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New kid on the block needs help!
Hi everyone. I am completely new to freelancing/journalism in general and need a bit of advice (well, a lot of it really).
I have always wanted to be a journalist, but have never done anything about it, taking the safe option with a job in the civil service instead.
I have messed around for years writing football related articles for fun and very occasionally sent them into magazines without success.
In the last few weeks I have stepped up my output and widened my horizons to include newspapers as well.
I usually get a reply from the magazines I try (along the lines of 'we've already covered this subject' or 'too general to be of interest'), but have never had a response from a newspaper.
Which newspapers are more likely to entertain a new kid on the block and what is the best way to approach these types of contributions?
Should I send an article to more than one publication at once or wait for a reply before I try someone else.
In hindsight the stuff I'm producing now is a lot better than before, but I'm wary of submitting to people who haven't replied to me in the past.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have always wanted to be a journalist, but have never done anything about it, taking the safe option with a job in the civil service instead.
I have messed around for years writing football related articles for fun and very occasionally sent them into magazines without success.
In the last few weeks I have stepped up my output and widened my horizons to include newspapers as well.
I usually get a reply from the magazines I try (along the lines of 'we've already covered this subject' or 'too general to be of interest'), but have never had a response from a newspaper.
Which newspapers are more likely to entertain a new kid on the block and what is the best way to approach these types of contributions?
Should I send an article to more than one publication at once or wait for a reply before I try someone else.
In hindsight the stuff I'm producing now is a lot better than before, but I'm wary of submitting to people who haven't replied to me in the past.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
- Contact in PM
Rizzo
Messages count : 51Likes count : 0Registration : 5 November 2006I'm not a journalist but it does sound as though you're at that point we all get to when you need to clinch some work, it isn't happening and you're maybe flagging a little. Sales fatigue, or whatever you want to call it :ohwell
Maybe do a bit more research before you send something in? (e.g. where they say they've already covered something). So say it's your local rag, they're missing a story and you can sell it to them as being something they really need to be publishing. Or if they have published a story that interests you write a follow up to that piece that offers a different angle/explores it further. I would have thought your business head for pointing out a story they're missing or need to follow up on with prick their ears up as much as the quality of what you write.
It's harder work doing it this way, but once you're on their books it would be worth it.
Keep your rates reasonable, put a copyright statement at the bottom of all your work and make sure you're sending your work to the right person. Continue to follow it up to try and get a rapport going. Ask questions, if they've covered that topic what do they want to see? What are this week's burning issues?
Also it's a numbers game so don't wait for response to the first, get some samples of your work to as many as possible.
That's what I'd do anyway. Hopefully some veteran hacks will also chip in here? :happy