Filmmaker, musician and entrepreneur Scott E. Moore has come a long way since his teenage garage jam sessions. He has released solo albums, toured the nation, worked for MTV and produced gorgeous, ethereal wellness films. He has formed his own multi-service production agency, Wingtip, and now he has composed two hours of music for Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey’s 21-day Meditation Challenge soundtrack.

His diverse skill set has provided more than just a living for himself and his family: He’s also accrued a wealth of unusual life experiences. He’s shot a music video for VH1 on horseback in Cairo, filmed the removal of a kidney in an operating room and viewed microscopic images alongside world-class scientists working to cure Alzheimer’s disease.

What were you working on before this opportunity with Deepak came up?
I had just started my own agency (Wingtip.net), combining diverse skill sets that I bring to the table that overlap music and film production. So that’s kind of a weird thing, people always go, which one do you do? And I kind of do them both off and on. I started working in broadcast TV as an intern in the late 80s and continued to work for MTV Networks/VH1 for about 20 years. I left my full-time producer/director job in 1995 to go freelance and make time for music pursuits and other film opportunities like music videos. I made my first record in ’95 and made four subsequent records, and spent a lot of the late 90s touring as a modern folks-blues singer-songwriter. During that time I also did freelance TV production jobs and consulting for places like TNT, Turner Classic Movies, VH1, USA Global Japan and others.

Then, I was the creative director at TheVisualMD for five years, a website that provides visual medical information to people who want to better understand health and science.

Tell me more about the VisualMD.
TheVisualMD was renowned for their mind-blowing medical images (like in-utero infant development, for example), so my job was to take their powerful images and then come up with stories and marry it to interviews and storytelling and the music and the sound design.

“For me, coming from an entertainment background and being a musician, every story I tell has rhythm and dynamics to it.”

When you have to explain how the body works, or if you want to teach someone about weight loss or Alzheimers, these are things that might intimidate people because nobody wants to feel like they’re having a biology lesson. But you can make something dynamic and compelling using music, sound and the powerful images that TheVisualMD themselves created. For me, coming from an entertainment background and being a musician, every story I tell has rhythm and dynamics to it. I feel like you can viscerally pull someone in with that and you can treat them like smart individuals without going over their head. That’s really what I try to do with anything I’m working on: to teach something without dumbing it down.

So how did you go from creating videos for TheVisualMD to working on Deepak and Oprah’s Meditation Challenge?
Deepak was one of our colleagues on a project on the physiological science of emotional bonding between mother and infant. An old colleague who was working with Deepak on this meditation challenge told me they wanted to raise it up a couple of notches. Even though a lot of people participated, the product wasn’t at the quality level they felt it should be, so they had an existing producer and they just brought me in to compose music. I worked with Rich Tozzoli; he and I do a lot of film composition work together.

So the person who handles the Chopra Center Digital Properties was in a crisis. And I just so happened to have just started my agency, and this project would be right up my alley. Ironically, I had started playing atmospheric, soul music live in a yoga studio, which would sell out every month. I played Deepak some of that music, and that’s when it all kind of came full circle and I got the opportunity to do this project.

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How long did it take to complete the project?
We did two hours of original music in about five weeks, which is a really big endeavor. We brought in musicians from around the East Coast who could bring different things to the table. Because technology allows us to work in a variety of studios, [for] our first recording/composing session we did a four-day retreat at a lodge on a lake that I had access to, a recording studio. We wanted to put ourselves in a peaceful, open place if we were going to create music that would help people achieve that very feeling. So that was cool. And it got a little bit more intense as we approached deadlines, but it was just fun, you know? It was like scoring a film without the pictures.

What was the role of Deepak and Oprah in this process?
[The team] had a script that Deepak would read, and a list of emotionally charged words that were the outcomes, [depending on] what emotional states they wanted listeners to focus on. Sometimes it was confidence, sometimes it was adventure and sometimes it was peace.

The structure of the project was that Oprah would recite an intro, and then Deepak would do this kind of mantra — usually something about focusing on being your best self and how you are connected to his earth. I didn’t work directly with Oprah on this project, so I couldn’t tell you if she’s nice or not — she’s definitely a professional!

The whole thing was very rewarding and very similar to film score work because you just have to close your eyes and picture what Deepak was talking about.

“A five-minute film, if you’re smart and doing your work right, can go by really fast and leave somebody with a really enriching experience that inspires them or teaches them things they didn’t know before.”

As you made this beautiful music, what did you hope listeners would get out of it?
What we were trying to do was allow someone to… take a journey. I try to do that with my film work, too, and make sure it’s focused on the editing. A five-minute film, if you’re smart and doing your work right, can go by really fast and leave somebody with a really enriching experience that either inspires them or teaches them things that they didn’t know before, or takes them somewhere where they haven’t been, and that’s what keeps me going.

So what’s next on your agenda?
My own agency and a colleague of mine, Eric Feldman, we’re creating a passion project. Imagine an hour-long documentary on a fascinating individual [that’s] only five minutes long. That individual is someone you know who you feel the world should know. The subject of one documentary is our friend Ray Levier, an amazing musician who found his passion for drums after surviving a serious fire [during] his childhood.

These videos aren’t released yet, but at the end of the year we are going to launch our site with five profiles and a profile about the project. Some of the characters are quirky and some have a lot of talent and some are just these beautiful human beings. [Eric and I] thought if we were going to make something for ourselves to showcase what we’re capable of, tell stories we’re passionate about and try to do some good in this world, this would be it.

A Sneak Peek of Scott E. Moore’s Passion Project:
I got an insider look at one of the pilot segments for Scott’s “It’s Who You Know” project. After viewing this piece on Ray Levier, it’s clear that the intimacy of the set (it’s just Scott and Eric behind the scenes) generates an emotional honesty that you wouldn’t get when employing a full film crew. The visual template is clean and simple. The mix of music and well-placed silence mirrors the nuances of Ray’s emotional story. But I don’t want to give too much away — this piece, along with four or five other films, will be released in early 2014.

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

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Before any NBC miniseries about Johnny Carson, before Bill Zehme’s long-gestating biography and before Jimmy Fallon grabs the mantle from Jay Leno, there is Henry Bushkin’s book. And what a book it is.

Released this week by Eamon Dolan Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the recollections of Carson’s longtime former attorney and close friend have already made major media headlines. Bushkin’s no-holds-barred look at the mercurial personality of Carson is not designed to celebrate the late-night NBC franchise. Rather, it’s a deeply personal and often shocking account of the off-air Carson. As such, it is destined to provoke very different reactions from Carson’s fans.

Bushkin is based on the West coast, but when we spoke, he was in the midst of a busy New York visit. He began by explaining how the book project grew beyond his original plans to self-publish under the title A Hard Act to Follow.

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Name: Henry Bushkin
Position: Lawyer and author
Resume: For 18 years, Bushkin was Johnny Carson’s “personal legal adviser, fixer, confidant and close friend.” In the years since, he has continued to practice law in Los Angeles while also investing in real estate, running a large computer distribution business and working for several international concerns. During Carson’s run on The Tonight Show, he became affectionately known as “Bombastic Bushkin.”
Birthdate: August 8
Hometown: New York
Education: LL.B Vanderbilt University
Marital status: Single, but soon to be otherwise
Media mentor: Johnny Carson
Best career advice received: Don’t back down (Tom Petty)
Guilty pleasure: Sleeping late
Last book read: George, Being George: George Plimpton’s Life as Told, Deplored, Admired, and Envied by 200 Friends, Relatives, Lovers, Acquaintances, Rivals — And a Few Unappreciative Observers by Nelson W. Aldrich Jr.
Twitter handle: @henrybushkin

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In the book’s acknowledgments, you explain how the impetus for the book came in 2008 from fellow (and subsequent) Carson attorney Ed Hookstratten. Can you explain a bit how you got from there to here?
Some time ago, I was about to self-publish the book. The book that has come out this week is essentially the same book. Frankly, when I was going to do it on my own with a small staff, it became apparent that Carson wasn’t relevant in the eyes of New York publishers vis-a-vis New York editors. They thought he was just irrelevant.

When I had the manuscript in polished form, I sent it to a friend of mine in New York. She then immediately sent it to a friend of hers at Vanity Fair, and then she asked if she could send it to a friend of hers, an agent in New York. I said yes. And all of a sudden, there were five publishers bidding for it. So it had quite an evolution that took quite some time, with the book going through several gestation periods.

Did you ever cross paths in your efforts to get published with Bill Zehme, who has been working for a long time now on a separate biography of Carson?
Yes. Bill Zehme called me and emailed me countless times, hoping I would help him [with] his book. To be perfectly honest, he was [a] delightful and smart guy; he writes very well. But I had no interest in participating in his project. As far as I know, the book isn’t even written yet. I’m not sure of the status, but I’ve heard various stories at various times about where it stands.

I’m quite surprised by the amount of attention my book has received. But nonetheless, we talk about it in terms of, “OK, now that this book is out, who would want to publish another Carson book? What would the other Carson book say?” Zehme’s book was meant to be the homage to Carson.

“Journalists just accepted whatever was put out by the sort of Carson machinery that was already well in place. I was well aware of that machinery, because I basically helped create it.”

One of the most telling chapters in your book is the final one, “The End,” about how your relationship with Carson ended. You write at one point about how inaccurate and one-sided the media coverage was then of your parting and how no reporters bothered to contact you directly. Can you talk a bit more about that?
Well, whatever that moment in time was, journalists just accepted whatever was put out by the sort of Carson machinery that was already well in place. I was well aware of that machinery, because I basically helped create it. But that machinery spit out these things that the media picked up upon and they all of a sudden, because they were printed, became true.

And what happened with me, I found it very difficult to combat that. It was almost like sour grapes if you tried to combat it. So when the book was sold to Houghton Mifflin, they bought it as is; they had no right to change any of it. However, some of those last few things about how it ended with Carson, I didn’t have that in the original manuscript. My ending ended with me and Johnny shaking hands after a three-minute conversation. That was my ending.

They insisted because of all this regurgitation of reportage about what happened in 1988 to ’89, “Look, this is going to come up, so you better put something in there about what really happened at the end.” I didn’t think the story necessarily gained anything by having it in, but Houghton Mifflin insisted on it. And I didn’t have to put it in, by the way. But ultimately, I agreed.

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NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Michael Musto, Entertainment and Gossip Columnist?

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Your book received a lot of advance attention and coverage in the media in connection with Chapter Two, which recounts you and Carson breaking into his second wife Joanne’s NYC apartment in 1970 to find out who she was cheating with at the time. How was that orchestrated?
I’ll tell you the genesis of that. First of all, it has nothing to do with me. At one point, Vanity Fair, People magazine and some others were talking about running a chapter or chapters of the book. The powers-that-be at the publisher decided that Entertainment Weekly would be the best spot to sell books.

They were given the right of first publication, meaning no other reviews could run until they ran whatever it was they were going to run. Their deal was they got one chapter, pick-the-chapter they want. And they picked that chapter.

That, by the way, is not the entire story. Because prior to that, I had done a phone interview with Jeffrey Trachtenberg of the Wall Street Journal. The response to the interview was such that the online interview then went to the front page of the online edition, and then it went in the newspaper, which they never do. He called me to tell me this never happens. He was amazed at the reaction that his interview was getting, picked up by so many people. The same thing happened with Entertainment Weekly.

And what it proves is that these publishers in New York were idiots, they really were. But maybe the timing is right now. Maybe Johnny is doing his renaissance now, who knows? But I’m happy that the book is attracting attention.

Did you read Kathie Lee Gifford’s reaction to Chapter Two?
No. As far as the media coverage of Chapter Two, that’s something that happened 43 years ago and the point of me writing that chapter was not to create controversy between Carson fans and myself, or between Frank Gifford and me, or whoever. It was to really show how I met the guy. That’s how I met him! What am I supposed to do, not write it? I don’t know what more to say other than to me, Gifford was not the punchline of the chapter at all. The punchline of that chapter is the bar scene, where we’re sitting in the corner of the place at 3 a.m., and there’s nobody else there “except you and me.” That’s what I thought the telling part of that chapter was. And the fact that the media focused on Joanne Carson and Frank Gifford, to me that was like the “So what?” part of it.

“Everybody pays attention to that [chapter], and it’s not comforting to me. That’s like sensationalizing something I never intended to be sensational.”

Everybody pays attention to that, and it’s not comforting to me. That’s like sensationalizing something I never intended to be sensational. That’s what they go for and that’s what annoyed me. Because that had really nothing to do with what I intended in the chapter. The controversy bothers me because it’s so ridiculous. What am I supposed to think, that I didn’t go into Joanne’s apartment?

And listen to this. The CEO of Houghton Mifflin gets a communiqué from Joanne Carson’s personal assistant at the time, saying that Joanne Carson is a liar, please call me, I’ll give you all details if you need them. To the publisher! And I say to myself, “How silly is this? Who cares? Why do they care now about this kind of thing?”

Do you have any thoughts on who should be cast as Johnny in that proposed NBC miniseries?
Look, I’m in New York. This week we’re talking about the book, of course. But it was actually mostly devoted to other things. We are in the midst of some very interesting and confidential discussions about a Broadway play with music centered around a particular year, like 1980, in Carson’s life and my life. Like a snippet. All I can say is that there’s compelling interest in that. The Broadway audience is Carson’s sweet spot. The entertainment value of it is going to be significant.

As far as the NBC miniseries, it’s based on the Zehme book. Now we don’t know if that book exists, so we don’t know if the miniseries exists. But to the extent that it does, God bless. We have a very appealing way of approaching the subject matter because of the intimacy of the characters, versus showing Carson on The Tonight Show doing Aunt Blabby. That’s fun and funny, but there’s no brilliance there.

Finally, what are your thoughts about Jimmy Fallon taking over The Tonight Show?
I’m not really astute when it comes to that. But what I would say is I think it’s a terrific move coming back to New York. Because when you think about The Tonight Show, most of the energy to that show was derived in New York. When it went to California in 1972, it was very successful. He was very much in command of that show. But the real creative energy, I would say, went into it when it was in New York. So I think Fallon is making the right move.

Richard Horgan is co-editor of FishbowlNY.

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NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Michael Musto, Entertainment and Gossip Columnist?

Few things can send shivers down a seasoned freelancer’s spine like the words, “Thanks for the hard work, but I don’t think I can use this.” And, no, the promise of a paycheck doesn’t ease the tension, though it does help. I know because I’ve experienced the early death of piece a time or two in the past.

The truth is, no matter how much time you’ve devoted to crafting the perfect draft and how closely you followed an editor’s directions, killed stories are bound to happen at some point during your career. Fortunately, penning a story that doesn’t make it to press doesn’t mean all hope is lost. Lucky for me, I know a thing or two about bouncing back from disappointment and resurrecting your beloved piece. Mourning writers everywhere, follow these six steps to recovering from a story deferred.

1. Verify the status.

It may seem like a no-brainer, but make sure the story has actually been killed before doing anything else, says Anna Davies, former Cosmopolitan editor turned full-time freelancer. “I’ve written stories that have been on hold for up to a year before they ran, so getting an editor to commit to running the piece is key.”

If and when the editor does confirm the killed status, you’ll want to find out exactly why your story didn’t make the cut. It may not be a reflection of poor execution, but have everything to do with something going on behind the scenes. The publishing industry is constantly changing; therefore, it’s sometimes hard to predict whether or not a story assigned in December will still work for a national publication six months later.

2. Learn and move on.

It’s tempting to wallow in your sorrows once the plug has been pulled. Although you may want to hide for cover, you’ve still got some unfinished business to take care of with your editor. Confronting the situation and asking what went wrong is essential for moving past the incident.

While changes at the publication can result in failed stories, there are times you might be the one at fault. Be prepared to take responsibility for any shortcomings or misunderstandings. Most importantly, be able to learn from the situation. Not every editor is willing to be your mentor, but some are willing to give you feedback as to why something won’t or didn’t work.

“Even if the original assignment didn’t work out, there’s no reason to let all that research go to waste.”

And whatever you do, don’t be overly apologetic. You’ll only appear desperate and needy to the editor, which doesn’t bode well if you hope to work with him or her again. I learned the hard way that editors simply don’t have patience for it. Instead, thank them for the opportunity and assure that you’ll apply the lessons from the experience to future assignments.

Regardless of the reason, it’s never easy dealing with the rejection of an assignment. But instead of getting emotional, wondering if you’ll ever be good enough, try being logical, suggests New Jersey freelance writer, Stephanie Auteri. “I like to remind myself you can’t make everyone happy and you can’t be the right writer for everyone. If someone isn’t head-over-heels in love with something you did, you can’t take it personally. You have to remind yourself of all the positive feedback you did receive,” she says.

3. Fight for your rights.

Now that you know your prized piece stands no chance of getting printed in the chosen publication, it’s time to take some action. Comb through the contract to find out exactly what you are entitled to. If you are lucky, you’ll be paid for the entire piece. In other cases, you may be offered a kill fee.

Kill fees aren’t meant to protect the writer. They’re meant to protect the publication in the event the story was written so poorly it can’t be used or the fact checker found many issues with the story. They shouldn’t be used when editors change their mind, lack direction, leave the publication or just aren’t clear of what they want. That’s why Boston-based freelance writer, Susan Johnston suggests writers advocate for the full pay, if deserved. “If the writer holds up her side of the bargain and the story is killed for other reasons, I think it’s reasonable for the writer to politely and respectfully advocate for the full fee rather than accepting 50 percent or less of the agreed upon fee.”

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NEXT >> 4 Pitch Letter Must-Haves

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Sometimes the editor will agree with you and offer the full amount. However, if the editor does not agree, you’ll have to decide whether potentially straining the relationship is worth the extra bucks. If the editor is one to constantly push back publication dates, kill stories or request constant rounds of edits, it may be worth it to fight for the pay and cut ties.

4. Repurpose and strategize.

I like to revisit the story and see what interesting parts may be used in research for other stories. Even if the original assignment didn’t work out, there’s no reason to let all that research go to waste. Create a list of useable information from the story and file it away in case it can be applied to something else in the future. If anything, it would make for a great, quick reference if ever you’re in need of sources on a similar topic.

5. Alert your sources.

You’d probably let your sources know when the story you quoted them for is available, so you should alert your sources in the event the story doesn’t pan out. Wouldn’t you hate it if you were spending lots of money on every issue of a particular magazine only to find out the story you were quoted in was never published?

I know it can be embarrassing to rehash the fact that your story didn’t make the cut to someone who probably doesn’t understand the industry, but it’s the courteous thing to do. In the past, I’ve sent short emails to my sources, thanking them for their contribution and letting them know that the story wasn’t published as planned because of space constraints, difference in opinions or issues with timeliness. I also promise to alert them if the story gets published at a later date. Most of my sources have responded with a note of support and appreciation for the update.

“No editor wants to receive the sloppy seconds of your story.”

6. Pitch and publish the story elsewhere.

The original assigning editor may have killed your story, but that doesn’t mean it can’t live on at some other publication. “Dust yourself off and start pitching,” says Kristen Fischer, author of When Talent Isn’t Enough: Business Basics for the Creatively Inclined. “If you’ve placed it once, you can probably do it again. Who knows? You may wind up with more money from it the second time around.”

Unless the killed story is a personal essay, I would advise against sending the entire piece to another editor — especially if the story was killed because the editor didn’t like it. Remember the list of useable facts I suggested you create earlier? Well, now is the time to revisit the list and use the information to create a new pitch.

However, freelance writer, Joel Long* finds it beneficial to tweak the work he’s already done for another publication. “I usually pitch the idea, and then, if accepted, re-hash the article while adding some stuff that wasn’t in the original piece or rearrange some [points].”

Even if you’ve repackaged the killed story into a new pitch or altered the story, keep mum about the story’s morbid history. No editor wants to receive the sloppy seconds of your story, warns Davies. “If an article is killed from one publication, you don’t want another magazine to know because their thinking is, if X magazine doesn’t want it, why would we?” she says.

If all else fails, consider posting it on your own blog. It may be better off living in this form to help build your portfolio than rotting away in your hard drive never to be seen again.

*Name has been changed.

Terri Huggins is a freelance writer living in New Jersey. Visit her website www.terrificwords.com or follow her on Twitter @TerrificWords

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NEXT >> 4 Pitch Letter Must-Haves

You don’t exist in a vacuum — and you probably don’t want your writing to exist in a vacuum, either. A poet wants to inspire her readers; a journalist wants to enlighten his. An author of a service piece wants to teach, while a satirist writes to entertain. Regardless of the type of work you do, you write because you have something to say. Your audience is out there, and finding markets for your work will connect you with those people. Depending on your career goals, the best market may be online or in print, paying or non-paying.

Do Your Research

When you start searching for a market for your work, have your audience in mind. Let’s say you’ve developed an idea for a story on your success at quitting smoking using unorthodox techniques. Your piece is a witty personal essay about overcoming your habit at age 35. Who would read this piece? It’s probably not a story for professionals in the health industry, or teen partygoers. Rather than a teen magazine or online health journal, an adult lifestyle magazine may be the perfect fit.

Now, to find markets that attract your “reader type,” search for both print and digital publications that cater to that audience. Googling your topic is a good place to start, but there are other databases and newsletters that can point you toward appropriate markets. Travel writer Susan Barnes (travlingirl.com) uses Mediabistro and Wooden Horse Publishing, which puts out a free weekly newsletter that highlights a variety of publications.

Karen Craigo, poet and former editor of the Mid-American Review, uses the Poets & Writers online database to find markets. She also suggests paying attention to who publishes the work of writers you love. “Read the prize anthologies like The Best American Poetry, The O. Henry Prize Stories ___ and [you] can easily discover new magazines to read and new online publications.” She also recommends reading acknowledgements pages. “At the beginning [of these compilations] it says poems have appeared in such-and-such journals___ check out all of those and you can discover new journals that way.”

“Success doesn’t just come from selling a story to the most prestigious market — it also comes from real connections with people.”

I enjoy the FundsforWriters paid newsletter (there’s a free one, too), which comes out every two weeks and only lists markets that pay their writers fairly. But I’ll still leaf through a hard copy of the Writer’s Market and visit the periodicals section of my library to familiarize myself with magazines as well.

Digital or Print?

When considering whether to submit your work to online or print markets, there are a few key pros and cons for each. Koa Beck, editor-in-chief of Mommyish.com, says that “digital often doesn’t pay as well as print, but you can respond to a current event in a super timely manner and have it go viral___ if it resonates with people.”

Barnes echoes Beck’s observation. “Obviously [with] online it can be more immediate gratification,” she says, “whereas if it’s in print you may have to wait a couple of months___ one of my print pieces was supposed to run next month and it got pushed off a month.” So if you’re working with an extremely time-sensitive topic, unless you have a strong relationship with a print publication, you may be better off submitting to an online market.

Although print does generally pay more, writing for print is a double-edged sword. Barnes states, “I have found for the most part that print pays more, but then again, that market is diminishing.” If you’re a new writer, it can be helpful to bolster your resume by getting published online before jumping into the more competitive world of print. Many popular magazines have online counterparts that are largely fed by the work of new freelancers as well.

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NEXT >> 4 Pitch Letter Must-Haves

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Ongoing Assignments

Successful freelancers, like any entrepreneurs, will tell you that repeat business is essential to furthering your career. Once you’ve established a connection with an editor, it’s much easier to pitch a new idea to that editor than to break into a new market.

Beck gives an editor’s perspective: “Keep pitching and follow up. I receive so many pitches from good writers that aren’t a good fit for us, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in anything else you might come up with.” Personally, I often send two or three ideas in my follow-up pitch letters to demonstrate my expertise and willingness to write more on a topic. However, when I’m first contacting an editor, I typically only submit one very fleshed-out idea to make a good first impression.

Barnes says that her work is half comprised of repeat business and half new markets. “There are always new publications or new online outlets debuting, so I’m constantly pitching new editors. I don’t sit on my laurels knowing I have these two or three I write for regularly because they’re not going to want everything I want to do.” She emphasizes diversity in your choice of markets, and I agree — especially if you rely on your freelance income. You never know which opportunities are going to dry up, or when.

___But It Isn’t All About Pay

There’s nothing quite like the rush of wondering how you’re going to pay rent this month (kidding, sort of). And while I will always be an advocate for writers getting paid for their work, there are instances in which this just isn’t practical. And sometimes, an unpaid opportunity leads to other hidden benefits.

“Some writers write to make a living, others do it to inspire or teach. Regardless of your intent, dedication and passion for your craft must come first.”

Craigo describes the non-financial benefits of getting your writing out there. “Because I have published, I’ve had artist residencies. I’ve been asked to read various places, and I’ve had a great time___ I’ve been hosted, taken out to dinner and given a little honorarium to read my work and that’s super fun,” she says. “Some people get jobs from it too, which can be very lucrative.”

Success doesn’t just come from selling a story to the most prestigious market — it also comes from real connections with people. Barnes says she earned a number of assignments after being introduced to an editor, through a friend, who she would have never imagined pitching before. She also affirms the power of social media, especially Twitter: “People want to connect with new people. For instance, I’m the host of [the Go Girl Travel Networks’] #GirlsTravel chat on Mondays. I co-host with six other women I’ve never met before, but we all have a similar passion. We’ve been doing it a year.”

The more writers and editors you meet, the larger your scope of potential opportunities and friendships.

Love What You Do

Some writers write to make a living, others do it to inspire or teach. Regardless of your intent, dedication and passion for your craft must come first. “Write for the love of writing___ and to reach people who might desperately need to hear what it is you have to say,” says Craigo. “Anytime any considerations that are more pecuniary get in the way, anytime considerations that are based on fame and fortune get in the way of it, it’s an impure motive and it’s not going to serve you well.”

I won’t lie and tell you that you should just do what you love, and money will take care of itself. I have written on subjects that bore me because, well, doing so allowed me to afford groceries that week. But I do agree with Craigo in that a lack of passion for the writing itself is unsustainable.

I once heard a writer say, “I write because I am completely inept at everything else.” That’s how I feel for the most part (okay, I’m quite good at Candy Crush Saga, but last I checked that’s not a valid career option). But if the only way to continue doing what I love is to punctuate my career with the occasional piece for a lower-paying market, so be it. Everything I write, published or not, strengthens my skill and restores my confidence in choosing this path.

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

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NEXT >> 4 Pitch Letter Must-Haves

The blog has come a long way. Blogs used to be personal journals in digital form, platforms for mundane drivel (content that seems to have migrated to Facebook and Instagram). Now blogs are informative to the masses, entertaining and even profitable. If you’ve been curious about tapping into the blog market, there are a few things you need to know about the reality of the work. To get some expert insight, I spoke with Blair Koenig, author of the viral blog that pokes fun at parental oversharing on social media, STFU, Parents — a site that gets around 1.5 to 2 million page views a month.

Basic Blog Types

There are two general types of blogs: MABs (multi-author blogs) and single-author blogs. Under these categories, blogs branch off even further. Some blogs appear on professional websites, nonprofits or corporate websites. Others are intended to entertain or inform, often appearing similar in style to a digital magazine. Other blogs echo the old format, resembling personal diaries. Whatever the style, you’ll know it’s a blog if its stories appear in reverse chronological order (most recent post at the top), and if it has some interactive aspect, like a “comments” section.

Writing for an established MAB is often similar to writing for a magazine — you pitch the editor your idea, she gets back to you with a deadline, you write it and, depending on the blog, you may or may not get paid. Additionally, established MABs may not require freelancers to do any work on the technical side; that is, you simply provide them material and they publish it.

If you’re starting a single-author blog, on the other hand, be prepared to do some serious legwork. Koenig’s blog is her own brainchild, and after four years of blogging she’s still a solo act. “I definitely think it’s a lot more effort and time than people realize,” she says. When she first started, she was working on the blog seven days a week — and even now she’s spending most of every day going through submissions, updating social media, writing, doing interviews and other supplementary freelance gigs. “I might even go through 50 blog comments while in line at the post office or something, just to get it out of the way,” she says. “It’s just a messy ball of work.”

“If you’re going for an idea-driven blog like STFU, Parents, your writing style and content choices will drive traffic to your site.”

Generating the Perfect Idea

Though there isn’t a specific formula for finding that one “perfect idea” for a blog, Koenig believes that you’ll know it when you’ve found it. When she first observed how often parents were oversharing about their children on social media, she realized “this is definitely something people should be talking about because it’s kind of funny, and it’s kind of weird and it’s new.” She emphasizes the importance of freshness in a blog — having a unique approach to style or parenting or whatever your subject matter is essential to success.

The blog to which I contribute, Mommyish.com, is characterized in its title and slogan: “Parenting Imperfect.” I believe what sets Mommyish apart is its candid and humorous take on parenting. Mommyish doesn’t hold back from discussing the gritty side of raising a child, and its contrarian pieces often stir up conversation among the readership.

A successful blog topic also depends on your goals as a blogger. If you’re going for an idea-driven blog like STFU, Parents, your writing style and content choices will drive traffic to your site. When Koenig noticed that her content around the holiday season was especially popular, she decided to “blow up the holidays” and position them as something special for her readers to look forward to.

Monetizing Your Blog

When contributing to a MAB, your pay rate is your pay rate. But when you’re building your own personal blog, it’s up to you to figure out how to make money — whether it’s from ad networks, independent advertisers, book deals, stores or through other media outlets. Koenig jokes, “I know there’s a lot out there that makes it sound like if you’re a popular blogger someone’s going to just ring your doorbell and be like, ‘Hey, I want to make a movie [based on your blog]!’ But it’s really, really hard and usually a lot of that stuff is created from the blogger [rather] than the other way around.”

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NEXT >> My Year as a Content Farm Writer

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Koenig uses three different ad networks and a couple of independent advertisers to earn money on her blog. She landed a book deal after completing the grueling process of writing a 60-page book proposal. She has plans to build a store within her website featuring STFU, Parents-themed merchandise as well. But money doesn’t suddenly start flowing in when your blog becomes popular, according to Koenig. She’s appeared on Good Morning America and various news outlets to talk about her blog, and although these appearances spike traffic to her site, she’s not getting paid outright for any publicity.

Her opportunities for income have primarily stemmed from her reaching out to advertisers, and even then, due to a downward trend in Internet advertising, it’s still “a juggling act, and it’s always shifting. A lot of it is actually money out of my pocket just to maintain the website.”

Dos and Don’ts of Blogging

If you’re in the beginning stages of starting your blog, there are several things you can do now to avoid difficulty down the line.

• Create brand consistency by registering your blog’s name as a domain name and on social media. Koenig admits, “I totally dropped the ball at one point and noticed someone had started an “STFU Parents” YouTube channel___ I could never get it back; I didn’t even try.”
• Once you have a social media presence, drive traffic to your site by updating posts on Facebook, Twitter or whichever other sites are appropriate for your blog. Koenig scours the Internet daily for interesting parenting-related stories, and updates her STFU, Parents Facebook page with links and photos.
• Establish consistency with posting. You don’t have to post every day if you don’t have the time, but choose a posting schedule, perhaps once a week, and stick to it religiously. If your readership looks forward to one post a day, and suddenly you drop it down to one a month, you may lose your audience.

“Choose a posting schedule, perhaps once a week, and stick to it religiously. If your readership looks forward to one post a day, and suddenly you drop it down to one a month, you may lose your audience.”

Because most blogs are community oriented, be prepared for negative feedback. The best way to deal with a “troll” or abrasive commenter, according to Koenig, is to “step away from the computer and take a walk, because it will put things in perspective.” When you get back to your desk, Koenig suggests you defend yourself calmly when there’s a serious misunderstanding — perhaps you chose a word that people are misinterpreting, and some clarification will make a big difference. Otherwise, she says, “it’s a lot like dealing with children. If you show weakness, then people will pile on top of you and make fun of you or call you a hypocrite___ it can really affect your self-esteem, and it can totally affect my output.” Remember, your job as a blogger is to maintain your blog. If negative comments are clouding your mind, the whole thing comes crashing down.

Using Your Blog As a Stepping Stone

Blogging isn’t for everyone. In addition to the time commitment, Koenig states that “there’s also a lot less money to be made, so the combination of those things is not always very helpful.” It’s true — it can be years before you monetize on your personal blog, and selling a piece here and there to a MAB may only supplement your writing career (if it even pays at all).

But if you have something important to say or sell, starting your own blog about it can be gratifying on many levels. You have ultimate control over the design and layout. You can pick and choose your own angles and topics. Above all, says Koenig, your blog “is an extension of who you are. I always wanted to focus on humor. Hopefully in the future I’ll continue to do more humor writing, and this could be a good stepping stone.” Whether you’re a master craftsperson, a burgeoning stylist or the next Stephen Colbert, a blog is a great way to project your voice and talents.

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

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NEXT >> My Year as a Content Farm Writer

Maybe you’ve had it with pantyhose and office politics. Maybe you’re a parent who longs to spend more time at home with your children. Maybe you’re an introvert who can’t imagine a better gig than churning out words alone in your office. Writers become freelancers for different reasons, and there are real benefits to working from home — among them, creating your own schedule, having more control over the growth and direction of your work and being able to literally take your work anywhere (spontaneous Grand Canyon trip, anyone?)

I made my decision to freelance because there are few traditional career opportunities for writers in my Midwestern town. Although I’ve been successful over these four years, there have been setbacks and hurdles that I’m still working to overcome. Here’s how I’ve addressed them.

Irregular income.

The most jarring part of going from a “normal” job to freelancing is the lack of regular income. The best way to combat this is to establish an emergency fund while you’re still working your regular job — three times your monthly living expenses is a solid safety net. You can go with less if you’re only taking care of yourself, you have a partner who brings in steady income or you’re willing to live well below your means for awhile.

Did I have an emergency fund when I started freelancing? Nope, and that is my biggest regret. When I quit my waitressing job on a whim to be a full-time writer, my partner was going to school and working as a bartender. We had also just gotten married and had racked up a significant amount of debt on our expensive San Francisco honeymoon.

Three months into my freelance adventures (I’d earned about a measly $200 in that time), my husband lost his job. We started using a credit card for groceries and gas, the same credit card we’d stupidly used on our honeymoon. It took us three years to pay off the debt we’d accrued in just a few months. If I’d thought it through, I would have saved at least $1,000 before starting my freelance career — or I would’ve put off my wedding.

But an emergency fund and frugal living will only work for so long. When you do start making money, you have to ensure it’s going to keep coming in. In my experience, it helps to view each job as a stepping stone to the next. The more work you do, the more you can phase out the small stuff from your resume and replace it with the bigger stuff. As the quality of your work improves, you will gain confidence and experience to pitch higher-paying markets.

“It helps to view each job as a stepping stone to the next. The more work you do, the more you can phase out the small stuff from your resume and replace it with the bigger stuff.”

But I must warn you, this is not a fast career track toward the American dream. I have worked furiously and made small gains over time, while seeing others my age get promotions, buy houses and new cars, adopt puppies, take vacations and give expensive gifts. I am 27, my family of three lives in a two-bedroom apartment, I’ve never purchased a new car and all of our furniture is second hand or something that came out of a box from Walmart. One day we’ll be able to afford curtains, new clothes and trips to visit extended family, but we’re prepared to wait indefinitely for that. Are you?

Challenges as a new parent.

When I was pregnant, I had every intention of continuing my writing with my baby nestled close to me in a sling. I assumed as she got a little older, she would toddle around on the floor while I went about my work. As it turns out, babies aren’t fans of being left alone on the floor. And my daughter happened to be exceptionally skilled at crying out for me whenever I was just beginning to settle in to a writing project.

I decided to enroll her in daycare when she was 15 months old, and despite the heartache and disapproval of some of my traditional family members, it became the best decision I could have made.

While you may be able to “have it all” and squeeze in your writing time while your child naps, it will take you much longer to stabilize and make serious income if you’re only working a couple hours a day. Here are two major fears that held me back from putting my daughter in daycare (and why I’m so glad I overcame them):

• I can’t afford childcare on a freelance income. And even if I can, I’m only breaking even. This seems like a bit of a catch-22 (so you’re telling me I’m going to lose money and someone else is going to get to see my kid all day?), but the reality is actually very different. The more time you have to work, the more money you make. But you won’t have more time until you find care for your child. Yes, the first few months of full-time freelancing may only allow you to break even with your childcare expenses. But as I mentioned above, each writing job paves the way for the next bigger, better one. My real-life example: When my daughter was at home with me, I was earning about $200 a month. After her first month in daycare, I earned $600 a month — I broke even with the cost of daycare. Five months later, I earned $1,500, $900 more than the cost of childcare and with more writing experience to tuck under my belt for future opportunities.
• Having someone else raise my child is detrimental and selfish. Although you will hear reasonable arguments from both sides about whether a young child needs to be home with a parent for the formative years, there is also this undeniable fact: Even very young children are affected negatively when their parents are unhappy. If being a stay-at-home parent or only working part-time is making you unhappy, your child will know. A few hours a day of joyful, quality time with your child is far more beneficial to her health than a full day with a sad or resentful parent.

Regarding parenting and freelancing, do what’s best for your family. I know a few wonderful women who stay at home with their children full time and write whenever they can, and it fulfills them. We are all different, and what’s most important is that you stay true to you. Just don’t let the fear of change stifle your potential for happiness and success.

“Some of my best months as a freelancer were spent drinking bottomless coffee at my favorite caf_?.”

No benefits package.

The way I feel about health insurance and retirement benefits is the same way I feel about unicorns: they seem so lovely and exotic and wouldn’t it be great to have them, but it’s a luxury I’ve never known. I have a Roth IRA to which I don’t contribute enough, and I have utilized walk-in clinics, community clinics with sliding fees and government health insurance to get me through some of my medical emergencies — but there are better options. Here are a few:

• Health. You may qualify for state aid (Medicaid) if your income falls under your state’s threshold. If you are 65 or older, you may qualify for Medicare. According to USA.gov, in October of 2013 you can visit your state’s Health Insurance Marketplace to find care under the Affordable Care Act. You may also consider joining the Freelancers Union, which offers health, disability and retirement benefits to independent contractors throughout the United States.
• Retirement. If you qualify, consider setting up a Roth IRA. Unlike traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs grow tax free, and when you withdraw from one, you don’t have to pay taxes on it. As of 2013, the most you can contribute each year to a Roth is $5,500 ($6,500 if you’re 50 or older). You must also, as an individual, have an adjusted gross income (AGI) of under $110,000; for a couple filing jointly, your AGI must be under $173,000. If you make more than that, you can’t contribute to a Roth IRA, and furthermore, please contact me @AmandaLaymanLow and let me know who you’re writing for and how you scored that gig.

Going stir crazy.

If you’re still working a traditional job, you may be itching to separate yourself from that one coworker who won’t shut up about baseball or last night’s episode of Mad Men. But believe me, having to keep yourself company for hours on end can be just as exhausting.

If you can, get a laptop. Some of my best months as a freelancer were spent drinking bottomless coffee at my favorite caf_?. There were regulars, like the sweet old man who would say sweet old man things like “working hard, or hardly working?” then go chain smoke outside and slowly scratch his lottery tickets. And the intelligent barista, Alex, with whom I had opposing views on religion, and the sassy barista Ashley who would tease my husband and toss us free snacks every once in awhile.

“My first safeguard against distractibility is to have an inspiring workspace used only for writing.”

The caf_? closed, and I went back to being stir crazy. Since then I’ve utilized the library, which is one of the few places where it’s okay to work and loiter without buying anything. A few months ago, I rallied together a community volleyball team — we were horrible, I think we won one game out of 20, but being around people made a huge difference. Most recently, I’ve taken up rock climbing at an indoor gym, and I’m starting to meet some fascinating people there. In addition, the total mind and body workout that comes from climbing helps offset the stagnancy of sitting quietly at my computer all day (you should see my guns, guys).

Difficulty separating home from work.

One of my favorite books is by Marcia Golub, and for all of its chapters on the distractions of working from home, it’s ironically titled, I’d Rather Be Writing. We often choose to become freelance writers because we’re invigorated by the idea of doing what we love all day long, only to realize that, as Golub puts it:

When there’s no boss hovering over your shoulder, and you can’t get that vision of the overflowing laundry basket out of your head, and you don’t really have any immediate deadlines, it’s difficult to stay on task.

My first safeguard against distractibility is to have an inspiring workspace used only for writing. The corner of our second bedroom is my office — everything from the green banker’s lamp to the stack of reference books to the idea-splattered bulletin board is dedicated to my work alone. If my husband uses my computer at night, he knows to clean up after himself like he’s fleeing a crime scene, fingerprints and all. He knows how important it is for me to have this area be a blank slate each morning.

At the end of each work day, I prepare a to-do list on a 3 X 5 note card for the next day. Here’s today’s list:

• Update invoice spreadsheet
• Work on MediaBistro piece
• Find experts for articles due in two weeks
• Follow up with consulting company on new project/start project

My little list serves as a guide, and while it keeps me focused and divides my day into concrete tasks, it also reassures me on days I’m feeling overwhelmed. Being able to cross off each task as I complete it gives me a sense of progress, and makes a busy day feel less daunting. And sometimes I’ll even have time left over for laundry!

It’s taken me four years to develop my little system, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still duck away for the occasional afternoon nap or throw in the towel early to watch TV on a bad day. But like any other job, when something isn’t working, you adapt to the drawbacks and work to restore balance the best way you can.

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

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NEXT >> 6 Tips for Landing Repeat Writing Assignments

Whether you’re working on a pitch or an article, sound bites from experts can really ramp up the credibility of your writing. But expert interviews can be intimidating, especially if you’re introverted like me or new to the game. When I did my first phone interview three years ago, I was a hot mess: stuttering over my questions, scrambling to hold my phone up to my ear while taking notes and not letting the conversation run its natural course. Long after the article ran, I was still receiving copious promotional emails from the expert’s pushy PR representative. Here are a few tips to help you handle your interviews with confidence and finesse.

Find and contact the right experts.

In the age of Internet and social media, experts aren’t too hard to find. But when you’re working on a tight deadline, scheduling an interview with a high-profile expert can be tough. Susan Atteberry Smith, longtime freelance writer and professor at Drury University, finds experts primarily through public information officers — who are different from PR agents in that they’re more focused on providing information and less focused on marketing.

Atteberry Smith also recommends contacting organizations directly. For example, she says, “The American Heart Association sometimes will have an expert on the board___ and those nonprofit organizations also [have] public information people who will put you in touch with an expert.”

Personally, I have found reliable resources at Help a Reporter Out (helpareporter.com), a free service that connects writers to experts in various fields. For more on finding experts for your pieces, also check out Mediabistro’s 6 Surefire Ways to Find Sources in the Digital Age.

“The first step to a successful interview is having background knowledge.”

Develop strong questions.

Getting the information you need isn’t just about firing off questions 1, 2 and 3 and hoping for the best. The first step to a successful interview is having background knowledge. Freelance writer Lindsay Cross says, “Look at their websites, social media, published works___ research some counterpoints and other experts who work in the same field. The best way to get over any nerves you might have is to be prepared.”

Another way to obtain information about an expert, if it’s someone well known, is to read archival articles written on the person. Atteberry Smith says a Google search may be enough, but “if you have access to a college or university database, you can also find a lot of different publications and you can search to see whether there are articles about that person. Or you can access the library.”

Rachel Heston-Davis, freelance writer, suggests requesting a PR kit from an expert’s public relations person. However, if you don’t have access to a PR kit, Heston-Davis recommends you “think up some general questions ahead of time and during the interview pay really close attention to what they’re telling you.” She adds, “Honestly, you have to get practice at generating questions on the spot, at noticing something they said that might be of interest, just probing at it.”

Cross says when she develops questions in advance, she considers her readership and the purpose of her article. She asks: “What will they expect to get out of the piece? What kinds of questions or problems might they have that pushed them to read my piece?”

Communicate honestly.

You won’t always converse with people who share the same opinions and tastes as you. Unless you’re assigned an undercover piece, it’s best to be clear about your article and its angle. Cross says, “I once interviewed a parenting expert whose philosophy I had some serious problems with. I asked him very pointed questions, but when I questioned his answers personally, I didn’t communicate it with him. I think I was afraid of coming off as rude and argumentative. Then he was a little surprised at how critical my write-up was. I never misquoted him or took him out of context, but I should have made sure that my piece didn’t blind-side him.”

Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification, either. If your expert uses an unfamiliar term or draws an analogy that doesn’t make sense, ask her to expound. If you don’t understand something your expert says, your readership may not, either — and your job as a writer is often to boil down complicated or abstract ideas into practical information.

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NEXT >> 6 Tips for Landing Repeat Writing Assignments

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Heston-Davis admits she learned this after trial and error. She emphasizes the importance of asking an expert to reiterate because “you will not be able to figure something out from context later.” She adds that having misinformation in your article, or a lack of information, reflects poorly on both you as a writer and your interviewed expert. Getting clarification in an interview “really is better than the [expert] looking at your article and feeling like you didn’t understand what you’re writing about.”

Cross has another point on honest communication, which is to not let your interview become nothing but an expert’s promotional pitch. “Most experts agree to be interviewed because they’re selling something___ Just because they are an ‘expert’ doesn’t mean you have to take every word they say as gospel and it doesn’t mean that you can’t question them. Try to approach the conversation like a thoughtful, inquisitive consumer.”

Choose your media for conversation wisely.

Should you do a phone, email or in-person interview? First, adhere to your editor’s guidelines: Some editors prefer email, while others prefer live or phone interviews for their more spontaneous cadence. The style of interview also depends on the kind of piece you’re writing. If you’re working on a profile of a notable person, it’s best to meet with him face-to-face to get an overall impression of his personality, quirks and mannerisms. But for an information-driven piece, a phone interview should suffice.

Smith says, “an email interview would be the last resort___ conversations have an authenticity to them and a spontaneity that you just can’t get in an email dialogue.” Of course, if a PR person demands you conduct an email interview and that’s the only way you’ll get your information by deadline, sometimes email is necessary — but all the same rules about honesty and communication apply. Respond to the email with follow-up questions if something is unclear.

Use a mix of tech and old-fashioned note taking.

Davis and Smith are both low-tech when it comes to note taking, which works in their favor. In Davis’ experience, she would use an audio recorder in “certain situations, but there were other times, if I was at a community festival, let’s say, and I’m running around getting quotes from lots of different people___ I felt like the recorder and my camera and my notebook were too much to take care of at once. If you’re uncomfortable with the technology, or it’s ultimately getting in the way of your ability to quickly multitask, then at that point it’s almost not worth it.”

Smith uses tape recorders as backup, but has developed her own style of shorthand over the years. “I have discovered that I prefer taking notes by hand___ I pay more attention to what’s being said, I have the nuances a little better than when I’m recording. The other reason is practical, because if you record interviews then you have to transcribe them.”

“The best interviews are great conversations… steer the interview, gently steer it, so you get your questions answered. It’s a delicate balance.”

And a word of caution: Any time you’re trying a new form of technology, test it out first. I avoided disaster by doing this recently. I had downloaded a free conversation recording app for my Android and made a test call to two different people, one local and one out of town. On both, it recorded my voice crystal-clearly, but the person on the other line was nearly inaudible. Because I had a phone interview scheduled later that day, I opted for putting my phone on speakerphone and recording the conversation with my video camera. It wasn’t optimal, but it did the trick.

Transcribe your conversations.

Having a written copy of your recorded expert interviews will serve you in the long run. In fact, some editors require this. You have a few options for transcription. You can do it manually, which may take around four times as long as the duration of the interview (for example, a 20-minute conversation recently took me about an hour and a half to transcribe). If you don’t have the time, try using a free or paid transcription service.

For a free option, try Express Scribe Transcription Software or use the Dragon Dictation app for iPad and iPhone. The downfall of using a free service is that you will often have to go back in and edit words and add punctuation. If you don’t want to worry about this, one of our Mediabistro editors recommends the Rev Voice Recorder app, which accurately and quickly transcribes interviews for $1 a minute. Before you write off the idea of paying for a transcription service, stop and think about how much you’re worth. For example, if it takes you two hours to transcribe a 50-minute interview, and you value your time at $50/hr, you’d be better off paying the $50 to have the interview transcribed than to waste $100 of your time.

It’s all about the conversation.

Smith sums it up well: “The best interviews are great conversations.” You may worry, especially when you’re working on deadline, that you won’t get all the information you need out of an interview. And while it’s important to get the facts, Smith suggests you allow the interview to run a natural course, but “steer the interview, gently steer it, so you get your questions answered. It’s a delicate balance.” This combination of assertion and social grace comes with practice, but in my experience many of the same skills you use in regular communication with friends and coworkers translate into good interviewing skills. Be respectful, be a good listener, have a sense of humor. Do these things, and you will walk away from your interview with both solid information and the sense of joy that comes from having a great conversation.

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

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NEXT >> 6 Tips for Landing Repeat Writing Assignments

There was no digital photography when Jamie McCarthy started snapping pictures of celebrities in the mid-90s. Just a trusty Nikon N90s camera, rolls of wide film and nightly sessions of cutting it all up.

Then and now, McCarthy has always prided himself on getting along with the celebrities he photographs. He knows many of them socially, never photographs them in bad light and, as a result, has established in them a great deal of trust.

Mediabistro caught up with McCarthy on the heels of one of his busiest times of the year — New York Fashion Week. He was still raving about DKNY’s 25th-anniversary party, where he shot around 1,500 photos and got to work on stage alongside the night’s various musical performers.

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Name: Jamie McCarthy
Position: Senior staff photographer, Getty / WireImage
Resume: Over the span of 17 years, Jamie McCarthy has established himself as a trusted, go-to photographer for a wide range of celebrity-driven events and private shoots. He started in the picture-taking business at age 21, working alongside his uncle Patrick McMullan. After eight years of helping McMullan grow the business, McCarthy moved over to WireImage and then Getty Images.
Birthday: January 30, 1974
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Education: Sheepshead Bay High School
Marital status: Single
Mentor: Patrick McMullan
Best career advice received: My uncle, Patrick, once told me,”Be polite and use your charm and personality to make the subjects of your photos feel comfortable, and it will show through in the photos.”
Guilty pleasure: Video games
Last book read: Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work & in Life, One Conversation at a Time, by Susan Scott
Instagram handle: @iamjmccarthy

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How exactly did you arrive at Getty Images?

I came aboard Getty through [its] acquisition of WireImage. Sometimes I shoot for WireImage, sometimes I shoot for Getty. And for certain clients, my images go on both services. But all my photography essentially runs through the Getty brand. And in Hollywood, we currently have a partnership with Variety. I’m one of the main guys who covers red-carpet events and parties for them.

Has the rise of TMZ affected the way you do your job?

Not really. My team of photographers at Getty, we’re kind of like the anti-TMZ. We’re the guys that are pretty much on the inside. So we’re the guys who want to do the nice photos and make them look good, whereas TMZ and those guys I feel like they’re looking more for the dirt on celebrities.

“My clients hire me because they know they can trust me and I’m not going to give up [their] secrets.”

My clients hire me because they know they can trust me and I’m not going to give up secrets about them and I make them look good. I want people who see the photos to say, ‘Wow, she looks beautiful’ or ‘He’s great-looking.’ Also, I only shoot at events where people are expecting photographs to be taken. I’ve never tried to shoot people in their personal lives. That’s not my style.

The TMZ thing is kind of weird. I’ll give you an example. I work a lot with Nicole Polizzi (Snooki). She’s a good friend of mine. We were on the beach during the summer doing some casual photos. There was a paparazzo there; she followed us from the house to the beach and photographed me taking pictures of her. And it ended up on TMZ, and it kind of ruined the exclusive that I had.

What other kinds of assignments have you been doing recently with celebrities?

Last summer, again with Snooki, I did the spread for People magazine when she had her baby. The baby was five days old, making him (Lorenzo) the youngest person to ever be on the cover of the magazine. The reason I got that, again, was the trust issue. You want someone you can trust around the baby, who’s going to be careful.

I also fly around a lot with Jessica Simpson to do photography for her clothing line. As a matter of fact, she just booked me to go to Dallas in November. So I have certain clients and certain magazines who hire me. But I will pretty much shoot anything. I’m well-versed in portrait photography, event photography, concerts, weddings. Depending on what my client needs, I can pretty much do whatever they require.

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NEXT >> So What Do You Do Jawn Murray, Entertainment Reporter?

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You started your career working with your uncle, legendary society and nightlife photographer Patrick McMullan. Can you tell us a bit more about those days?

He’s still out there, and we actually worked together just two nights ago. I didn’t really know what I was going to do at the time. I was just a kid who had a camera, who took pictures for fun, never thinking I could make a career out of it. And I didn’t really know what he did, until one day I was at his apartment and saw him looking through film. So I started interning for him.

I was with him for eight years. I ended up becoming president and helping his company grow. But I wanted to do other things, so I left and started at the bottom again at WireImage. It wasn’t too hard because I had worked with him and had clients. I met a lot of cool people when I was working with him and I brought those relationships with me. Our relationship sort of got strained at certain times because working for family is never easy. But now we work side by side.

“When somebody comes up to you and says, ‘I love those photos you took of me that I saw in People magazine,’ that makes it all worthwhile.”

Can you think of an example of a photo you took, in which the public’s subsequent reaction to it really surprised you?

Here’s a great one. I shoot the Webby Awards every year. It’s mainly an industry event, not a lot of celebrities. There was an older gentleman there who had this big, old-school cell phone. Like one of those big bricks. I thought, ‘This guy looks kind of cool,’ and kind of chatted him up. Turned out he was the guy who invented the cell phone [Martin Cooper].

So I took some photos of him and didn’t really think anything of it. But then recently, it was the 40th anniversary of the invention of the cell phone. And that photo was everywhere, on every tech site and Internet site. It got the kind of play that a Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie picture usually does. For weeks, I was getting Google Alerts for this photo. Pretty amazing.

Besides your uncle, who were some of the other photographers that influenced you?

I was always a fan of David LaChapelle. And I actually got to meet him and do a portrait of him, which was really cool, at Sundance. I’ve always liked his style. He has this really abstract approach; it’s always very well produced. Lots of colors. And he knows how to work with great subjects — like, for example, Madonna in the middle of a block party kind of scenario. Or Leonardo DiCaprio as a young kid with some wild backdrop. He was always one of those guys who stood out to me because his stuff is so off the wall. I always liked Terry Richardson too. I met him, and he was such a nice, cool guy.

And that ties into one of the best rewards for me from this job. When somebody comes up to you and says, ‘I love those photos you took of me that I saw in People magazine,’ that makes it all worthwhile. And it’s nice when you get to work and have fun at the same time. It’s changed a bit over the years and has become a bit more controlled. But you still get those times [when] celebrities let photographers in that they trust and let their hair down. I’ve literally sat, for example, at a table in Vegas with a celebrity, and put my camera on the table. They know when they want me to take a photo; they’ll ask me.

I’ve had magazine editors tell me they can put up a hundred photos and see which ones are mine because [of] the expressions people give and the sincerity of the smiles. That comes from just being a person and being a good guy and treating everyone with respect.

Richard Horgan is co-editor of FishbowlNY.

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Though she had already published two novels (Mama, in 1987 and Disappearing Acts in 1989), it was Terry McMillan’s third book, Waiting to Exhale (published in 1992) that catapulted her to literary stardom. The funky, fly tale of four single, black women looking for love spiraled into a pop-culture phenomenon, spending more than nine months on the New York Times Bestsellers list and spawning a Hollywood blockbuster film that featured a fairly popular singer named Whitney Houston in one of its title roles.

But aside from filling McMillan’s bank account with more money than she knew what to do with (a 1993 interview with Ebony magazine revealed that Pocket Books paid $2.64 million for the paperback rights to Exhale), the runaway success of Waiting to Exhale literally transformed the publishing industry. McMillan proved to publishers, editors and agents — and even some doubtful writers — that African Americans do, in fact, read.

Now, more than 25 years since her debut, the acclaimed novelist widely credited with kick starting the modern African American fiction movement is still writing and serving up her signature sass through characters so real they seem to turn the book’s pages themselves.

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Name: Terry McMillan
Position: Full-time author
Resume: McMillan has published a total of eight novels, including her latest, Who Asked You? [released today]. Several of her books (Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Disappearing Acts) have been made into films, for which she served as screenwriter and/or executive producer. McMillan also taught fiction writing at the University of Wyoming, Stanford University and The University of Arizona, where she received tenure.
Birthday: October 18, 1951
Hometown: Port Huron, Mich.
Education: Graduated from UC Berkeley in ’77 with a journalism degree. Later dropped out of the Master’s of Fine Arts Program (film) at Columbia University.
Marital status: Single
Media mentors: Joy Reid and Rachel Maddow “because they are both brilliant and know their history and the story behind the story.”
Favorite TV show: Dateline
Guilty pleasure: Hamburgers
Last book read: The Taste of Salt by Martha Southgate
Twitter handle: @MsTerryMcMillan

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You’re known for writing such authentic characters. How do you keep them all straight?
Well, first of all, it’s not as hard as you would think. If you take [people] that you know really well, and you had to capture them on paper — their gesticulations, how they talk, how they think — from what you know about them, you could do it. But before anything, I do a lot to profile my characters so that I know them. I know almost everything about them, in terms of their educational background, how tall they are, what color they are, what they like and don’t like, what their favorite class was in school, what they’re afraid of, what their biggest secret is, if they lie, if they pay their bills on time, what they wish they coulda, woulda, shoulda done, etc., etc.

As you’ve aged, your characters have aged with you. Was it difficult to write from an 8-year-old’s perspective, as you did in Who Asked You?
No. I mean, I’m not around 8-year-olds every day or anything like that, but I remember my son at 8; I remember other people’s kids at 8; I remember his classmates. And I have sisters and relatives and friends, [and] I was around their kids at 8. And not only that, but I know certain things about the language that they have. Some of it is based on their environment, and some 8-year-olds that grow up in the hood are a lot more savvy. They have a lot more information, and they know how to process it, and they imitate what’s around them. So that’s sort of where I came from.

“When I’m writing a book, I don’t feel like I’m writing a book. I am basically dramatizing the lives of people that I have made up.”

Was it intentional to write a cast of multi-generational characters, perhaps to appeal to a wider fan base?
No. I don’t tailor make my books to appeal to a certain audience. Oh my god, no. I tell the story that I want to tell because I am fascinated by and curious about people who behave a certain way, and [I am intrigued] when sometimes they are victims or [are] victimized and they have to figure out how to tackle certain problems that loom very large in their lives. And in this case, I was just real curious about grandmothers who are put in a position where they basically are forced to either abandon their grandchildren or parent them. And the only thing I ended up doing was trying to show how people react to each other’s behavior. I tell the story to answer a question — many questions, sometimes — but the last person I’m thinking about is my audience, my readers. When I’m writing a book, I don’t feel like I’m writing a book. I am basically dramatizing the lives of people that I have made up and believe are real while I’m telling the story. And then, when I’m finished, my respect level for human beings rises, and that’s the whole point because I usually write about people that I don’t have much patience for or understand.

Why do you choose those characters? Is it fun or more challenging to write about them?
I’ll put it this way, as a writer and as a human being, I just want everyone to be happy. I want everybody to thrive; I want everybody to be in love. I want everybody to be healthy, myself included. But it doesn’t work that way. We have hard times; we have valleys and hills. And, you know, a novel is about conflict. A story is about conflict. Plays are about conflict. And something is wrong with the photograph. So if I chose to write about a smooth picture, it’s boring. Why write about something if it’s not broken? So I write to get over stuff. I write about things that I’m tired of seeing. And it’s painting a dramatic picture of our behavior — not everybody’s behavior, just the folks that I have chosen to zero in on. And that’s pretty much it. And the idea is to put them in a challenging position where they have to at least take a baby step in trying to address some of what they’re going through. And it doesn’t have to resolve it. [They] just realize that they’re not doing something right, and that maybe if [they] try to do this, or put forth a little more energy, [their] life might improve. That’s it. That’s how I try to live.

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So you’ve never felt pressure to try to duplicate the Waiting to Exhale phenomenon?
No. You can’t repeat yourself. And I had no way of knowing… I remember my editor said, “Terry, this is going to be your breakthrough book.” I said, “My what?” “Your breakthrough book.” And I said, “What do you mean?” “It’s going to be a bestseller.” And I was like, ‘What is she supposed to be, telepathic?’ And then it was a bestseller, and I was like, well, it was a fluke. And then it was on the bestsellers list for 37 weeks. I couldn’t even believe it. I still don’t believe it. I still don’t believe the references that are made to that book and that movie, and how many folks still watch it. I can’t believe when it comes on television.

Who Asked You? is such a great read, and you’ve been getting positive reviews. Do you feel any differently about this one than you have about some of your other books?
Well, I’m proud of it. I won’t lie. I feel as if I grew as a writer in this book because telling this story in the manner that I told it, I hadn’t done it before. And it was challenging. Not just in terms of writing in 15 different characters’ points of view, but [also with] the structure of the book. And the story dictated the structure. I didn’t just sit down and arbitrarily decide that, oh, I’m gonna be clever and tell the story from 15 characters’ points of view. That is not how it happened. I had to figure it out, how I was going to tell this story, because I knew I wanted Betty Jean (she’s the protagonist), but I knew, also, that there were going to be other people in this book — her sisters, in particular. But I didn’t know until I started that all these other people in her life were going to have an impact on it. So I wanted to be able to show how they saw what she was doing, and in order to do that, I had to make sure — because I wanted write in first person — that Betty Jean was in every chapter. And that was a challenge [to do] and still move the story forward. Let me tell you, it was not easy.

“[Writing is] not a career to me. It’s what I do. And to me there’s a difference.”

You’ve had such a long and successful career, what advice do you have for a new writer who wants to break into the industry and have the kind of longevity that you’ve had?
Well, I think first and foremost, they don’t need to think of it that way. I think that’s a big mistake. Do you think when I wrote my first book, Mama, in 1987, that I was thinking, Oh, I want to have a long writing career? No. This is not a job. It’s not that. [Writing is] not a career to me. It’s what I do. And to me there’s a difference, you know? But I would suggest that young writers take the craft very seriously [and] not worry about fame. But read. Everything. And I do mean everything. Take some writing classes. And they’ll know if this is what they really are compelled to do. But it shouldn’t be an ambition. “I want to be a famous writer;” “I want to be a bestselling author.” Those are the wrong reasons for doing this. And if those are your motives, chances are it won’t happen.

Andrea Williams is a freelance writer based in Nashville. Contact her at williamsandread@yahoo.com.

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When news broke that the Chicago Sun-Times had laid off its entire staff of photographers last May, journalists around the country were in disbelief. Now, instead of just scrutinizing sentence structure and verb choice, the possibility that journalists would also have to generate images to accompany their stories was very real.

In today’s Internet era, multimedia reigns supreme, so it’s no longer enough to be a master of the pen. And even if taking photos and video isn’t currently part of your job description, learning to wield a camera like a pro will only raise your stock and give you versatility — plus, hopefully a bit of job security.

Photo Tips

Tip #1 ___ Buy a Real Camera

Sure, your iPhone was perfect for snapping pics at your BFF’s birthday soiree, but for on-the-job tasks? Not so much. “If you’re just interviewing people and you’re taking pictures, almost any newer model camera is going to take a remarkably better picture than you’re going to get on any smartphone,” says Matt Sweetwood, president of Unique Photo in Fairfield, N.J. — the state’s largest camera store. He recommends that journalists spend at least $200 to get the most benefit from the device.

“The biggest factor is when you’re in lower light,” explains Sweetwood. “The camera that you buy has a larger sensor in it than you find in a smartphone, and therefore it’s going to take a better quality picture when you’re outside ideal lighting conditions. The second reason is that your cell phone has too many tasks on it. You’re on the phone, you’re sending an email and then you need to take a picture. While they can do that as a convenience, you don’t really want to do that if it’s part of your job function.”

Tip #2 ___ Learn the Rule of Thirds

In photography, the rule of thirds is a basic composition rule that helps frame the subject in a way that’s most aesthetically pleasing. “If you think of a tic-tac-toe board and where the lines intersect, we call those the power points,” says Peggy Farren, a veteran photojournalist, event photographer and photography instructor. “So if you’re taking pictures of people, their eyes need to be on that top line. If you’re taking pictures of landscapes or cityscapes, your horizon needs to be either on the top or the bottom line.”

“learning to wield a camera like a pro will only raise your stock and give you versatility — plus, hopefully a bit of job security.”

Tip #3 ___ Take a Lot of Pictures

Breaking out of your comfort zone and venturing into photography is sure to rattle some nerves, especially if you’re on deadline and expected to turn in some high-quality images. Taking more than enough shots gives you a margin to take some really crappy photos and still get the perfect one to complement your story. “The nice thing about digital is that you can always throw the pictures you don’t like away,” says Farren. “So take lots of pictures, come back and sort through them — especially if you’re feeling insecure about your photography skills.”

Video Tips

Tip #1 ___ Pay Attention to Lighting

“Lighting is everything,” says Charlie Castleman, in-house videographer for esd & associates, a full-service marketing and PR firm based in San Antonio, Texas. As a general rule, if you’re having trouble seeing the subject’s face while you’re shooting, the viewer definitely won’t be able to, either. That said, lighting isn’t as difficult as it seems and, says Castleman, “You don’t have to be an expert cinematographer that spends three hours [on] lighting.”

When filming outdoors, be aware of the position of the sun. “You would never take a picture of your family with the sun behind them, and you wouldn’t take your camera right into the sun,” explains Castleman. “You would position the sun behind you, and the sun would naturally light your subjects.” He also suggests shooting in late afternoon or early morning to avoid the harsh light of high noon. When indoors, stay away from fluorescent and overhead lighting, and opt instead for lamps with bulbs that cast a softer, orange-colored glow or LEDs. And in low light, bounce cards (essentially just large, white poster board) can be used to direct light to where you need it.

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Tip #2 ___ Keep Movement to a Minimum

Remember the shaky, guerilla-style footage from The Blair Witch Project? That style of filming was perfect for inducing fear in viewers of the low-budget horror flick, but to say that it has no place in traditional media is an understatement. “It can be very uncomfortable for people to watch, especially if you’re trying to tell a story of some sort, or if you’re doing a corporate or news-oriented video,” says Castleman.

To be safe, use a tripod to keep the camera steady, and also avoid zooms, pans and other unnecessary filming techniques. “When you’re in those types of situations when you are very shaky and [there are] lots of zooms, it makes the camera very noticeable,” Castleman adds. “And you shouldn’t have that; you should never know that there’s a camera there. You should be able to watch something and let the story move the narrative forward.”

Tip #3 ___ Get Good Audio

When it comes to recording audio with your video, Castleman says that in-camera microphones are “the worst” because they’re omni-directional, meaning they pick up every sound all around the filming area. For interviews or other situations in which you need to focus audio on an individual, Castleman recommends lavalier microphones — those small mics that clip to the lapel. “That’s really the best,” says Castleman. “[Lavalier mics] can really isolate the sound, and you don’t have a lot of the background noise occurring.”

After years of experience, however, Castleman actually relies on both internal and external microphones during all of his shoots. “I’ve [used] lapel mics when there was interference,” explains Castleman. “[So] if something happens to one of my tracks of audio, I always have something to fall back on.”

“Taking more than enough shots gives you a margin to take some really crappy photos and still get the perfect one to complement your story.”

And one more audio tip: When you’re recording indoors, stay away from electronics and air vents. “There [are] hums and buzzes that we may not hear, but the mics and cameras pick all that stuff up,” Castleman says.

Certainly, adding photography and videography responsibilities to a journalist’s already full plate can be a bit overwhelming. There are complicated devices to get familiar with and shooting techniques that may take years to master. Sweetwood actually recommends that journos take a class to get comfortable behind the camera, and it’s true that a good dose of training never hurt anyone — just ask the managing editor of the Chicago Sun-Times, who offered up mandatory iPhone photography training just days after the paper’s massive layoffs.

The move was blasted by just about every other media outlet, but there may be a valuable — and encouraging — takeaway: You can work with what you’ve got. The media landscape is constantly evolving, making it nearly impossible to stay abreast of all of the new rules. And while some writers may never have a reason to add “photojournalist” to their LinkedIn profiles, brushing up on basic skills proves that you’re easily adaptable and always willing to learn new things. Those are qualities that are attractive to any employer, regardless of economic climate.

And just in case you do find yourself on assignment with only a smartphone in hand, go ahead and review these iPhone photo tips, courtesy of National Geographic. You’re welcome.

Andrea Williams is a freelance writer based in Nashville. Contact her at williamsandread@yahoo.com.

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