Are you a columnist? Do you enjoy it?

turningpoint

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I was wondering if there were any regular columnists on this board. I imagine that there are. How do you enjoy it, and how did you find your gig? My column will be beginning this winter, and I'm very excited, but as the date approaches, I find myself thinking about what a column is, which ones (in the New York Times, for example) that I enjoy. I would love to start a dialogue about this.

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts.
 

WeaselFire

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I was wondering if there were any regular columnists on this board.
Ages ago, but the model I used has changed.

In the early 1980's I wrote a regular column concerning small computers for business use, microcomputers at the time and mostly IBM, Tandy or Apple II systems. I had a list of about 500 local newspapers in the country and would routinely mail each column to about 150 of them. None of them had a local computer column and most had no dedicated business writer. I would send them the copy and get paid $5 if they ran it. Some ran one weekly, some monthly and so on. Brought in about $100 a week (after postage costs) and sometimes more, not bad for the time.

Today, you'd write a blog with that and try to monitize it with Amazon, Google AdSense and eBay affiliations. Probably for ten percent of the income. Pretty much the reason I no longer do this. Last column I wrote was for a state-wide business magazine and that ended in early 1990's when they got bought out and went a new direction. Paid $100 a month.

See what your local paper might be willing to accept, even for little or no pay. It'll get your feet wet. Or, start a blog. Same thing now days.

Jeff
 

HistorySleuth

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I used to be a weekly columnist for a Native American newspaper. I wrote about NA issues past and present. They are now out of print or I'd still be writing for them.

I would ask does your column have a focus? Cooking, bird watching, politics? Or is it just a general "Sally's Column" kind of thing. If you start in December you can think now of what you want to write about, or any thing particular for the holidays.

Did they tell you column size or word length? Just curious on that. You have to be concise for a newspaper.

You will be on a deadline so you will have to be self-disciplined. Those are my thoughts.

But yes, I enjoyed it. :)
 

Larry M

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I wrote a column in the early 2000's for a now defunct auto racing website. I wrote race summaries for Champ Car Series events (a series which is also now defunct). I was paid $80 for each column. I also wrote different columns for several different non-paying auto racing sites (only one of which is still online).

I enjoyed it because I was a race fan, and knew a lot about the sport. I was able to inject opinions into my columns as well, which made it a little more interesting (at least for me. :) )

I found that gig when I answered an online advertisement. I got the gig because they read some of my columns/articles from the non-paying sites and decided that I knew what I was talking about when I wrote about auto racing.

Unfortunately, it only lasted that one season. Most sports websites don't (or at least didn't then) offer payment.
 

turningpoint

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My column will be in a magazine which comes out 4x a year. I got the gig because I had published articles in the magazine several times and we were a good fit. The topic interest me, and I know I will enjoy writing. I guess I'm just thinking about what goes into a good column. Insight, knowledge, easy reading and engaging are what come to mind to me. There was no word limit mentioned, so I'm thinking I'll write what seems right for my thoughts on the topic at the time. The focus is art.
 

turningpoint

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I found this description online: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-columnist.htm
It was helpful to me. So between this source and others I think that a column has a beginning, middle and end, like a story, and makes a point. The point can be an opinion. A column, unlike a blog, is edited carefully. A column is on going so that readers may look forward to what a particular columnist says.