I'm freelancing. Now what?

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So... yeah. I've been contributing to various music publications on and off since 1999 or so, but it's only been in the past 7-8 months or so that I've started to really take into account the fact that this is something kind of serious I have going on right now. I've been contributing to three different publications on a reasonably regular basis: Seattle Weekly is what I consider my "main gig"; City Pages is also one I contribute to regularly even though I forget to pitch to them every so often -- which is lame, since they were the first to publish me and are, you know, my hometown weekly and everything; Gallery of Sound is a website/in-store thing that I've been trying to pitch to monthly but I usually wind up screwing up deadlines thanks to uncooperative A&R folx who never mail me back. (Exception: the people who sent me Madvillainy.)

So now I'm in sort of a state of flux here. Where do I go from here? Should I pitch to more publications? How do I get these promo people to actually send me shit? I've been lucky to have a few editors who are pretty straightforward with their expectations and know who to contact and have good advice to give, but there's still something about my freelancing skills that seem kind of nebulous.

― Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Saturday, 3 April 2004 04:39 (twenty-one years ago)

(I guess this is in ILM due to the rockcrit-centric nature of the inquiry but if it belongs elsewhere I can move it)

― Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Saturday, 3 April 2004 04:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know. Nobody pays me for this shit. But how do you even get onboard the weeklies?* I guess I'm a few steps behind you, Nate, but I wanted to be at least where you are right now when I set out on this road not much more than a year ago.

(Oddly, although I don't write for money right now, I do get CDs pitched to me, but the vast majority come from the editors at the online 'zines I write for.)

*If nothing else, please answer this question at least.

― David A. (Davant), Saturday, 3 April 2004 07:10 (twenty-one years ago)

do you just pitch them individual CD reviews? hmm, maybe i should try that instead of just soliciting my general freelance assistance?

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Saturday, 3 April 2004 11:38 (twenty-one years ago)

i ask because i was thinking about trying to see if i could get some freelance work with Blender...maybe that's foolish, i really have no idea how hard it is to get work with them

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Saturday, 3 April 2004 11:41 (twenty-one years ago)

stick yr head between yr legs and kiss yr ass, etc

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Saturday, 3 April 2004 14:20 (twenty-one years ago)

nate, don't do it. it's impossible. i'm going to be working at bagel country soon.*

*this is only moderate hyperbole on the part of our narrator.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Saturday, 3 April 2004 14:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I already have a part-time job. I'm supporting myself through a combination of my day job paychecks and my freelancing income (though if it ever comes down to it my day job paychecks could be enough to support me on a shoestring). So it's not like I'm going to try to freelance for food right now.

― Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Saturday, 3 April 2004 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

This is depressing.

― David Allen (David Allen), Saturday, 3 April 2004 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I tend to have that effect on people. Here, have some strychnine.

― Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Saturday, 3 April 2004 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I wish a had some good advice to post here.
My strategy lately has been to write for a few places which pay less, but have higher profiles (backwards damn Canadian whatever). And also expand my whatever to non-music stuff, and non-genre-specific stuff. But I'm way more interested in my comedy writing than y'know actually giving my freelance "career" the attention it would take to kick things up a notch. I suck.

― Huck, Sunday, 4 April 2004 19:13 (twenty-one years ago)

National Public Radio had a cliche-filled on-air review of Franz Ferdinand recently by some zine editor. Maybe you should pitch NPR.

Doug Wolk got a review in the Nation and has gotten stuff online at Slate. Maybe try there.

― Steve Kiviat (Steve K), Sunday, 4 April 2004 21:18 (twenty-one years ago)

maybe try calling him Douglas instead.

― hstencil, Sunday, 4 April 2004 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

answer: pitch. a lot. find out when records are coming out and pitch them. your editors can usually help you get them. (and keesluos is your friend.) find like-minded pubs/editors and ask if they're looking. they're not, but ask anyway. if you get a response, even a negative one, you're probably further in than you think. (this obviously doesn't always apply.) if you don't get a response, move on.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Sunday, 4 April 2004 23:24 (twenty-one years ago)

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