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Sunoasis X 2006 V3 Issue 2
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David Eide
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Feb 28, 2006 22:25 PST
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S U N O A S I S X 2 0 0 6
Volume 3 Issue 2
February 2006
"It is not pathetic passages that make us shed our best
tears, but the miracle of a word in the right place."
-- Jean Cocteau
_____________________T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
1) [Editor Notes- The Future For Writers ]
2) [Resources]
3) [Job Leads]
4) [Community]
http://www.sunoasis.com/sunoasisblog.html
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__________________E D I T O R N O T E S
Times like these create dreamers from doers and doers
from dreamers. The Net permits us to do and to dream
all within the same box.
I think about my days as a young writer and working a
variety of jobs to pay the bills. I have depressing memories
of leaving my apartment with writings jumbled up on chairs
and tables, catching the bus or train to enter an
environment that was not pleasant, working with people
who I didn't want to be with, pressured into political
games I didn't want to play, feeling the pressure of bosses
who I neither liked or respected. And at the end of the day
I was wrung out of every good word I was capable of writing.
I would go back to my apartment and sift through my writings
like they were some perishing soul I was trying to save. I
do admit that I looked forward to the paycheck every two
weeks.
Perhaps it is this sort of experience that hooked me into
the internet. And I'm even thankful for all those jobs
in offices and wharehouses that taught me to do things I
didn't want to do.
So what might the future be for writers?
It won't be easy but the incentive will be for the writer
to do as much as he or she can do. That includes hiring
freelance editors, doing a good deal of internet
marketing, and enriching a website with a plenitude
of resources.
We always like to say we are in the beginning stages of a
"remaking of the literary system." It's true. It implicates
education, publishing, culture, writers, and readers. It
will be astonishingly thorough, gradual, and fascinating.
* * * * *
Let's take a look at some things being done:
http://www.bookner.com/
Here's a site that has the right intentions. Does it work?
This is a site conceived by a programmer, a Craig Newmark
type, ready to turn the publishing apple cart upside down.
His intention is very good. It's about, "Resurrecting The
Writer," by allowing manuscripts to be peer-reviewed and
graded. Agents can then look over the results. Whatever
happens to this site I like the spirit behind it.
http://www.mediabistro.com/articles/cache/a6850.asp
Online writing is catching up to print for professional
writers.
http://tinyurl.com/la4dg
Yahoo recently hired a full-time journalist and here's a
report on how he's doing.
http://newyorkmetro.com/news/media/15967/index.html
We talked about blogs last month. This article in New York
Magazine does a report on who is making money from blogging.
It focuses on the fact that blogs operate like any
other social group. One member of the group follows another
and that tends to aggrandize a few successes at the top with
the vast majority swimming poorly and obscurely at the
bottom.
There is an irrational quality to the Net as we mentioned
last month. People, especially when young, want to obliterate
what exists and technology is less controversial than a bomb.
It's exciting when young but a kind of tired joke as you
get older. Besides, I keep asking myself, "if this is a
revolutionary medium, where are the revolutionaries?" Ariana
Huffington? Women who talk dirty? Gossip? Gadgets? Obnoxious
and rather useless political opinion?
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/index.php?p=2960
At any rate, some large newspapers have signed up for a new
service that, essentially, syndicates bloggers. The company
says it will find a way to compensate the bloggers that are
used. Good for them.
http://tinyurl.com/lhe48
LA Observed is a blog, apparently, the first to have its
content licensed by NewsBank.
http://tinyurl.com/fjlub
This long and valuable essay in the Financial Times says,
"opinion is the new pornography on the internet."
Subscription is needed.
"The inherent problem with blogging is that your brand
resides in individuals. If they are fabulous writers,
someone is likely to lure them away to a better salary and
the opportunity for more meaningful work; if the writer
tires and burns out, the brand may go down in flames with
them." He has a point.
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=96500
This journalist took to blogging after a bout with depression.
He lists seven reasons why it is a good thing.
* * * * *
Before long two large learning curves will reach completion.
One comes from the writer and the ability to market her work
through multiple channels. And the other is made up of internet
users more and more sophisticated about how-to-do the
Net. And as they do more than a few will leave off
mass-produced newspapers, magazines, and books to cut their
own path of interest through the new technologies. Your job,
as a writer, is to cross their path.
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/02/07/051925.php
This is an interesting and valuable blog by John Spivey on
how he came to decide to self-publish his own book. Note his
love and appreciation for the book as a superior technology.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,39020369,39254000,00.htm
It's not easy. Even the techno-hip have a hard time of
it. But then they usually don't understand what publishing
is about. Enter writers and editors.
* * * * *
If you have time try and study all the models that exist
in publishing today. Every piece of information you can
glean about newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and book
publishing will help you in figuring out how to move
along the new system. Definitely look at the way print
publishing establishes relations with readers.
That relation with the reader is a new dynamic. The
shield that existed between the writer and reader has come
down. The only thing between the writer and reader is a
glass interface.
It's a crucial relationship now because the reader comes
and goes as he wishes. The writer has to make a concerted
effort to get the reader to his site, keep him there, make
him a cohort of sorts. The new readers want what they want,
when they want it, and where they want it.
John Morrish is a British editor who wrote a great volume
called "Magazine Editing." In it he has a full chapter on
the relationship of the publication to the reader. "The act
of targeting and focusing on the reader is a creative act.
In a real sense, you have to invent that reader." At the
same time he recommends surveys, soliciting feedback, and
more formal types of research to discover what your readers
are thinking.
A V i s i o n F o r W r i t e r s
Our vision starts with a writer who knows three subjects
very well. She has written about them, attended conferences,
talked to insiders, consulted with experts, and reads all
she can about the three subjects.
She keeps detailed notes about story ideas and what the
diverse people interested in the subject are curious about.
But instead of submitting queries to magazines she will do
these things:
1-Shift her attention from finding editors and magazines to
finding audiences that will support her.
2-Outline a plan to include all possible audiences
from the core out to the margins.
3-Create a kind of tree of impact that details all possible
spin-off ideas, ancillary products and services she can sell.
4-Keep up with the competition
Publishing will mean a variety of ways to collect, produce,
and distribute written material in a way that offsets the
cost. It will mean more than newspapers, magazines, books,
and newsletters.
As she writes she contacts freelance editors to help in
the development of the piece of writing. These freelance
editors are a large army of talented, prickly people who
have joined the ranks of the Free-Agent Nation.
She begins preparing her blog and website. Even though they
contain a lot of the same material she realizes that each
reaches different audiences. The website is a wonderful
archive and the blog is a great way to connect
immediately with people who are interested in the same
subject.
She is constantly looking at her resource base and figuring
out ways these resources can leverage more material. She
also realizes that her number one asset is credibility and
doesn't allow anything to interfere with it. She is
scrupulously objective and thorough.
She will sell highly developed content for $1 or more thanks
to easy to use micropayment services. Over several years of
constant exposure she will return thousands of dollars for
the one article. When the article stales she upgrades it.
She will understand that "audiences" are global and they are
evolving. A person who is playing in the sandbox today will
be her reader tomorrow. And that person will appear and go
online before she reads a magazine, newspaper, or book. She
will prepare her site for all the segments of the market
wanting her resources. And that goes from the beginner
through the expert.
She is not only a writer but a sherpa guiding interested
people through subjects she is very knowledgeable about. She
allows them to peek into the vast treasure trove of her
resources but the deepest passage into them requires a fee.
She will earn income from affiliate ads and google ads
specifically targeted to the audience she is writing for.
At the end of each month a nice check will come in the mail.
She will use these proceeds to pay for her online bills,
marketing, and editors.
She understands the nature of customization. She will know
that any given subject is made up of many types of people
who have very different problems needing to be solved.
Occasionally she will collaborate with other writers to form
instant publications that will pull in a large audience and
gain greater exposure for each member of the collaboration.
She is and she isn't competing with print publications.
Certainly, she needs to pry audience loose from print pubs
who are in her area of expertise but, then, the print pub is
another market for her writing. In fact, she may develop a
partnership with print magazines that will offer her premium
material for free advertising in the magazine.
She will constantly be asking herself, "what do the people
want to know? What do the people need to know? And how am I
going to produce it for them?" She trains herself to anticipate
their needs. Her advantage is being able to develop ideas
on behalf of a group of people she "knows."
She will be, in fact, part of new cultural tribe of free
agents and creatives who roam the internet looking for
ways to serve a global marketplace. She will study trend
books and listen to the voice of people who always contain a
secret or two about the times we live in.
B u t H o w D o W e S u r v i v e ?
Ah yes, the dreamer must always wake up. Gravity and piss
fill the body. She even gets angry at the weightless dream
that seemed too good to be true. She was, in this dream,
writing, making money, and napping when she wanted to.
Of course there are problems! What fun would it be if there
weren't problems to overcome?
First though let us admit that writers are more valuable
than what the market is currently paying them.
http://tinyurl.com/nde86
In fact, good writing is now being touted as a true path to
success. Read this summary of the report from Review. It's
for educators of every stripe. And no matter how horrific
the low reading skills are in this "rich and powerful"
nation, it does make good writing that much more valuable to
those who do it.
http://www.collegeboard.com/about/news_info/publications.html
The College Board publication website.
Over the past four or five years I've come across a lot of
schemes to get payment to writers. One is the pay-for-view
model by aggregators of content like Themestream.com. Another
is micropayment. A third is subscription. A fourth is donation.
And a fifth is advertising.
According to Greg Notess, "Professional researchers in
corporate, scientific, and legal fields have long been
willing to pay for must-have information, typically on a
subscription or time-online basis. But consumers have not
been willing to pay, for the simple reason that they don't
have to. They've been spoiled by the availability of so
much free information on the Web."
Too much free information becomes useless and clogged with
inefficiency. Writers should take the responsibility to
make what they have written a cut-above the free information
available on the Net.
Of course, the classic publishing model is to provide
interesting content, attract a group of people and then sell
their eyeballs to advertisers. This model still works and,
however repellent it is for writers to solicit ads, if they
attract an audience the advertisers will be there.
Sunoasis works this way. I write a great deal on it, bring
in a good crowd, advertisers pay me (sometimes). And I'm the
least business like of people. I can see markets in the
consumer and business-to-business sector that are ripe for
development by writers and those who know how to
communicate.
http://www.communicationpractices.org/subshare.html
This fellow had an elaborate idea of selling subscriptions.
"Web sites and online communities are also replacing
corporate publicity machines to create buzz around new
talent." from Newsweek article in highbeam saved
articles
C o n c l u s i o n s
The challenge is this. The writer must become the publisher
and think in terms of acquiring readers, get reader loyalty,
and get the model going that will permit you to make money.
Content that changes on a blog or website, retains readers
and makes it much more likely that the reader will buy a
premium service or an in-depth article. Know who the
audience is, provide them with a large amount of material,
put that material in a context that adds value for the
reader, and move that content around every platform you
can find.
It's not an improbable future but it's not an easy one
either. The writer has to work very hard to get the research
and marketing skills to use the medium to her advantage. For
many, the adrenaline of getting some control over the work
you do is enough to push one through. Others will get
discouraged too quickly.
Remember this, the print publishing system is not going away
anytime soon. It has a nice barrel of cash and contains many
great markets for the modern writer. Always look at this
market and your relation with the print system in terms of
how you can reach the market itself. The print system has no
loyalty to you and sees you as a convenient outsource for content
they bring to their audience. View them as an alternative
market for your own efforts.
The writer should not believe in pie-in-the-sky but she
should not ignore her self-interest either. Don't choose one
medium over the other but understand both and what each can
do for your profession.
____________________________________R E S O U R C E N O T E S
http://www.journalistid.com/journalistid_resources.html#jobs
Resource site for journalism.
******** advertisement********
Click. Work. Collect.
Thousands of freelance jobs to make you
a lot of money while you work from home.
http://www.hypertracker.com/go/hitext/sunoasis/
Click here to join for just $2.95
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=========================
For Freelancers Only:
=========================
http://www.minonline.com/topstory.htm
A story about new magazine launches for 2005
http://tinyurl.com/qakog
How to get fired if you are a freelance writer for the
Washington Post.
http://www.freelanceuk.com/news/1574.shtml
This report from the UK says that writers shy away from
self-publishing because of costs.
http://tinyurl.com/qssht
A review of three authors making a living as travel writers.
******** advertisement********
PUT YOUR BEST PHRASE FORWARD!
All writers need a third eye before submitting a
manuscript for consideration and I happen to have TWO
eagle eyes, ready to go to work for you, 24/7.
I have honed my craft for over 20 years, have sold two
novels and many shorter pieces, have edited and proofed
countless articles and book-length mss (non-fiction, light
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of 320+ pages and in record time. For more information:
http://www.sunoasis.com/jerinew.html
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_________________B U S I N E S S O F W R I T I N G
http://tinyurl.com/qe93c
What newspapers must start doing to survive.
http://tarakharper.com/k_tax.htm
Taxes and Finances for Writers
http://www.forwriters.com/taxes.html
Taxes for Writers by Cyn Mason
______________W R I T I N G O R G A N I Z A T I O N S
http://www.youngjournos.org/
Association of Young Journalists
http://www.capitolbeat.org/
Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors
http://www.rra.org/
The Regional Reporters Association
http://www.onlinenewsassociation.org/
Online News Association
http://www.awsmonline.org/
The Association for Women in Sports Media
http://www.asbpe.org/
American Society of Business Publication Editors
There are many more links to writing organizations here:
http://www.sunoasis.com/newmanna.html
_________________________J O B L E A D S
Editor
Vanguard
Valley Forge, PA
Vanguard, one of the world's leading investment
management companies, has an opening for an experienced copy
editor to edit print and electronic communications generated
by the Participant Education department within Vanguard.
You'll evaluate copy for Vanguard's ''voice'' and style,
accuracy, flow, organization and format, and mark corrections
using standard editing/proofreading symbols. You'll review the
history of each project by reviewing the appropriate reference
materials and check to make sure that all appropriate regulatory
hedge clauses, copyrights, and trademarks appear on each piece.
You'll compare companion pieces, if any, for consistency and
apply style preferences of individual clients. You'll also suggest
ways to improve copy via written and verbal communication with
writers.
For Full Ad:
http://www.sunoasis.com/edvanguard.html
___________________________________________________________________
TAPS PARA MAGAZINE seeks paranormal stories, news reports,
features and interesting well written stories from any and
all locations on the planet. It is a National magazine
founded by members of the TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal
Society) and news reporters in SE Mass and Rhode Island.
Stories should be in AP style, less than 750 words, well
attributed, and sourced.
Send inqueries to doctorbl-@aol.com
Posted: February 9, 2006; closes March 24, 2006
___________________________________________________________________
Executive Speech Writer
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Highmark Inc. is the largest Pennsylvania-based insurer
in the state, with over six decades experience in health
care delivery and financing. We are seeking the following
position to be based in Pittsburgh, PA:
Executive Speech Writer
This highly visible position, part of the Corporate
Communications & Public Relations unit, will be responsible
for the most high-level writing assignments, primarily speeches
and presentations for the senior leadership within the company.
A Bachelor's degree in Journalism/English and a minimum of 7-10
years speechwriting and senior executive presentation experience
required. Strong skills in performing senior writing and editing
functions, including research, analysis of medical information
and data and presentation of information is required.
For Full Ad:
http://www.sunoasis.com/highmark.html
___________________________________________________________________
News Editor
Channel3000
Location, Madison, WI
WISC-TV is aggressively seeking a News Editor for its online
partner, Channel3000.com. The News Editor is responsible for
gathering and compiling news from a variety of outlets for
publishing on the Web site, with an emphasis on delivering
breaking news quickly and accurately.
Our ideal candidate must show an innovative and proactive approach
to building audience, collaborating with the TV newsroom and
maintaining dominant local news coverage. Working with Channel
3000's Managing Editor, the News Editor must be devoted to
hands-on Web journalism and enhancing stories from WISC-TV and
writing original articles, producing video clips and interactive
elements.
For Full Ad:
http://www.sunoasis.com/wisc.html
___________________________________________________________________
Copy Editor
Falls Church, VA
Tax Analysts, a multimedia tax publisher, seeks an experienced
copy editor. Responsibilities include editing news stories for
grammar, spelling, punctuation, and consistency with established
style guidelines. Must be able to work flexible hours, handle
changing priorities, and meet strict daily deadlines.
We strive to stir up great tax policy debate -- and fuel it
with the best news and commentary around. Because our publication
has no advertising, no holds are barred in the aggressive
pursuit of all angles of a given story -- an advantage that
few other periodicals can offer.
For Full Ad go here:
http://www.sunoasis.com/tax2.html
___________________________________________________________________
Position: Sr. Content Editor
Location: Downtown Minneapolis
Are you a successful qualitative researcher or consumer insights
pro with exceptional writing/editing skills? Are you comfortable
presenting your research and insights to internal and external
audiences? Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment with daily
deadlines? Then read on....
Iconoculture, Inc., a 13-year-old Minneapolis-based company, the
leader in consumer trend research and advisory services, is growing.
We are looking for a Content Editor to produce and manage a variety
of deliverables for the Research and Advisory teams.
For full ad go here:
http://www.sunoasis.com/iconocult.html
_________________________________________C O M M U N I T Y
http://www.peninsulawriterassociation.org
Gig Harbor Writers' Conference
Gig Harbor, WA
10-12 March 2006
* * * * *
http://www.und.edu/org/writers/index.html
University of North Dakota Writers Conference
"Border Crossings"
Grand Forks, ND
21-25 March 2006
* * * * *
http://www.humorwriters.org
Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
Dayton, OH
23-25 March 2006
* * * * *
http://vabook.org
Virginia Festival of the Book
Charlottesville, VA
22-26 March 2006
* * * * *
http://www.sundaytimes-oxfordliteraryfestival.co.uk
Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival
Oxford, UK
24-29 March 2006
* * * * *
http://www.mec.cuny.edu/nbwc
Eighth National Black Writers Conference
"Black Literature: Expanding Conversations on Race,
Identity, History and Genre"
Brooklyn, NY
30 March-2 April 2006
* * * * *
http://www.blue-met-bleu.com/en
Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival
Montreal, Canada
5-9 April 2006
* * * * *
http://webapps.calvin.edu/academic/english/festival
Festival of Faith and Writing
Calvin College
Grand Rapids, MI
20-22 April 2006
* * * * *
http://aipf.org/
Austin International Poetry Festival
Austin, TX
20-23 April 2006
_______________________________________E T C/ E T C/ E T C
Editor/Publisher: David Eide
E-Mail: <mailto:eide-@earthlink.net>
Sunoasis X 2006 is fully protected by copyright.
Please ask permission if you are going to use any or
all of this publication.
Reprint rights belong to the authors.
Contact them if you wish to use their material.
Unauthorized use of any material is strictly
forbidden.
Our hope is that we can help and enhance the world
of writing, publishing, and editing.
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