Posts for category ‘Dear Editor’

“Dear Editor: What’s the difference between an editor and an editor/writer? I see editor job ads that require writing, and get some that don’t list anything but managing and editing.”

Answering this question is tricky; there’s no standard job description for an editor beyond “someone who edits.” In my career, I’ve been an editor and a manager, I’ve done pure editing–as in, nothing else BUT edit. But that little slice of fun didn’t last long. I was soon pulled into many other duties.

In a bad economy, everybody’s expected to do more than they used to in any job, editors included. Chances are you’ll be called on to write, manage, even act in some kind of payroll capacity when it comes to making sure your writers get their due for the hard work.

That said, beware any job description that claims to make you an editor but takes you outside the pale of typical editor writer duties. There are some truly clueless people out there advertising job openings for editors and writers. They really want someone to edit their newsletter, but they also want that person to answer the phone. Um, NO. These people really want something ELSE, but they advertise for an editor or editor/writer because they don’t really understand the business.

On the other hand, don’t mistake some duties as being outside your responsibilities– things like attending trade shows or doing some kinds of promotional work for the company are often typical for certain types of editors. You might have to schmooze a bit at a convention on the company’s behalf or get involved in recruiting new talent. Be ready for these in case you are called upon to do so–chances are you’ll get wind of this sort of thing during an interview if the hiring manager is on the ball.

Short answer? Yes, as an editor you may also become a manager, a part-time PR person, part of your own writing staff and even payroll fixer-upper when the situation requires. It’s all in the game.

“Dear Editor–I’m not an authority on (this subject I’m writing about)–how do I write intelligently about it? How can I take a position when I don’t really know the issues?”

One mistake experienced editors frequently see? Early-career writers trying to write as an authority on a subject they don’t really know well. New writers–you don’t have to be the authority on a topic in order to write about it, so don’t TRY to sound like you know.

It’s obvious to anyone who does have experience in your subject when you try to fake your way through. Instead, don’t set yourself up as ANYTHING. Write from a neutral position, or write that you’re learning along with the audience. That makes for a much more compelling article than when you try to blunder your way through. Those with experience in the subject you write about will spot your newbie-isms right away.

For example: In music, there is a vast difference between microphones. Vocal mics have different sensitivities than mics that are used to record drum sounds. If you didn’t know what a pickup pattern is, you would be easily confused by the terms “cardioid” and “unidirectional” and probably wouldn’t guess that a lavalier mic is used for a specific purpose far different than a boom mic.

What do all those terms mean? To the uninformed this is a minefield because you might hear someone say “The singer has to adjust his lavalier mic to get the best results on stage” and assume that ANY mic a singer uses is a “lavalier”. That would be dead wrong–but you as a newcomer to all that jargon wouldn’t know.

It’s better just to ask the right questions–”What other mics can singers use on stage? Are lavalier mics the only kind or are therea diversity and why do they use so many different kinds?” The point is, you should write from your own experience level-don’t worry about appearing like a noob. The idea is to get the story and make your points without blowing your credibility.

Dear Editor:

I’ve placed a Craigslist ad seeking writers and I am overwhelmed with replies, but most of them are terrible or not right for my needs. How can I find some good writers? I know they are out there. But they aren’t replying to my ad that’s for sure.

Ahh, the search for a decent writer. It’s not easy to find a diamond among all the lumps of coal, but one thing is certain; many editors don’t help themselves out toomuch because they post calls for writers that are vague or ill-defined.

For starters–advertise for good writers in the places good writers gather. If you hang out a job ad on Craigslist, you’re going to attract a lot of newcomers, wanna-bes and just plain lame writers. Not all writers who search Craigslist ads for jobs are poor writers, but the ratio is extremely skewed.

Try posting your call for writers in a much more targeted way–put an ad online in the really good freelance writing sites and avoid places that cater solely to new writers. You can also try seeking writers on your city’s job board websites or subject-specific sites related to your publication’s audience.

by Joe Wallace

Dear Editor: My writers constantly turn in material that’s off the mark either with rampant errors or directions not followed. I’m starting to think I hired a staff full of idiots. Help!

There are many reasons why writers get it wrong when on assignment. Some of can be laziness, some of it is circumstantial, but the problem I want to concentrate on for this post is the one that originates with YOU, the editor.

Writers often fail because editors don’t give them complete instructions. Don’t assume a writer automatically knows what to do, especially if you’re assigning a project they might not have done before. One great example–I once assigned a writer to cover a news story about military airplane mechanics. My writer had never covered that type of story before, and I had.

She came back with an excellent piece because I explained to her what she could expect when she got down to the repair bay. I told her who would be best to speak to, the most knowledgeable person on the floor based on positional authority and etc. I also warned her about a couple of pitfalls that could interfere with covering the story.

Most reporters won’t know (the first time) that when recording an interview in a military aircraft repair area, you’re often dealing with a lot of aircraft traffic and you should grab your interview when it’s quiet (usually when you first show up for some reason) as it might be a long wait once the planes start moving out to the runway. Armed with that seemingly insignificant information, the entire story gets done in a much shorter amount of time.

But editors, if you don’t give your writers complete information–as complete as you know at the time–it’s tough for the writers to figure out what’s on your mind. In this particular case, I told my writer that I wanted a story about where the repair crews felt they fit into the overall mission–and how specifically they operate in that capacity. (Without the repair crews, there basically is no mission–once the plane breaks, the repair guys are more important than the pilots.)

Now think about that one for a second. If I had just told the writer to go down and “Get me a story about airplane mechanics,” while chomping my cigar, I’d never get what I’m after. New editors, sometimes detailed instructions are best.

“Dear Editor: I’m a freelance writer trying to move into editing as a sideline. I’m not sure I want to do it full time yet, but it looks like good extra income. How do I make my move?”

If you are already established as a freelance writer but want to make the transition to freelance editing, there are a couple of ways you can help yourself make the jump to editor writer, or any combination of job titles you please.

One route some freelance writers take is to volunteer their skills on a low-budget book project. Editing a book is no easy feat, but if you aren’t getting paid for your work, it’s fair to say that you can’t be expected to give earth-shattering results. As long as you get the basics covered and help your author overcome any major errors, you could rack up a credit or two with minimal fuss.

The best place to find these unpaid or low-paying projects is Craigslist.com– many first-time authors can be found asking for help there.

Another way to go is to offer your editorial services to a local charity group. Hone your chops and help out a worthy cause at the same time. You don’t need to explain that you are a new editor looking for credit–just make the offer and see what your local organizers say.

No, working for free is NOT ideal. But once you get a couple of decent credits to your name you can transition into paying work.

One last note–some places that hire freelance editors want to see examples of how you edited someone else’s copy–a before and after sample. Make sure you can provide some before-and-afters to impress your prospective new freelance client and you are well on your way to becoming that double threat editor writer.

“Dear Editor–can you be a freelance editor writer all in one?”

I won’t try to fool you–this site is far too new to have people writing Dear Editor questions to it already. But this is one I get a lot from newcomers who want to give themselves as much of a chance as possible to get freelance jobs, so I am using it to kick off this featured portion of the site.

Can you be an editor writer? A writer/editor? An editor slash writer?

The short answer is yes. The longer answer is, you have to understand the craft of writing in order to be an effective editor. Are you still struggling with possesive apostrophes and where to use a semi-colon? If so, you might not be ready to be an editor writer or writer/editor just yet.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t try. You can improve your craft greatly by editing the work of other writers–look at the weaknesses of others and you’ll soon recognize your own shortcomings. Just don’t try to be an editor for money until you feel you have a commnad of English grammar and sentence construction. You should also buy a copy of the McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Usage and Grammar. It’s a great tool to help you get intimate with English so you can become that double-threat editor writer.