The Business of Writing: DII Market Links

rmthunter · #1 02-02-2005, 04:17 AM

Here's a link to the markets list from Dreaming in Ink:

http://www.dreaminginink.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?;act=SC;c=25

I haven't checked it out, but I thought it might be a nice thing to have here.

(Sidebar: I'm always tempted to pick up the current Writer's Market, but I hear they're usually out of date, sometimes by two or three years. Anyone have any experience with that?)

Bob

rmthunter · #2 02-02-2005, 06:19 AM

Any mods out there? We should probably change the title of this thread to just "Markets."

Bob

rmthunter · #3 02-02-2005, 06:21 AM

NB: craigslist not only has listings for writing/editorial jobs, but it's worth checking out the "gigs" listings for one-shots/freelance opportunities. Check out listings under various cities, too -- a lot of them are national for e-commuters.

anderclayton · #4 02-02-2005, 06:29 AM

Hmm.

Actually I'm looking for work so could use any advice on finding a job in the field that I can get. I've had an extremely frustrating time of it.

Ander

anderclayton · #5 02-02-2005, 06:30 AM

A lot of the websites I've found don't really seem to be active right now.

Ander

rmthunter · #6 02-02-2005, 06:50 AM

Quote:

anderclayton said

Hmm.

Actually I'm looking for work so could use any advice on finding a job in the field that I can get. I've had an extremely frustrating time of it.

Ander

Tell me about it. I get a lot of approaches from people who want me to write for free. I can't get people who pay for it to talk to me.

Bob

anderclayton · #7 02-02-2005, 06:55 AM

I'll have to root around in my mailbox to find the jobsites/writing sites I've found.

Del Ray's Online forum for F & SF seems to be a place where you can get noticed. I still get the online newsletter but can't access the actual site and it looks like they have had people go on from there to paying/book writing gigs. When it was free though, they did have some decent writers on the site.

Ander

**jgibson2**[$] · #8 02-02-2005, 08:54 AM

I've gotten a couple of articles published for money, but they're really niche markets. One was for a small Catholic newspaper in Texas (I didn't get minimum wage for that, but I enjoyed it). The other was for a nursing journal. The pay was a lot better for that.

If you've got stuff that really fits some small niche market, getting paid isn't nearly as tough. Think about what niche markets you could approach and look at existing publications in those markets. If you're selling fiction, never mind. I don't know anything about fiction.

Redlass · #9 02-02-2005, 10:01 AM

Actually, I adore Writer's Market. However, it should be a starting point, not the full information. Use it to read what editors like and what initial contact information is. Then verify everything yourself. The book pays for itself after one sale.

And writing for free. Ugh. There's a a place and time for it, but it's pretty narrow and it better be something that you really, really enjoy writing.

For example, Epinions is close to writing for free (at least, it should be approached that way and any money considered a bonus). However, they don't give you deadlines and you can write about whatever you want in whatever structure you like. To me, that's an acceptable exchange.

Once someone starts giving me word counts and deadlines, then they're also going to be giving me cash. (Well, OK, I actually prefer checks, contracts, and W-4s at the end of the year, but you get the idea.)

Niche markets are wonderful. And you're not going to get into national markets until you have clips in local or niche markets.

Ander, when you say "the field" what exactly do you mean? Writing in general is a huge field that encompasses a lot of different niche careers. What sort of skills and interests do you have?