In Which We Deal With Rejection

I just tore through Traveling with Pomegranates, a memoir by Sue Monk Kidd (yes, she's the one who penned Secret Life of Bees) and her daughter Ann Kidd Taylor. Among the small gems of wisdom scattered throughout, Ann wonders (and I paraphrase) why anyone would want to become a writer, a profession that is known for rejection.

For writers, rejection can be like failure -only smaller and more insistent. You open those thin envelopes or an e-mail cautiously, hoping for the best. Many times it's just a simple canned response: "Thanks very much for your interest. We regret that your work is not suitable for us at this time." Some editors take pity and add a personal note suggesting improvements or offering encouragement. In either case, get enough of these and it is kind of like getting pecked to death by ducks -as the saying goes.

But there's that other maxim, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." (Cue chorus of writers groaning and comparing bicep and pec size along with stacks of rejection letters.) I'd venture to add that it also makes you smarter.

I can't claim this is an original thought. It was inspired by reading the text of the President's speech to school kids yesterday, and a blog post by Fred Wilson entitled "Failure" in which he quotes President Obama saying, "You can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time."

So in that spirit, fellow freelancers, here are three things I learned from my most recent "failures."

1. Know your publication. One of the last pitches I sent to an editor got turned down because it was such a good idea that it had already been written. Even though I scoured the magazine for potential overlap, I missed the piece that pubbed just a few weeks before my pitch. Moral of the story: when you think you're sure you are the only one with that idea - check again in a slightly different way, just to be sure.

2. Know your editor. One told me very specifically what they wanted to see in future pitches. When I sent a story idea in without following those guidelines to the letter, the result was not pretty. Let's just say that if you take the time on the front end to find out EXACTLY what a particular editor wants, you'll have that much more success in the long run.

3. Know your limitations. It is the curse of the freelancer - you never want to say no for fear there will be no "next time." When you are in the groove and have lots of work, it is easy to think you really can do it all. However, if you've got an extraordinary load of stories already scheduled and the deadlines are looming - maybe it is not such a good idea to pitch a new one to a new editor. Just sayin'.

I feel smarter and stronger already ;-) What have you learned from your latest rejection?

The Five Editors You'll Meet in Freelance Hell

In the interest of maintaining good reporting practices, this week's installment discusses those denizens of the editorial underworld.

Behold, the five editors you'll be working with in hell -hopefully not for an eternity.

The Invisible Man: Never answers your emails, even if they hold questions about stories you submitted. Pitches get ignored. Never acknowledges receiving an invoice (but you do eventually get paid). Does not answer the phone - ever. Sometimes you think this editor is a bot (or just not a particularly good time manager).

The Micro-manager: Constantly checking in to see how you are progressing and offering suggestions on sources, angles, style, etc. Goes over stories with a fine-tooth comb and always has questions. Tons of them. Demands elaboration on minutiae and then doesn't use it. Any of it.

The Praiser: Always ready with a pat on the back or word of encouragement. Sometimes full of superlatives. Then, when you read the published piece -still basking in the glow of their praise- you realize they re-wrote sections. Once a re-write even changed the facts you so carefully reported. You call them on it to print a retraction. They say they will. Then, nothing.

The Dilettante: Somehow, they managed to get hired despite their lack of experience. They may have just graduated from college, or they may be a 20 year veteran -of another industry. But here they are, playing editor for you. Best case scenario: they leave you and your work alone. Worst case scenario (often the way this plays out): their ineptitude makes it harder to do your job.

The Schmoozer: Has difficulty setting boundaries. This editor is very enthusiastic about your story ideas and your past work, however, tries to steer you in the direction of profiling or featuring certain companies/individuals. You find out eventually they are a little too cozy with the advertisers.

Who have I left out? Drop me a line and tell me about your Nightmare Editor.

The Six Editors You'll Meet in Freelance Heaven

In the past two weeks I have worked with at least seven different editors on features for a variety of publications. I also came across this blog post: 11 Tweeters You Will Meet in Twitter Heaven" by Gary at G Social Media.

The two together inspired me to write The Six Editors You'll Meet in Freelance Heaven (forgive me Mitch Albom), and because humor is always better when shared with a kindred spirit, this post was actually a collaborative effort between me and that freelancing Fool, Tim Beyers of #editorchat fame.

So please get out a pound of salt and know that your freelancing friends had their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks while composing this. Oh, and do visit next week when Tim and I mine Hell for editorial archetypes. Dante's got nothing on us.

The Manager: This editor is often, but not always, the managing editor and consequently has their fingers in many pies. Rather than get overwhelmed, this person is cool and collected and extremely organized and detail-oriented. They will often remind you of your own ideas/pitches/flashes of brilliance and when to send an invoice.

The Pitcher: This editor is full of ideas and consequently assigns a (relatively) steady stream of work.

The Interrogator: Asks a lot of questions on every story you turn in, but that in turn allows you to view your own work more objectively and ultimately helps the clarity of the overall piece.

The Partner: This editor knows your writing better than you do and has an uncanny knack for capturing your voice with every edit. Also the one who takes the time to write to offer suggestions for how you might improve your prose.

The Sympathizer: Has served time in the freelance trenches and is quick to be your ally and advocate at the publication by assigning stories that are suited to your experience and interests and ensuring you get paid on time.

The Mentor: This editor is rapidly becoming extinct, so be sure to treasure your interactions if you are lucky enough to know one. You can learn much about the industry just by listening to their war stories, and you can become a better writer by reading and studying their work.

Have we missed anyone? Drop a comment and let me know which editors have helped or inspired you as a freelancer. And remember, up next week: 5 Editors You Meet in Freelance Hell.

Lots o' Links for the Curious Freelancer

I'm really a nice freelancer. Really. So, further to my last post where I not-so-gently gave the business to a number of folks contemplating asking for the secrets/sources/a competitive edge, I'm offering a gift.

A short list of links to help you find a gig:

67 Freelance Niche Writing Markets You May Have Never Considered - a great post, chock full of inspiration for work you probably never thought you could get.

Freelance Writing Jobs - a comprehensive list of freelance positions compiled and curated by the indomitable Deb Ng. She's got a great blog too. I've landed assignments through this site. Highly recommended.

2o Must-Read Blogs for Freelance Writers - a little dated, but has all the greats. After all, as a writer, part of your job is to read, read, read.

From the successful Thursday Bram - Side projects can help freelance writers promote themselves

Have you found any must-read sites or blogs? Add them to the list.

And thanks for stopping by.

What to Expect When You are Expecting Publication

Some people strive for years to get published. When they finally do get there, they may be surprised at what goes along with the territory. Sure, there is recognition: a check, a byline, or perhaps a Library of Congress number. But there is something else.

A certain aura -a mystique even- surrounds them like a glow. As they cross over to join the ranks of the published, they gain a following of aspiring accolytes who want to know how they, too, can make the journey successfully.

It could be one person, or several each day, every week depending on how "well-published" they are. By this I mean, if they snagged a contract with a major house or national magazine, they can expect to be pressed even more than their indy counterparts. But not by much.

I'm one of those (fortunate) freelancers that has work in both local and national publications. Combined with the fact that I worked at Random House for nearly a decade before starting my own business, it makes me a magnet for those wanting advice, critiques, mentorship, and a list of contacts who would be interested in seeing their work -for real.

This has become more of an issue lately with the alarming increase in the number of staff writers who have been laid off, in addition to those folks who are in totally different industries contemplating a change in career because they are being downsized.

I want to help, I really do. But I can't help everyone who asks. There aren't enough hours in the day to coach people and also maintain my writing schedule (and my income). And I certainly can't give out names of editors I've worked for unless I have gotten specific direction from them to send new writers their way.

If you are reading this because you are looking for someone to help you get published, there was an incredibly smart post on the right way to seek a mentor on Freelance Switch by Kristen Fischer. You can read it here.

Therese Walsh, author of The Last Will of Moira Leahy who blogs at Writer Unboxed wrote an eloquent post filled with inspiration here.

Also Lisa Collier Cool and Linda Formichelli have great books on breaking into the magazine world.

If you want my advice, it is simple: keep at it. There is no magic bullet. I've been working at freelancing for nearly ten years. I started with one article in a local magazine and built from there. Also, expect rejections.

My good friend Mark Johnston, who has published the Secret Agents books for children will tell anyone who asks about the dozens of rejections he received on the road to publication. In fact, as he works on finding a new agent and publisher for another manuscript, he's still getting rejections.

Networking helps, as do professional associations. People like to do business with people they know. Just don't confuse networking (telling someone about yourself and what you do) with requesting what they may not be able to offer.

In publishing, there are no short cuts. Keep that in mind before you stop that published person you know at the grocery store, or at a formal networking event to ask for advice and/or contact names, reading and critique, etc. What are you really asking for? Have you done the work? Have you really sweated it? Have you done everything you possibly could on your own to make it happen?

If you truly have, ask away. Just don't expect a miracle.

Being Yourself, Even When You Aren't There

My latest piece for Entrepreneur Magazine is on the pros and cons of outsourcing your Web presence.

"Between blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, and updating a LinkedIn profile, it's a wonder how a business owner has any time to answer e-mails and phone calls, much less run a company. But the time invested in social netorking is well spent in this age where maintaining a social media presence can be a necessary piece of a successful marketing strategy. Trouble is, as the number of platforms grows, so does the time it takes to feed and groom each account. Not to mention the front-end investment of setting everything up.

For those caught up in a social media blitz--and those contemplating taking the plunge--why not consider outsourcing?"

You can read the rest of the story here.

After I wrote the piece, I got to thinking: I am a busy entrepreneur too. My business just happens to be freelance writing. Still, it is no less important for me to engage client/readers across as many platforms as I can and while I can keep up with Twitter, my blog and LinkedIn page have been somewhat neglected.

The problem is that outsourcing is not an option. My clients want my work, not that of a ghost writer. And although social media strategist Lon Safko stated in the piece that could be done if the behind-the-scenes counterpart is open about the relationship, I think it is still tricky terrain to navigate.

So what to do?

Here are three quick fixes for the writer who is too busy writing on assignment to attend to the care and feeding of SM profiles.

Save Water, errr Comments, Shower Together

Using a service such as Ping.fm you can post updates to be distributed to 40 SM sites (you can select which ones to update). For example, one ping will send a tweet and update your Facebook and LinkedIn statuses at the same time.

If you don't want your profiles to reflect the same information (especially if the audience for one platform is business and another is friends and family) set aside 15 minutes per day to update your status information. Set a timer (there is a great free timer -no download necessary- at Timberfrog) to help you stay on track (and stop looking at everyone's vacation photos and YouTube links).

Blazing Blog

When I started this blog I made a personal commitment to post at least twice a month. I've had varied success. The best way to keep at it when short on time is to keep the posts brief, and take inspiration from fellow freelancers all over the Web. I've spun off other writers lists of recommended reading, or off a compelling article or essay.

Another idea that kills two birds with one stone is filed under somewhat-shameless-self-promotion a la this entry. Yes, I took a spin through the introduction of a recently published story. But I had more to say than was relevant for the readers of that magazine. So here we are.

Departures/Arrivals

Everyone needs some time off. Especially creative types. The need to recharge my own batteries (and a recent too-brief hiatus) led me to think that I may just take some time to post about things other than my writing occasionally. Visual art, poetry, dance, fashion, and gardening are all interests of mine. Warning: Don't be surprised if my next posting or tweet shows off the really tough sandals I acquired on my last assignment for Style File for G Magazine.

Chris Brogan, president of New Marketing Labs, thinks an actual hiatus would prompt your readers to look elsewhere for information and entertainment. He's written a whole post "Keep Your Media Alive During Vacations." Read it, and stay productive.

Are you in the same boat? What do you do in lieu of outsourcing? Drop me a line below.

On "Negotiating the Freelance Economy"

I believe I've scooped the Wall Street Journal.

I wrote my last "letter to the editor," errr post, to point out why freelance writers are a good bet in tough economic times (or any time for that matter) on May 1. On May 6, the venerable business publication offered this:

"As the recession takes hold, more employers are using freelance workers to avoid the expenses associated with hiring permanent staff, says Fabio Rosati, chief executive officer of Mountain View, Calif.-based Elance. "The power of online work is that it's immediate, cost-effective and flexible," he says."

Sarah Needleman, tell me something I don't know.

You can read Ms. Needleman's entire piece here http://bit.ly/6b981 but she's generally pointing out the staggering increase in the number of freelancers and how best to dip your toe in the water by using sites such as Odesk.com, sologig.com and VirtualAssistants.com.

I find it interesting that she does not touch upon freelance writing, using a web developer's experience as an anecodotal lede and juxtaposing the "pitfalls" with "only do the fun stuff." I have to give her props for trying to present a balanced picture of the freelancer's life/work. Because, as much as I respect Tina Brown and all of her publishing acumen, she blasted freelancers in her piece on the Daily Beast, "The Gig Economy."

"For a while last year, the downsized people I know went around pretending they enjoyed the “freedom” and “variety” of doing “a whole lot of interesting things.” Twelve months later, nobody bothers with that cover story anymore. Everyone knows what it actually feels like, this penny-ante slog of working three times as hard for the same amount of money (if you’re lucky) or a lot less (if you’re not). Minus benefits, of course."

No one is saying it's easy Tina. And guess what? People complain about their jobs, salaries and (ahem) their bosses at their 8-5 gigs, too. Consider please, the postal worker who was so unhappy with his steady job that he gunned down his co-workers and offered us a new phrase with which to describe the dangers of being dissatisfied with an employer.

So, before this turns into a full-blown rant, the point(s) I am trying to make:

Freelance writers have been around for a long time, with roots that go beyond this recession.
It's not easy being an independent contractor.
It can be a cost-effective way for an editor to obtain quality writing.

Oh, and for all those who are contemplating taking the freelance plunge: remember it is work. You should be paid.

That is all.