't write about the kind of devices you use.
So, I have a computer with a modem, with a dedicated phone line because I'm on the Internet a lot.
But other than that, there is nothing that is particularly fancy.
Q: How can a writer break into this field?
MENDELS: There are a lot of resources online for people who are interested in online journalism.
One, is a site run by Steve Outing www.planetarynews.com, a columnist for Editor and Publisher. The
site features discussions by people in the industry and on the issues coming up in online journalism.
It's very informative. From time to time, there are job postings as well.
Q: Any other advice for someone who wants to succeed as an online journalist?
MENDELS: Just remember to develop the same good writing and reporting skills that you would as a
print journalist.
Q: What is the most satisfying part of your job?
MENDELS: I can tell you the one thing that ís different and I find really gratifying is that I get a lot of
e-mail response to my articles. It's deeply gratifying because I know I'm being read and I get sort
of instant response from people.
Copyright © 1999 Michael Casano
Scribbler's Scrapbook
by Melanie Hauser
I just finished preparing my taxes, and among the more painful lessons I learned (including the fact
that you can't deduct coffee) is the realization that I need to earn more money from writing this year.
Now, there are many ways to go about doing this. First, I could produce more work. I could actually
sit behind my desk for hours, not minutes, at a time. Heck, I could even try to give up spying on
which neighbor is getting UPS deliveries, or engaging the mailman in heated debate over the merits
of salt vs. sand on our icy front step. Breaking myself of any of these habits would probably lead
to an increased production of material, I'm thinking.
More important, I could be more diligent in sending my pieces out to publishers. This is a novel
idea, the actual attempt to sell my work. Other writers I know tell me this sometimes leads to
publication, and ultimately, payment. What a concept!
My problem with this approach, however, is that it requires me to write a query letter. This
necessary evil fills me with a creeping sense of dread as I near the completion of any project,
kind of like the feeling you get when you flip through all 123 channels on the cable system and
realize the best thing on TV is a Barbara Walters special.
You see, I never know what direction to take when writing these pathetic pleas for approval.
So, eager to utilize yet another time-honored excuse for not writing, the all-purpose errand
run, I decided to drive to my local bookstore behemoth and do a little research on the subject.
After grabbing a latte (because a bookstore has a coffee shop and a library doesn't), I went
straight to the writing section. There, I ran into a half a dozen fellow writers who were
trying to act like they were researching something too. Guiltily, we looked at each other
for a moment, and then busied ourselves perusing the shelves. I grabbed a few books and
sat myself down in a nearby La-Z-Boy, ready to get a handle on this query letter thing. I
returned home two lattes later, thoroughly confused but ready to cash in on all of the
many different opinions I encountered.
In the venerable, Guide to More Information About Writing Than You Can Ever Digest, I was
told that the only way to sell my work was to write a query that was different, unique, creative
and eye-catching -- so I considered to go all out, in a P.T. Barnum kind of way.
I wondered if an 8X10 glossy of myself in lounge pajamas, reclining on a chaise lounge surrounded
by studly men and scantily clad women (hedging my bets as to the preference of the editor),
alluringly reading my work, would be an attention-getter. Better yet, I'd follow the lead of
some movie studios when trying to promote a real turkey: clip snippets of rejection letters I
have received and paste them up into totally misleading blurbs. "Too Cute!" (for our purposes.)
"It's A Pleasure!" (to encourage you not to submit to us again.).
However, The List to Literary Agents Who Will Have Their Assistants Return Your Unopened
Submission told me that being different, unique, creative and eye-catching was the worst
thing to do. Staid and steadfastly humorless is the best approach to selling your work,
I am counseled.
So, I considered the dry, cerebral George Plimpton approach. I could find academics to
endorse me in ponderous fashion, praising me with such accolades as, "Ms. Hauser manages
to make the life of a PTA president both humorous and educational with the occasional nod to
the pathos inherent in the situation. Generations of PTA presidents to come will thank
her for her insight and exhaustive research into the inner-workings of the parent/teacher relationship.
Especially enlightening was her chapter on the origins of the bake sale."
I could tell you I had editors knocking at my door. But I'll be honest. Neither approach
was very successful (except for that request I received to speak at my school's next PTA meeting).
So I'm back to square one, agonizing over the perfect query letter. But lately I've decided to take
yet another approach. In the first paragraph or two of my begging (I mean, query) letter, I mention
that I author a column about writing. I give them this fine publication's Internet address. I let
them think the readership is vast and influential (as the editor assures me it is). I reveal that I
am not averse to writing about my experiences, good and bad, in the pursuit of publication. And,
I let it slip that naming names is not a problem for me.
Stay tuned for further developments.
Copyright ©1999 Melanie Hauser
Past Issues:
[March '00 Newsletter]
[December '99 Newsletter]
[June '99 Newsletter]
[February '99 Newsletter]
[November '98 Newsletter]
[September '98 Newsletter]
[July '98 Newsletter]
[June '98 Newsletter]
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"JOB SCOUT: Weekday: February 15, 2010"
