It’s pretty easy to become published nowadays. When I first began writing, even when I worked in publishing, only a few truly great freelancers could get their feet inside the doors of their chosen magazines. I remember working with an editor who had a slush pile that reached to the ceiling. Anyone not already established with the magazine got tossed into the pile, without her even opening the envelope. Now, thanks to the Internet, there are a lot more writers in the world, and it’s not a difficult process.
Years ago, if I received a form letter within 60 days of sending in a query, it was considered a quick response. With the web I sometimes receive a response the same day, sometimes within a matter of minutes. The truth is, the web promotes a sense of instant gratification and impatience that astounds me.
Recently at a writers’ forum, I read one comment from a writer who turned in her work three days earlier and still hadn’t received payment. She said she’d never take a job for a print market because they take too long to pay. I think the people who hire web writers are the same way. They want their content up, and they want it up yesterday. Rather than take a few weeks to go through resumes and clips, they choose the one who looks the best within an hour or two of placing the ad. Every time I suggest perhaps online clients are less “picky” I get a flood of angry emails and comments accusing me of being a snob.
With publishing, there are plenty of highly paid editors whose job it is to see to it a piece is presented in a professional manner with no typos, misspellings and other clunkers. Many websites hiring writers don’t have an editorial staff, and frankly, couldn’t care less. They just want the content up so they can begin to bring in revenue. I think part of the problem is also that many webmasters don’t possess the ability to edit an article. They may not even know a thing about the subject matter except that it brings in a lot of searchers.
I realize there’s nothing I can do about this, and I’m not trying. This is mostly me talking about what’s on my mind. We can’t make webmasters have a more strict application process any more than we can force them to pay more money.
Years ago I saw an ad in the back of a magazine called “anyone can write.” It invited writers to jot down a paragraph and send it in to the printed address. Everyone who entered received a letter of praise and an invitation to enroll in a correspondence course. Thanks to the Internet, anyone can indeed write and become published. Only now, it doesn’t cost you a cent to try.
August 16th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
I couldn’t agree with you more. The instant gratification forgoes quality and validity far too often. Not to say that everything on the net is not valid, just be careful what you read.
August 16th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
I can see how this kind of market would upset genuine writers. I think I wind up avoiding it because I charge way more than they are looking for.
What I do offer clients is a lot more than website work. If these kind of jobs can be “upsold” to more general work, that’s a plus. Once you are telling their story for them, it can be adapted for use in sales brochures, annual reports, grant applications (what I really do) and so on.
So after saying my experience is limited, ie I have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m wondering if some of these gigs can be upsold into something more palatable with a real income attached to it as well as an interest in real quality.
August 16th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
I may offend some, but it is certainly too easy to be published. One can publish something that’s nothing more than gossip without checking facts.
There’s a place for opinons and open discussions, but what Zane says is absolutely true. For every legitimate online source, there are 100 online National Enquirers.
August 16th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Writing is hard work and it takes talent. Maybe in this Internet age, anyone can be publish, but can people write. I knew a dynamite sports columnist. I was giving him sincere praise one day and he replied, This is hard work.” I thought, wow, because if I could write like him, I would be going places.
August 16th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
It may be easy to publish online, but it still takes talent for someone to read what you’ve publish.
I agree with you all though…it’s too easy for anyone to become a “professional” writer. I wish there was some kind of generally recognized certification, like you find with lawyers or doctors.
August 16th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
I think there are two things going on here.
1) The Internet and email makes submission and communication between writers and editors easier and faster.
2) The accessibility of website setup and things such as ad revenue encourage mass quantities of content to be written and posted online.
Now, I think these are two different things. Personally, I love it when a publication is willing to do business via email. It doesn’t cost me anything and is convenient, since I’m already on my computer anyway. Personally, I don’t think this feature of the Internet makes it “too easy” to get published — just easier.
On the other hand, the push for content does make it awfully easy for second-rate (or third-rate, or fourth-rate, or fifth-rate…) writers to get published. However, I think that this is the only area where it’s too easy for writers to get published. Higher-paying markets are still as discerning as they used to be, as far as I can tell — they’re just more accessible.
Overall, I agree that the Internet has made it too easy for some writers to get published, but I think it has also enabled many good writers to get noticed — writers whose queries would have otherwise gone into that editor’s slush pile unopened.
August 16th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
The problem today is not being published, it is being read. So many assignments are for the worst kind of collateral material; filler, fluff, SEO-optimized garbage that will never make an impression on a single retina, much less hit the cortex of a reader engaged in critical thinking. Too much demand for content, any content, inevitably lowers the standards for the final product.
August 16th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Web=Now. Or so many think. I encounter this daily in my 9-5 job. As a writer of digital/interactive advertising, I work alongside many print and broadcast writers. Whereas they’re given months to concept and create a finished project, the digital team often gets just a couple weeks, if not a week or less to create a digital execution (banners, emails, websites, etc.) of the advertisement (don’t EVEN get me started on why print and broadcast think they should lead EVERY project, even those that have specifically been slated for digital prominence.). It’s like people think that to have a good finished project online, all they need is a keyboard and some sort of switch to flip.
August 16th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
I agree with the getting read opinion. It’s for that very reason that I love comments and chat with commenters on my own blog. The blog is written just to be out there and to have readers who are happy to see whatever you publish and are happy to talk to you about it.
The SEO blogging and sites bring to mind the question, “If everybody is doing it to sell and get linked and get more ads and more pyramid connections, where is the end of it and what happens when they get there?” They stroke and stoke each other continually, and they repeat that content is everything, but the content seems almost entirely to be how to get more $ for tech reviews and more Agloco adherents. The market can’t be infinite.
August 16th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
You’re reading my mind. I’ve been carrying on about this all week. You see, over the last two weeks, I’ve been involved in several entertainment press events along with journalists from several other websites. This means we all walked away from the table with the same set of facts and the same interview transcript.
1 Person pasted the whole transcript on the website a few hours later and called that an “article” No editing.
1 Person reported “live” writing things like, “and so another reporter asked a question and he answered that it was a great experience.” Seriously?
1 Person (other than myself) took a day or two to write an actual narrative using appropriate quotes and facts from the event.
So what happened? The first two people scooped us with the story because they slapped up what they had, no thought required.
Is that journalism? Posting a transcript? The sad part is that readers don’t seem to care. I did an unofficial poll and most said they’d just as soon read an unedited transcript as something “filtered” through a reporter. Only one person said they preferred to read a well written article.
It saddens me and it makes me mad. I work hard to get to where I am as a writer, working with magazines, working with plenty of editors who didn’t pay, climbing the ladder. And now that I’m here I see all of these other people who didn’t work for it getting readers.
So do I go with the flow and start slapping up unedited transcripts, too or go for the art of writing and be the last person with the story on site?
Cyn
August 16th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Yes, getting published online is the easy part, and maybe it’s too easy. But getting readers is another problem altogether.
It’s true that as a society, we are starting to value speed and quantity over quality. If you want your work to be read and appreciated, you don’t necessarily have to spell perfectly or use perfect grammar.
On the other hand, if the content isn’t entertaining and has no value whatsoever, it’s not gonna fly.
August 16th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
I love all of the content jobs. They suck up the oxygen of folks willing to write for pennies on the word. Fifteen years ago they were choking the slush piles. Now they are too busy to send queries to markets that actually . . . you know . . . PAY. That makes life easier for me.
Anyone can get published — if you are willing to give your work away. I got over that thrill when I left high school. Some people never do — some are even willing to PAY to see their words published. That is why poetry.com prospers.
So God bless the authors who go after those content jobs. They are doing the work I won’t do. And don’t want to do. That lets me get done more of what I want to do.
August 16th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
I agree with Cynthia that just slapping up a press release is a joke, but one does have to be able to work quickly. People may wait for a more in-depth article, but they won’t wait that long.
That’s nothing new. Newspapers have always had to deal with this in competing with radio and TV. The Internet is just an electronic medium on speed.
I wrote under fast deadline pressure for many years as a sportswriter. Presses ran at a certain time. Didn’t matter if the game went late, you were delayed getting back to the office, or whatever. Articles still had to make deadline.
We also had writers on deadline the day the Challenger blew up. The only time I ever actually saw presses actually stopped.
I do some daily deadline writing now, though not to the point that I once did, but there are times one has only an hour or two to write an article that includes some depth. A couple of days seems like a luxury.
So quality is important, but it has to be balanced with speed.
And, unfortunately, there are a majority of readers that don’t care that much about quality.
August 16th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Read Bob Bly’s blog (link on the right) about blogging. I think many of the points are relevant to this discussion and worth noting.
August 16th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Phil, deadlines I understand. But when you had to file a story on a game, you wrote about what you saw, your experience, etc. Sure you reported the same scores and events as the next guy but it had flair.
Same as with any major news incident, so I’m not grumbling about speed. I’m grumbling about the loss of writing as an art.
As for press releases, I use them all the time in my TV blog because it doesn’t make sense to rewrite the facts in many cases. But my reviews and interviews are my own - so, a mix, I guess.
August 16th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
I agree that it is easier for just anyone to get published online, but like the others have said- unless it’s quality work few people will read it. And let’s face it, they probably aren’t getting paid much if at all.
That being said, this gives us the challenge of constantly trying to stand out against the crowd of mediochre writers. I like to put a positive spin on it… the “bigger pond” keeps this fish on her fins, uh, I mean toes.
August 17th, 2007 at 4:22 am
I hear what all of you are saying. I am a struggling freelancer like many here and it is hard work. I recently recieved a good job because of coming here and applying for some of the jobs listings. Thank you Deborah!
August 17th, 2007 at 4:25 am
I think we’ve all seen a lot of stuff on the Internet that wasn’t fabulous, but I think this sort of thing works itself out in the free market, so to speak (along the lines of what Lauren just wrote above).
The best writers will, most often, get the best work, even if it takes a little time to establish oneself. And hopefully mediocre (or worse) writers actually learn something along the way and get better.
There’s room enough for us all, I think, so long as we continue to stand up for our rights regarding being paid appropriately and retaining certain rights to our pieces…this leads to a whole other discussion
August 17th, 2007 at 6:24 am
There are certainly a lot of what sognatrice calls “mediocre or worse writers,” but they’re not all on the Internet.
I recently read a somewhat dated book on George Blanda that had been my father’s. Hate to admit I bought it for him. I would have flunked any writing-related class I ever took for something like it.
Luckily, I didn’t pay much for the book, I got it at a closeout sale at a bookstore.
August 17th, 2007 at 7:42 am
“There are certainly a lot of what sognatrice calls ‘mediocre or worse writers,’ but they’re not all on the Internet.”
So true, and glad you didn’t pay too much for that “book.”
August 17th, 2007 at 9:59 am
Deb, you are so right. I get flustered when a potential client wants something done and he wants it done NOW. Okay, I can write do fast work, but I know if the deadline is ridiculous, then the work I will offer up is certainly not my best effort.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:02 am
All these comments on the loss of appreciation for good writing has abruptly reminded me of the Inheritance trilogy, since I’m currently listening to the second book. So many symptoms of beginner writing plague it, including the unnecessary thesaurus overuse and excessively flowery prose. I wince in many places, reminded of lines from some of my own earlier works.
But that seems to have not hurt its sales much. Nor have the issues some hold with Rowling’s writing style caused Harry Potter to fail.
It seems that most of the top-selling books, nowadays, have writing style issues enough to make people wince, with lesser-selling books often being even worse.
I’m well aware that no writing can be called perfect, but I this makes me wonder… What has happened to well-styled fiction that it seems to have vanished?
Good styles and good plots can be found, but rarely together—or if they can, typographical errors dot it.
:/
This is, of course, a generalization. But it still bothers me.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Ooh, typos in books kill me; I can forgive them on the Internet in certain venues (major media, no), but in books? Ugh.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:39 am
It’s an odd juxtaposition, isn’t it? I write for some online pubs that release my work the day I write it and pay within 30 days; another article client assigns stories three to four months in advance and pays half on acceptance, half on publication.
Thinking on the business side of things, I like having multiple income streams on multiple timelines. I know I have a few thousand dollars coming to me in October, November and December. That lets me worry less about the future.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:07 am
The point has been made, that it’s easy to get published online, but not so easy to get read.
Someone remarked that “it’s too easy for anyone to become a ‘professional’ writer. I wish there was some kind of generally recognized certification, like you find with lawyers or doctors.”
I suggest that this might not be the best idea. Professional editors and agents, by a 17-1 ratio, didn’t recognize Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” with the title and author changed, but nothing else.
( http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/publishers-reject-austens-work-in-writers-prank-1039842.html )
My favorite of the lot was Penguin Books, whose rejection letter stated that “‘a really original and interesting read’ but not right for Penguin.” Penguin had re-published Pride and Prejudice that year.
I’m not sure that certification would be a good idea, if seasoned professionals like that lot were to decide who was, and wasn’t a good writer.
My inclination is to trust the ‘marketplace of ideas.’ SEO will only go so far to hold up a site: word of mouth, or, more precisely, word of email and online community, will, I think, spread the word about good writers.
At least, that’s what I’m counting on.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:48 am
Norski –
That is a fabulous article. Thanks for the link!
Erik, it looks like your cynicism is justified!
LOL.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:57 am
Norski is correct, though I couldn’t stand reading Pride and Prejudice in High School
“word of mouth (e-mail)” certainly does work well. I get much of my work without pitching, though sometimes I rely on such passive marketing too much.
Poor writers will never get out of low-paying, slave-type pay for their “writing,” if you can call what they do writing.
August 18th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
I am a this point one of the writers all of you are talking about! I was able to publish the first article I wrote. It is too easy! The nice part is that it gave me a confidence boost and I continued with my efforts. I now have several clients that I enjoy writing for. I don’t believe I would have had the courage to keep writing had I been rejected too many times. I don’t know if that makes me a bad writer since I know you are not suppose to take rejection personally. It might, but I will keep writing and developing my skills. I hope to one day be a great writer like many of you. I am grateful to have writers to look up to.
August 19th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Katharine, thanks - but you have to understand that I was a Chemical Engineer before my job went ot Germany and I was offered a buyout. I don’t just complain about stuff - I understand the underlying problems and propose at least one reasonable solution before I bitch loudly. I been dere, I don dat when it comes to shopping a book. Telling me I can’t hack it is one thing, but not being able to get it read is way, way worse.
The online world might be a component of a “Minor League” for writers some day. I can’t tell if me 200 or so hits each day is enough to make my internet presence important. The problem is that we’re so terribly disorganized online, which means that potential readers probably can’t find what they want. I’d like to find cooperative ways to fix that problem, first.
As for making a living online, I really think that’s a difficult way to go. There’s so much other writing out there which pays better, but you have to have a reputation. Perhaps we can make this world a little easier on writers as well as readers while we’re at it.
August 20th, 2007 at 4:53 am
I too am glad things have been easier to publish online. The confidence it built for me has gotten me freelance jobs and published in a magazine that I thought I would never accomplish.
August 20th, 2007 at 11:58 am
One site I write for can take up to a month to publish my feature articles, and I definitely hear from the copy editing department if I do something stupid. They have a ’style guide’ that goes on forever.
I generally find high-paying clients still want quality.
August 20th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
I should also mention that I probably wouldn’t be writing at all if not for the Internet. I’m a young whippersnapper and I don’t have the patience for snail-mail queries.
August 20th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Interesting topic, Deb. I’m a fairly new writer (less than a year as a paid writer) and have mostly blogging experience. I surely don’t get rich doing it, but a few hundred extra bucks a month certainly helps me keep gas in my son’s quad.
Besides blogging, I am published in an ATV magazine and write for an eZine… *cough* Suite101.com *cough* where I’m trying to build experience and a portfolio.
Regardless of the opinion that most writers are simply writing (which I tend to agree with), I consider myself to be more than just a decent writer, especially on subjects I’m passionate about.
I have to admit, though, often times getting the good work requires more than just great writing. Sometimes it requires knowing someone.
August 22nd, 2007 at 6:06 am
Misti> I agree with you on the Inheritance trilogy. I was actually smiling quite a bit while reading the first book because I was thinking that it was how a fifteen-year-old boy with a dictionary at hand would write. Then I found out Paolini was indeed fifteen when he wrote the book. Not bad.