Writers often ask me why it takes them so darn long to write an article/query letter/brochure/newsletter.
Much of the time, these writers are making the deadly mistake of over-researching. They’re spending hours collecting files full of articles, bookmarking relevant sites, reading books, and interviewing countless sources.
And the time-suck doesn’t stop there: Because these writers have …
Today I was working on a skincare product article for a very high-profile health magazine. As I read the transcription of one of my interviews, I saw that the dermatologist had recommended a facial scrub with hydrofluoric acid. Hmm. Salicylic acid, I’ve heard of. Alpha-hydroxy or beta-hydroxy acid might also work. But hydrofluoric acid? Never …
Dan Baum has written for Rolling Stone, Playboy, Wired, and other big-name magazines, and is a former staff writer for The New Yorker; on his website, you can download proposals that landed assignments with these magazines. Baum is the author of Nine Lives, and runs a blog called WordWork. The account of his “short career …
May 18, 2009 Advice, Interviewing, Magazines, Query letters, Reporting, Rules, Writer Q&A, Writing
I’m fascinated by the queries I read on Peter Shankman’s Help a Reporter Out list. I subscribe because as an author, I’m always looking for ways to promote my books, but I admit, I’m also curious how other writers look for experts and sources.
So here are two to compare and contrast. I’ve changed details, but …
If you’ve been reading the mainstream media, you’re probably unaware that there’s a story brewing with former presidential candidate John Edwards. In a nutshell, a couple weeks ago, the National Enquirer (yes, that National Enquirer) claims its reporters and photographers caught Edwards in LA emerging from the hotel room of his mistress and their “love …
Aug 6, 2008 Ethics, Observations, Reporting
