As always, we’re busy reading the wires and scanning pages of magazines to find what we consider the top reads for freelance writers interested in perfecting their craft and building their business.Image may be NSFW.
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This week: Journalists come together, how to bring it in the world of brand journalism, why you are so sensitive, and yes, food again. We can’t get enough of it.
“Journalism might not be dead, but it isn’t breathing normally,” Joe Chernov wrote on Mashable.com. But all is not lost. The VP of content marketing for Eloqua argues that brand journalism offers a nice alternative to the slowly shrinking pool of reporting jobs. He offers advice of how to get ahead in the field and separate yourself from other writers by following rules of of “traditional” media.
Frank O’Hara’s ode to sausages, Oscar Wilde’s penchant for iced champagne, Neil Simon’s Frito rewards. The Awl has a rundown of famous writers’ favorite vittles, and secret weaknesses (poor Colette with those delectable eclairs), from A-Z.
Bloggers the world over could take a page from the Style Coalition’s look book. The New York Times On the Runway blog reports that not only has the group managed to help grow a network of some of the most respected bloggers in the fashion industry, and get them paid, but they are launching their own channel in support of New York Fashion Week, SCTV. A far cry from the Canadian comedy show of the same name, this SCTV will focus on insider access to the runway, with a more personal style than a blog post. Oh, and everyone will be wearing amazing shoes.
Are all writers terribly insecure people? Knowing quite a few, I am inclined to say yes. But it’s not always unwarranted — writers, generally, have to put up with quite a bit of criticism, comments, and mean tweets from friends, colleagues and total strangers. The New Statesman.com’s Steven Baxter looks at why writers tend to have thinner skin than most. “From scribblers at the crappiest little parish pump newsletter to the biggest publications in the world, we are deeply sad individuals who desire constant praise, and magnify even the mildest criticism to a gigantic scale of enormity,” he said.
With journalism shifting away from newsrooms, and no larger structural support for many freelancers in the field, reporters are looking for new ways to collaborate and offer support to one another. PBS.org’s Josh Stearns reports on emerging grassroots journalist networks springing up around major international events, including the recent NATO summit in Chicago where a Google group shared info on sources and action on the ground.
And finally, Reddit still a bit of a mystery to you? Here’s a quick guide from Poynter for journalists looking to navigate the site’s broader definition of the news … In celebration of this weekend’s Doctor Who premiere: the cultural meaning of Daleks … You gotta eat. Fast lunches for your freelancing days … Want to write for a parenting magazine? How to pitch the editors …
Image Courtesy of Flickr, Eva-Lotta Lam
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The Freelance Strategist is a daily publication for and by freelance creative workers navigating today's changing employment landscape. Brought to you by Contently.
