New to the Newspaper--help please!

[Cade]

At the risk of sounding like the complete newbie I am, I'm coming to you fine people for advice.

My situation: I have an idea for a series of articles for a small, local paper (which coincide beautifully with current local issues! Huzzah!). I've done the article research and have prepared three of the articles in the ongoing series, and have the bones of the rest in note form.


My question: How best to take that first step in approaching the paper? From slogging around this and other sites, I'm labouring under the impression that firing off a [quality] query letter to the editor is the way to go, but in trying to absorb all the information I can about this new venture, the info has started to blur into one large mass.

Am I on the right track?

If I'm not, are there any kind souls out there willing to point me in the right direction?

[KTC]

I would send a query letter. I would focus on the first article and perhaps mention that you have an idea for a series of them, but my primary focus would be on the first article. I'm sure you will get various answers. Good luck. And welcome to AW.

[inkkognito]

I would go with a combo query/letter of interest. Pitch the articles, but also leave it open that you'd like to work with them even if they don't go for that particular series. That way, even if they decide to pass, they may be willing to keep you in mind for future assignments. I managed to link up with a regional horse magazine that way.

[stldenise]

Actually, newspaper people are pretty busy. I got my first gig with a local weekly paper by calling up and asking if they needed any freelancers. I was put in touch with one of the editors, explained my qualifications and asked if they were hiring. I got the job on the spot.
Maybe I got lucky, but I would suggest you call the paper up first. Ask who to send the query to and if they'd like it by email. Be prepared to present your query to the editor over the phone in case they're in the mood to talk.
Oh, and always ask first if it's a good time to talk so you're not bugging them while their on deadline.
Good luck!

[happywritermom]

I agree with stldenise. I was a newspaper reporter for a medium metro daily for 11 years. Most editors are way too stressed out to be organized. I would call, as she said, and either engage the editor on the phone or ask to stop by. Be prepared to e-mail the query/articles immediately so they are read before they are forgotten. Follow-ups are important as well.

Like stldenise, I got my first interniship with the paper simply by calling up and offering my services to a bureau that I knew was understaffed. All my college friends said there was no way I would get in at that particular paper coming from a state school with no formal journalism program, especially since the city is home to a prestigious journalism school. But I did. I succeed because I caught a harried editor at just the right moment and I learned to work my butt off and take advantage of those moments to get the assignments that got me the full-time job.
So, pick up the phone and go for it!

[June Casagrande]

Ditto what Stldenise and Happywritermom said. I was city editor at a community paper and a writer/reporter at several others. In my experience, community news editors are very busy and very flaky (I certainly was). We were inundated with press releases and other stuff, so I had a tendency to file everything in the "I'll get around to it" pile, which, of course, I never got around to.

I say call. You can, of course, send an e-mail before or after you call. But, whatever you do, don't interpret nonresponse as a "no." It may or may not mean that.

Bear in mind that some small community papers simply don't work with freelancers other than columnists. Period. But many are happy to, especially if it's community-oriented stuff. Also bear in mind that they prefer working with people whom they know and who they know can deliver what the editor needs when he needs it. Working with new people brings unknowns, which may make it not worth the editor's time. Can the freelancer write? Does she have the journalism credentials to make sure stuff is properly sourced? DOES THE STORY OFFER PHOTO OPPS (they would assign photographer)? Will she be a pain in the butt novice in terms of being edited? Will she annoy me with questions like "What page will this go on?" and "How do I get copies for my mom?" Editors' survival hinges on avoiding time-consuming junk like that (and, of course, avoiding the lawsuits that can come when you rely on an untrained news gatherer).

Another thought: If, back when I was in that job, if someone pitched me a "series," I wouldn't know what to do with it. We didn't run series, per se, so we didn't think in those terms. From me, such a request would have evoked a response of: "Series, huh? That's an idea. How would we do that? Let me just set this e-mail aside for now and think about it later ..." (Never to revisit it again.)

One more thought: Expect very, very little money: between $0 and $25 a piece. (Could be more, I suppose. But in my community news experience, contributors' pay was always nominal.)

[Cade]

Call them up, eh? Hmm. The thought had crossed my mind, but I'd wondered if it'd came across as unprofessional. I'm glad I came here first!

I'm also glad I appear to be on the right track for the most part. I'll concentrate on pitching the individual article not the series.

I'll have to sit down and prepare what I would say should I be lucky enough to catch someone on the phone. I don't want to be stumbling when I need to shine the most. More unfamiliar territory! And I'll have everything ready to go into an an e-mail, as well.

Thank you all for the input. You've been tremendously helpful to this particular neophyte!

[jasperd]

I agree with the previous posters but I would also suggest possibly going in depending on how you feel about it. I know it's probably not the conventional way to do things but that's how I got my newspaper jobs (three different companies) but present yourself well, bring clips and be prepared to schmooze

[Cade]

Thanks, jasperd. I'm going to go with the calling. Unfortunately, I don't have creds or clips to hand over. That, as far as I can tell, is my biggest hurdle, so I really need to make it shine on paper to prove I can string the words together coherently.

I'm new to the schmoozing, too. Any words of advice on things I should remember to say? Or not say?

[aka eraser]

I got a weekly column (back in the long-ago-and-far-away) by taking samples and going to the newspaper office. I left them at the front desk in a manila envelope addressed to the editor. He called the next day and my first column appeared a few days later.

Most smaller papers are staffed with approachable folks. If it's a weekly, I'd call or go there (your three written articles in tow) a day or two after they've gone to press, before things start to get hectic again.

Don't worry about schmoozing. All newspaper people I know appreciate cutting to the chase. Show him/her your stuff and let it speak for itself.

Good luck.

[RamJay]

As a veteran newspaper staffer and freelancer, I concur that calling and setting up a time to meet is probably the way to go. And you may need to be a little persistent. Respectful and nice, but persistent. At one of the papers I freelanced for it took nearly two months before they gave me an assignment. Once they did, I had consistent work for the next two years.

[Cade]

Thanks again for the great advice, everyone. I genuinely appreciate it. Because of your help, I'll be making my call over the next couple of days.

It looks like my writing time will be cut down significantly, too. Yesterday, one of the bosses at my part-time day job offered me a full-time position. Can't say no to that!

Still, after looking around the boards some more, I do believe I've found a freelancing niche I'd like to explore in greater depth.

[jasperd]

Good luck Cade...let us know how it all turns out.