Date: June 1st 2005

HANDY JOB HUNTER FOR WRITERS
ISSUE #9 (June 2005)
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Compiled by Michael Arnzen, Ph.D.
http://www.gorelets.com

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Approaching Brand New Markets
by Michael A. Arnzen

When you freelance for magazines for a few years, you eventually notice that there's a relatively high "churn rate" for new titles. Almost every month new journals are launched, taking the place of others which quickly fade into distant memory. This is as true of the slick national mags as it is of little fiction journals: editorial ventures come and go with the tide.

It seems as though popular magazines have a worse half-life than sitcoms, and it's kind of sad, really. But the constant influx of new markets can also be a boon for the writers willing to keep their eyes open for good opportunities. A new magazine offers a tremendous chance to "get in on the ground floor" of one of the magazines that survives the churn. A new magazine has the potential to grab a new set of readers, which means it can help you reach a new or larger audience -- and you might even cultivate a following that you wouldn't otherwise. Indeed, if your submission is well-received, you'll be poised to become a regular contributor and part of the editor's "reliable" stable. And, generally speaking, new magazines are often ripe with space to fill, since fewer writers are competing for it and the editors are far more needy (and receptive to their slush pile) than they will be later on, when their mailbox is overflowing with material. Getting a foot in the door early mean
s getting a leg up on the competition...and possibly your own key to the backdoor.

On the other hand, like all new enterprises, dealing with a start-up magazine can be very risky. They're unproven. The editorial staff (if they even have a "staff") might have all the best intentions, but be totally composed of rookies who are flying by the seat of their pants. They might not know the professional protocols, and you'll have to exercise patience (and advice) while you wait for them to tip past the learning curve. The magazine won't likely be paying writers as much as they should, due to tight budget controls and a lack of capital -- indeed, many new magazines don't pay at all (and I recommend you avoid them). Once they launch, they might not ever really reach the audience they intended or gather up the advertising revenue they were counting on; heck, the magazine might never get off the ground at all and subsequently tie your work up in contractual purgatory while you endlessly wait for publication or something remotely resembling a kill fee. Or if they do pay
and publish, they might not know what they're doing on the production side, and through association, leave an indelible stain on your reputation. Anything could happen.

If you're wondering about how to approach these new markets, you have to develop knowledge about your own capacity to endure risk. I err on the side of giving new markets a chance, often because I feel that by taking a chance on me they're entering into a relationship of trust and I like being part of a magazine's early history. But I don't jump blindly on to any new cart that's traveling by...I try to think strategically about which carts are the best ones to help me take my career where I'd like it to go.

I tend to find out about brand new markets by word-of-mouth in the writer's organizations I belong to, through direct solicitation from the editors themselves, or in listings that the magazines have sent out to trade magazines and venues, like the Gila Queen's Guide to Markets or other sources regularly listed in the Handy Job Hunter for Writers. Unlike veteran markets, new magazines that are hungry for material go "fishing" for unsolicited talent, and the smart ones go to the right fishing holes where writers gather, looking for bait. But once I spot one, a process of analysis begins that tries to determine whether the market is professional first, and then whether it's a good match for my work, secondly. The fact is, there are plenty of compatible markets for a writer's work already available and it's EASY to get published by an unprofessional magazine that doesn't pay and doesn't edit and doesn't do jack squat for a writer's career. Although every writer wonders if a magaz
ine will "take a chance" on an unsolicited manuscript, with new markets the first question should not be "Will they take a chance on me?" but "Is it worthwhile to take a chance on them?" If you are a brand new writer, it's probably more worthwhile to try to get published in established magazines first, even though it is true that newer magazines will often be willing to take risks on unproven writers. But the fact is, it's the proven writers that they want -- and many new magazines usually directly solicit a few veteran writers and pay them handsomely -- whereas some established magazines often pride themselves on discovering new talent, which often comes cheap.

In the established magazine category, it's a buyer's market. That is, the publishers control it. In the new magazine category, it's still a buyer's market, but it's as close to a seller's market as magazines will ever get. And you're the seller. Whether you're new or well-published, you've got more power when dealing with new mags than you do with the venerable establishment. Remember that. But know what you're getting into.

If you're analyzing a brand new market, the first thing to do is to closely read the new magazine's guidelines, trying to intuit their editorial slant and publication value. This should be obvious; since there is no "sample copy" available, the editorial guidelines may be all you have to go on when deciding whether you want to do business with them or not. You can rely on market listings and trade magazines to find these guidelines, but you might want to also check the publisher's websites and even write them by mail. A block of text in Writer's Market only gives you language -- the publication's website or printed matter will give you insight into their "image." You might also find that "on site" they're offering more in-depth guidelines, messages from the editors, or even a list of specific editorial needs -- information you wouldn't find in the market listings themselves.

When you get your hands on the guidelines, the first thing you are likely to look for is remuneration: whether or not the market is paying a decent fee, advance, or royalty. When you go shopping and find something brand new on the shelf, you look at the price tag before investing time in considering whether or not you really want to buy the item. The same goes here, in terms of submitting your work.

Assuming that the magazine is offering respectable payment (whatever that means to you), you should spend some time reading the guidelines closely. Read them straight before you try to read between the lines. New ventures tend to incorporate "mission statements" in their guidelines, and they usually spend a lot of time crafting them to give them a sense of mission and personality. It will give you a good idea of the magazine's editorial slant and general scope. Chances are good that they mean precisely what they say, so if they say something like "no werewolf poetry," don't assume that they might be open to your latest hirsute sonnet just because they're brand spanking new. As I said, read them straight. And if you spot any grammatical errors along the way, listen to that voice in your head that whispers: "danger." Even one misplaced modifier could be a symptom of a larger weakness in the editorial staff (whether apathy, ignorance, or simply poor spell-checking software). Don
't buy into the myth that editors are failed writers: good editors are good writers, without exception, and if they are careless with their own prose, they'll be careless with yours.

Check the guidelines to see if the market is part of a larger conglomerate. See if it's a new title among a whole slew that they publish. If it is, then they have money and experience -- and they're probably going after a new demographic. They also might be shuffling around their editorial teams, so knowing a thing or two about the other magazines down the hall will benefit you. You also might eventually find a way in to those other magazines that way -- good pieces get passed around.

If editors are named, and they should be, you might spend a little time researching them. For all you know, they actually are writers, or have worked for other magazines, or have edited books and anthologies -- and having some familiarity with their past work will give you a sense of their preferred style or focus. If an "editorial board" is listed, check the names: they might be novelists or pundits who are lending their clout to the magazine and this list of luminaries can give you a clue about what sort of writers the editors admire.

Guidelines that are too lengthy are not always the most helpful. Like resumes, they should be short and to the point. Long-winded guidelines that come across as far too detailed are usually written by either amateur publishers who don't recognize the protocols of business or new editors with unrealistic demands and/or grandiose plans: they are trying too hard to convince the publishing community that they know what they're doing, and chances are good that those editors are the controlling sort who might overstep the boundaries between "editing" and "rewriting." Guidelines are not a place to rant; guidelines that read too much like manifestos are probably markets to be avoided. A single page is standard; anything longer than two pages is probably over-doing it. Good editors know that "less is more" and that a good description of needs can communicate a magazine's needs while still remaining open to some interpretation by the writers. Editors want to do their jobs -- invite con
tributors and then judge what's right for their readers -- not prejudice the slush pile out of fear by rattling off what will and won't work for them.

Some magazines post "media kits" and "advertiser info" on their websites or by mail. Get your hands on them and see how they are framing themselves and their target audience. See what kind of money they're bringing in that way. It could be eye opening. For example, you might learn that a magazine is predominantly targeting men or conservatives or retirement age readers, and such things might not be clear in the guidelines themselves.

Sometimes it's good policy to just be patient. Wait until the first issue has been printed before submitting. Get it hot off the press and analyze it as you would any sample copy. See if they followed their own guidelines, or if they're looser than they seemed to be. Think about the types of submissions they chose to accept and consider why. Pay attention to the advertising they relied on and use that to try to judge the demographic target audience they're going after (ads are a great way to determine this). Do a modicum of research to see if any reviewers have commented on the magazine. If they're positive, or if your own analysis of the magazine is positive, submit as soon as possible.

If you get good at placing your work in new magazines, remember to leverage some of that experience and to submit to some of the more established journals as well. I could name a handful of writers who always seem to appear in new fiction magazines in my genre, but rarely appear elsewhere. It's as though they only submit to the latest market listings that are circulated in the trade. These writers are experiencing success, true, but they're probably not reaching the core, established audience for the genre that way, since readers are conservative and stick with what they know. Since new magazines come and go with the tide, their careers are like boats that sway in the dock: in motion, churning along with the market, but never really setting sail.

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NOTE: It's been awhile since the last issue -- and that's because I have changed the publishing schedule for this newsletter. Although the "churn rate" for new magazines might high, the number of new job listings and market resources for writers is fairly steady, and there just isn't enough change to justify a bi-monthly release of the Handy Job Hunter. I'm planning to send out just two or three issues per year from now on, but take heart: I am always keeping my eyes open for new material and you'll find that most of the links that follow are updated on a weekly basis. If you discover any good resources for the newsletter, please send them along to me at arnzen@gorelets.com.

Thanks for subscribing. Expect issue #10 in the early Fall.

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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

>>CAREERS IN WRITING<<
WRC's Glossary of Writing Careers
http://www.poewar.com/articles/careerlist.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 Jobbank
http://www.freep.com/jobspage/

J-Net
http://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

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

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

± Investigative Reporters and Editors Job Postings
http://www.ire.org/jobs/look.html

± JOURNet Listserv Archives
http://eb.journ.latech.edu/jobs.html

± Write Link Job Board (UK)
http://writelink.co.uk/index.php

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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/

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 by 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 Marketplace Jobs
http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/jobs/

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

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

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

The Writer Gazette Job Listings
http://www.writergazette.com/jobf4m.shtml

Pif Magazine's Writers' Only
http://pifmagazine.com/writers_only/

AuthorLink
http://authorlink.monster.com/

Society for Scholarly Publishing
http://sspnet.org/i4a/classifieds/?pageid=3276

± Absolute Write Water Cooler
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/

± Book Jobs
http://www.bookjobs.com/

± PW Job Zone
http://www.publishersweekly.com/index.asp?layout=channel&channel=industryResources

± BookBuilders West Job Bank
http://www.bookbuilders.org/JBnk-list.html

± Career Magazine
http://careermag.com/JS/Action/Searchresults.asp?q=y&key=Creative%20Writer&TYP=4&I1=22

± Editor's Only Classifieds
http://192.188.192.107/editors/eoclas.shtml

LIKELY DEAD: WriteMovies Job Board

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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

± Internet Job Source (StateJobs.com)
http://64.106.252.140/search.cfm

± Spherion
http://www.spherion.com/corporate/careercenter/home.jsp

± Recruiters Online
http://www.recruitersonline.com/jobs2/frameset_candidates.php

± Employment Guide
http://www.employmentguide.com/

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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/

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

Mary Wolf's Guide to E-Book Publishers
http://www.maryzwolf.com/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
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

StoryPilot
http://storypilot.com/

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

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

Writing for Dollars
http://www.writingfordollars.com/

The Eternal Night Chronicle (SF/F/H)
http://www.eternalnight.co.uk/chronicle/c34/markets.html

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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/

± Inside Higher Ed
http://insidehighered.com/jobs

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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/

LIKELY DEAD: Freelance Work Exchange

Recommended Reading:
"Your Worth as a Freelancer" by George Sheldon
http://www.fwointl.com/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=1&num=72

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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/

± Professional & Scholarly Publishing Openings
http://www.pspcentral.org/index.cfm?left=job_openings&page=/home/openings.cfm

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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/

Journalism Internships
http://www.journalismjobs.com/Search_Results_Internship.cfm

The Mighty Internship Review
http://www2.daily.umn.edu/~mckinney/indexwof.html

± Internships @ Book Jobs
http://www.bookjobs.com/internships.php

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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/

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http://www.gorelets.com

******************************************************
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>>MICHAEL ARNZEN'S LATEST<<

PLAY DEAD: A Novel
Coming August 2005
http://www.rawdogscreaming.com
http://www.store.yahoo.com/shocklines/pldenobymiaa.html

"Las Vegas is as diseased a city as there is, and Mike Arnzen knows this as well as anyone. In Play Dead, he distills its essence down to a uniquely brutal game and brings together as fascinatingly repellent a bunch of losers ever to make a grab for the corroded brass ring. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? Jesus, let’s hope so." -- Brian Hodge, author of DEATHGRIP and WILD HORSES

To be published in trade hardcover and a limited run of "sculpture-bound" collector's editions. Preorder for $27!

***
100 JOLTS: SHOCKINGLY SHORT STORIES
Current Finalist for the Bram Stoker Award!
http://www.rawdogscreaming.com
http://store.yahoo.net/shocklines/100jobymiaar.html

A collection of one hundred dark flash fiction stories.

"Name your nightmare, Michael Arnzen delivers... 100 Jolts is a substantial library of horror fiction in one book." -- Bruce Holland Rogers

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

Trade paperback ($12.95) and free teacher's/reading group guide available at Raw Dog Screaming Press

***
FREAKCIDENTS
http://store.yahoo.com/shocklines/freaksursidb.html

Thirty disturbing -- and perversely hilarious -- poems of mutancy by Michael Arnzen, the Bram Stoker Award-Winning author of Grave Markings, generously illustrated with the bizarre imaginings of GAK.

"Michael A. Arnzen, award winning poet and fiction writer, can always be counted on to approach the grotesque and the visceral with wit and, often, compassion. Freakcidents is smart, nasty, and very well-written -- horror poetry doesn’t get much better than this!” -- Tim Pratt, Star*Line

Signed Trade Paperback $9.95 | Lettered Hardcover $50.
Available now from Shocklines Press http://www.shocklines.com

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"It is only too true that a lot of artists are mentally ill -- it's a life which, to put it mildly, makes one an outsider. I'm all right when I completely immerse myself in work, but I'll always remain half crazy."
-- Vincent van Gogh
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