Like any career changer, you may need to start off in a more junior position while you earn your content-marketing cred. Here’s how to get back on top:

Focus on transferable skills

When crafting your resume and going in for interviews, go beyond merely mentioning management experience and zero in on concrete details: How many people do you manage? What processes do your team handle? What accomplishments have you and your team racked up during your tenure? What initiatives have you spearheaded and what were the results? Do you collaborate with other including PR, advertising, marketing and corporate? No matter what field you’re entering, self-starters and leaders who work well with others are always in demand.

Be proactive

“At content-marketing agencies, there’s a lot of movement, and there is always a way for you to take on more clients and take the lead,” says one VP of content, who rose the ranks quickly after leaving her career as an executive editor at a magazine. “In publishing, it can take you a decade to rise up. At an agency, if you have the experience and lots of initiative, it can take you a year,”

Look for new in-roads

As you gain experience in a lower-ranked position, opportunities will be opening up around you, some at your company and others elsewhere. “Some of the most innovative companies in the world are going to put many millions behind content marketing,” says Joe Piluzzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute. “The departments and roles are only going to grow and multiply.”

These days, authors are confronted with a variety of publishing choices. Do we self-publish our novel or memoir and bet on our own success? Do we wait years and months before hearing back from a traditional publisher or agent?

After publishing my first few books traditionally with minimal royalties, I was craving the financial control and freedom that hybrid publishing and self-publishing offer. Publishing my work with Transformation Books, a hybrid model for the best-selling series Pebbles in the Pond: Transforming the World One Person at a Time, allowed me to keep my profits while being supported by a strong marketing team to help build momentum for our anthology.

Publishers who do hybrid models, including Booktrope, Samhain Publishing, Entangled Publishing and Spencer Hill Press, act as both publisher and distributor for independent authors and small presses; meanwhile, the author pays upfront for some or all of the production or print costs. Backed by reputable publishers, authors reap the rewards of sales, exposure and brand recognition. Read on to learn more about the pros and cons of hybrid publishing.

Know your publishing goals.

With so many publishing options, authors need to know if hybrid publishing truly meets their publishing goals. Some of this homework involves researching the various models, but the first step starts with evaluating your own needs.

Nina Amir, author of The Author Training Manual, suggests you ask yourself the following questions before signing on with any publisher:

__? Am I cut out for self-publishing?

__? Am I cut out for traditional publishing?

__? Do I have the ability to straddle these two publishing models?

__? Do I enjoy being on the cutting edge and blazing new trails?

Understand the financial side of hybrid publishing.

It would be great if authors publishing with a hybrid model could break even at the start, just like earning an advance with a traditional publisher. But the truth is hybrid authors will need to put aside marketing and production funds to produce a high-quality book. That is not to say you can’t enjoy a high cash flow as a hybrid author, but you need to determine if you are willing to take a bit of a financial gamble.

“I hesitate to say it’s a model that leads to success because success varies from author to author,” says Brooke Warner, co-founder of hybrid publisher SheWritesPress.com. “For us the parallel measure would be that a book ‘earns out’ its expenses, meaning that it breaks even. Many more than 10 percent of our authors are breaking even, so for me, this is an exciting place to be.”

“Hybrid authors will need to put aside marketing and production funds to produce a high-quality book. You need to determine if you are willing to take a bit of a financial gamble.”

But the model may not work for all authors. “Always remember that the self-publishing aspect of being a hybrid author means you are in business for yourself,” says Amir.”You create a startup publishing business, and you must project manage all aspects of that business. You have to know you are cut out to do this job — or else stick with traditional publishing.”

The authors at SheWritesPress.com (all women) do the lion’s share of the marketing for their digital and print books, a trend that Warner sees as more entrepreneurial than in the past. “The author reaps the rewards, but I think that publicity goes hand in hand with sales. We are offering our authors a platform for their publishing… with a team that knows the ins and outs of the industry.”

Broaden your reach with digital platforms.

Building your online platform implies offering your book in multiple formats, including digital. The fact is more readers will read the eBook version more than your printed format, so it’s a good idea to capitalize on this market. You can net higher sales when you go digital as a hybrid author. These sales can also support your work as a traditionally published author, but you still need to learn to straddle the fence between these two very different publishing worlds.

Amir did just that, but made sure to communicate in advance with both publishers of her books. “I have published an eBook that boosted sales of both of my traditionally published books, and I have three more planned that will also support sales of these books,” she says. “[Just] be sure your [traditional] publisher has no problem with the fact that you are also indie publishing. You want everyone on the same page so you don’t run into any issues with your contract. You don’t, for example, want to publish [an eBook] that competes with your traditionally published book.”

Publishing with both models can also skyrocket sales, especially when it comes to producing eBooks. Amir is proof of that. “Write more books,” she says. “The more books you write, the more books you sell. My agent has me writing two self-published eBooks for every traditionally published book I write.”

“The fact is more readers will read the eBook version more than your printed format, so it’s a good idea to capitalize on this market. You can net higher sales when you go digital as a hybrid author.”

Be open to breaking new ground.

Younger hybrid publishers like SheWritesPress.com are indeed on the cutting edge of the publishing revolution. But because they haven’t been around long enough for massive credibility, authors may not want to take the financial risk. Yet no matter how you look at it, both traditional and hybrid publishers are affected by the winds of change.

Warner says, “I don’t think we are publishing in a way that allows us to see the volume that traditional publishers are selling. But we’re still only two years old, so I hope that we’ll grow toward that as we get bigger and have a stronger backlist propelling us along. We’re already making strides in terms of being recognized for our great books and an innovative model.”

Unfortunately, there is really no easy answer for any newbie or veteran author in today’s publishing world. Traditional publishers want to see an online presence, so even if you are still mulling your options, it’s best to continue to grow your platform and have both a Plan A and Plan B. Case in point: I intend to go agent shopping with my memoir, and if no fish bites within six months, I’ll be hybrid shopping.

Dorit Sasson is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. Follow her at @VoicetoStory.

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NEXT >> Do Self-Published eBooks Help or Hurt Your Career?

You may not have heard of Jonathan Geller, but if you’re in the tech world, you probably know him by another name: Boy Genius. Geller has been hugely influential on mobile tech blogs for years, first as an anonymous 17-year-old-columnist at Engadget, then as the secret head of BGR.com. The site gained a following with tech lovers for its ability to report on new products months before their official release.

Geller revealed his identity in 2010, when his site was bought by PMC Media (which also operates Hollywood Life, Deadline and Movieline, among other sites). As to why he finally pulled off the mask, Geller simply said, “It just seemed like the right time. I wanted to be a visible figure.” And that he is. Geller now regularly appears on outlets like CNBC and Bloomberg, discussing the latest mobile tech trends. Apparently all that publicity is paying off: BGR now has around 8 million unique visitors per month, making it the number one source for mobile tech news and leaks.

Here, Geller talks about dropping out of high school, starting a record label at age 15, almost being sued by Cingular and his long-term goals for BGR.

Name: Jonathan Geller
Position: President and editor-in-chief of Boy Genius Report (BGR.com)
Resume: Built first computer at the age of 13, learned to code by 14, started a record label at 15, was hired as a contributor at Engadget at 17 and launched BGR at 18. Sold the company to PMC Media in 2010. Continues to write and oversee editorial content on the site.
Birthday: April 26
Hometown: Greenwich, Conn.
Education: Dropped out of Greenwich High School sophomore year
Marital status: Engaged
Best career advice received: “If you don’t build your dream, someone will hire you to help build theirs.”
Guilty pleasure: Brunello Cucinelli clothing
Last book read: Flash Boys by Michael Lewis
Twitter handle: @boygenius

When did your interest in computers begin and how did you become known as the ‘IT guy for the music industry’ at only 15?
I was exposed to computers when I was 9 or 10 and I was never a true geek, but I was fascinated by them. A few years later, I got really into design and coding. I just loved it from an early age.

When I was 14, I got really into hip-hop and R&B music. A family friend introduced me to [Justin Bieber’s manager] Scooter Braun, and we really hit it off. So then I started producing music and selling beats online. I ended up dropping out of high school and moving to Atlanta to work with [Braun]. It was a crazy time. I was 15 and hanging out with Usher in these clubs. It was incredible. I was exposed to so much; I learned so much about networking and making connections.

How did you go from working in Atlanta with Braun to writing for Engadget?
So I was still into music, I’d started a record label and I was building connections everywhere. At the time [around 2005], there were only a couple of big tech websites, and Engadget was one of my favorites.

“I liked the hype and marketing opportunities and uniqueness of being anonymous.”

Because of my connections in the music industry, companies started giving me their products before they were released. There wasn’t that much product placement or promotion like there is today. So I’d get a Blackberry before anyone else, and I’d give it to Ludacris. The companies loved it and kept sending me more. Eventually, Engadget gave me my own column.

Did your sources know you were a teenager at the time?
It was weird because some people knew I was 17; others had no clue. The ones that did know didn’t really care. They knew about my connections and wanted their products out there.

Tell us how you started Boy Genius Report.
I started BGR in 2006. Like I said, I had loved Engadget for years, and I started sending them pictures of unreleased phones. When I saw how interested people were, I decided to branch out on my own. At one point, I had Cingular’s entire roadmap, and they called Engadget and said they were suing them for $900,000. I was totally freaked out, but they were like, ‘This is great!'” That’s when I knew I really had something marketable.

Why did you stay anonymous when you launched your own site?
I stayed anonymous because at the time I was doing both music and [writing], and I didn’t want to be known in both worlds. I also liked the hype and marketing opportunities and uniqueness of being anonymous. I was this 17-year-old kid running the site, and the head of AT&T thought there were 1,000 people behind it, and he’s trying to come after me. Everyone in the tech industry feared me.

By the time BGR got acquired by PMC, I decided to finally out myself. It just seemed like the right thing to do. I wanted to be a visible figure and the public face of my brand.

“At the end of the day, you’ve just got to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.”

How has BGR changed since the PMC acquisition?
At its core, I don’t think the site has changed much. It’s a testament to PMC, because you would think there would be major changes after a big buyout. But they’ve just added more resources and an amazing sales team.

What are your long-term goals for BGR?
My long-term goals would be expanding beyond the U.S., which we’ve already started doing. We just launched BGR India, which is a part of India.com, a joint venture with Zee TV, the largest media company in India. We just want to continue to move the business forward. Last year was our best year in terms of growth and revenue. And it looks like this year is going to top that. Tech sites tend to be one dimensional, and I want to [take] the business offline.

Our reviews are so unique and honest and we were thinking, ‘how can we leverage that?’ We’re doing it by creating the BGR Seal of Approval. Think of it as the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, but for tech. It will let the average consumer know if a product is worth buying. Is it something that a normal person can use without trouble? Is it going to be supported by the company past the initial release? There’s so much noise to cut through in tech. The BGR Seal of Approval is purely editorial, but it’s something we’re really excited about. We’re launching in next two weeks, and the first company and product we are awarding it to is called Lyve, a new company that helps you simplify and protect all of your photos, videos and memories.

What are the keys to a great tech website?
Content, content, content. You’ve also got to have a great team. You have to know your audience. You need to have that instinct, to know what people want to read.

What is your advice for people starting a career covering tech?
Be authentic, be engaged and interact with your readers. Whether it’s on Twitter, on Facebook, whatever. At the end of the day, you’ve just got to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.

Aneya Fernando is the editorial assistant at Mediabistro. Follow her on twitter @aneyafernando.

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NEXT >> So What Do You Do, John Newlin, VP of Content for Livingly Media?

There’s the interview — and then there’s the celebrity interview. To many writers, publishing an article on a celebrity can be lucrative___ and yes, just plain cool. It’s not always so easy to land interviews with an A-list star, though.

Often, writers will target a celebrity because the star is in a new movie or television show; has just launched a charity event; or, in the case of a politician or executive, has an issue to discuss. However, just because you want to talk to a superstar doesn’t mean it will happen. Many celebrity pieces are handled in house. But some publications are open to celebrity article pitches from freelancers if there’s a distinctive angle — and, of course, if you already have a personal connection to the star.

A few months ago, I got an offer to interview actor Patrick Dempsey. I cover the health industry, and the Grey’s Anatomy star had recently funded a medical startup — so it was a good fit. I realize that not all writers have an opportunity like this fall into their laps, so I’ve gathered some insight to help you succeed at celebrity interviews.

Understand the nuances of the celebrity interview.

There are a few things that make interviewing a high-profile individual different from other interviews you have performed. First, there will likely be at least another person (the publicist) in the room or on the phone with you. The star’s availability might be tight, especially if you get to talk to them during a press tour. As such, you might have limited time to interview him or her. And then there may be restrictions on what you can or cannot ask the celebrity.

Another challenge may be making contact with your subject. Sometimes a celebrity’s publicist may reach out to you, which breaks down some of the barriers. But if you’re targeting a star on your own, it helps to have an outlet in mind — and an angle.

Track down publicists — and be persistent.

“Publicists tend to work with you more easily if you’ve gotten an assignment to write about their client,” said Michele Wojciechowski, a Maryland-based writer.

The first step is to reach out to the publicist to see if he or she can grant you the interview — even making contact there isn’t easy.

“You need to get creative,” Wojciechowski said. She recommends trying to contact publicists on IMDb Pro, which is a paid service. Googling the publicist is another option. “You’d be surprised how many people have their publicists listed on their own websites,” she said.

“It’s a good idea to try to secure an interview with a celebrity before pitching a publication.”

Of course writers cannot always secure a time to speak with the celebrity they desire. Sometimes, like magazine editors, the publicist will reject your request — or simply not respond to your inquiry.

“Usually, it’s not about you. So don’t blame the publicist,” Wojciechowski said. “And if you get turned down, always ask if there would be a better time to talk with the celeb.”

Also keep in mind that a publicist isn’t your only way “in” with a celebrity. Melanie Votaw, a writer from New York, wrote to a network to get an interview with Stuart Townsend about his role in the show Betrayal without a response until she reviewed the show and promoted it via social media. “When I requested an interview a second time, Stuart knew my name and consented [to an interview],” she said.

Have an angle in mind when pitching editors.

It’s a good idea to try to secure an interview with a celebrity before pitching a publication. Editors are going to want to know that you have an interview lined up, or a sure-thing connection to the celebrity.

“Have a good idea for a story and a market to sell it to,” said Joel Keller, a writer based in New Jersey. “Yes, you can get away with ‘Want a Q&A with so-and-so?’ especially if you have a relationship with an editor already. But, just like with non-celeb pitches, the editor will be looking for a story to hook to the celebrity.”

It might take a little back-and-forth with the editor, but if you can get the editor to confirm a spot for the interview, you can then let the publicist know you have secured a home for the article. He or she may then give it the green light. “The better a story it is, the better chance you’ll place the idea with a bigger pub that’ll carry more juice with the publicist,” Keller said.

Prepare your questions in advance.

As journalists, we’re used to “winging” interviews___ who hasn’t? The celebrity interview, on the other hand, is not one that can be improvised. Without planning, your interview could turn into a disaster and leave you with little material to deliver. A poor interview means the publicist won’t work with you in the future, may tell others about the bad experience and tarnish your reputation. That means that your editor may not publish the piece — or work with you again.

“I make sure to research the celebrity ahead of time, and I write my main questions out before the interview,” Wojciechowski said.

In my own experience, I find that high-profile celebrities often have a tight-knit group of publicists that want to evaluate your questions before you speak to the star or know if you will record the conversation (highly recommended) — another reason to gather your thoughts and jot down your questions long before the interview.

Do your homework and get the facts straight.

With a celebrity interview, it’s likely that the interviewee has had some poor experiences in the past with the press. He might be under constant fire for his professional choices, and have probably had untrue rumor spread about him.

“As journalists, we’re used to ‘winging’ interviews___ who hasn’t? The celebrity interview, on the other hand, is not one that can be improvised”

No matter how much you know about the celebrity, take a moment to Google the person. Look into recent headlines, as they may affect your story. If the piece is about a certain issue, try to educate yourself on it. One part of my Dempsey story that made it special was that the actor was supporting a startup that helped people get answers to their personal medical mysteries. I learned that Dempsey’s mother had ovarian cancer, so he understood how hard it was for families to receive an accurate diagnosis — something that brought out the human-interest side of the piece.

“Unless it’s a fact given to me by their publicist, I always ask them if something I read about them is true,” Wojciechowski said. “A few times, it hasn’t been, and that in itself led to some interesting anecdotes.”

Build a rapport with your star subject.

In addition to researching your subject, it’s vital to remain calm and be professional. “If you’re too much of a fan, it can make the celebrity uncomfortable,” Votaw said.

I never told Dempsey that I all but wore out the VHS tape of his ’80s flick Can’t Buy Me Love because I watched it so much___ and I never called him McDreamy or told him I had seen every episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Although I was nervous to interview one of my favorite actors, keeping a professional tone helped foster a better dialog.

Having a good connection with celebrity handlers can also be a plus. “They can be your best friend or they can be a brick wall,” Keller noted.

Keller had a great interview with comedian Louis Szekely, as Louis C.K., when the show Louie was being made. During the second season of the show, the actor had a different representative — someone Keller had a good relationship with. Still, he could not get an interview because the new rep only wanted high-profile coverage for the actor. “So the websites I was writing for didn’t cut it anymore,” he said. “It had nothing to do with my previous interview with Louie or my relationship with his new publicist. It’s all about the juice.”

Get on publicists’ A list.

One celebrity interview can’t make or break your career, but a good one can lead to more. After a good piece, the publicist might contact you for future stories, put you on their press list or share your contact details with colleagues.

“Once they know you’re easy to work with and that they can count on you to publish when you say you will, they will do their best to get you the interviews you want,” she said.

After the story publishes, it’s a nice touch to send the publicist your clip. Post the link of your interview on social media and tag your subject — that could make you a bit of a star if the celebrity shares it, too. And your editor will appreciate the traffic!

Kristen Fischer is the author of ‘When Talent Isn’t Enough: Business Basics for the Creatively Inclined’ (Career Press, 2013).

---

NEXT >> How to Land a Celebrity Journalism Gig

There’s the interview — and then there’s the celebrity interview. To many writers, publishing an article on a celebrity can be lucrative___ and yes, just plain cool. It’s not always so easy to land interviews with an A-list star, though.

Often, writers will target a celebrity because the star is in a new movie or television show; has just launched a charity event; or, in the case of a politician or executive, has an issue to discuss. However, just because you want to talk to a superstar doesn’t mean it will happen. Many celebrity pieces are handled in house. But some publications are open to celebrity article pitches from freelancers if there’s a distinctive angle — and, of course, if you already have a personal connection to the star.

A few months ago, I got an offer to interview actor Patrick Dempsey. I cover the health industry, and the Grey’s Anatomy star had recently funded a medical startup — so it was a good fit. I realize that not all writers have an opportunity like this fall into their laps, so I’ve gathered some insight to help you succeed at celebrity interviews.

Understand the nuances of the celebrity interview.

There are a few things that make interviewing a high-profile individual different from other interviews you have performed. First, there will likely be at least another person (the publicist) in the room or on the phone with you. The star’s availability might be tight, especially if you get to talk to them during a press tour. As such, you might have limited time to interview him or her. And then there may be restrictions on what you can or cannot ask the celebrity.

Another challenge may be making contact with your subject. Sometimes a celebrity’s publicist may reach out to you, which breaks down some of the barriers. But if you’re targeting a star on your own, it helps to have an outlet in mind — and an angle.

Track down publicists — and be persistent.

“Publicists tend to work with you more easily if you’ve gotten an assignment to write about their client,” said Michele Wojciechowski, a Maryland-based writer.

The first step is to reach out to the publicist to see if he or she can grant you the interview — even making contact there isn’t easy.

“You need to get creative,” Wojciechowski said. She recommends trying to contact publicists on IMDb Pro, which is a paid service. Googling the publicist is another option. “You’d be surprised how many people have their publicists listed on their own websites,” she said.

“It’s a good idea to try to secure an interview with a celebrity before pitching a publication.”

Of course writers cannot always secure a time to speak with the celebrity they desire. Sometimes, like magazine editors, the publicist will reject your request — or simply not respond to your inquiry.

“Usually, it’s not about you. So don’t blame the publicist,” Wojciechowski said. “And if you get turned down, always ask if there would be a better time to talk with the celeb.”

Also keep in mind that a publicist isn’t your only way “in” with a celebrity. Melanie Votaw, a writer from New York, wrote to a network to get an interview with Stuart Townsend about his role in the show Betrayal without a response until she reviewed the show and promoted it via social media. “When I requested an interview a second time, Stuart knew my name and consented [to an interview],” she said.

Have an angle in mind when pitching editors.

It’s a good idea to try to secure an interview with a celebrity before pitching a publication. Editors are going to want to know that you have an interview lined up, or a sure-thing connection to the celebrity.

“Have a good idea for a story and a market to sell it to,” said Joel Keller, a writer based in New Jersey. “Yes, you can get away with ‘Want a Q&A with so-and-so?’ especially if you have a relationship with an editor already. But, just like with non-celeb pitches, the editor will be looking for a story to hook to the celebrity.”

It might take a little back-and-forth with the editor, but if you can get the editor to confirm a spot for the interview, you can then let the publicist know you have secured a home for the article. He or she may then give it the green light. “The better a story it is, the better chance you’ll place the idea with a bigger pub that’ll carry more juice with the publicist,” Keller said.

Prepare your questions in advance.

As journalists, we’re used to “winging” interviews___ who hasn’t? The celebrity interview, on the other hand, is not one that can be improvised. Without planning, your interview could turn into a disaster and leave you with little material to deliver. A poor interview means the publicist won’t work with you in the future, may tell others about the bad experience and tarnish your reputation. That means that your editor may not publish the piece — or work with you again.

“I make sure to research the celebrity ahead of time, and I write my main questions out before the interview,” Wojciechowski said.

In my own experience, I find that high-profile celebrities often have a tight-knit group of publicists that want to evaluate your questions before you speak to the star or know if you will record the conversation (highly recommended) — another reason to gather your thoughts and jot down your questions long before the interview.

Do your homework and get the facts straight.

With a celebrity interview, it’s likely that the interviewee has had some poor experiences in the past with the press. He might be under constant fire for his professional choices, and have probably had untrue rumor spread about him.

“As journalists, we’re used to ‘winging’ interviews___ who hasn’t? The celebrity interview, on the other hand, is not one that can be improvised”

No matter how much you know about the celebrity, take a moment to Google the person. Look into recent headlines, as they may affect your story. If the piece is about a certain issue, try to educate yourself on it. One part of my Dempsey story that made it special was that the actor was supporting a startup that helped people get answers to their personal medical mysteries. I learned that Dempsey’s mother had ovarian cancer, so he understood how hard it was for families to receive an accurate diagnosis — something that brought out the human-interest side of the piece.

“Unless it’s a fact given to me by their publicist, I always ask them if something I read about them is true,” Wojciechowski said. “A few times, it hasn’t been, and that in itself led to some interesting anecdotes.”

Build a rapport with your star subject.

In addition to researching your subject, it’s vital to remain calm and be professional. “If you’re too much of a fan, it can make the celebrity uncomfortable,” Votaw said.

I never told Dempsey that I all but wore out the VHS tape of his ’80s flick Can’t Buy Me Love because I watched it so much___ and I never called him McDreamy or told him I had seen every episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Although I was nervous to interview one of my favorite actors, keeping a professional tone helped foster a better dialog.

Having a good connection with celebrity handlers can also be a plus. “They can be your best friend or they can be a brick wall,” Keller noted.

Keller had a great interview with comedian Louis Szekely, as Louis C.K., when the show Louie was being made. During the second season of the show, the actor had a different representative — someone Keller had a good relationship with. Still, he could not get an interview because the new rep only wanted high-profile coverage for the actor. “So the websites I was writing for didn’t cut it anymore,” he said. “It had nothing to do with my previous interview with Louie or my relationship with his new publicist. It’s all about the juice.”

Get on publicists’ A list.

One celebrity interview can’t make or break your career, but a good one can lead to more. After a good piece, the publicist might contact you for future stories, put you on their press list or share your contact details with colleagues.

“Once they know you’re easy to work with and that they can count on you to publish when you say you will, they will do their best to get you the interviews you want,” she said.

After the story publishes, it’s a nice touch to send the publicist your clip. Post the link of your interview on social media and tag your subject — that could make you a bit of a star if the celebrity shares it, too. And your editor will appreciate the traffic!

Kristen Fischer is the author of ‘When Talent Isn’t Enough: Business Basics for the Creatively Inclined’ (Career Press, 2013).

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NEXT >> How to Land a Celebrity Journalism Gig

If, like me, you think spending two days in LL Cool J’s den co-writing a book or collaborating at 500 mph in an airplane with 50 Cent is the stuff dreams are made of, you’ll be aptly impressed with Jeff O’Connell, accomplished author and editor-in chief-of Bodybuilding.com. His main piece of industry wisdom is as unconventional as it is true: What you perceive as your weaknesses may actually be your greatest strengths. O’Connell’s strength is his preference to listen rather than speak, as evidenced by his confident yet soft-spoken voice. His laid-back nature as a reporter allows his story subjects to let down their guard and speak candidly during interviews. Here, O’Connell shares how he got his start, discusses his writing process, and offers advice on interviewing celebrities and honing your craft.

Name: Jeff O’Connell
Position: Editor-in-chief of Bodybuilding.com
Resume: Previously served as executive writer at Men’s Health and editor-in-chief at Muscle & Fitness; earned honorable mention in both The Best American Sports Writing and The Best American Science & Nature Writing anthologies; co-wrote The New York Times best seller LL Cool J’s Platinum Workout, Formula 50 with 50 Cent, Knockout Body with Mario Lopez, Jump-Off with Mark Jenkins, and Spartan Up! with Joe DeSena; released his book, Sugar Nation, in July 2011.
Birthdate: March 6
Hometown: Born in Baltimore, Maryland, and lives in Boise, Idaho
Education: University of California at Los Angeles (BS, MS)
Marital status: Single
Media mentors: The late Joe Weider, founder of Muscle & Fitness, Shape and many other magazines; Marc Gerald, who heads the literary division at The Agency Group (“We’ve done six books in 12 years on one handshake, and it’s been a great adventure”); and Bodybuilding.com CEO Ryan DeLuca (“for exemplifying inspiring and benevolent leadership”).
Best career advice received: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
Last book read: The Climate Casino: Risk, Uncertainty, and Economics for a Warming World, by William D. Nordhaus, Ph.D.
Twitter handle: @sugar_nation

How did you get started as a fitness editor?
My career in publishing pretty much had an inauspicious start. I finished graduate school and was actually interviewing with the DEA and the FBI for a job, and I just decided at that point that I would be better suited to be a writer and an editor. I started applying for [these jobs], which was actually very difficult at the time — a lot of disappointments and close calls, in terms of finding a full-time position. So I did freelance gigs for a while. Then I got my training at a trade pub out of Santa Monica, and nine months after that I saw an ad for a copy editor at Muscle & Fitness, and that called to me because I [was already buying] that magazine off the newsstand. So, I applied for that. I actually didn’t get that job, but their sister title Flex needed a copy editor, and shortly thereafter they came back and offered that to me. Another year or two later, Muscle & Fitness brought me over to their title as a staff writer and I basically began building my career from there.

Tell us about the stories that earned you recognition in literary anthologies.
I’ve been honorably mentioned twice in the Best American Sports Writing. The first was the story of a man with the highest IQ on earth, and he was living in a shack on Long Island, living on $6,000 a year, lifting weights, bartending and writing a book on an alternative to the big bang theory. His theory was that the universe is contracting, not expanding, so that piece is called “Mr. Universe,” and it was in Muscle & Fitness. The other story was about a former Mr. America who was living as a caveman on Indian lands and in the mountains off Palm Springs. And that was called “Benny’s Nuts” and ran in Flex. So, I’m mostly interested in these characters who live off the grid, and of course for these magazines, you have to have some kind of connection to physical culture as well.

“It’s really important to find a niche that’s well calibrated to your interests, but also to your talent.”

I got honorable mention in the Best American Science and Nature Writing [anthology] for a piece I wrote called “Into Dark Waters” for Men’s Health when I was executive writer there, and that was an exploration of suicide among males. It was 2009, the height of the financial crisis and we were in the midst of two wars at the time. So I was really intrigued at that point by how some of those things were playing out in the psyches of a lot of men who were struggling. It was definitely an eye-opening piece. I’m glad that I wrote that. At the same time that I’d written the suicide piece, I’d also written a piece called “The Thin Man’s Diabetes” for Men’s Health, which then [evolved into] my book, Sugar Nation.

What’s your process for finding such fascinating human-interest stories?
The cool thing about Muscle & Fitness, you think of it as a niche fitness publication, but it’s great because [you can write about] any person who is involved in fitness, whether it’s an actor bulking up for a role, or an athlete, or just some interesting person who got fit. I found it tremendously liberating, and also it’s a great opportunity if you’re willing to dig around and listen to people for great stories. So a lot of it is just having a lot of contacts, listening well, just talking to people and oftentimes these ideas just come from conversations about something completely different [than the interview topic]. Maybe at the end of it they would just mention somebody; I’d prod a bit to find out more. The next thing you know, that’s a really interesting story. It’s not what we’ve talked about for the prior 15 minutes. So I’m a very inquisitive and curious person by nature. I’m much more of a listener than a talker, so it’s served me well in certain respects.

How did you become a New York Times best-selling author?
I like to thank LL Cool J because I made it as his co-author in 2006. It was the second workout book that I’d collaborated on. It was called Platinum Workout. And the first workout book I had done was, I think, one of the worst-selling fitness books of all time. It did terribly. My magazine career got off to a very rocky start. But I hooked up with LL Cool J on the book and it was a really good workout plan. I think we made it a fun read for people, and he just promoted it relentlessly when it launched. It was great to turn on the TV and see him on Rachael Ray and Ellen DeGeneres, you know, talking about our book.

What’s the process that goes into co-writing with a celebrity?
You know, I’ve done a book with 50 Cent, too. I do spend a lot of time with my co-author up front, rolling a lot of tape on them in different situations. I’ll travel around with them. I interviewed 50 Cent at length on a plane ride with Floyd Mayweather from the East Coast to the West Coast, just hanging out with them, [capturing] their voice and learning what they want to say in the book.

At that point, it’s me taking the transcriptions of those interviews and doing a lot of the work in terms of the draft. And then once the initial draft is done, I spend a lot of time with the subject, crafting it, really honing it, making sure it does reflect what they’ve said on tape. So, it is very much their voice. And they’ll be coming in, after the draft is done, and extensively working on it. But that book was very much LL Cool J’s book. We spent two days in his den going through the final version line by line. Not surprisingly, he had amazing instincts when it came to language and turns of phrase.

“Active listening is more than just hearing the words that are spoken. It’s about developing trust with your subject, guiding the conversation [and] holding eye contact.”

What advice would you give to newbie writers and editors?
To me, writing is mostly about re-writing. I wish I was somebody that could sit down and bang out 1,000 or 2,000 perfect words, but I’m not. A lot times I can be a perfectionist, and that can be really paralyzing, so I think that it’s important to just get something down on the screen or the page and realize that you’re going to work it over multiple times anyway, so you might as well get started. I admire writers who can just crank out something incredible right off the bat, but for me, I really do have to shape something that I’ve done initially.

And then it’s important to find a niche that’s well calibrated to your interests, but also to your talent. I think health and fitness is really well aligned with both of those things for me. I think I was able to reach the top of the field in health and fitness, whereas maybe in some other fields it may have been more difficult. I don’t think I would have ever reached the top of the masthead at The Economist, for example.

Do you think that’s because you happen to know and care a lot about your subject?
Yeah, it’s helpful if it’s your passion and if you’re a practitioner of the field. You know, I’m probably never going to write a novel, but I write well enough to write really good service journalism, and that’s what you need in health and fitness. Making sure your interests are very well aligned with what you’re actually pursuing; I think that’s important. If you want to write fiction, but you’re limited chops-wise, there’s no shame in treating that as a hobby. But I think some people are really delusional in thinking that will become a career.

What interviewing or reporting tips do you have?

Reporting for me is about listening, first and foremost: listening to sources, listening to colleagues and listening to anyone with something relevant about the subject at hand. Active listening is more than just hearing the words that are spoken. It’s about developing trust with your subject, guiding the conversation [and] holding eye contact. That’s why I tape a lot and have it transcribed. I want to really be in the moment with the subject when I’m interviewing that person. I don’t want to be scrambling, scribbling notes down frantically the whole time.

So much of it is making the other person comfortable, especially if you do a celebrity interview. They’re so on guard, they’re so wary to begin with. You basically have 45 minutes or maybe an hour in certain situations, to get to the real stuff and release very intimate details. I’m a very laid-back person, so I think that helps me, because sometimes people relax when they’re with me… whereas if you’re kind of intense and aggressive, they tend to recoil from that.

Something I thought would be a liability when I got into this business, which was being kind of shy and quiet and a listener, has actually helped me along the way. Don’t assume what you think are your weaknesses won’t help you at some point. It just depends on what you’re doing.

Amanda Layman Low is a freelance writer and artist. Contact her on Twitter @AmandaLaymanLow.

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NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Joe Railoa, MAD Senior Editor and John Lennon Tribute Executive Producer?

I had been working as a freelance writer for about four years when I noticed that one of my clients had an opening for a full-time writer. At the time, my husband was unemployed and we had a 2-year-old who depended on us, and although my income was plenty in the good months, the lean months were legitimately scary.

If the potential for a steady income wasn’t motivation enough, I couldn’t deny the nagging feeling that I was missing out on something by working in solitude. I wondered about the office camaraderie my peers talked about, and the sense of accomplishment and loyalty that could come from working regularly for one company. Well, as it turns out, maybe I am a corporate ladder kind of girl. Here’s what I’ve learned about myself as a person and as a writer since making this switch.

I can focus on what I do best: writing.

I’ve met some freelancers who are proficient at wearing all the “hats” — researching, marketing, social networking, accounting and business planning. I certainly enjoyed many of those aspects as a freelancer, but I wasn’t great at them, and my opportunities were limited because of it. Now, because I have a very clear role as a writer within a company, I’m not concerned with finding jobs or crunching numbers. I wake up, sit down at my desk and write. Occasionally I edit or help with quality assurance. But as a result of this narrowed focus and frequent feedback, my writing has improved. Which brings me to___

“Now, because I have a very clear role as a writer within a company, I’m not concerned with finding jobs or crunching numbers. I wake up, sit down at my desk and write.”

There are new opportunities for growth.

Sure, my title, sales and technical writer, sounds very specialized, and it can be the upper limit or end goal if I want it to be. But actually learning about what my coworkers do on a daily basis — editors, project managers, creative directors, marketing and sales professionals — allows me to imagine where I might be 10 or 20 years from now. With freelancing, the main growth opportunity was to find higher-paying jobs, but without the experience or connections, it might have taken me years to earn even what I’m earning now.

The team environment is fulfilling.

I had little to go on, because I’d never held a professional job outside of freelance writing, but if my years as a server and bartender taught me anything, I knew that I enjoyed working with other people. I love giving and receiving feedback, small talk and big talk. And although I still work from home, I’m on the phone or instant messaging the same group of coworkers daily. Even from 600 miles away, we’re sharing ideas and advice, joking around and becoming friends.

I’m broadening my areas of expertise.

Another amazing aspect of working with others is the frequency of learning opportunities. Sure, I made a point of reading and learning when I worked as a freelancer, but the deliberate mentorship I’ve received at my new job is pushing me in ways I wouldn’t have explored on my own. I’m writing scripts for animated videos, documents to guide salespeople through a sale, and internal marketing materials to brand and promote our company. I’m delving into ad writing and copywriting, storyboarding and more.

“The mentorship I’ve received at my new job is pushing me in ways I wouldn’t have explored on my own.”

Any freelance work I do is a bonus.

Obviously I’m still freelancing, or you wouldn’t be reading this. But now I have the freedom to be more selective about the outlets I write for and the stories I write. I don’t have to take every little job that comes my way because money is no longer the driver. I choose to freelance because I love to share information and stories with the world, and any work I do becomes more rewarding to me.

I’m learning a lot about why I write and who I am.

When I was a full-time freelancer, every moment was an opportunity for more income, more ideas. I never stopped working. As a salaried technical writer, I work from 8 to 5, Monday through Friday, with no worries about missing an opportunity and losing out on a bunch of money over the weekend. With my new routine, I have extracted myself from my work; and as it turns out, there was an interesting person buried under all that stress and obsession.

I had always used my writer status as my main identifier because it represented everything I wanted to be perceived as: smart, witty, creative, a little secretive. But by putting my writing into a box labeled “my job” and turning off the computer at 5 p.m. every day, I’m allowing myself the freedom to emerge into the world as just a person. And it turns out, it’s so much more rewarding to live and actually be smart, witty, creative and secretive around real humans than to sit at home and only be perceived as those things.

I won’t say that going from freelance to salaried employee is right for everyone. As I mentioned, I’ve met plenty of freelancers who truly excel at wearing multiple hats, and who wouldn’t trade their independence (or even all that tax-time stress) for anything. But for me, I believe I’ve made a good choice. Regardless of where I am 20 years from now, even if I’m freelancing again, I know I’ll be armed with a new array of skills and a level of confidence I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Amanda Layman Low is a freelance writer and artist. Contact her on Twitter @AmandaLaymanLow.

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NEXT >> Personal Essay Markets, Part I

Paul McKenna, perhaps the most popular hypnotist in his native England, is an international best-selling author whose books have sold more than 7 million copies and been translated into 32 languages. McKenna has worked in almost every medium, from radio and TV to books and digital. And he’s used his hypnotherapy on everyone from Ellen DeGeneres to David Beckham.

McKenna’s latest venture is a talk show on Hulu, aptly named McKenna. He’s already interviewed such media moguls as Simon Cowell, Ryan Seacrest, Harvey Weinstein, Rachael Ray and Randy Jackson to uncover their secrets to success. Here, McKenna shares stories about his own wild start in radio, the day he went from hypnotherapy skeptic to believer and how a chance encounter on Simon Cowell’s boat resulted in his latest gig.

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Name: Paul McKenna
Position: Best-selling author, hypnotist, talk show host
Resume: Started off in radio at the age of 16 and quickly moved up the ranks to the top channels in the UK, Capitol and BBC Radio One. Became an expert on hypnosis and NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) and in 1993 got his first show on TV, The Hypnotic World of Paul McKenna. Hosted various shows through the ’90s and 2000s in the UK and the United States. Authored 16 nonfiction books, including I Can Make You Thin, which is the best-selling self-help book in UK history. Currently hosts his talk show, McKenna, which debuted on Hulu in 2014.
Birthday: November 8
Hometown: Hackney, East London
Education: Saint Ignatius College, East Hartfordshire College, International Management Center; holds two doctorates
Marital status: In a committed relationship
Media mentor: “Richard Bandler. He’s the creator of NLP [and] probably the greatest living behavioral scientist in the world. He’s consistently upped his game and encouraged me to up mine.”
Best career advice received: “Know when to leave the fair,” given by David Geffen, record industry veteran and Hollywood producer.
Guilty pleasure: “Well, I was born a Catholic, so I feel guilty for everything. In fact, I’m a recovering Catholic.”
Last book read: The Singularity is Near, by Ray Kurzweil
Twitter handle: @ImPaulMckenna

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What sparked your interest in radio?
Well, London in the ’60s was communist country, or the next best thing to it. We were allowed an hour of pop music a week, and Ronan O’Rahilly came up with the idea of putting a radio station on a boat, outside of British territorial waters, so we could play pop music, God forbid, 24 hours a day. I joined Radio Caroline, the most famous pirate radio station, in the ’80s. It was probably the greatest adventure I ever had. I was 20 years old. All we did was play pop music from this beautiful Icelandic Atlantic trawler. I had a lot of fun because it was rebellious, and it was pro-democracy. There’s something about the process of radio that has a very direct connection with the listener, which I love.

Where did your interest in hypnotherapy come from?
I was always interested in yoga and meditation, and particularly in Zen Buddhism, those sorts of practices that have to do with the mind. I interviewed a local hypnotist for the radio station, and I had him demonstrate [his technique] on me. I was skeptical, but it worked. He lent me a book, Trance-Formations, by Dr. Richard Bandler and John Grinder, and it’s the best book I’ve ever read on hypnosis. That got me hooked.

“People described me as a cross between Tony Robbins and Dr. Phil. But I would like to point out that I’ve got more hair than Dr. Phil, but nowhere near as much money as Tony Robbins, or as much energy!”

Soon, I began practicing on my friends to help them lose weight or quit smoking, and most of the time it worked. Then I started doing small shows. They got bigger and bigger. By then I had moved on from Radio Caroline and was working at Capitol Radio, the biggest station in the country at the time. My boss, Richard Park, helped me promote my shows in London. I think all success in life comes down to people backing you. In that moment, my life changed.

How did you land your first TV gig?
I started doing shows in a London theater. A television producer called Paul Smith came to see me one night. He liked what he saw, and I ended up doing a TV show with him, which turned out to be the most popular entertainment show in Britain that year. What I did was I modeled people who I thought were very good on television because I was very nervous. I took the elements that I liked, put them together and, lo and behold, it worked.

At what point did your TV show format change from purely entertainment to more serious forms of hypnotherapy?

Well, I’d started a little training company, teaching people hypnosis and self-improvement techniques. And for the first one, 12 people showed up. And then the next time, 50 people showed up. And then hundreds of people, and then thousands of people. People described me as a cross between Tony Robbins and Dr. Phil. But I would like to point out that I’ve got more hair than Dr. Phil, but nowhere near as much money as Tony Robbins, or as much energy! So I suppose I was Britain’s equivalent for a while. That’s when I stopped doing these shows where I got people to do daft stuff, and I began doing shows where I would show people how to change their lives.

What inspired you to start writing nonfiction books?
I noticed that at the time [2005 to 2006] all the self-help books were pretty much all saying the same sort of stuff. Everyone was rehashing everyone else’s material. And I thought, ‘I can do better than this.’ So I went to various publishers and I said, ‘I’ve got some ideas for some self-improvement books.’ Random House said, ‘Hang on a minute — we really think there’s something to this.’

“I sell solutions, whether they’re books, whether they’re apps, whether they’re downloads, whatever they are; in my self-help world, I’m selling solutions.”

And I signed with them, and the first book I co-wrote was called I Can Mend Your Broken Heart. And it did OK. But the next book, which was called Change Your Life in Seven Days, hit the ball out of the park. That book sold millions of copies around the world. And I did a revolutionary thing, something they told me just could not be done, which was to put a CD in the back of the book [with] a hypnotic trance on it. So after you’d read the book and done the exercises, you listened — some people just listened to the CD and their lives improved.

Take me through your writing process.
When I’m writing a book, I imagine I’m holding a copy of the book, and I start to flick through it and I get a sense of the emotional tone, or I get a sense of the pace of the book, whether it’s short chapters or long ones. The other thing I do is imagine the [reader] is sitting in front of me, and I think, ‘What do I need to tell them to help them get better?’ Because I’m in the solution business. I sell solutions, whether they’re books, whether they’re apps, whether they’re downloads, whatever they are; in my self-help world, I’m selling solutions.

My readers need enough science to tell them that what they’re about to do is safe and has been practiced on other people and is a worthwhile process and then I walk them through it. And I’m not interested in writing intellectual books for other intellectuals to read. I’m interested in helping as many people as I can, in as easy and painless a way as possible. The delivery system is as important as the actual message. The messenger or the style of the message is as important as the message itself.

And so how did your show on Hulu come about?
I was on holiday with Simon Cowell, who’s a good friend of mine, and his boat was parked next to David Geffen’s boat. And Geffen wanted to meet Simon, so he sent a request over, and we all went over for tea. After Simon watched me interact and chat with David, he said. ‘Do you know what? I think you should do a talk show.’ Then I got in contact with Paul Duddridge, a television producer who I’ve known for a long time, and he said, ‘I’m working for this company that owns slots of Hulu and I think we should make a talk show with you, but it should be about how people tick.’

“I think you get more from people if they feel that they’re being genuinely listened to and understood, and that they don’t need to be on guard.”

And that’s how it got started. We came up with a format of very honest, straightforward questions. We’re not interested in the scoop; we’re interested in what makes [people] brilliant, you know? We didn’t want shiny floors and sparkling neon lights and things like that. We wanted it to be very much about the people. What we wanted to achieve with this program is to get insight, and also to be uplifted by our guests. Because all of our guests are people who are game-changers, mavericks and achievers in their own genres.

What do you think makes a great interviewer?
Well, I’m not a journalist. So I haven’t come from conventional journalistic training, which is to go for the jugular, you know, sneak one question in under another, try and get the other person [to] expose something. I’m just fascinated and curious. I think 25 years in the trenches, working with the most challenged of people you can imagine, has given me an ability to have a politely inquiring manner, I hope. I think you get more from people if they feel that they’re being genuinely listened to and understood, and that they don’t need to be on guard.

And you also have to have — and I think this is what I may have gotten from years of doing therapy — a sort of intuition about where to go next. I can’t explain that. That comes from years of talking to people in a therapeutic context.

Your work has spanned radio, TV, traditional publishing, digital platforms — which medium would you say is your favorite?
It changes from week to week. Right now I’m most excited about [McKenna], though I’m just starting work on a new book, and I’ve got a big feeling of excitement about it. So ask me in an hour’s time; it might be something else.

What advice would you give to media pros who are just starting out?
Know what you want — but you’ve got to be really, really clear about what it is you want. Because if you put vagueness out, you get vagueness back. So know what it is you want, know where you are. Figure out how you’re going to get there, what’s going to get in the way, and then with integrity take massive action and do it. Go for it, every day.

Aneya Fernando is the editorial assistant at Mediabistro. Follow her on twitter @aneyafernando.

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NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Terrie Williams, Author, Activist and Public Relations Strategist?

At any given time, The New York Times‘ Best Sellers list is riddled with the memoirs of celebrities who earn up to seven figures from rabid publishers who are more than willing to buoy sagging profits with a salacious tell-all. But here’s the thing: Most entertainers can’t actually write. That part is left to collaborators who are able to capture the celebrity’s authentic voice and weave in a compelling narrative.

For those willing to forgo the notoriety that accompanies a prominent byline, the work for collaborative writers is plentiful — whether as a co-writer who does get a small mention on a book’s cover and spine, or as a ghostwriter who, as the title suggests, completely disappears from public awareness. And for writers who have been in the game for a while, collaborating on multiple books and scoring a few of their own best sellers, the pay can be substantial.

It’s a sweet gig — so sweet, in fact, that competition for the best projects has become increasingly fierce. And the market is growing, too, as publishers increasingly turn to celebs with built-in fan bases for product. Breaking in to celebrity ghostwriting isn’t easy, but if you’ve got the chops and the persistence, you can certainly claim your piece of the ever-growing pie. Here are five tips to help you get started.

1. Get published (a lot).

Madeleine Morel is the only literary agent who solely represents ghostwriters, but she doesn’t represent just any ghostwriters. Her client list is composed solely of veteran collaborators who have worked on multiple high-profile projects and, in most cases, have a few best sellers in their portfolio.

So what’s the best way to make it onto her short list for representation? “Byline, byline, byline,” she says. “You really have to get your name out as many places as you can. The more you can build your inventory of published material, the better chance you have of being taken seriously.”

Fantasizing about penning Oprah’s autobiography is great, but unless you establish yourself as a credible journalist, that dream will likely never come to fruition.

2. Be strategic.

In the process of building your portfolio of published writing, it’s very important to seek out assignments that you can leverage to gain a foothold in the celebrity space. If you want to write the memoirs of the lead singers of ’80s rock bands, for example, you’d be better off aligning yourself with publications like Billboard or Rolling Stone than, say, Better Homes and Gardens.

And once you’ve established your beat as a music writer, you can even start to pitch articles that will provide interview opportunities with potential book subjects.

That’s exactly how Karen Hunter, New York Times best-selling author and creator/owner of the Simon & Schuster imprint Karen Hunter Books, got her first book deal while she was working at the New York Daily News.

“I had just spoken with an agent friend, and he asked me who I could do a book on,” she explains. “I said I was interviewing LL Cool J and maybe that would be interesting.” During the interview, Hunter asked the rapper if he had ever considered doing a book and, when he replied yes, she said he should do it with her.

“It was just like that,” says Hunter. “I had never met [LL Cool J] before that day and we hit it off. And I guess I was bold enough to ask the question and then follow up with his manager. Thirty days later, we had a book deal with St Martin’s Press [for 1997’s I Make My Own Rules].”

3. Be brave.

Sometimes the best-laid plans go awry, and it isn’t possible to finagle an interview with Solange to ask her what really happened on that elevator — before you offer to write her book. And in that case, it’s time to get creative and courageous.

“If you want to break into collaborative writing, you just have to find a way,” says Michelle Burford, writer of The New York Times best seller Finding Me: The Cleveland Kidnappings, written with Michelle Knight. “You have to talk to as many people as you can. You have to get out there and — I hate to use the n-word — but you have to network.

Maybe you have to make a cold call to another freelancer who’s already in your business and say, ‘Hey, if you ever turn down a project, could you give it to me?’ I don’t think there’s one way.”

Burford’s first collaborative project actually fell in her lap by way of an editor friend who works at the Christian publishing house Zondervan. The editor had just signed Olympic gymnast Gabrielle Douglas to a book deal following her gold-medal run in London and needed a writer who could take on the project and turn it around in four weeks.

But Burford quickly notes that personal connections aren’t the only way to get in the game. “In my life, as a freelancer, I try to do one brave thing every day,” she says. “You just have to keep pressing until you get where you’re trying to go. Use what’s in front of you, whatever resources you can come up with, and before you know it you’re swinging.”

4. Hone your skills.

It’s no secret or surprise that some of the top celebrity collaborators are former or current working journalists. Burford served as lifestyle editor of Essence magazine before becoming a founding senior editor of O, The Oprah Magazine, and Hunter got her start covering everything from sports to news and music at the Daily News.

Now, as a publisher, Hunter is in the position to hire other collaborators, and solid journalism skills are always at the top of the list of what she looks for in a candidate.

It’s critical that writers meet deadlines and turn in clean copy, says Hunter, but she also wants someone who can dig below the surface and get the real scoop on a celebrity. “I’m looking for writers who are going to ask the question that nobody’s ever asked because, to me, that’s what makes a great journalist,” she explains.

“Celebrities have been asked everything, so you have to do your homework and figure out what they haven’t been asked. What about them is interesting to you that you haven’t seen anyplace?”

Hunter is also willing to take a chance on a good journalist who doesn’t have a ton of book experience. “Everyone has to get their first shot, so what I’m looking for is somebody who has journalism chops, because those are the foundational pieces that make for a good collaborator,” she says.

“As a sportswriter, for example, you have to create drama in your writing and not be ridiculously sensational, but at the same time you have to be ridiculously sensational. It’s a balance. So you are naturally looking for that kernel that’s going to pop.”

5. Start small.

Once you have your sights on becoming a celebrity ghostwriter, it can be tempting to hold out on other projects until you snag your high-profile deal. But that can be a mistake, says Morel, who believes that starting small is actually a great way to develop the experience necessary to secure a celebrity deal down the line.

“You probably should go to the smaller independent houses, like Adams Media and Sourcebooks, who use a lot of ghostwriters but barely pay a living wage,” says Morel. “They’ll probably pay you $5,000 to write a 100,000-word book, but it’s a way of getting your foot in the door.

And, of course, just because you’re a ghostwriter doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be a ghostwriter who does books that are published by the publishing houses. There must be hundreds and hundreds of ghostwriters out there, thousands probably, who write books for [self-published] people who find them on the Internet.”

Even Burford, who has now notched two best sellers in her relatively short collaborating career, is not opposed to taking on a small project in between her bigger book deals. “I’m of that school that you should just get on the train that’s moving because you will arrive somewhere,” she says.

“So I’m not in the habit of turning down smaller projects, especially if they’re projects that I believe in. My feeling is that one shouldn’t get lazy or rest on one’s laurels. Even with New York Times best sellers, you’re only as good as your last book, so I still need to challenge myself. I still need to not be so arrogant that I don’t take on smaller things.”

But that doesn’t mean that you should not still shoot for the stars — in the figurative and literal, collaborative, sense. “It’s like working in any job,” Morel says. “The longer you’re there, hopefully, you’ll work your way up the corporate ladder. For some people, they’re just lucky and they get a break.

For others, it’s because they’ve really worked damn hard and they have a dream. And their dream is to become a leading ghostwriter. And they get there and they make good money.”

Perhaps you’ve been freelancing for a while now and are still receiving a fair amount of rejection emails to your pitches. There’s no need to panic — especially if you’re just getting started in the freelance world. These types of snubs are a rite of passage that make victory (an accepted pitch and payment agreement!) that much sweeter.

Maybe you’re aiming a bit high with the media organizations you’re querying — national, regional and state publications — and feel discouraged because nothing is sticking. But a rookie mistake in freelancing is missing what’s right underneath your nose. If you’re a contract-based writer or photographer, don’t miss opportunities in your own town or county to dig into community journalism. Despite its lack of love from big media, hyperlocal journalism is hot right now, and it can be just what you need to start connecting with a nearby network of journalists, plus generate a steady flow of work — and cash. Here are six simple ways to break into local freelancing:

1. Go where the news is.

You’ll want to take inventory of where people in your city hang out in order to break into local journalism. Do they congregate at small-town football games or other sporting events? Maybe your local volunteering and community service activities are well attended. A politically active area might also yield packed city council meetings. Go to those places and talk to people, whether they’re local leaders, member of the press or private citizens. Figure out what’s important to people in the community so you can sharpen your pitches.

In short, “listen to what locals are gossiping about on neighborhood e-lists, at the dog park or in the back row at City Hall meetings,” wrote Beth Winegarner, a Poynter writer and author of The Columbine Effect, in a 2012 column. Introducing yourself to newspaper editors and local magazine reps will benefit you later on when you query them. If they can put a face to a name, they may be more likely to listen to your ideas.

Top freelancers should also be deeply invested in the community, said Lance Knobel, founder of community news site Berkeleyside, which covers Berkeley, Calif., and has won the Society of Professional Journalists’ Northern California Excellence in Journalism Award 2013 for community journalism. “The benefit of writing for sites like Berkeleyside is that journalists can really dig into a local issue,” said Knobel. “It’s very much ground-level reporting; nothing happens at 35,000 feet.”

“If you do it tactfully and sparingly, submitting a single piece expecting no dollars in return will not kill your career nor destroy your reputation. It can simply help you get your foot in the door.”

2. Write for free — at first.

I know, I know. Don’t become a “slave of the Internet.” Many people — most of whom are freelance journalists — say to never, ever, under any circumstances, write for free. But I’m here to tell you that if you do it tactfully and sparingly, submitting a single piece expecting no dollars in return will not kill your career nor destroy your reputation. It can simply help you get your foot in the door. All the local publications I have written for, or thought about writing for, asked for one “trial” story (or maybe two stories). Of course, it’s not a full-time gig, so an interview isn’t in order, but if the publication is going to run your piece, the editors need to know what kind of work you’re capable of producing. It’s normal and healthy, and there’s zero shame in writing a couple shorter pieces for free — in the beginning. After you’ve proven your worth, stand your ground, take pride in your work and profession, and politely request fair payment for being a vital asset to the publication’s contributor network, as well as the pub’s audience.

Besides, with local journalism, said West Seattle Blog editor Tracy Record, your work will be read whether you were paid for it or not. “Your work is likely to be read and remembered by more people via our readership than if you are buried somewhere in a mid-level metro,” she explained.

Record said the benefits of doing local freelance work include engaged audiences, “making life better” for a community by “expanding their knowledge of what’s going on” and “enjoying community support” — all good reasons to submit your first piece free of charge.

3. Ask your colleagues for advice.

It can’t be stressed enough — being a freelancer means being a people person. Ironically, despite the reality that you can be found writing alone most days, you are always selling yourself and your product via telephone calls, email exchanges and social media presentations with potential clients. On top of that, you should be seeking out opportunities to pick the brains of successful freelancers in your area. How did they become involved in the freelance journalism realm? Where do they seek out work opportunities? Keep your questions general, but be friendly. Maybe if you develop a good rapport, you can agree to each swap one contact. Still, it’s valuable to have local friends who freelance, whether to meet up at a coffee shop and work together or just for moral support.

Winegarner wrote that social media makes finding a network of freelancers easy: “Knowing who’s writing, and who they’re writing for, gives you a good sense of which publications are open to taking freelance work.”

“No publication will give you the time of day unless you clearly articulate your value to their product. What do you have to offer? Interesting sources? A story that has never been told in your community?”

4. Set yourself apart.

No publication will give you the time of day unless you clearly articulate your value to their product. What specifically do you have to offer? Interesting sources? A story that has never been told in your community? Photography skills? Communicate your usefulness to the publication of choice after doing research on its digital platform and print product. Bring the editors something they haven’t seen in the form of a detailed content plan proposal and social media promotion strategy, and you will be golden.

Yet remember that traditional principles of good journalism are timeless. “We want journalists who know how to report thoroughly and accurately. It doesn’t matter at all if they’re new to journalism or grizzled veterans,” Knobel said.

Record echoed this sentiment. “You can have a long resume, but if you don’t write clearly and accurately, it makes no difference. I am a pretty good editor, but I don’t have a ton of time to fix your story. If it doesn’t come in close to ready to go, you’re no help to me,” she said.

5. Pitch frequently.

An unanswered email isn’t a “no.” While it could be a “no,” it could also mean the editor or assigning reporter is behind on his email, on vacation, waiting to respond more cohesively, forgetful or even that your email went to the spam folder (yes, this has happened to me). Moral of the story is to follow up on your pitches. Then after you have written for the publication once, continue pitching. A good rule of thumb is to do so weekly. Consistently (not constantly) seeing your name in an editor’s email keeps you top-of-mind and reminds him you’re available and willing to work.

You’ll find that local news sites can always use extra content. “We use freelancers reasonably regularly so that we can expand our coverage beyond what the four journalists on our staff do,” Knobel said. “Most of the work we use from freelancers is commissioned by us. The freelancers we use regularly do pitch stories, which we welcome.”

It’s also permissible to ask an editor what her needs are. Record said she has tons of stories up for grabs.”I need hard-news help___ I have a pile of potential stories day in and day out, most of which need research, shoe leather, phone calls, and no matter how fast and intensely I work, I cannot do them all,” she said.

6. Share your work on social media.

Show the editor you understand the significance of social. Your work is hardly done once the story is submitted and published. Because social media efforts by local publications are just as important as national outlets, consider sharing your piece on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and LinkedIn multiple times. Post with different lead-ins and at different times of the day to see when readers are most engaged, and finally, send an email to your assigning editor with stats on “likes,” “retweets” and “shares.” When I was a community editor with a digitally native local news outlet, I had one active freelancer who would always send me this information as well as selected comments from our audience. It was a simple yet powerful way to show me her value to our product.

Now it’s your turn to go out and do great community journalism. Good luck!

Angela Washeck is a freelance writer and editor based in Dallas. Follow her tweets @angelawasheck.

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