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Topic: tired of the biz...
| Author | Message |
| trying2write | Posted – 8/1/2007 11:37:37 AM | show profile ... and looking for new ideas. what's next for a mag ed who is sick of the low pay, turned off by dumb readers and has succumbed to general malaise?but still possesses writing and editing skills? what else besides PR? any inspiration would be greatly appreciated. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 8/1/2007 12:15:22 PM | show profile Lots of companies and universities employ writers and editors. |
| WinonaWriter | Posted – 8/1/2007 12:45:39 PM | show profile sigh... OMG, that's totally me too...hit the nail on the head. |
| Redacted2008 | Posted – 8/1/2007 12:46:09 PM | show profile and where are the lesser known places that list these kinds of job? (Not jazzed about PR and Advertising; just realized I bounced 7 checks, and am drowning in debt.) |
| Astera | Posted – 8/1/2007 2:03:06 PM | show profile I, too, am tired of the low pay that magazines and newspapers offer, so I am focusing my efforts on a freelance copywriting career. However, there are still plenty of clients out there who think they should be able to pay pennies for quality writing. It's tough to separate those who are willing to pay from those who are not. It seems that large, established businesses are more likely to offer high pay. I just landed a lucrative freelance contract at a financial services company. If you don't want to freelance, what about a staff copywriting job at a marketing agency? I used to freelance for a marketing agency that handled direct mail pieces for big accounts like Dell, Safeway, and eBay, and I got a pretty good hourly rate. There were only a few staff copywriters, but I assume they got paid well. You might also consider trying to break into the marketing side of some large companies. Sometimes, these marketing positions seem more like sales jobs, but other times, there is a lot of writing involved. I think Monster.com can work well if you are looking for a more corporate job. HotJobs might work to turn up some listings, too. Having just been through an excruiating and demoralizing job search myself, I know how tough it is out there. I hope you'll be able to find the same happy ending that I (finally!) got. ------ www.adventuresofastera.blogspot.com |
| WordyBird | Posted – 8/1/2007 5:26:25 PM | show profile Let me preface this by saying my job involves more writing than editing. I don't have any problems with "dumb readers," but I am pretty much capped out in terms of salary and frankly, after a bunch of organizational changes where I am, I'm worn out by two years of playing Musical Editors and having to adjust to a different editor's style every six months. So I'm taking a bit of a different approach. I've stopped applying to full-time jobs for the time being. Instead, I am researching all kinds of freelance options, mostly editing, copyediting, and proofreading. Then, when I relocate next month (yikes!), I'm going to freelance "while I look," with the not entirely unwelcome notion that I may be freelancing for a very, very long time. In other words, if I find a good job that's worth schlepping into Manhattan on the LIRR for, good. If not, GREAT! |
| MedScribe | Posted – 8/1/2007 7:14:40 PM | show profile How about working for a nonprofit whose cause you feel strongly about? Ironically the working conditions and salary may be significantly better than magazines and newspapers. You write press releases, newsletters, handle media questions and plan conferences by picking speakers and writing speeches and putting together press packs. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 8/1/2007 7:16:22 PM | show profile To me, this is only an issue if you are spending a lot of time going to meetings with potential clients and only then finding out they pay poorly. You can get around this by having a pricing schedule on your web page that you refer them to in advance. In your marketing efforts, it's fairly difficult to weed out in advance how much potential clients are willing to pay, although you can lessen this a little by only going after large companies (but then you lessen your pool of clients). Sending a email pitch for your services, or making a phone call, isn't that time consuming, so I don't care if the recipient can afford me. That's just part of the weeding out part of the marketing porcess. -- However, there are still plenty of clients out there who think they should be able to pay pennies for quality writing. It's tough to separate those who are willing to pay from those who are not. -- |
| sheilamullan | Posted – 8/1/2007 10:06:07 PM | show profile Hello Why don't you try newspapers or wire services, to use your writing and/or editing skills? It seems like perhaps the pace might be too slow or too boring at the current post. There are zillions of jobs on Mediabistro.com and on Journalismjobs.com. Shake up your life! Try something new, that you never tried before? Go to a foreign-language-oriented thing such as a French club or a Spanish club. Read a different daily newspaper. Perhaps you can slice and dice your qualities into something that's a better fit for you. Best of luck! Sheila |
