Who ever heard of an interview to write freelance articles for a magazine? But this is what I was offered when I followed the advice mentioned in my previous post "Stop Writing") I'd re-sent this pitch, and the reply from the editor was that she really, really liked the pitch, and could I come for a short interview and paperwork? This was a local magazine, so I wondered if they interviewed writers simply because it was geographically possible.
So I went to the interview, and it was like no other print media interview I'd ever experienced. Many years ago when I'd been trying to get an entry-level position, my experience at this one would have been a dream. It was clear the editor wanted me to write for her. In fact, I didn't even feel like I was being interviewed as much as I felt like she was trying to sell the company to me. And then, halfway through the interview, she asks if i"m interested in an assistant editor job because one just opened up. As a stay-at-home mom, I am not looking for that kind of job right now, but goodness, my younger self was so jealous. Ten years ago, I was desperate to find an open door, and couldn't, but wait ten years and walk in with more age and some freelance articles under your belt and you can write your own ticket? This was astounding to me.
There were some surprises though that have given me pause. The magazine is operated more like a newspaper in some aspects, as it is tied to a newspaper. Part of it is that they buy all rights to the articles, meaning I cannot resell them to other publications, as is the norm in magazine freelancing. And that really matters, considering the low, low pay. Seriously, I thought I'd known of the lowest paying gig around, but this really bottomed that one out. The only consolation is that the article length is shorter. The biggest perk is that the opportunity is there for me to create a niche for myself and get a lot of assignments, if I want them. The reasons for the interview is that it's required for anyone to write for any of their 5 publications, and getting okayed for one is getting okayed for all. Bylines could appear in multiple newspapers, not just the magazine too. And she likes to play to the strengths of her writers and take their ideas for stories. She said one of the things she really liked about me was my pitch and that it had tenacity; she invited me to pose all my ideas. That suits me because as a SAHM, I can write only the stories that I can access easily. I can't drive around the city interviewing scads of people on any given topic. But if I can pitch my ideas that I know I can cover in my situation, then that is the kind of writing I can handle right now.
Another surprise was my education in local print media politics; I learned that I could not write for certain other publications and write for the one interviewing me as well; I'd have to choose because whichever one i wrote for first would cause the other to not use me as a freelancer. Who knew?! The weird thing is, the editor of the main rival publication had actually been talking to me in the past 2 weeks about an article.
So now I'm very busy. I don't think I'll be writing much online stuff, such as these:
100% Whole Wheat Bread with Honey or Molasses, for a Bread Machine
How to Determine If Your Child is Ready to Begin Kindergarten
Why is The United States Reacting Differently Than Other Governments to Cell Phone Risk Study Results?
Transferring Your Values About Sex to Your Kids: Timing and Definitions are Key
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