In the business world, you often hear people say, “It’s just business.”

In the world of journalism, the business of reporting and writing about business can mean big business. More specifically, those who can find a niche covering business topics can uncover a wealth of writing and career opportunities.

That’s what four writers from across the country have done, utilizing their experience as reporters, writers and editors to move into careers covering the business of real estate, finance and sports for prominent local and national publications. While all four have vastly different backgrounds, they share a common bond: They believe that the same traits that make a reporter good are the same no matter what topic you are covering, and they all started out in another aspect of journalism or business, honing and developing their craft and abilities, before transferring over into the specific niche they have been able to turn into a rewarding career.

Seek out your specialty on the job

Mary Umberger is a Chicago-based freelance writer and real estate reporter who spent 30 years at the Chicago Tribune before taking a buyout last year. She still writes a weekly real estate column for the Tribune and also contributes to the Los Angeles Times, St. Petersburg Times and Inman.com, a real estate news Web site. She also does twice-weekly real estate news spots on WGN radio in Chicago.

She spent about two-thirds of her career at the Tribune as an editor before taking a real estate writing job there. “I thought the beat would be short-term and that I would move into general features writing,” says Umberger. “Turned out, I really liked covering real estate.”

Umberger is a self-described “house person” and says there are plenty of people like her out there who find the whole topic and all its permutations to be fascinating. But she still thinks her experience as an editor (she was a copy editor, ran a copy desk, worked as an assistant in some features sections and was editor in chief of two features sections at the Trib) served as the training grounds for her move to a business writing niche in real estate.

“As an editor, I re-wrote so much bad writing by other people that I developed a strong sense of what works and what doesn’t, about pacing and style.”

“Make yourself able to converse confidently with the experts in the field when you interview them. They’ll remember that you knew something about their business, because a lot of reporters approach them cold.”

Umberger says one can learn a lot about the business of real estate and what consumers experience by writing service-oriented how-to stories: how to apply for a mortgage, how to pick a neighborhood. But they get old quick, she says.

Parlay your existing skills to make the transition

“What turns it into an interesting beat is writing about the people,” says Umberger. “I never tried to be Mike Royko; I just wanted to write readable stories.”

That’s what Richard Koreto, a Tallman, New York-based freelance journalist, has done during his more than 20 years covering the financial industry. Koreto admits his entry into financial writing was almost an accident: He wanted to move into magazine work, and the job he got was at the Journal of Accountancy, a publication for CPAs. He started as a copy editor and eventually became a staff writer and editor. As Koreto progressed, he wasn’t shy about asking questions, and he started researching the technical details of the business to learn additional and more in-depth skills.

“It shows you can get into a new field with some work and luck,” says Koreto. “My background was not business-related at all. I was an English and Latin major and never even took a college-level business or economics course.”

Now his background includes stints as editor-in-chief of Wealth Manager, executive editor of Financial Planning, and senior editor of the Journal of Accountancy. Koreto’s work on Financial-Planning.com earned him a Gold Award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors.

Network and research to prove your chops

Umberger has long been associated with the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE), and the networking opportunities and connections she has made through that industry has led to additional freelance opportunities and the chance to connect with speakers and other who have turned into terrific sources.

“If you don’t have the writing ability, you’ll blend into the wall in a very short period,” she says. “You’d get the real estate and business knowledge over time, but you have to be able to give it a little jazz to make the topic readable.”

Koreto agrees. “In these times, you have to show you have the knowledge,” he says. “I was fortunate in having a patient editor who let me get up to speed. At most publications, especially today, you’re expected to hit the ground running. No one wants to spend time explaining the difference between a “put” and a “call.” Fortunately, there are a lot of business and investing books out there. If you want to get into financial reporting and already have good experience as a journalist, get yourself up to speed before you start interviewing or pitching ideas.”

Maury Brown, president of Portland, Ore.-based Bizball LLC and founder and president of the Business of Sports Network, a series of expansive resources, dedicated to the business of sports, echoes Koreto’s sentiments.

Both passionate and knowledgeable about sports and the business of sports, Brown has combined the two into a professional writing, research and consulting career. Brown assisted the MLB To Portland effort, which included a group of Portland-based business leaders attempting to help the Montreal Expos relocate to Portland earlier this decade. He is also the former co-chair of SABR’s Business of Baseball committee, a contributor to Baseball Prospectus, was formerly on the staff of The Hardball Times, writes occasionally at Maury Brown’s Biz of Sports and has contributed to numerous sports-related books.

“In many ways, I’m a researcher, first and foremost, that happened to be an opinionated researcher,” says Brown. “I have always believed that sports outside the lines was as important as what was occurring on the field. The business side is becoming more and more of interest to the average fan. Hopefully, we’re making the content entertaining enough to bring in a broad audience.”

“There are a lot of sports economists that know a heck of a lot more than I do, but when I read their work, it comes across as targeted to academics.”

When not doing consulting work, Brown says he could write five to 10 articles per day. That honed his writing skills, and always produced the fresh content readers of his Web sites wanted. He gave them a reason to return.

Brown has never covered “just” sports or “just” business — his career has always tied the two together. But his knowledge of sports and interest in the business side of things has been the key to his success.

“There are a lot of sports economists that know a heck of a lot more than I do, but when I read their work, it comes across as targeted to academics,” says Brown. “There is certainly a much needed place for that, but the ability to express yourself at the fan level is very valuable. As far as sports and business as separate, they seemed fused together — joined at the hip. I would say that knowing sports business is critical while having a broad understanding of business and sports separate, as well.”

Bill King, a senior writer for special projects for the Sports Business Journal (SBJ) in Charlotte, North Carolina, took the traditional path to a career in sports journalism. He attended the University of Florida and earned a journalism degree. Upon graduation in the mid 1980’s, he took a job at the Tampa Tribune and covered among other things, Florida Gators sports, the Florida Marlins and the Orlando Magic. He also wrote feature stories and columns. As he put it, it was everything he wanted to do since he was 10 years old.

But in 1998, he gave up the life of a sports writer to move into a career covering the business of sports for the Sports Business Journal. He gave up working nights and weekends covering the biggest sporting events, to working daytime hours covering the business side of the world of sports. He came to the SBJ as the only sports writer who didn’t have a business writing background. The rest of the staff were business writers hired to cover the business of sports.

“In a game, there is a score. Well, a company’s quarterly financial reports have a score — it’s up by this much revenue, or down this much revenue. It’s reporting, just with different subject matter in different ways.”

But that didn’t hinder King and his quest to succeed in this profession. “The biggest thing is that it’s all storytelling,” says King. “Those are two tools and skills anyone needs to succeed regardless of what you are covering or writing about. In my opinion, a good journalist should be able to cover a court case, a commission meeting, or a fire for that matter, just as well as they can a sporting event or business issue. In this case, sports and business is just the topic; you apply the same skills, just in a different way.”

To help learn his craft, King read The Wall Street Journal — something he still does every day. He read what other business journalists were writing and reporting about and noted what was good, what stood out, and what he needed to improve on.

“In a game, there is a score,” says King. “Well, a company’s quarterly financial reports have a score — it’s up by this much revenue, or down this much revenue. It’s reporting, just with different subject matter in different ways.”

Understanding sports and business can lead to a career in sports business reporting, but when it all comes down to it, understanding basic reporting and writing skills is what will get one started in this career, whether it be sports, finance or real estate, says King.

“Do your research, check your facts, be accurate [and] fair, and tell the story. That’s all it is.”

Five tips on how to succeed as a niche business reporter:

1. Pick a beat — and learn all you can about it. “Pick a beat — it doesn’t have to be housing — and drill down, read everything you can that’s in an industry’s trade journals,” says Umberger. “Make yourself able to converse confidently with the experts in the field when you interview them. They’ll remember that you knew something about their business, because a lot of reporters approach them cold. They’ll return your calls and let you in on their news first.”
2. Network, network, network. “Yes, you have to be good at your job, but with so many layoffs and cutbacks, it’s become mostly about personal contacts,” says Koreto, who pays $50 per year to belong to the New York Financial Writers’ Association. “Nervous editors only work with those they know, or who are recommended by people they know. I pitched one publication (not a large or prestigious one) on topics I had a lot of experience in. They told me they wouldn’t even talk to me about writing unless I took a long and elaborate test that essentially meant I wrote them a free article. It’s heavily about networking and personal connection today.”
3. Learn how to write quickly — and for the Web. “Everything is moving online,” says Koreto. “People want their business and financial information right away. If you can show you have Web writing skills, you will be ahead of others, even if your experience is in another subject.”
4. Learn the trade first, and worry about money second. Brown says don’t get into sports business for money — there is not a pot of gold at the end of it, so do it because you enjoy it. In time, the money will come. “I love the color of it — the ever-changing hue of sports,” he says. “The intense drama that sports has, and how it is a thread that has flowed through generations that gets passed down. When tying it to business, you get larger-than-life characters running franchises, and players making millions of dollars. It’s an intoxicating elixir for me. If you are patient, driven, and knowledgeable, a paycheck will follow.”
5. Be prepared for a transition period. In King’s opinion, the transition to a sports business reporter is easier for the sports writer than it is for the business writer who needs to learn the sports aspect of things. “I always felt it was a benefit to know the history of the sports and be up to date on who the big names, players and successes were,” he said. “When talking to executives in the sport, it always gives me something to talk about, something to bridge any gaps in the discussions. If you don’t know your sports or aren’t up to date on what’s happening, you might sound like you don’t know what you are talking about even if you know the business side. That might change the way they perceive you.”

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Matt Krumrie is a freelance writer and communications professional.

I’ll get right to the point: PR is not the dark side any more.

As a reporter for a plethora of publications in the hard-to-remember ’80s, I do recall titters from my colleagues when I defected to PR. I had to make more money and I couldn’t cope with holier-than-thou editors. I’d written for USA Today, New York Daily News, The New York Times, Crains NY, Editor & Publisher, Us… and all I got was a T-shirt that said, “Someone read my article.”

A lot of PR peers were once reporters who failed in the new gig because PR was immoral or beneath them (don’t get me started!). You have to think of yourself in the highest esteem to make it as a journalist — I get it — but in order to make the leap into public relations, just cut out that attitude with a scalpel. If you want to be great and make money, you need to passionate about the work. And you just can’t fake passion — unless you’re in porn.

Ever since I switched teams, I have met PR folks who started sentences with, “Back when I was a reporter…” Most were let go from reporting duties by slimming corporations. But some proved to not be so good at either profession.

To do well in the PR industry, you need to make a tough job look easy. You’ve got to have many balls in the air at one time. A lot seem to juggle well, except for those tasks you didn’t come up with on your own.

Here is how to determine whether you’ve got the goods to make it in our town.

You belong in PR if…

You have attention to detail (or ATD)
Those devilish details are required. Consistency is everything, and if you’re careless or sloppy, we beseech you stay away. But if you can spot a mistake from a mile away — and stop it from attacking — please join the PR association.

A guy employed at RLM PR previously worked at a terrible agency and came equipped with bad habits. He would write a mediocre draft, and when I said rewrite it, he shrugged, “Why? The client won’t notice.” He’s at The Gap now.

You can write — and edit
You hate wimpy words like “accepts,” “offers,” and “ensures.” You are all about full and clear sentences. You say what you mean to say, and you aren’t that cretin always trying to “come up with a good way to say X.” You use lowercase and capital letters correctly. Come on down.

Writing is rewriting. There was a — ahem — creative type in our office who loved to write as though he were pontificating. He was a college professor, so he said. It’s one thing to love to hear your own voice, but on paper, that’s useless.

You need to see everything to its rightful conclusion
Reporters can write bad copy, hand it to an editor, and think, “S/he’ll fix it.” If you can’t stomach that though, then join “the lighter side.” You know the colleague who figures someone else will finish the product? That guy disgusts you, right?
You’re the one who ambles into a PR office and says, “What’s it going to take to get this done?!?” We call it Gumby — you never shrug or roll your eyes! You’re our type.

You don’t get scared at B-movies (or several simultaneous deadlines)
You would have never said, “I can’t do more than one story at a time,” as a journalist, and you can manage many screaming babies at once.

A reporter acquaintance came to work and freaked out because our computers were down. He was gone by lunch on day one.

You never call yourself “a people person”
You deal with words; people are secondary. Of course you’re a team player, but will you sit down and create something? From scratch?

In Detroit, “GM Nod” occurs when people come to meetings and say yes to every new fantastic idea until they leave the room and murmur, “That ain’t going to happen.” In PR, you always have to sell in your ideas to clients and colleagues.

How can you tell if you’re right for this evolving field that happens to be hiring? You have an innate ability to leave your ego at the door and you can take a message to the people without editorializing!

You don’t belong anywhere near PR if…

You think it’s a breeze
Oh puh-leeze. I work my ass off and answer to a ton of chieftains: editors, reporters, producers — and those clients who send passive aggressive emails all day long! Nothing we do is easy. Don’t apply here. You already aren’t applying yourself.

We ask applicants from the field of journalism why they want to be in PR. They say it’s because they know how reporters work. The last one we hired answered, “because I want to make more money, and I’m not afraid to work hard.” We love you!

You’ve dealt with PR folks so you’ve got mad skills
What’s that — incessant babbling against an onslaught of cheery PR types? We already put up with you at one job.

We hired an ex-producer who made an excellent first impression, but the second she arrived, she spent gobs of time saying why pitches wouldn’t work and had a nonstop, almost obsessive need to communicate developments. She didn’t let the elevator door hit her on the…

It’s your way — forget the highway
You are so darn flexible, you can do handstands! When push comes to shove, you’ve never met an answer you didn’t know. Two words: shoe salesman.

If the person doing most of the talking in meetings is you, then we’re just not that into you. The best PR people ask lots of questions and listen to answers.

Your mother told you everything you do is precious
Your mom was wrong, and you’ve got no stomach for PR because you are as thin-skinned as Bill O’Reilly.

I once hired “The Smartest Person In The World,” albeit temporarily. When errors were astutely pointed out to him, instead of learning from them, I got fistfuls of vociferous arguments. His mother worships him; he Tweets about it all the time.

You need someone to hold your hand because an editor did
A lot of applicants ask: Will you show me the way? Yes, if I was Peter Frampton! You don’t have the “pit bull” self-starter thing going on, so let’s not.

One of my firm’s most successful PR pros arrived from a journalism career in Europe. He asks a ton of questions, but not before trying to find the answer himself. God helps those who help themselves. And we believe in him (lowercase “him” — the guy we hired).

There are exceptions: You can write a scintillating press release, but still have an ego like Montana? Your ADD is stuck, and your ATD is phenomenal? Hang a hat here!

During these fast four years of co-crafting the notorious Bad Pitch Blog, we made it a home for reporters to articulately moan about PR simpletons. But through the most maudlin of economies, more than half of BPB’s e-correspondence has been you people (journalists) asking if this snickered-at field could be a home for your needy selves! Letters say, “I can do this, no sweat. I know what’s good because, gosh, I’ve turned down so many pitches!”

You know what I think? You could turn down a bed!

So it appears our two divergent careers have finally fallen in love. Now you have to decide if you’re a sweet-grapes person who wants to learn and influence the public while connecting to always-busy people for 10 (you heard 10!) hours each day. If you see yourself pacing in that cubicle, you are a PR person who was once a full-time scribe.

That does not mean call me for a job. Contact me to get the goods on my clients while you’re still a somewhat employed journalist. I’ll take the call.

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Richard Laermer is the author of Full Frontal PR, Punk Marketing and 2011: Trendspotting. He was once a proud full-time “reporter type” who spend 24 hours a day writing for around 35 publications — too many to bother naming. Now he’s the CEO and bathroom tidier of veteran RLM PR. He also writes for HuffPo, Laermer.com, and — here. Laermer also co-blogs at Bad Pitch Blog, and Tweets at @laermer.

In the dark and stormy night of American journalism — 5,900 reporting and editing positions lost at newspapers last year, according to the Society of American News Editors — a small but seemingly watertight shelter still stands: the humble community newspaper.

Long denigrated as a relic of old-fashioned, small-town America, community newspapers — loosely defined as dailies and weeklies with circulations under 75,000, though usually far smaller — have held up far better than their big metro cousins during the double downer of a collapsing economy and rising Internet competition.

Weathering the ad sales decline

“Community newspapers are not in a crisis,” said Nancy Lane, president of Suburban Newspapers of America. They’ve been less affected by the advertising decline brought on by the recession and competition from the Internet. That’s because they never relied as much as metros on big national advertisers and classified ads, which have been clobbered by the Web and the economy. The SNA’s figures show that its members’ advertising revenues fell by just 6.6 percent from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the same period of 2008, when ad spend for the industry overall fell 21 percent.

“Hyperlocal news has not flooded online in a major way. It’s impossible because of the money and resources and time for a startup to come into a community and hire 10 or 12 reporters and make any kind of money on a hyperlocal Web site.”

On the news side, community papers have also enjoyed some immunity. While readers can find a bonanza of free national and international stories online, local stories are a rarer commodity.

“Hyperlocal news has not flooded online in a major way,” Lane said. “It’s impossible because of the money and resources and time for a startup to come into a community and hire 10 or 12 reporters and make any kind of money on a hyperlocal Web site.” That leaves existing community newspapers free to milk their print cash cows while they monetize their Web sites, even as innovators try to create hyperlocal news sites with workable business models.

As a result, though community newspapers aren’t exactly thriving, they’re not tanking either, like the big dailies. Jobs at community newspapers have held steady, Lane said.

“By and large, the community newspaper industry has not had layoffs,” she said. “There have been a few exceptions. But I know of very few that have actually experienced layoffs, and I actually know of some that are still in a growth mode and have added new products and new positions.”

In general, family-owned community papers have fared better than those owned by publicly traded corporations that took on more debt than they should have and have been slashing staff across their media properties as they deleverage. But at most community newspapers, Lane said, when staff is cut, it’s usually by attrition, rather than by the mass firings that have become recurring nightmares at metros. In some cases, community newspapers are actually hiring — more often than not, she said, when they decide to develop new products and Web offerings. Some standouts: Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., a company based in Birmingham, Ala., that owns media properties in 150 towns and small cities; Rust Communications, based in Cape Girardeau, Mo.; and Holden Landmark, a small company in central Massachusetts.

Lean operations afford steady jobs

Though new digital ventures may create the most job opportunities at community newspapers, plenty of community newspapers still stress the old-fashioned virtues of reporting, writing and the ability to handle a camera — traditional hallmarks of the well-rounded community journalist.

“When you go to newspaper conferences, everyone talks about what the next Facebook will be. We’re focused on giving the reader better content, giving readers something they can read.”

In Fort Myers, Fla., for instance, where three former employees of Gannett’s daily News-Press left their jobs to form Florida Weekly in 2007, the emphasis is on writing rather than snazzy Web gimmicks, according to Jeff Cull, vice president and executive editor.

“Our people are total reporters,” Cull said. “They don’t have to go out and shoot video and write blogs. I am just not interested in what some 26-year-old reporter’s opinion is about something.”

Cull figures that his paper’s job is to analyze and interpret the news as much as to report it, and that his journalists can accomplish those tasks better in print.

“When you go to newspaper conferences, everyone talks about what the next Facebook will be,” Cull said. “We’re focused on giving the reader better content, giving readers something they can read. We don’t cover the usual PTA and Kiwanis Club types of things that most community papers do. We tackle the big issues and boil them down so readers can understand them.” The weekly also devotes lots of space to social photos and the arts. The feature-heavy content has led Cull’s father to describe the paper as a “news-azine.”

So far, the approach seems to be working. Even as dailies in Southwest Florida have laid off employees, Florida Weekly has hired more than 20 staffers and uses about 20 freelancers. Since the group began the flagship paper in Fort Myers, it’s launched a second newspaper in nearby Naples and a third in the small retirement community of Punta Gorda, which have brought additional hires.

For some, the obligation of employees to wear many hats at a community newspaper — for a reporter, for example, not only to report and write stories, but to tote a 35-mm. camera and, in some cases, a video camera — is a less attractive part of the job. But others see it as fun way to build career skills.

“Everybody does a little of everything,” on community newspapers, SNA’s Lane said. “As a result, I think you’re more well-rounded. You have more of a skill set. You learn a lot more in a shorter period of time because you have to, because there’s not as big of a staff. When Web sites were being developed and people had to become multimedia reporters, it didn’t faze the community newspaper staffs because they were already used to doing a little of this, a little of that. That attitude prevails at a community paper, which is much different from a metro.”

Despite smaller paychecks, bigger payoffs

There’s another big difference between working for community newspapers and metros, Lane conceded: pay. Salaries at community newspapers simply are a whole lot lower. Though the SNA doesn’t track pay scales, Lane contended that differences depend as much on geographical location and union representation as on whether someone’s working at a community paper or a metro.

Susan Mermelstein, an editor at The New York Times, enjoyed a whopping salary increase when she moved to the Times from the East Hampton Star, a weekly on Eastern Long Island, in 1986. Today, editors and reporters starting at the Times typically make about $85,000, she said. That’s two or three times as much as they could expect if starting at most community papers — even factoring in the recent 5 percent temporary pay cuts at the Times.

Beyond salary, there are lots of differences between community papers and metros, Mermelstein added, and community papers don’t always come off badly in the comparison.

“There is a very different sensibility,” she said. “It’s fascinating to see how The New York Times works. It’s fascinating to be part of that big-world picture.” On the other hand, “you definitely feel like a small person in a big machine at the Times, whereas you’re a big shot in town when you’re at a small community newspaper.”

As a reporter and editor at the Star, Mermelstein enjoyed writing about the many people in town she knew, though that small-town familiarity of course could work both ways: She fretted about possible conflicts of interest when she wrote about friends who happened to work in local government. But as part of the Star‘s small staff, she also got plum assignments she never would have landed at the Times: interviews with the folk singer Tom Paxton, the director Sidney Lumet, and the actor Christopher Reeve, for instance.

A friendly informality existed in the Star‘s office, a cozy old two-story wooden building across from a pond and the village cemetery. Reporters and editors brought their dogs to work. “That wouldn’t go over at the Times, if you walked in with your dog,” Mermelstein noted. The Times‘ expensive new tower in Manhattan has only added a “very corporate and sterile feel” to working at the big metro, she said.

“When you’re working at a small newspaper office like the Star, it’s like working out of your home, almost,” Mermelstein recalled. Yet all is not sweetness and light, even at community newspaper offices. At the Star, one famous anecdote repeated down the years and trickling to the far corners of the town tells of an editor hurling a pizza at a wayward reporter in a fit of pique.

Mermelstein doesn’t regret the years she spent working there, however.

“At the time when I left the Star, I actually thought this is the best job I’ll ever have,” she said. “And in some respects, that’s true. It really is in many ways a dream job.”

If that’s so, Jack Graves has been living the dream for many years now. In his 42nd year at the Star, his career path is almost a mirror image of Mermelstein’s. He started out as a copyboy at The New York Times, then worked as a stringer for the Long Island Press (a daily now long defunct). When he was hired at the Star in 1967, Graves was the sole reporter. He worked under the paper’s lone editor, Everett Rattray, on a staff that, including the business office, totaled six.

Now the Star has some 40 employees, including three editors, seven reporters, and numerous stringers and freelancers in far-flung villages. Even so, hit by Wall Street fallout and the real-estate recession, the paper recently trimmed staff salaries. Unlike the Times and many metros, however, it has not laid off anyone.

Graves’ boss and mentor at the Long Island Press warned him that he was “committing career suicide” when he accepted the Star‘s weekly salary offer of $140 (job benefits in those days also included a Christmas turkey). In his early years as a reporter at the Star, Graves wrote practically everything: obits, police news, a column called “Point of View” (he’s now written more than 2,000 of them), features, and stories about Jackie O’s eccentric relatives the Beales and their disheveled home in East Hampton, Grey Gardens. His editor, working in a cubbyhole at the back of the office, stationed Graves by the door, where he would “take the brunt of angry readers when they came in.” No one’s ever tried to slug him in his long career, though one opponent in a softball game threatened to run him down after reading a story. “I gingerly stepped off the bag after he told me that,” said Graves, who’s now the Star‘s sports editor.

Still, despite the low pay and other slings and arrows of the community journalist’s fortune, he’s satisfied that he made the right choice.

“It was a pretty place,” Graves said of East Hampton, “and I wanted a sense of intellectual freedom.”

He mostly got what he bargained for, he said: “It has by and large been fun. Where else but at a country newspaper can you write pretty much what you please? I never have regretted working at the Star. It is a writers’ paper. I write extremely long and wordy, and I get away with it.”

Though the pay has remained anemic over the years — Graves said his lifestyle improved markedly when he became eligible for Social Security checks a few years ago — the benefits of working at a community newspaper have included rewards beyond those of the freedom to write.

“You are such a part of the community,” he said. “Some people love you. Some people hate you. But they all know you, and you’re a part of the community. I think I’ll continue here until I drop. I can’t afford to quit. And I’ve had a chance to say what I wanted to say.”

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Daniel Lindley is a writer and editor who divides his time between Naples, Fla., and Montauk, N.Y.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just Google your next job? Or, if you’re an employer, your next prime job candidate?

The concept may not be so far-fetched. That’s largely due to the rise of search engine marketing and search engine optimization in recruiting. (SEO refers to free, “organic” or “natural” listings that predominate on the main part of search pages; SEM includes the small paid ads usually above and to the right of the organic results.) Taken together, they could become more popular as job-search tools than traditional jobs boards within several years. A newspaper editor might Google up a replacement copy editor without having to advertise on Monster.com; writers could land their next gig without having to slog through dozens of different job boards.

Candidates and recruiters fire up search engines
Though still small — SEM accounted for just 3 percent of hires among Fortune 500 companies surveyed by the career consulting company CareerXroads last year — search is growing — up from just 1 percent in 2007. What’s more, job boards have peaked, according to the same study, plateauing at 12 percent for the last several years. Recruiters and employers told the study’s authors, Gerry Crispin and Mark Mehler, that they’ll incorporate more Web searches into their recruitment strategies as they push to find better candidates on their own rather than sifting through thousands of resumes from often unqualified candidates that pour in from job boards. Search, according to Crispin, could have a devastating effect on job boards and eventually “disintermediate” job boards.

Crispin isn’t alone in his predictions. “I would say that search is still in its infancy,” said Joel Cheesman, self-described “head cheese” at Cheezhead.com, the influential recruiting blog. “But I do think the number’s going to go up.”

Indeed, a lot of people are in the search pool already. Google Analytics reported nearly 300 million job-related searches in the U.S. in September.

Among the reasons for search’s increasing popularity among recruiters and employers, according to Cheesman and other recruiting-industry experts:

It’s often cheaper than advertising on traditional job boards.

Return on investment tends to be better, in that it can yield more and better job candidates per dollar invested.

While search helps a company find candidates, it’s also providing brand exposure while the company hunts employees on the Internet.

Search, in particular SEM, could be a good way to hook highly sought-after passive candidates — those potential employees who aren’t necessarily looking for a job but who might be tempted into taking one with a well-crafted SEM campaign that catches their eye while they’re researching industry-related keywords.

Rank-and-file recruitment
There are plenty of potential benefits for job-seekers too, according to the experts. Search-engine job hunting offers one-stop shopping; a candidate can find bunches of jobs in one search rather than roaming around dozens of job boards. They can refine their search by pinpointing keywords.

Still, that doesn’t mean that job-seekers can easily Google a gig right now. Basically, the job boards have a lock — for the moment at least — on top rankings in job-related search results on the big search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN.

“Currently most job posts don’t get indexed with a search engine,” said Alison Engelsman, senior strategist at Shaker Recruitment Advertising & Communications. “So if a candidate’s looking for related information and they type in, for instance, nursing jobs, the first results they’re going to see, probably three pages deep, are from job boards.” That’s a big problem, she added, because most Web users don’t bother to drill down past the first page of search results.

Thus, most won’t get real-time job postings with a Web search. A few years ago Google tried to launch a more traditional job vertical, called Google Base, which would have offered up more postings, but it flopped; recently it’s been experimenting with Google Profiles, which is more like social and career networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook than traditional job boards.

For job-seekers who want to use search to cut right to live postings, experts like Engelsman and Cheesman say, the best option is to use big job aggregators — also called vertical search engines — like SimplyHired and Indeed. These aggregators scrape job postings from multiple job boards and post them on their own sites, where they can be searched in all sorts of ways by people looking for work. Like the big search engines, such sites make part of their living by selling SEM ads that run alongside the free postings.

Job boards’ domination of organic search results could change, Engelsman said, as emloyers learn to use SEO to move their Web sites higher in search results. Ultimately, she said, companies with good SEO could cut out job boards as the middlemen for recruitment because they’ll be able to get their own corporate job sites on the first page of search results.

And there are plenty of companies, including well-known names like Jobs2Web, that are very willing to help businesses get their sites noticed in the Web’s ever-expanding information universe. But SEO isn’t cheap. It costs about $10,000 for a company to get its site optimized. Even then, there’s no guarantee that it will rise to the first page. The very fluidity of the Web, with sites and algorithms constantly changing, ensures that rankings will change daily, even with the best SEO, and that further investments in SEO may be needed to stay near the top of the rankings.

SEM vs. SEO: Do paid ads pay?
SEM offers a much more conservative approach for employers. Because it’s a paid ad, it’s guaranteed to show up on a page with the corresponding keyword. Advertisers set limits on what they’ll spend, and the cost per candidate usually is lower than the traditional “post and pray” method of listing a job on an employment site — though that could change. SEM’s ad cost is determined in auctions, and the price of good keywords could rise as SEM becomes more popular.

Good keywords aren’t always that easy to find, either, and subtle changes can make a big difference. Jason Gorham, CEO of Sharkstrike, which helps companies with SEM, SEO, social networks, and candidate sourcing, said that one campaign for entry-level jobs got far more clicks and conversions for entry-level jobs with a hyphen than for entry-level jobs without one. He’s still not sure why. “There’s a human factor in search,” he said. Finding the right keyword, or combination of keywords, is as much art as science, but it’s a crucial exercise for search. “There’s so much noise right now that if you’re not standing out in the space, then you’re lost,” he said.

Trolling for top candidates
Search also presents some unusual tactics for employers: the potential to poach employees from other companies, for example. “I can serve a job ad to somebody who works at The New York Times because I can see their IP address and say, OK, this person works at The New York Times, and I can serve them a Washington Post ad,” Gorham said. It’s a hypothetical example, though Gorham’s done the real thing with competitors like Home Depot and Lowe’s.

In similar fashion, Cheesman pointed out, employers can use SEM on sites like Facebook to troll for employees who work for competitors. “If I know that USA Today has people that I, The New York Times, want to hire, I can actually target them via my Facebook advertising and say, hey, jobs at The New York Times, come and check out what a great atmosphere we have, or whatever. It’s a neat kind of way to target that search engines don’t really give you.”

Perhaps the biggest attraction search advertising could have for employers is that it could make traditional job boards almost completely unnecessary — just as the advent of job boards in 1995 eventually made newspaper help-wanteds practically a relic.

“Hitwise did a report that said a third of Monster’s traffic comes from pay-per-click advertising,” Cheesman noted. “With that knowledge, you’re saying, why can’t I do that to drive traffic directly to me instead of using Monster as a middleman? People are putting together the dots. It’s not going to happen overnight, but more and more people are getting turned on to SEO and pay-per-click.”

For job-seekers, search offers a “push-pull” strategy, according to Gorham, that will outdistance perusing the postings on traditional big sites like Monster.com. “From an SEM standpoint, if you’re spending time reading about your job and your industry, you’ll get captured by the right keywords. In SEO, you can go and pull data from a search engine,” he said. SEO tends to reel in active job-seekers who include work-related words in their searches, while SEM typically trolls for passive job-seekers researching industry-related terms. A typical SEO job-seeker might type “reporting jobs” into a search box, while a passive candidate might merely be researching a media-related topic — proofreading or freelance writing, say — and SEM ads will pop up with job opportunities.

So, will we all soon be Googling our way to better jobs and better workers? “Yeah,” Gorham said. “The crossroads is here and now. If you were doing classified advertising with your local paper and it was working, now it doesn’t exist anymore. So people will be forced into new media, whether they like it or not.”

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Daniel Lindley is the author of Ambrose Bierce Takes on the Railroad: The Journalist as Muckraker and Cynic, and co-author, with George Manos, of The President’s Pianist: My Term with Truman and My Life in Music.

Far from soccer moms and picket fences, regional and suburban titles crave fresh, edgy profiles and service stories with strong local connections

We’re all familiar with city magazines, from venerable weekly New York magazine to monthlies like Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Chicago. But freelance opportunities at these titles tend to be notoriously scarce for newcomers — and since rough times for retail mean skinny city books, breaking in isn’t getting any easier.

But there are still opportunities aplenty for those who know their geography, in the form of a number of increasingly stylish suburban and exurban regional titles with all the polish of city magazines, but with editorial focuses that lie explicitly outside the city center.

A long way from the flimsy old suburban monthlies, these lifestyle-heavy glossies focus on affluent (or at least aspiring) corridors that have sprung up in recent decades, like Orange County or the Inland Empire in Southern California, or Northern Virginia’s fast-growing string of Washington, D.C., bedroom communities. Others zero in on resort destinations, like Sun Valley or Aspen.

The key to getting a foot in the door at one of these magazines isn’t too different from the first rule in real estate: “It’s always about local, local, local,” says Hobart Rowland, editor-in-chief of Main Line Today, a 20,000-circulation lifestyle monthly covering Philadelphia’s wealthy western suburbs, with 30 to 40 percent freelance-driven content.

“We’re looking for stories that are organically Orange County… We get too many pitches where someone has manufactured a connection.”

Lynn Norusis, managing editor of 50-percent freelance Northern Virginia Magazine, which launched three years ago and claims a monthly readership of 150,000, agrees: “A lot of people will pitch me bars or events in Washington, D.C., and I kindly write back that we are Northern Virginia Magazine and we do not cover the D.C. area.” A story that did make the cut recently was a piece about Washington Redskins player Chris Cooley, who not only lives in northern Virginia but also recently financed a shoot on location there.

And forcing a local hook onto a story won’t do the job either, explains Martin J. Smith, editor-in-chief of Orange Coast, a 57,000-circulation monthly that’s about 50 percent freelance written. Recent freelance pieces include a profile on the local company that makes the full-body swimsuits favored by Olympic champions, and recently banned by the International Swimming Federation.

“We’re looking for stories that are organically Orange County. Just because you put an Orange County hook on it doesn’t mean it says something about life in Orange County,” Smith says. “We get too many pitches where someone has manufactured a connection.”

But find the right story and you could find a home for great local reporting.

Start close to home

Try pitching publications near where you live currently or have put down roots in the past — and explain that connection in your bio. Editors want to know that their writers understand the unique culture of their region. Orange Coast’s Smith says he can trust that a writer from Southern California will at least understand the difference between Orange County and Los Angeles. “They need a fair grounding in the people, the history and the culture of the place.”

Know the magazine

At Northern Virginia Magazine and Main Line Today, for example, all food stories are written in-house, but features, profiles and some service stories are fair game.

And at Orange Coast, knowing where your story could fit into the book is crucial, as the magazine is packed with formatted features like “Trade Secrets,” a business-oriented Q-and-A; “Top Shop,” which profiles a local boutique; “Voices,” a style-focused Q-and-A; and the “Monthly Guide,” a list of 10 places in a category like waterfront dining or independent bookstores. “People that aren’t familiar with the format are flying blind,’ says Smith. “Imagine where something would go in the magazine, and tell us where it would go when you pitch it.”

Skip obvious story fodder

When you’re working on a three-to-six month lead-time, the last thing you want is to be behind the curve on a well-covered story. So find fresh angles, and look for “stories that you’re not seeing a lot but are really intriguing, and that could make a huge impact for the region as a whole,” says Norusis. “It all comes down to, ‘Tell me something I don’t know.'”

Focus on the people

Stories need to hold a mirror up to the readers in the region, and then do more: draw connections, highlight the inspirational and delve into the tough issues. If an incident occurred in one neighborhood, says Norusis, find out how it’s relevant across the region, and “get local people involved” in your reporting.

Rowland says “local boy makes good” stories can work — but the subject had better have made really good, and research should include local sources that capture the trajectory of his journey, as in a recent profile on Hollywood comic and writer Adam McKay. “The pitches that seem to get me are interesting local people that are doing something that has been recognized on a national scale,” he says.

Table traditional travel pitches

Regional editors get tons of travel pitches — but unless a magazine has a specific travel section or its editorial calendar lists a travel issue, these can be a long shot. Try little-known local sites of interest instead.

Keep an open mind

Pitches may need some work to fit the specific regional mold — try to go with it, Smith says. “The magazine has a fairly good sense of its audience and its place in the universe. So we need freelancers to be very open-minded about their stories, to be prepared to discuss a story quite a bit before we can make an assignment.”

Follow up
Editors at small regional titles tend to be stretched incredibly thin, so email, don’t call. But if you don’t hear back, don’t be afraid to follow up and try to catch them at a better time.

Pay rate
Northern Virginia pays from $100 to $1,000, depending on the type of article, word count and the writer’s experience. Orange Coast pays $200-$300 for front-of-book departments and formatted features, and $1,000 to $1,800 for feature articles, which rarely exceed 3,000 words. Main Line Today pays from $50 for a 100-word calendar item to $800 for a feature article.

Lead times
At least four months in advance; Orange Coast prefers pitches six months in advance.

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Samantha Melamed is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She blogs about vegetarian cooking at SeitanWorship.wordpress.com.

When it comes to generating publicity, nothing beats good old-fashioned relationship-building, of course. But while the old tried and true methods are still often appropriate, new media and technology options offer new opportunities that many publicists and PR professionals are successfully taking advantage of. “A well-maintained list is a PR pro’s best friend,” says Frani Lieberman, account supervisor with Bender Hammerling Group in New Jersey, “but actually knowing who writes what because you read is the biggest help of all.”

Homegrown vs. fee-based databases

Regardless of the tools used — from Outlook and Excel to subscription-based services — organization is a must. PR practitioners use various methods, based on their individual needs, preferences and organizational styles.

Michael Levey, senior strategist with Zer0 to 5ive in Devon, Pa., for instance, says: “I have each account in a different Outlook folder. Under each account folder I have sub-folders — local contacts, trade contacts, op-ed contacts, etc. I save one email from each reporter into the folder, and then when I have an announcement, before I even make a media list, I immediately email all my saved contacts in Outlook.” Levey says he thinks the process works well because reporters are able to see the email strand and it allows him to get information out quickly when necessary.

“Spamming journalists will kill a career quicker than batting an eye.”

Dianna Stampfler with Promote Michigan manages contacts through Outlook and Constant Contact. “My media lists — 50-plus as of today — have more than 3,000 contacts,” she says. “I break them into categories — golf, fly fishing, wine, beer, hospitality, winter sports, senior, women, men, radio, TV, newspaper, magazine, freelancers, online — so that I can target my messages.” Stampfler also maintains an “A-list” of media in Michigan interested in most of the news she’s sending. “I usually send releases to them a day, or at least several hours, in advance so they can get a jump on everyone else.”

“Besides the usual database of media contacts, I create notebooks or binders of media for a variety of given topics and arrange them by the media format they represent such as local, national, radio, dot com, blogs, etc.,” says Janet Hansen, with Brio Public Relations. “For each project I work on, I build a media file with a tracking system that helps me keep track of the many media contacts made, follow-ups and what the outcome or comments are from journalists,” says Hansen. “Spamming journalists will kill a career quicker than batting an eye.” Hansen also subscribes to PartyLine, a weekly update that helps her keep track of changes. “Some people believe PartyLine is outdated and others are surprised it’s still in business,” she admits, but says, “I really couldn’t do without it right now.”

“It’s better to devote time researching what 10 of your top targets have written over the past month and writing a thoughtful pitch to each, rather than hitting 100 contacts who will most likely just hit delete.”

Jordan McAuley with Celebrity PR in New York uses the Groups feature of Gmail to stay organized and on top of contacts. “It’s great for organizing contacts and keeping track of correspondence,” says McAuley. “When planning media campaigns, I create spreadsheets using Google Docs with names, addresses, titles, phone and fax numbers, etc. Using both Gmail and Google Docs allows me to access my contacts anywhere, even when traveling.”

Jennifer Leckstrom, an account executive with Rose Communications, a boutique PR firm based in Hoboken, N.J., says, “It’s important to keep in mind that the quality of a list is much more important than the number of contacts the list contains. It’s better to devote time researching what 10 of your top targets have written over the past month and writing a thoughtful pitch to each, rather than hitting 100 contacts who will most likely just hit delete as soon as possible. While it is time-intensive, reporters and bloggers alike typically appreciate this approach.”

Leckstrom recommends setting up Google news alerts for desired topics. “Work by reporters covering the topic will be delivered right to your inbox.” Stampfler also uses Google alerts. “For every PR client I have, I set up a Google alert — sending them to myself and the client. I also have alerts set up for the industries I represent in Michigan. That way, when a story appears somewhere I can keep up on what the media is saying.” Then, she says, she sends a note to the reporter thanking them for writing about Michigan as a travel destination and asking if she can add them to her permanent media list and which category they’d prefer to be listed in. “Two years ago I read an article by an established wine writer online and invited him to visit Michigan’s wine region. Just this week, I had the pleasure of touring him around the state as he gathered information for an article for Travel+Leisure,” she says.

Sara Dobie with Sylvan Dell Publishing in Mount Pleasant, S.C., uses Cision. “By entering a couple simple bits of info, I can track down a beer reporter in Akron, Ohio. Why would I need to get in touch with a beer reporter in Akron, Ohio? Who knows? The important thing is I can,” she says. “You can save your searches, too. This is ideal, in my industry, for debuting children’s picture book authors. If one of my authors lives in Frisco, Texas, for instance, I can pinpoint the local book review editor before you can say, ‘Where is Frisco, Texas anyway?'”

Regardless of the tool or process used, says Christine Randle with DPR Group, a small Washington, D.C.-based PR firm which primarily serves technology-based clients, building media lists is “an extremely time-consuming process.”

It is imperative, she says, that lists are built carefully, scrubbed frequently and adequately maintained so they are up to date. That is an increasing challenge, she admits because “especially today, editors and writers move around often.” In addition to relying on well-maintained lists, Randle and others are turning to social media to help them build and maintain relationships with reporters.

Cull key data with social media

At Merlot Marketing, says Zsavonne Heathcock, “we have found social media to be a great tool to stay up-to-date and gain timely understanding of the assignments on which the reporters are working.” For example, says Heathcock, “We have been asking many of our media contacts if we can connect with them on sites such as LinkedIn or Twitter. By reviewing their profiles and updates, we are able to gain more insight into the stories they cover [and] what interests them, and it allows us the opportunity to pitch them directly when they are looking for the information we have to offer. “As social media becomes more integrated into traditional public relations, we foresee that this will be one of the primary ways to keep in touch,” says Heathcock.

Randle uses social media extensively, although she notes that the types of clients she works with — B2B companies — “are taking a longer time to get on the social media bandwagon.” Still, she says, she’s using the tools to establish relationships with editors and reporters and has a Facebook fan page and Twitter account that have been useful. She warns against using social media tools to “pitch,” though. “Social media is a way to offer information about your client to the media, but you have to be very careful.” Randle also watches postings and follows specific people to keep on top of what’s going on in her areas of interest. “Do a search — find out who’s talking about what — read their Tweets and follow them.”

If you’re not already using social media tools, start experimenting, suggests Randle, who emphasizes that the tool(s) you select should be focused on your audience. MySpace, she notes, is probably not going to be good for B2Bs — LinkedIn probably is.

“If you aren’t using social media at all, dip your toes in the water. Start with LinkedIn; It’s completely B2B, and there are a lot of tools you can use,” says Randle.

The bottom line: Everything new is old again

Despite useful new media tools, ultimately generating results through PR efforts is still all about building relationships and paying attention. All of the social media, online databases and email management practices in the world won’t guarantee success if pitches are off-target or fail to connect with key contacts.

The same rule is still true, says Lieberman: “The best practice is consistent monitoring of your space. Social media helps with this consistent monitoring, but you still have to do the work by actually reading what your RSS feeds and email newsletters and Twitter posts are saying.”

Martin Arnold, with PR and Publicity Services in Trumbull, Conn., has been in the PR business for 30 years and has been teaching PR at the University of Connecticut for about 15. “I can tell you that while online tools are great, as are service bureaus like PR Newswire, nothing beats getting on the phone with editors, when they have a spare moment, to find out who is doing what,” says Arnold. “Journalism is so dynamic these days that even online resources are a step behind most recent changes.”

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Lin Grensing-Pophal is a freelance business journalist and independent marketing communication consultant.

We’ve all seen it. An actor, pop star, or politician writes a memoir, and beneath that person’s name on the cover is another in small type: “with (whomever)”. People who don’t write for a living usually need some assistance from someone who does when they take on a project this daunting. So if you’re a writer, how do you get that gig? We talked to a few co-authors of celebrity memoirs to find out how they got hired. Ultimately, there seem to be three main ways to go about it: be a known expert on said person (i.e. write an article about them for a magazine), get hired based on the merits of previous celebrity memoirs you’ve written, or win a Pulitzer Prize.

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Hard Work And a Little Serendipity

A previous relationship with the celebrity is extremely helpful, especially if this is your first time on this kind of project. Aliya S. King, co-author of R&B artist Faith Evans’ Keep the Faith, is a prime example of how a little serendipity can play a huge role. As a contributing writer for Vibe , King was assigned to write a story about Evans. Over the course of the interview, the two women hit it off like old friends. It helped that they were close to the same age, had grown up in the same area (Orange County, N.J.), and even knew some of the same people. Several years later, when Evans decided to write a book, she tracked King down. It came as some surprise because the article that King ended up writing was balanced but didn’t always portray Evans in a flattering light. “We didn’t stay in contact at all between the story being published and her deciding she wanted to write a book,” King says. But Evans had been impressed enough with their rapport that she knew exactly who she wanted for the job when the time came. King already had an agent at that time, so her agent and Evans’ agent worked out the numbers. Evans didn’t yet have a publishing contract, but King helped her write a proposal, and they soon found a home for the book.

“I had interviewed Hulk [Hogan] a couple of times… After my most recent interview, I said to his publicist, ‘I’ve never met someone who’s so ready to write a book before.'”

Although King had never published a book before this one, she had some experience with the genre. Before starting on the project with Evans, King had actually written a book proposal for a different celebrity memoir, which was never published (she declined to name the celebrity involved in the aborted project). That first project came to her after she had written a proposal for a book about the history of hip-hop magazines. An editor at Harper Collins was impressed with her writing but wasn’t interested in that particular book. However, when he was approached by a celebrity with a book idea, he suggested King as a co-writer. Ultimately, the unnamed celebrity decided not to go through with the book. “I learned a lot about the process because I actually wrote that entire book. At the time I was heartbroken because there was a lot of drama, but it was a lot of good practice.”

Mark Dagostino, co-author of My Life Outside the Ring with Hulk Hogan, writes for People and got into the co-authoring business through a route similar to King’s. However, in this case, Dagostino had the idea for the book and approached the subject himself. “I had interviewed Hulk a couple of times,” Dagostino says, “and followed the Hogan family for the better part of four years, and after my most recent interview — in which he really opened up about his life, and Nick’s situation, and his marriage, and how he wanted to put the past behind him and approach life with a different attitude — I said to his publicist, ‘I’ve never met someone who’s so ready to write a book before.'” Dagostino and his agent took the liberty of writing the full book proposal and then presenting it to Hogan and his management, who loved the idea.

The Hogan memoir is Dagostino’s first book, but like King, he has had other opportunities that either fell apart or just didn’t work out. But ultimately, he is pleased things happened the way they did. “This book had a real story, with some real meat on it, and was coming after a time of crisis in Hulk’s life. And I’m glad that my first venture turned out to be something really substantial and not something fluffy.”

One Star Client Leads to Another

After working with Faith Evans, King was approached by other famous people, including notorious drug lord Frank Lucas. Lucas was working with the same literary agent that represented Evans, so when Lucas decided to write a memoir, King’s name naturally came up. Her book with Lucas is coming out in 2010. In addition, King has two other co-authoring deals on the table that also came about as a result of her work with Evans.

Wall Street Journal columnist Jeff Zaslow attended the “last lecture” by cancer-stricken Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch because he thought it would make for an interesting column. The column was accompanied online by a four-minute video excerpt of the lecture. “Hundreds of thousands of readers ended up forwarding that column and video to friends and relatives,” Zaslow says, “helping to spark worldwide interest in Randy and his lecture. The morning that my column appeared, publishers began expressing interest in a book.”

“Hero of the Hudson” Captain Chesley Sullenberger read The Last Lecture, and when he started looking for a collaborator for his own book, he asked Zaslow if he was interested. Zaslow in turn was quite taken with Sully’s story, and the result was Highest Honor, which debuted in October 2009 at No. 3 on the New York Times bestseller list.

“You have to be very good at interviewing. But you also have to be able to write from another person’s point of view.”

Our final paragon of the celebrity memoir is Ron Powers, who co-wrote True Compass with the late Senator Ted Kennedy. How did Powers get that gig? Well, we weren’t able to get in touch with him before press time, but we can speculate that it might have something to do with being a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist. He also fits our second category, having also co-authored books with James Bradley (Flags of Our Fathers) and Robert Morgan (The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle: Memoir of a WWII Bomber Pilot).

Befriend the Dealmakers

So what have we learned here? To land a celebrity memoir deal, it helps if you are famous yourself or already know someone who is. Seriously though, as a long-term plan, it’s a good idea to try to land some celebrity interviews in national magazines. It’s unlikely that you will get this kind of book deal without some relevant experience. But hold on: Unless Victoria Beckham agrees to let you hawk her life story out of your trunk, you’ll need the backing of a publishing house. So, start researching the power players now and get on their radar.

Literary agent Dan Strone from Trident Media Group has handled many of these types of books including those by actress MacKenzie Phillips and astronaut Buzz Aldrin. He says that he almost always is involved in finding collaborators for his clients, and that he has a small stable of writers he calls on. Some have co-authored other books, and some are introduced to him in other ways and just seem like a good fit. “Most of them,” he says, “come from the magazine world. A background in journalism is important. You have to be very good at interviewing. But you also have to be able to write from another person’s point of view.”

Attorney Robert Barnett, who represented former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s book Going Rogue, as well as Dick Cheney’s upcoming book, adds that in the end, it is the client’s choice who he or she works with on such an intimate endeavor. He says, “Potential collaborators should make themselves known to editors, agents, and attorneys. […] I receive applications from many candidates each year.” Barnett recently worked on a project where there were more than 40 candidates. He also reminds us that credited co-authors are not the only game in town. Sometimes collaborators are hired to ghost write (uncredited), write a first draft, polish up a finished manuscript, or to do research. “Most of the collaborators I work with are very experienced,” he says, “but the aspiring collaborator has to start somewhere.”

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M. David Hornbuckle is a freelance writer and editor who lives in New York City. He is the author of The Salvation of Billy Wayne Carter & Other Stories.

As the Hispanic population in the United States grows rapidly, so does its purchasing power. There will be 50 million Hispanics in the U.S. by next year — that’s 16 percent of the U.S. population, according to Magazine Publishers of America. By 2011, the buying power of Hispanics is projected to reach $1.2 trillion, MPA says. Hispanics in the U.S. are buying more of everything — including magazines. An estimated 75 percent of Hispanic adults read around 10 magazine issues a month and even prefer magazines more than any other form of media.

As a result, the number and circulation of Spanish-language magazines has spiked. The demand has significantly boosted sales of Spanish-language editions of U.S. women’s magazines, where readership has been one of the highest in the Spanish-language magazine market. For freelancers who can report and write in Spanish, this means greater opportunities to influence a large and important audience.

Harper’s Bazaar en Español, a joint venture between the Hearst Corporation and Editorial Televisa, was one of the first Spanish-language women’s magazines to meet the new demand when it launched in 1979. Deborah Uranga, Harper’s Bazaar en Español‘s editorial coordinator in Mexico, says the spinoff, like the original, is “for all women who love fashion, beauty and luxury.” Eleven years later, in 1990, Marie Claire México y América Latina and Cosmopolitan‘s Spain edition were launched, followed by Glamour México and Glamour Latinoamérica. The first Spanish-language issue of Glamour, the result of a deal between Condé Nast Publications and Miami-based Ideas Publishing, hit newsstands in 1998. Maria Juliana Garzon, editorial coordinator for Glamour, says that both editions “get to the heart of what women want: Individuality, confidence and empowerment to make smart choices [and coverage of] a mix of in-depth issues on beauty, fashion, travel and entertainment, relationships, career and health,” familiar subjects in most women’s magazines.

While Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and Glamour in Spanish share similar editorial missions with their English-language counterparts, the former magazines serve a readership based mostly outside the United States. Still, all four magazines invite U.S. freelance writers to contribute content.

Break in with an unusual angle
Any U.S. writer with a great idea can break into Harper’s Bazaar, Uranga says. Like their English-language versions, Spanish-language magazines are looking for fresh angles on issues that appeal to their market — mostly young, Hispanic women — and original stories. Cosmopolitan, for example, recently accepted a story pitch on the “new” secrets to success. Marie Claire published a first-person story about adopting a baby from Haiti.

Laura Villarreal, deputy editor for Marie Claire, encourages submissions to sections like the five-page “Reporte Global,” which tracks events around the world; the six-page “Apertura,” which contains more photos than text; and the two-page “Yo lo viví,” which recounts women’s life experiences. While writers are free to pitch to any section, acceptance rates for these pages are highest.

“At Harper’s Bazaar in Spanish, we try to expose the emerging talents of all of Latin America […], but we don’t focus only on Hispanic figures. We try to be global.”

Ana Aulina, head of documentation for Cosmopolitan, says freelancers typically get assigned stories related to work, money and for the “Real Life” section. Stories related to sex, health, beauty, fashion, nutrition and cooking are written in-house. Garzon says that freelancers usually get assigned profiles, along with diet and relationship stories. Freelancers can break into the magazine by pitching ideas to the sections “Primera Fila”, “Cine,” ” Columna Glamour,” “Tu Mundo Nutrición,” and “Tu Mundo Psicología.”

Stories recently pitched and published at Cosmopolitan include “The New Secrets to Success,” which quoted Spanish experts and “Low-Cost Christmas,” which includes a list of cheap places to shop in Spain and tips to save money during the holidays. Freelance-written stories at Marie Claire include September’s “The Escape of Desire,” about women’s weakening libidos; October’s “I Have a Multiracial Family and I’m Not Angelina,” written in first-person by a woman who adopted a baby from Haiti; and November’s “The Other Berlin,” which includes eight testimonials from women who grew up in Berlin before and after the wall was destroyed. Glamour recently accepted and published “The Magic of Sex.”

Master the pitching vernacular
These magazines ask for clips and pitches in Spanish, with the exception of Cosmopolitan (which accepts English clips and pitches, too). All sections of Harper’s Bazaar and Marie Claire are open to freelancers. All four magazines prefer pitches by email. Cosmopolitan‘s lead time is two months; Marie Claire‘s is two to three months, and Harper’s Bazaar‘s lead time is three months.

Shape your story for a Latin American audience
Most of these mags’ audience is in Mexico, and U.S. freelancers should keep in mind what resources are accessible to Mexican and other Latin American readers in terms of retailers and merchandise, Uranga says. Freelancers should also be aware that the coverage in these magazines reflects U.S./Latin American differences in culture, habits and lifestyles, Uranga says. While Spanish-language magazines cater to Latin-American readers, Uranga says her magazine does not focus solely on Hispanic trends and achievements. “At Harper’s Bazaar in Spanish, we try to expose the emerging talents of all of Latin America. We report on what’s happening from Mexico to Brazil and Argentina, but we don’t focus only on Hispanic figures. We try to be global, giving Hispanics special recognition when they deserve it.”

Understand the magazine’s goals
While the English- and Spanish-language versions of one magazine may have similar agendas, not everything that would appeal to a Glamour reader in the U.S., for instance, would interest a reader in Latin America. Both Uranga of Harper’s Bazaar and Garzon cite readers’ interest in luxury and upscale brands, a factor that Garzon says separates Glamour readers in the U.S. from those in Latin America. “Many upscale brands that in the U.S. would not normally [target] Glamour readers as part of their [marketing] plan do include our readership audience as part of their campaign,” Garzon says. The Spanish-language editions of Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire and Glamour use material from their English-language editions that is relevant to its Latin-based market. The October edition of Glamour, for example, ran an interview with Russian model Sasha Pivavorova by Alessandra Steinher that also appeared in Glamour UK. Villarreal says it is common to purchase articles and photos from the English-language Marie Claires, or sell them some of the Latin American content. Spain’s Cosmopolitan borrows heavily from other editions of its magazine, Aulina says.

Know the competition
To know your audience better, know what magazines these publications are compared to. Also keep in mind that pitching an article inspired by a story in an English-language magazine won’t work — according to editors, their readers pick up magazines in English, as well. Harper’s Bazaar and Glamour in Spanish compete with magazines that appeal to similar tastes, regardless of language. Harper’s Bazaar en Espa__ol compares itself to other magazines covering high fashion, whether it’s written in English or Spanish, Uranga says. Marie Claire‘s competitors are Elle and Glamour, Villarreal says. Aulina says Cosmopolitan competes with Spanish editions of Glamour and Vogue, along with Spain-produced Woman and Ragazza. Garzon cites Allure, Lucky and Spanish-language women’s magazine Vanidades as Glamour México and Latinoam_?rica‘s main competitors.

The breakdown
Find a copy: To get familiar with the magazines’ content and differences in writing style and tone, browse copies in newsstands or online. Harper’s Bazaar can be found in Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Chicago. Marie Claire is also sold in cities with a large Hispanic population, such as L.A., New York and Miami. Glamour is distributed in Miami. Cosmopolitan‘s Spain edition is not available in the U.S. For writers who don’t live in these cities, both Glamour and Cosmopolitan publish content on their Web sites.

Circulation and frequency: Harper’s Bazaar en Español: Annual circulation of about 275,000 in Latin America and the U.S.; eight issues/year with two special editions in October and March.
Marie Claire: Circulation of about 115,000 in Mexico and the rest of Latin America; 12 issues/year.
Cosmopolitan in Spain: Circulation of 132,000 for its regular-sized edition and 95,000 for its pocket-sized one; 12 issues/year.
Glamour: Annual circulation of about 380,000 (about 43,000 of those copies are exported to the U.S.); 12 issues/year, with a special Mexico edition on style in November.

Percentage of freelance-written content: Freelance submission acceptance rates at Spanish-language women’s magazines are comparable to their U.S. counterparts — writers have about the same chance of getting their story published in Spanish as they are in English. At Harper’s Bazaar, about half of all story proposals are accepted and about 30 percent of the magazine’s content is written by freelancers. Both Spanish-language editions of Glamour use freelancers for about 20 percent of their content, although Glamour México has more content than Glamour Latinoamérica. Marie Claire also depends on freelancers for about 20 percent of its content, while less than 10 percent of Cosmopolitan is freelance-written.

Pay rate: Varies, but significantly lower than pay rates at the English-language editions. Many of these magazines pay by the page, with the exception of Marie Claire. Harper’s Bazaar pays $150 per page. Uranga could not estimate how many words are typically on one page. Villarreal says Marie Claire‘s rate is lower than the average $1-$2/word usually given at the major English-language women’s publications, but still higher than the rate at most magazines published in Mexico. For feature stories, Marie Claire pays between $500-$1,500. Cosmopolitan pays about 125 euros a page, depending on the story. Twenty-five percent of this amount is deducted if invoices are not accompanied by a Spanish residency certificate or tax relief form.

Contact info:

Harper’s Bazaar en Español

Av. Vasco de Quiroga 2000

Santa Fe, Mexico

CP 01210

+52 555 2612600

FirstInitialLastName AT editorial DOT televisa DOT com DOT mx

[No Web site]

Direct pitches to editor-in-chief Toni Salamanca: tsalamanca AT editorial DOT televisa DOT com DOT mx

Glamour México y Latino América

800 Brickell Ave, Ste. 901

Miami, FL 33131

(305) 371-9393

FirstInitialLastName AT condenastamericas DOT com
www.glamourlatam.com

Direct pitches to editorial coordinator Maria Juliana Garzon: mjgarzon AT condenastamericas DOT com

Cosmopolitan Spain

Albasanz 15

28037 Madrid, Spain

FirstInitialLastName AT gyj DOT es
www.cosmopolitan.com.es

Direct pitches to articles editor Brenda Chavez: bchavez AT gyj DOT es

Marie Claire México y Latino América

Av. Vasco de Quiroga 2000

Edificio E, Piso 3

Santa Fe, Mexico

CP 01210

+52 555 2612600

[No Web site]

Direct pitches to deputy editor Laura Villarreal: lvillarreals AT televisa DOT com DOT mx OR editor Monica Martinez: mmartinezgom AT editorial DOT televisa DOT com DOT mx

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Anna Bitong is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.

Alas, travel writers do not spend their days flitting from one glamorous spot to another, swathed in luxury and commanding vast salaries. More often, the life of a travel writer might involve a four-hour delay in a cheerless airport, followed by a cramped ride next to a screaming baby or a struggle to communicate the need for hot water to an unhelpful hotel staff.

So why do we do it? First: because we love to travel. Second, because we want to inspire others to explore the amazing and wonderful world beyond their familiar hometowns. If we’re good at what we do, we may be treated to a perk often better than the paycheck: the press trip.

Press trips allow public relations professionals to introduce writers to their clients, and in return, possibly generate some news around those clients’ offerings. The perks of a press trip come in all shapes and sizes — upgraded airline tickets, luxury hotel rooms, free meals and fabulous dinner guests. With all these freebies thrown at you, how can you keep a story simple, objective and honest? It’s not always easy, but with a little focus and adherence to the proper protocol, you can produce a thorough piece and enjoy a little adventure along the way. The Objective of a Press Trip: Keep it Objective

The point of a press trip might be to introduce a new service, remodeled hotel, or upcoming event. Once in a while, tourism boards will stage press trips that are inclusive of flights, hotels and meals as a way to generate interest in the destination. The purpose is to get press, and as a reporter, you have the right to tell the story as you see it — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Travel is subjective: Your view of something will always be different than that of the passenger seated next to you. Your audience deserves the truth, however, and that includes the truth of who sponsored your journey. But, is it fair to take a service or product for free when others have to pay for it? Well, technically, you’re working for it.

“If you stay focused on your readers — and [are] soaking up every detail that may be relevant to them — it’s pretty easy to remain objective,” said Tom Johansmeyer, a travel blogger for online travel sites including Gadling and Luxist. “The first thing I look for on a trip is what would make a destination or hotel attractive to my readers, and then I balance it out with any drawbacks. The travel writer’s job is to cover the destination fairly and accurately… which is much easier if you’re actually there. As long as you’re honest, it doesn’t matter who writes the check. Disclose who paid for it for good measure, so the readers can make the call for themselves.”

If the hotel room you’re staying in isn’t clean, you got food poisoning on your flight, or you witnessed some ugly interactions between staff and guests, it’s your obligation as a journalist to report it. “I look at press trips the same way I look at the theater critic who gets two free tickets to the opening night of the play: I reserve the right to say [the product] sucks,” says Peter Greenberg, travel editor for CBS News and author of the New York Times bestseller Don’t Go There! The Travel Detective’s Essential Guide to the Must-Miss Places of the World.

Great Expectations

Every press trip is organized differently, so it’s important to set expectations up front. Before you pack your bags and head for the airport, make sure you have a clear understanding of what is involved and what the client is hoping to achieve by hosting reporters. There are some basic rules to follow:

Never accept a press trip for purely personal reasons (i.e., you’ve always wanted to visit Barbados or you’ve been dying to check out the new luxury hotel in Dubai). Do your personal exploring on your own dime. This is about business.

Always discuss the press trip with your editors before accepting. Some publications allow press trips, others don’t, and it’s usually the editor’s discretion.

“Be sure there’s an understanding that you’re going on this trip with every intention of writing something publishable, but that if nothing interesting happens both of you reserve the right to not publish anything,” said Chris Elliott, writer of the syndicated Travel Troubleshooter column, which appears in more than 50 U.S. newspapers and Web sites.

Pat Washburn, a freelance journalist for publications including The Boston Globe and MaineToday.com, suggests first considering whether you are interested in writing about the subject, your readers are interested in reading about it, and if there is anything about the trip that sends a bad signal. For instance, if you’re asked to commit to a certain number of published stories, or to sign anything preventing you from exploring certain aspects of the destination, you should immediately decline the offer.

“Your job is to go behind the scenes, and go beyond what’s being handed to you by marketers.”

Once you’ve agreed to go on the press trip, you’ll receive an itinerary that includes everything from your accommodations to your dinner reservations. Review it carefully — this is where you’ll find your initial story ideas. Make sure everything you requested is listed. For example, if you requested an interview with the head chef of a new restaurant opening at the hotel, that interview should be scheduled into your itinerary. If not, it’s time to contact the agency and ask for a revision. “Remember, your job is to go behind the scenes, and go beyond what’s being handed to you by marketers,” said Washburn.

Also check to see what costs are not being covered. For instance, if your itinerary includes breakfast and dinner, you should budget to cover your own lunch.

Pitching the Story

While most press trips will have a set itinerary prepared prior to your trip, in general, it’s a good idea to reserve pitching your stories until afterwards. Simply put, you just never know what you’ll discover when you’re on the road. Take time during the trip to jot down potential ideas and angles and send query letters to editors as soon as you return home. Remember, many publications plan their editorial calendars a year in advance so it’s possible you’ll be looking at a lead time of at least a few months. However, you’ll want to pitch editors well in advance for something timely, like a sporting event or concert.

“On the road, we ask writers to understand the source of the trip — how the itinerary is positioned and pitched — as to best learn how the product is framed. And then look beyond that,” said Grant Martin, editor of Gadling, an AOL Travel site. “We like seeing foreign, cultural facets that compare well against our demographic, wild and wonderful stories from the road and deep insight into a destination or place.”

The Perks and the Pitfalls

Being invited on a press trip is a privilege and should be treated as such. Between flights, hotel rooms, meals and tours, these trips can cost thousands of dollars, depending on the destination, which is likely more than you’ll be paid to write the article! Balancing the perks takes talent, and you’ve got to be on your game to ensure a fair and accurate account of your trip. Most importantly, says Johansmeyer, is protecting your reputation.

“I’m not interested in gambling with my credibility,” said Johansmeyer. “Simple advice: don’t focus on the perks. If you want to write about travel, write about travel. There are plenty of people who want to do it, so the market won’t suffer for the loss of one writer who’d rather cram his apartment with freebies.”

While others might perceive press trips to be a luxurious and cost-effective way to travel, it’s important to remember you’re here to do a job. Yes, there are endless cocktails being passed around and it’s likely you’re staying in a room with a spectacular view, but there’s a lot of work that goes into this.

“Sleep is the first luxury to be sacrificed. It’s the nature of the beast. Press trips can be fun, but there’s also a considerable amount of effort involved,” said Johansmeyer.

You’re required to attend the functions, run after interviews, file stories, format photos and reply to last-minute emails and editor’s requests. The perk of the press trip is the royal treatment, but that also results in some unfortunate mistakes from rookie reporters.

“Believing they don’t owe their hosts anything, drinking too much, making unreasonable demands of their hosts, drinking too much, hanging out in cliques like they are in high school again, drinking too much…,” said Elliott of the biggest slip-ups.

So unless you’re used to throwing back bottomless glasses of pina coladas on the job (and we’re pretty sure you aren’t), it’s not suggested you do it on your press trip. Basic etiquette rules apply here: say ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’, and don’t forget that a hangover is no excuse to not show up for work the next day.

Connections that Count

The best benefit from the press trips will likely be the contacts you make. Networking can get you everywhere these days in freelancing, and if you want to be considered for future excursions your best bet is to connect with everyone you meet along the way.

“I’m a firm believer in forming relationships with publicists — and not for the travel opportunities. I see the PR community as a source of information. There are many more of them than there is of me,” said Johansmeyer. “I encourage them to pitch often — I’d rather decide what to write from as full a collection of opportunities as possible.”

While on the press trip, don’t forget to connect with your fellow travel writers. The person who’s writing about a new destination today may well be an editor with assignments to hand out tomorrow. Always follow up with and make sure to send your published stories to the people you’ve met on the road. The writer who is proactive in following through after one press trip is more likely to be on the list for the next.

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Melanie Nayer is a travel writer for various publications including the New York Daily News, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and online sites including Cheapflights.com and Gadling.com.

You check PerezHilton.com more often than your email and can name all the attendees at the Oscars, Emmys, and Grammys, but the thought of mounting the stage yourself induces clammy hands and panic attacks.

For the entertainment obsessed but camera-shy media pro, a career as a talent agent may be the perfect fit thanks to shared skills. But this life isn’t for the faint of heart: The profession requires a whirlwind social calendar, aggressive networking, and an ability to cultivate, package, and promote talented clients in the worlds of television, music, film, writing, and more. We spoke to three agents, who represent some of the top names in entertainment, about how they got their start and what to expect from this challenging but rewarding field.

Work the Phones and Build Relationships

Being a talent agent “is all about building relationships,” said Olivia Metzger, who spent 18 years working her way from college intern at NBC Universal to the company’s vice president of talent recruitment and development. In 2009, Metzger moved to Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of the world’s largest talent agencies, where she represents on-air personalities, news talent, and hosts. “So much in this business is word of mouth. When I’m not on the phone, I’m sitting across the table from somebody brainstorming.”

David Saunders, who heads the Feature Literary Department of the APA Talent & Literary Agency, began his career on the marketing side of Universal Studios and used connections with industry big-wigs like director Sydney Pollack to transition.

“Half of our job is discovering really gifted people. The other half is telling people who can actually buy scripts and hire writers how much we love a client and why we think they, in particular, are right for an assignment. Or why we think their script is well-suited for a producer or studio.”

Like Metzger, Saunders’ days are spent in constant contact with others —
checking in with colleagues and clients, like James Bond screenwriter and Vanity Fair contributor Bruce Feirstein; sussing out potential talent; and talking with studio executives to follow up on scripts, learn about upcoming projects, and promote his clients. At night, there are screenings and events to attend, and piles of scripts to read through early mornings and weekends. “It’s a lot like college — there’s a lot of homework,” he said.

You’re On Call 24/7

“There’s no such thing as a nine-to-five day,” said Elizabeth Sobol, managing director of IMG Artists’ North and South America division, who personally manages Itzhak Perlman, Grammy-nominated Cuban group Tiempo Liebre, and violin-toting heartthrob Joshua Bell, among others. “It’s like having children — you can’t just step away and say, ‘I think I’ll not be a parent for a couple days.'”

Sobol began as an intern at Hamlen Management 30 years ago, when it was just two people in a basement apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and returned to the company five years later, when it was acquired by IMG, a sports company.

But even for veterans, the industry’s constant demands can feel exhausting. Bell, for example, plays 220 concerts per year, all of which Sobol helps arrange. Add to that the media deals, recording sessions, public relations pushes, and television appearances, and you’ll begin to see just how much she and other talent agents juggle.

Get Ahead of the Newsmakers (and Newsbreakers)

For editors and writers, the instincts needed to uncover a pitch-perfect story could also help you find fresh-faced talent as an agent.

Sobol, for example, discovered Bell, 20 years ago: “I remember hearing Joshua Bell when he was 14, and you felt you were being transported,” she said. “There are five gazillion musicians out there who are absolute masters at what they do technically. But what I’m looking for, on top of that, is the wow factor: goose bumps, the sense of epiphany,” she said.

“You want to be the person who calls up and says, ‘Remember when I introduced you to this person who became a superstar? Well, I think I’ve found the next one.'”

Metzger has a knack for early discoveries, as well. She brought on Natalie Morales, then an anchor for a local news station in Hartford, Conn., to fill in for talent on a CNBC program — and the rest is history: “She was on the air for, I think, four minutes and Kevin Magee who is now running FOX Business [Network] walked into my office and said, ‘Who is she? She’s going to be a superstar.'” said Metzger of Morales, now co-anchor and national correspondent for NBC’s
Today.

Metzger also spends time cultivating the next generation of stars, like Alex Perez, now a reporter for Chicago-based NBC5 News: “I called him the day he got to the station in El Paso, straight out of college from Chicago,” she said. She kept in touch with him through the year he spent as a reporter at KVIA-TV in El Paso, Texas, and helped him segue to the NBC Chicago team in 2005.1 “It was about identifying him young and knowing that he had the brains and the curiosity and the DNA to do this right,” she said. And after a year of trust-building, Metzger knew that “there was nowhere else he was going to work” other than NBC.

Don’t Be Afraid to Start from the Bottom

Saunders feels his job is an excellent choice for bookworms: “Anybody who is interested in the written word, anyone who loves reading and likes novels would enjoy being a literary agent,” he said. But passion isn’t everything, he cautions — you have to be willing to build your Rolodex: “You can’t just come to an agency without having contacts already, so you really do have to start out as an assistant,” which involves answering phones, typing letters, and managing the hectic and ever-changing schedules of more senior agents.

And in Saunders’ line of work, this also involves moving where the action is. “For feature agents, there’s no shortcut — you have to get on a plane and move to L.A,” he said. “I made the decision to leave my family behind in New York because so much of it is being here and socializing, meeting friends of friends, or becoming an assistant somewhere, just to get to know people. As a writer, yes, you probably could live somewhere else, once you’re established. But your reps need to be here and be in constant contact with the buyers.”

Use Your Storytelling Ability, but Pitch Wisely
Nevertheless, emphasizing common skill sets and connections may help you break in, perhaps even on a higher level: “A place like CAA prides themselves on having agents who are experts in their field. If you were writing for the newspaper and you suddenly wanted to come in and do music, that might be a stretch. But if you’re a writer and you want to come in to work with writers, I would argue that if you found a way to get in the right room with the right people, that might be impressive enough to open the door,” said Metzger.

“At the end of the day, one of the things we all have in common is just a natural curiosity, a passion for hearing what people have to say,” said Metzger. “I think that producers and writers could transition to this because their job is to understand people’s voices and how to get these voices across to an audience.”

“If I’m pitching John Doe to TubeTV, I’m not necessarily pitching him the same way to Sundance. You’ve got to do your homework — that’s what’s going to give you the edge.”

An ability to understand your clients’ stories and ambitions can help close a sale: “When I hear executives say, ‘Oh, we can’t hire this person,’ I say, ‘Let me just take five minutes of your time and break this person down for you — this is where they came from, this how they wound up where they are, let me tell you what their end goal is.'”

While Metzger is sympathetic to the painstaking process of pitching (“I can spend an hour over a four-sentence email”), she emphasizes that understanding your audience is key: “If I’m pitching John Doe to TubeTV, I’m not necessarily pitching him the same way to Sundance. You’ve got to do your homework — that’s what’s going to give you the edge.”

“You’re staking your reputation on this person’s talent,” said Saunders. “You want to be the person who calls up and says, ‘Remember when I introduced you to this person who became a superstar? Well, I think I’ve found the next one.'”

Immerse Yourself in All Media

To snatch up fresh talent, Metzger, Saunders, and Sobol insist that an “ear to the ground” philosophy is key — something that story-hunting editors and writers are certainly familiar with. Metzger flips and clicks through publications like mediabistro.com, Variety, The Huffington Post, TheWrap, Mediaweek, and Politico, and checks in regularly with the National Association of Black Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association, and The National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

She also goes well off the beaten track: “We’re spending a lot of time trying to find voices in unconventional places — any down time my assistant has is spent going through magazines and blogs and radio shows to see if there aren’t people there who we should be talking to.”

Similarly, Saunders reads The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, the Los Angeles Times‘ Calendar and Business sections, and finds talent amidst the finalists for the Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting and other award groups. But it’s notorious industry blogger Nikki Finke whom he describes as “definitive.”

Flaunting your Twitter, Web design, blogging, and Facebook know-how can also get you ahead: “When I hired my assistant, I hired her not because of her previous experience taking care of artists and artist liaisons; I hired her because of her skills with social media,” said Sobol. “Understanding these tools and how to use them is something that we desperately need.”

Staying on top of the evolving arts scene is important, too, and Sobol regularly checks the New York Times Arts section (“It’s an absolute must”), as well as Musical America and Inside Arts, the bi-monthly publication of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters.

But no matter how good you are at garnering a Twitter following, some specialist knowledge is a must: “You have to know the difference between Shostakovich and Schubert,” Sobol said.

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Audrey Tempelsman is a New York-based freelance writer and former Dwell editor whose work has been featured in The New York Times and other publications. To view selections of her writing, please visit: AudreyTempelsman.com.