|
||||
|
||||
|
Question: What counts as being published?Question: I would guess that a clip is only as valuable as the publication it was printed in. For example: Is an article published on the web with no pay a valuable clip? What about a newsletter? When can a beginner writer be considered as having been published? Leo Answer: Hi Leo, great question! Until the web, being published more or less meant having an article or story printed in a magazine. Or getting a book sold to a trade publisher. Getting an article you wrote published in a newsletter counted too. Enter the web, which among other things, is just another publishing medium. As I'm sure you know, there are tons of websites out there where the writing is just awful. But there are sites, both well-known and not so well known where the writing is excellent. The reason editors ask for clips or tear sheets, however, hasn't changed. Before they give you an assignment, even on spec, they want some assurance that you are likely to be able to complete it in a well-written and timely fashion. On the whole, clips are clips and count. Sure, if you've got something published in Atlantic Monthly or the New York Times you'll get a bit more attention. But anything counts, even those pieces published on the web with no pay. That's also why you should have your own website - there you can put up or link to samples of your writing as well as list your credits, making it easy for an editor to evaluate your work. You may want to read: Write well, and often,
If you have a question you'd like to see here, send an email to me at: anne@aboutfreelancewriting.com. Please, put Q&A in the subject line so it won't get lost. I don't promise to answer every question, but I'll consider it. Know too, that when you send a question, and I do decide to publish it, I reserve the right to edit for clarity, etc.
|
|
