Writing for mags like The New Yorker, GQ, Esquire, etc.

[buckweaver]

If professional means earning a cheque for my writing, then yes, I have experience but I earn my money from an online sportsbook instead of a newspaper or sports magazine.  Before moving to Costa Rica to work in the sportsbook, I would act as a writer and editor for the company’s marketing publications. The magazines were preview magazines for each of the major sports, with all of the articles written with sports betting as the underlying theme.

OK, that's good. Your first post made it sound like you were writing for the gambling version of bleacherreport.com. Anybody can write for a "web site" (and, of course, anybody can create their own web site to write for, too.)

That said, marketing isn't journalism. Similar skill set, but there is a difference.

Back to your original question: a lack of a J-degree isn't, on its own, going to keep you from getting jobs. If you have the right attitude and good clips, find the right opportunities, and impress a hiring editor -- if they exist anymore; in this economic climate, there are very few openings out there -- you might be able to get your foot in the door. Good luck.

[slytiger]

Excellent, the advice is greatly appreciated.

[hockeygod]

To reiterate, excellent thread.
Was hoping for an opinion.
I quit the biz in 2008 (after working as a sports reporter and editor at mid-sized dailies for eight years) to teach creative writing. These days, I freelance for a major metro and contribute to a few magazines. Earlier this year, I had a lengthy feature published on SI.com.
Since the SI story, I've pitched two strong ideas to TSN and USA Today, but both were rejected. TSN and USA Today both said "good idea, but our freelance budget is a little tight right now. Try again in April-May."
Question: Is it a bad idea to state you'll work for less money during a story pitch, or does that make you look too desperate? Depending on the length, I'd even do a story for free (for the right publication). Money isn't a major issue anymore and I have more free time to freelance. I just want to continue writing.
Any advice/insight would be appreciated. Thanks.

[playthrough]

I'm running into that a lot too. I've made some deals with longtime clients who don't have the endless coin anymore, but still want my work. For new outlets, however, it's not really worth bringing up that you'd work for less. If they can't hire you, they can't hire you. Maybe they try to hire you for half of their rate from the good-ol' days, but you wouldn't necessarily know that. Just gotta go with what sounds fair to you.

But I'm very much against writing for free. What you produce has value. Don't get started on the slippery slope of giving away your product, even if you don't need the money. It's unprofessional, really.

[jackofalltrades]

But I'm very much against writing for free. What you produce has value. Don't get started on the slippery slope of giving away your product, even if you don't need the money. It's unprofessional, really.

I've got a question about this ... when making a pitch, when do you bring up money?

I'm always so nervous that the editors will just reject the pitch flat out, I don't think to bring up the whole issue of, you know, getting paid. Then I feel awkward going back and saying, "By the way, you're going to pay me, right?" I know I shouldn't, but I do.

Anyone got a method that works well?

[ringer]

The time to talk money is when they say "yes" to your pitch.

Don't start reporting till you know how much you're working for and whether incidental expenses will be paid (or need prior approval) or what.

Hope that helps.

[rmanfredi]

OK, I need some advice...

I've offered a chance to write a 3,000 word article for a national sprint car racing magazine (there are three main pubs in the space, and this No. 3 out of them). It's the exact field I want to get more involved in and my first feature-length magazine article after years of newspaper/online writing.

However, the editor is telling me that he can only pay me $125-150 for the article after he "lobbies the publisher" for extra pay. Which means that I'm getting - at most - five cents per word.

So do I come back with a counter offer? Ten cents per word still is less than I would expect, but it at least is tolerable. If they can't go higher, do I walk away?

Any help is appreciated.

[playthrough]

Only you can answer that. Will these 3,000 words come fairly easy for you, or is this going require some hard labor? If it's the latter, you'll quickly find that $150 is peanuts. You certainly can come back with a counteroffer, but be prepared for them to walk away. A lot of these publications can't just make more money appear. But be strong about it; even though it's a field you want to get into, it has to be worth your while.

All that said...yeah, five cents a word is pretty awful.

[Cappaman]

I've been following this website for a couple weeks now, but I didn't stumble onto this thread until yesterday. This thread has some of the best advice I've received as young writer. Instead of watching the Jets game last night I read through every page, trying to soak up every piece of information. And it was well worth it -- not just because the game was a blowout. The post has inspired me to work harder and it also inspired me to finally register as a member of the site.

Now, I'm a senior at division one school in Massachusetts, where I played soccer for the past four years. However, our season ended a few months ago and I'm about to embark on my first soccer-less semester. More importantly, now that soccer is done, it's time for me to focus on moving out into the "real world." I've written for some fairly well-known, albeit now-defunct, soccer websites and this past summer I had an internship writing for the leading insurance news trade publication in the country. I'm planning on going to grad school to get my MFA, but I'm going to take a year or two of before starting up again.

I feel like I have some pretty good clips and solid resume so far, but I'm lacking any real direction. I need some sort of plan and I'm looking for help with that. Ideally I would love to one day write for a big-time magazine and write a few books. However, I know I should probably get a job working at a local newspaper or something like that and try to work my way up.

So if anyone could give me any advice on where to start, where to try to get started to at least make a little bit of money, that would be great. Also, I know I should be writing every day, but since I'm not working for anyone I don't really know what I should be writing about. If anyone could also give me some advice on what I should be writing about in my free time, I'd really appreciate it.

If this sounded too vague, convoluted, naive, whatever, let me know and I'll try to clear it up. Thanks in advance for any advice and I look forward to being a member of this community

[In Exile]

Cappaman, one of the greatest challenges a young writer will ever face is continuing to write without the forced deadline of a school assignment or a job. It is a test that will determine whether you are meant for this or something else.  Right now, writing for money is probably the last thing you should be thinking about.  You should be thinking about stories and embarking on reading that school has not supplied.  Look at the next few months as an assignment in itself - report, for yourself, on the paths over writers have taken.  Trace those paths through reading.  Read what the writer you like have read. When you find yourself interested in any kind of topic, write it, when you think of an idea, write it, when you think of a phrase, write it, hear some dialogue, write it.  Carry a notebook with you at all times.  Get into the habit - write anything, notes, sketches, descriptions, etc.  You need to write until you don't think about writing when you are writing.  Study how stories are framed.   Try everything, all genres.  Read everything.  It all adds up, and you will never be more prepared to sink in neck deep in words than right now.  If you put that off you will find it very difficult to return.

It was six years after college before I published a word.  The only reason I did or could was that in the interim I kept reading and writing, steeped myself in it, and kept that - not just "a job" - the priority. It wasn't practical, but nothing about this is.

[BrianMcDowell]

This is, in fact, the greatest Sports Journalists thread ever.
Thanks to the inspiration that this has provided me, I've been steadily sending stuff off and pitching a couple of weeks ago, and have already gotten some nibbles from some regional and some in-flight mags.
Thanks so much for your help, fellow writers....

Brian McDowell
Proudly soon-to-be-published

[Billy Pritchard]

That's great news, Brian. Congrats!

[bigpern23]

I only just came across this thread and haven't read completely through it yet, so forgive me if this has been asked already ....

I started a thread on this subject, but this one seems to be a good place to look for an answer.

I recently agreed to do some freelance editing for a magazine writer. He's doing a series for a national medical journal and wants me to clean it up and make sure it's readable for a layman as well as a medical professional.

Unfortunately, I haven't the faintest idea of how much I should earn for the assignment. I'm looking at editing four 2,000-word articles for the guy and getting paid by the article. When we talked about payment, he said I should take a look at the manuscript (so I know how much work will be involved) and "whatever you think is fair is fine by me," he said.

I don't have any idea how much is fair. Anybody? Bueller?

[NickMordo]

Kudos to the OP. Magazine writing is definitely something I have been dreaming about doing for many years now, and it's a great alternative to the lackadaisical newspaper business.

Where do you find contacts for big-time mags, like S.I. or GQ or Maxim (just hyoptheticals)?