Date: July 1st 2004

HANDY JOB HUNTER FOR WRITERS
ISSUE #7 (July 2004)
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Compiled by Michael Arnzen, Ph.D.
http://www.gorelets.com

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BRANDING BURNS:
MAKING A NAME FOR YOURSELF AS A FREELANCE WRITER
by Michael Arnzen

Books and many other forms of writing can sell based on an author's name alone. True enough, your byline is your brand. But the fact is that writers shouldn't label themselves; they earn those labels from others. New writers are often so eager to gain acceptance that they oversell themselves as a "brand" before they've published professionally. They confuse selling writing with selling themselves. And often, it backfires. Writers need to be very careful in how they present themselves professionally to others in the trade, and do that requires paying attention to how those who are already successful are represented. Networking, joining writers groups, attending conferences, and corresponding with published authors is the best way to study how to make and maintain a name for yourself without associating yourself with amateurism or crass commercialism. You need to publish a lot to earn your name recognition. There are no shortcuts.

In my fiction genre, horror, I recall one writer who used to call himself "The Bad Boy of Horror" in his own bio listings in semi-professional magazines. A lot of writers and editors snickered about this -- and everyone wondered, "What made HIM so bad as opposed to everyone else?" I actually liked his work, but his career never made it very far past those magazines, because he oversold himself, proudly utilizing his subtitle in virtually every situation. Sure, his name got around. But I bet he got more rejections than he deserved, if only because some publishers don't play such hyperbolic games and wouldn't feel comfortable including the moniker on their bio page. Although such tactics often work in consumer culture ("the world's beefiest dog") or in the sideshow ("the strongest man on earth"), writers who package themselves in such a way seem to be working a gimmick rather than letting their work speak for itself. Think about your own favorite writers: isn't it their writing
, and not their publicity, that comes to mind?

Self-oriented slogans are only effective, at best, when OTHERS label you in a catchy way. And even then you want to be careful. Ed Bryant once introduced me at a fiction reading as "The Axl Rose of Horror" (because my novel, Grave Markings, was all about tattoos). I felt that this was an extreme compliment back then, but I knew better than to start quoting that association, not only because, well, I'm really "the Michael Arnzen of Horror" but also because today's superstar can easily become tomorrow's has been. On the other hand, sometimes a little slogan can capture your approach just right. My friend Mark McLaughlin writes great comic dark fantasy, so when renowned editor Ellen Datlow called him "The Clown Prince of Horror" in an essay, he added that to his home page and cited it in some advertising. I see nothing wrong with using such a quip as a blurb, but you probably don't want to, say, put it beneath your name on your letterhead or on a business card.

Of course, plenty of writers do use business cards -- and many include a title along with their basic contact data: "John Doe, Author." This harkens back to the old days when the owner of a small business might put his moniker on his shopfront -- "John Doe, Proprietor"". Because this is a standard picked up from business culture, I'm not convinced titling is necessary for freelance writers, especially creative writers, even if we are in the business of wordsmithing. It's probably better to say "Author of [your latest book here]" in small print if you are a novelist, using the card as a sort of advertisement (even better, include a small cover graphic). Those of you who already put "Joe Schmo, Freelance Writer" on your cards will argue with me, but I really think the best way to go is to physically write a message on the card itself when you hand it to someone. Rather than include your title, add a personal note by hand that they could actually act upon: a memory trigger ("mon
keys"), a summary of your relationship so far ("pitched interview w/X"), a request for action ("pls. send guidelines"), or a specific task to perform ("call abt. antho"). Tie the card to a specific action -- a "to do" task -- so that your new contact won't just stuff the card in their address book (or worse, in the trash).

Honestly, it's rare that you'll get work from someone just because you called yourself a writer on your card. Think about it: saying "John Doe, Poet" seems too crassly commercial for the arty nature of poetry and though you can (and should) operate as a small businessman would, no one contracts a writer to write poetry the way they hire a contractor to fix their plumbing. If you're strictly doing business writing (e.g., brochures for corporations) it makes more sense to label your trade on your card, but if that's your bread-and-butter, you might be better off doing business as a company with its own memorable brand name that relates to your particular trade (e.g., "Sure Brochures"; "Brochures-R-Us"; "StevesBrochures.com") instead. If that's the case, then by all means, call yourself "Joe Blow, Head Writer" beneath the business' logo. But if you're a "fictioneer" I don't think you don't need to say so on your card. And you certainly don't want to try to prove your creative sk
ill by invention some imaginary job: "Jane Doh: Imaginatician"

Like tech and business writers, creative writers can, however, find ways to "brand" themselves without coming across as amateur ("John Doe, Pensman"), arrogant ("John Doe, Today's Shakespeare") or kitsch ("John Doe, Wordsmith to the Stars"). For example, "Gorelets" have become something of a brand that I've been operating under. Not because I produce and sell Gorelets -- little horror poems -- like chocolate chip cookies, but because it was the title I gave a specific series on the World Wide Web, which eventually took on a life of its own. [For the full story, read my retrospective here: http://www.gorelets.com/gorelets/retro/retro.htm ]. I started up a website at gorelets.com which served up electronic poetry to subscribers. After that project ended successfully, I sold a book by the same title ("Gorelets: Unpleasant Poems") and decided that the best thing to do to promote that book would be to keep the site alive. I also became so enthralled with instant publishing directl
y to my audience, that I started a "spin-off" of Gorelets -- an e-mail newsletter called The Goreletter (which went on to win the Bram Stoker Award in Alternative Forms!). So producing all this material that centered on my web project -- Gorelets -- allows me to use that word as a sort of brand which I include on my business card (and I tie it all together by using the same fonts and familiar logos that appear on the website -- a trick I borrowed from corporate culture). Are there ways in which you're using the web or a book title that might lend itself to a sort of branding or imprinting in this way? You might be, especially if you've been working on a book series, self-publish, or run a specialized serial on your own.

When you run your own business, you can even go so far as to incorporate yourself. Look at the copyright page of any book by science fiction grand master Harlan Ellison, and you'll see that many of his works are copyrighted by an entity called The Kilimanjaro Corporation. This more official approach to "branding" may have added tax benefits, especially if you're juggling multiple types of writing projects (books, screenplays, short fiction), have your own in-house agent and other employees/partners, etc. Collaborators can also treat their business together as a "partnership" and file taxes that way. Be sure to do your research and meet with a tax consultant if you choose these tricky options. Depending on your state, you may also have to file an official "doing business as" document in your local government or post a notice in your regional newspaper.

As I said before, your byline is your brand. If you're a writer, earning a reputation and cultivating a name for yourself comes with the job. When readers read a piece that deeply moves them or slaps them in the face with information they never knew they needed to know, then they want to know who the person is that changed their lives. And then they look for more work by him or her, stalking them in the bookstores, hoping the newfound relationship will develop. Your byline is your identity. And it lets the world know you're responsible and accountable for the text that falls beneath it. Your name makes it real. So let the name -- like your writing -- speak for itself.

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UPDATE:
HJH #2 included an article called "Googling for Writers" which discussed "GooFresh," a special search engine that would allow you to search for postings today, yesterday, or in the last week (which is difficult if not impossible to do using only Google itself). The website for GooFresh has moved. There's also "FreshGoo" which uses the same concept with a push-button interface. And google fans, keep your eyes open for Gmail, upcoming on the horizon. Here are the links:

GooFresh: http://www.researchbuzz.org/archives/001405.shtml
FreshGoo: http://www.freshgoo.com
Gmail: http://gmail.google.com
Googling for Writers: http://gorelets.com/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi?flavor=archive&id=20030406131529&list=writerjobs

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THE HANDY JOB HUNTER FOR WRITERS

key
± = new/revised entry
SF/F/H = Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
UK = England-centered
$ = requires fee or subscription
Likely Dead = website non-responsive

>>GOOD OVERVIEW TO GET STARTED<<

Writer's Guide to Finding Jobs Online
http://www.sunoasis.com/tutorial.html

>>JOB OUTLOOK FOR US WRITERS<<
± Bureau of Labor Statistics on Writers/Editors
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos089.htm

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>>JOURNALIST-ORIENTED<<

Power Reporting
http://powerreporting.com/category/Journalism_shoptalk/Jobs

Journalism Jobs
http://www.journalismjobs.com/

Job Link for Journalists (Newslink.org)
http://newslink.org/joblink/

Detroit Free Press Job Portal
http://www.freep.com/jobspage/links/jobboard.htm

J-Net
http://www.journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/

Journalism Net
http://www.journalismnet.com/jobs/

Media Bistro
http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/

New York Times Media Jobs
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/jobs/jobs_media/index.html

Society for Technical Communication ($)
http://www.stc.org/

Sun-Oasis Job Bank
http://www.sunoasis.com/

Nat'l Diversity Newspaper Job Bank
http://www.newsjobs.com/

JournalismNext for Persons of Color
http://www.journalismnext.com

NewsJobs
http://www.newsjobs.net/usa/default.asp

Nat'l Assoc of Broadcasting Career Center
http://www.nab.org/bcc/

Publishing News (UK)
http://www.publishingnews.co.uk/pn/pnc/index.asp

American Copyeditors Society Job Bank
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ACESjobs/

Non Profit Times Jobs Bank
http://nptjobs.nptimes.com/search.cfm

Just Tech Writer Jobs
http://www.justtechwriterjobs.com/JSSearchJobs.asp

Detroit Free Press Jobbank
http://www.freep.com/jobspage/

American Society of Business Publications Editors Job Bank
http://www.asbpe.org/jobs/joblist.htm

TV Jobs
http://www.tvjobs.com/jbcenter.htm

Editor and Publisher Career Center
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/classifieds/index.jsp

Write Link Job Board (UK)
http://www.writelink.co.uk/Jobs/jobs.html

Paying Writer Jobs
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PayingWriterJobs/

Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
http://aan.org/gbase/Aan/helpWanted

± Jobs for Writers
http://www.klariti.com/jobs/index.shtml

± The Media Network (UK)
http://www.tmn.co.uk/vacancies.asp

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>>CREATIVE WRITING-ORIENTED<<

The Write Jobs
http://www.writejobs.com/jobs/

WriterFind Jobs
http://www.writerfind.com/freelance_jobs/

About.com's Job Listings
http://freelancewrite.about.com/cs/assignmentboards/index.htm

Preditors & Editors
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubjob.htm

Telecommuting Jobs for Writers
http://www.tjobs.com/new/writers.shtml

Writer's Resource Center
http://www.poewar.com/jobs/

Society for Scholarly Publishing
http://sspnet.org/classifieds/

Creative Hotlist
http://www.creativehotlist.com/index.asp

Sharp Writer
http://www.sharpwriter.com/jobmarket.htm

Burryman's Freelance Opportunities
http://www.burryman.com/freelance.html

Work for Writers Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WorkForWriters/

Support for Writers Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/supportforwriters/

Craig's List - Community Classifieds for the City
(check New York for publishing house needs)
http://www.craigslist.org/about/cities.html

Writer's Weekly
http://www.writersweekly.com/markets_and_jobs.php

Publisher's Weekly Job List ($)
http://publishersweekly.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?layout=classifiedsJobsPub&category=Publishing+Jobs&publication=publishersweekly

Publisher's Marketplace Jobs
http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/jobs/

WriteMovies Job Board
http://www.writemovies.com/jobs/

Absolute Write Water Cooler
http://pub43.ezboard.com/fabsolutewritefrm29

Artist Resource
http://www.artistresource.org/jobs.htm#Writers

± Creative Writer Listing at Jobs.com
http://creative.writer.jobs.monster.com/

± Freelance Work Exchange
http://www.freelanceworkexchange.com/

± WritingClasses.com Classifieds
http://www.writingclasses.com/writersnetwork/classifieds/index.html

REMOVED: Writer's Retreat (too many popups/advertisements)

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>>GENERIC JOB-HUNTING<<

Monster.com (aka Jobs.com)
http://www.monster.com

HotJobs (@ yahoo.com)
http://www.hotjobs.com/

Career Builder (aka Headhunter.net)
http://www.careerpath.com/

JobHunt.org
http://www.job-hunt.org/general.shtml

Job Hunt Resources by Academic Major
http://www.uww.edu/stdrsces/career/jobsearc/d12.htm

Job Star
http://www.jobstar.org/

Dice
http://www.dice.com

4Jobs
http://4jobs.com/

JobPilot: European Job Market
http://www.jobpilot.co.uk

Job Hunter's Bible resources
http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/jobs/regions.shtml

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>>GUIDELINES & MARKET LISTINGS<<

Writer's Write Paying Markets
http://www.writerswrite.com/paying/

Poets & Writers Classifieds
http://www.pw.org/mag/classifieds.htm

Writer's Weekly Updates
http://www.writersweekly.com/markets/markets.html

Writer's Digest Guidelines
http://www.writersdigest.com/guidelines.asp

Worldwide Freelance Writers
http://www.worldwidefreelance.com/

Writing for Dollars
http://writingfordollars.com/Guidelines.cfm

Art Deadlines List ($)
http://artdeadlineslist.com/subscribe

Mary Wolf's Guide to E-Book Publishers
http://my.coredcs.com/~mermaid/epub.html

Piers Anthony's Survey of Electronic Publishers
http://www.hipiers.com/publishing.html

Gila Queen ($)
http://www.gilaqueen.us

Ralan's Extravaganza (SF/F/H & Humor)
http://www.ralan.com

Write Market (SF/F/H)
http://www.writemarket.com/

The Market List (SF/F/H)
http://www.marketlist.com

Fleming's List of Markets (SF/F/H)
http://home.att.net/~p.fleming/Sfmarket.html

Speculations Rumor Mill (SF/F/H)
http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/

Hellnotes (H/$)
http://www.hellnotes.com

Horror Scripts (H)
http://www.tcnj.edu/%7Eberes/horror.htm

FlashFictionFlash (very short stories)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FlashFictionFlash

Funds for Writers
http://www.fundsforwriters.com

Places for Writers
http://www.placesforwriters.com/archives/cat_calls.html

Engen's SF&F Market Engine (SF/F/H)
http://engine.freeshell.org/

Dark Markets (H)
http://www.darkmarkets.com/

Spicy Green Iguana (SF/F/H)
http://www.spicygreeniguana.com/index.asp

SpecFicWorld's Market Listings (SF/F/H) ($)
http://www.specficworld.com/sfme.html

Writer's Resource
http://www.writersresource.net/listings.php3

Tucows News Directory
http://www.newsdirectory.com/

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>>WRITING TEACHER ORIENTED<<

Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/jobs/

Academic Position Network
http://www.apnjobs.com/

Association of Writing Programs
http://www.awpwriter.org/careers/careerlinks.htm

Adjunct Nation
http://www.adjunctnation.com/jobs/

Internat'l Teacher Recruitment
http://www.teachers.eu.com/

Academic360
http://www.academic360.com/

Agent K-12 (Education Week)
http://www.agentk-12.org/

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>>FREELANCING FOR HIRE<<

± Elance -- Auction Your Services
http://www.elance.com/c/static/main/displayhtml.pl?file=eol.html&module=home&;

Guru.com (fmr. e-moonlighter)
http://www.guru.com/

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>>ACADEMIC PUBLISHING CALLS<<

UPenn's Calls for Papers
http://www.english.upenn.edu/CFP/

E-Server's Calls for Papers
http://eserver.org/calls/

Tech Comm Calls for Papers
http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Academic/Calls-For-Papers

Custom Conference Alerts
http://conferencealerts.com/

Papers Invited
http://www.papersinvited.com/

APA Online
http://www.apa.udel.edu/apa/opportunities/conferences/

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>>INTERNSHIPS<<

Internships.com
http://www.internships.com

College Central
http://www.collegecentral.com

Internship Programs
http://www.internshipprograms.com

Get That Gig
http://www.getthatgig.com/media/index.html

Envision
http://www.e-magnify.com/envision/

BackDoor Jobs -- Adventuring
http://www.backdoorjobs.com/

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Compiled by Michael A. Arnzen, Ph.D.
http://www.gorelets.com

Look into the low residency Master's Degree program
in Writing Popular Fiction @ Seton Hill University:
http://fiction.setonhill.edu/

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE UPDATES
roughly every three months:
http://gorelets.com/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi

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>>MICHAEL ARNZEN'S LATEST<<

100 JOLTS: Shockingly Short Stories
http://store.yahoo.net/shocklines/100jobymiaar.html
http://www.rawdogscreaming.com

A collection of one hundred flash fictions designed
to horrify, disturb and stun by the award-winning author
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enthusiasts everywhere should pick up a copy of 100 Jolts....This book is
great if you only have a few minutes to read during the morning commute or
if you have an hour to read every story in succession. I'm sure if you're
like me you'll be groaning in disgust, looking over your shoulder in fear,
and smiling with enjoyment all at the same time." -- SpecFicMe

"Arnzen could probably find a way to scare us with punctuation." -- Horror World

Available now for just $12.95!
Raw Dog Screaming Press | April 2004.
Cover Art by Matt Sesow
ISBN 0-9745031-2-6 | 156 pp. trade paperback

Available at your favorite online bookstore.

***
THE GORELETTER WINS MAJOR AWARD

On June 5th, my other newsletter, The Goreletter, received the 2003 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Alternative Forms from the Horror Writers Association. Other winners of this literary award -- the horror genre's most prestigious -- included JK Rowling, Peter Straub, Neil Gaiman, Gary Braunbeck, Anne Rice, Brian Keene, Don Coscarelli, Tom and Elizabeth Monteleone, Bruce Boston, and Jack Ketchum. If you have a strange sense of humor, or a truly wicked dark side, then check out a sample issue in the archive and consider subscribing. It's free!

Read the archive: http://gorelets.com/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi?f=list&l=goreletter

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"The free-lance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps."
-- Robert Benchley

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