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Dear Freelance Dude,

I am a recent journalism graduate from University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, looking to write for IGN, 1UP, and other gaming websites. I’ve written about video games for my college newspaper, and I’m looking to gain more experience by freelancing for a video game fan site. So my question to you is would I have a better chance with pitching stories or getting work from major gaming websites if I live in California? I’m just concerned that they won’t consider my work because I don’t live in CA. I’m thinking about moving to CA because I have relatives there and so I can network easier.

Signed,
Tom K.

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Dear Tom,

Do you have a computer? How about a high-speed Internet connection? Possess those two crucial things, and you can freelance from ANYWHERE. I live in a rural patch of New England on the East Coast – a galaxy far, far away fromSilicon Valley – and I freelance for a lot of different gaming outlets. I’m not alone. Quite a few successful freelancers in this industry are scattered around all over the place, fromNew York City,Boston, andChicago toVermont,Canada, and beyond.

There are certain advantages to living in or near a major city where there’s a lot of industry action. It’s easier to make it out to conventions, gain access to demo sessions, and visit studios for on-site interview coverage. But the good news is you can work around all of that and still work from home – unless “home” is some remote arctic base with creepy flesh-eating beasties running rampant.

As for whether or not you have a better chance of getting your pitches accepted, it matters very little where you’re pitching from. Unless your aim is to land a full-time on-site gig at once of the major gaming outlets, you don’t have to be on the West Coast. I’m out in the middle of nowhere, yet I’ve managed to build a decent living from a spare bedroom in my apartment. It’s totally doable. It takes a lot of time and effort, but you’d be facing the same struggles in CA as anywhere else.

Successful pitching boils down to the needs of the outlets you’re shooting for, the ideas you’re pitching, how you present them, and your writing ability. Well, that and a little luck. Most editors don’t care a hill of beans where you’re from. They care about how well you can write, what kind of ideas you bring to the table, and how good you are at following through and tackling assignments. I’d say see what you can do remotely before making a huge leap like a cross-country move.

Good luck!

Best,
The Freelance Dude

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Have a writing, freelancing, or game journalism related question you’d like answered? No problem! Hop on over here for details on how to submit it to The Freelance Dude!

After diving deep into the XBLIG rabbit hole to see just what kind of wild creations are down there, we handpicked the three most unique and unusual offerings we could find — then tracked down their creators to gain some insight into each peculiar project.”

Check out the full article here at OXM.

Dear Freelance Dude,

I currently write for the gaming section of a UK student paper and I’m probably going to be that section’s editor in a few months. I was wondering who to contact about getting review code because in a publication that receives pre-release albums for the music section and preview screening invitations for the film section, the games content is lagging behind without any publisher contacts. We have a distribution of 5,000 copies all over the city of Norwich and 13 issues a year. I was wondering if the publication is big enough to receive review code and, if so, who to contact to get it.

Thanks,
Oliver B.

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Dear Oliver,

Even though you only have a circulation of 5,000 copies, it sounds like your readership – both among the student body and other folks around the city – could potentially be much larger. You can use that to your advantage when requesting review copies and code from publishers. If you’ve got a dedicated and active student reader base, that certainly helps with requests too.

At your paper’s current readership size, you many not convince all the major publishers to send review materials, but some will bite. Establishing good working relationships with PR for the numerous big publishers takes a lot of time, energy, and effort, so you might consider starting small. Go title-by-title. When you plan to review a specific game in an upcoming issue, do some poking around online to see who’s handling PR for that game and then reach out to them to request a review copy. If they send it along, ask to be included on their list for information on upcoming releases and review materials when they’re available.

If you have the time, it’s a good idea to reach out to PR to make first introductions whenever you can prior to requesting review materials. Drop them a brief line to let them know who you are and request to be added to their press list. Your inbox may eventually be flooded with press releases on a daily basis, but when you find something that interests you, it makes it much easier to figure out who to contact directly about review materials and assets.

And for the freelancers in the audience, the same general ideas apply.

Best,
The Freelance Dude

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Follow @nmeunier on Twitter for more writing advice, game industry commentary, and freelance shenanigans.

Have a writing, freelancing, or game journalism related question you’d like answered? No problem! Hop on over here for details on how to submit it to The Freelance Dude!

When you’re just getting started out as a freelancer in the gaming industry, sniffing out paying gig opportunities can be a real drag. Many outlets that pay well don’t advertise their rates or editorial contact info either, so there’s a lot of trial and error involved in tracking them down. Let me make your lives a little easier with this list of freelance-friendly sites that are open to working with new writers…and they pay! Do you like money? Do you want to write about games? Here you go. Work your magic:

The Escapist

It seems like all the big names in the game journo world have contribute to The Escapist at some point or another. While this award-winning gaming site has moved away from its magazine-like format over the years, it’s always open to feature pitches from new and experienced freelancers alike. You can scope out submissions guidelines and pay rates here.

KillScreen

Artsy and awesome, this high-end glossy indie mag features lots of well known writers alongside newer folk. It takes a different approach to games coverage, which is uniquely refreshing. You can pitch material for the spaced-out print issues or the more frequently updated website. Scope out the details here.

Cheat Code Central

One of the bigger independently owned and operated gaming sites out there, Cheat Code Central is often looking for new freelancers to come on board. They’re pretty good about dishing out steady work, and they’re open to new writers. You can find out more details here, though you’ll probably want to contact the EIC directly here.

GameShark

It’s more than just a peripheral for powering up your game action. GameShark works with some great writer folks. If you want to be one of those people, hit EIC William Abner up with your most compelling pitch and knock his socks off.

Want to read more Shop Talk? Why not scope out the archive for past installments!

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Check out the full review here at GameSpot.

Dear Freelance Dude,

I landed my first freelance job recently. Part of what I would like to include is an interview with someone in the videogame industry. What’s the best way to get a hold of someone and conduct an interview when you have no prior contact?

Signed,
Derek T.

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Dear Derek,

Scoring interviews can be as easy as firing off a quick e-mail to the right person. Or it can be a complete hell-gauntlet of back and forth wrangling, phone tag, and voodoo rituals. It depends on the person you’re trying to reach, whether or not you have access to them, and the topic being covered. It’s going to be a lot harder to book an interview with someone like Shigeru Miyamoto than it would be Edmund McMillen, but you’d be surprised how accessible many prominent folks in the game industry are.

Reaching the more famous developers and industry personalities for interview often requires going through PR channels. If it’s for an assignment for a higher-profile publication, PR will take your interview requests more seriously, but it can be a crapshoot whether you’ll actually gain access to your subject. It’s always best to seek out and contact sources directly whenever possible, and you’ll have better luck aiming for non-celebrity sources.

Start by doing a little research. If your prospective interviewee or their company has as website, find it. Scour it for information. Look for an “about” or “contact” page to see if there’s an e-mail address, phone number, or other means to get in touch. Whether you’re calling or e-mailing, put some thought into your pitch before contacting your interviewee. You want to be able to lay down who you are and what publication you write for, why your getting in touch, and what you want as concisely as possible. Be clear in what you’re requesting (an interview for an article on X) and your deadline timeframe.

As to the format, face-to-face interviews almost always yield the best quotes and info, because you have an opportunity to read your subject’s tone of voice, pick up their expressions and other interesting nuances from their surroundings, and adjust your questions on the fly to fit the natural flow of the interview. Phone or e-mail interviews also work fine though, so it’s okay if you can’t meet your subject in person.

Good luck!

Best,
The Freelanced Dude

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Follow @nmeunier on Twitter for more writing advice, game industry commentary, and freelance shenanigans.

Have a writing, freelancing, or game journalism related question you’d like answered? No problem! Hop on over here for details on how to submit it to The Freelance Dude!

Check out the full feature here at GameSpy.

Dear Freelance Dude,

What are the repercussions of having a pitch rejected? Will getting a pitch rejection put you on “The List” of writers to ignore future pitches from, since there are a ton of other writers who can fill your place instead? Failure is a lot easier to cope with when there are future opportunities to try again! Also, are there any actions, outside of full-on disrespect and rudeness, that can jeopardize your relationship with a publication before it even starts? I don’t want to relocate to San Francisco in order to further my goal of becoming a games writer, only to find out that no one will take me because of something I did two years prior.

Thanks,
Andrew T.

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Dear Andrew,

Thankfully there’s no “victory or death” in freelancing. It’s not all Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome up in here. You’re not drawn and quartered if your pitch isn’t accepted…usually. Even the best writers and freelancers have their pitches rejected from time to time. It’s actually pretty common, so don’t worry about that. It is still important, however, to make a good impression and be professional when you’re getting in touch with editors.

Most of the time having a pitch rejected is nothing personal. Even when you’re convinced you’ve got the perfect idea, sometimes it just doesn’t jive with what a particular publication or editor is looking for. Other times the concept is great, but the execution is lacking or someone else already pitched something too similar. That said, if you consistently send pitches that are exceptionally awful, full of typos and grammar mistakes, or just pain old obnoxious, then you’re not doing yourself any favors. You might not get blacklisted per se, but you won’t be endearing yourself to the people you want to hire you.

How you deal with rejection is important too. Hurling insults, arguing, or acting in a similarly inappropriate manner with an editor who declines your idea is the quickest way onto their shit list. That is not a list you want to be on. While it sounds silly that a freelance writer would lambaste the person their trying to get to hire them, it happens. Don’t be that person. Also, avoid pitching the same idea to more than one outlet at a time. Fire off a pitch. Get a response one way or the other. Then re-tool it and try again elsewhere if the response is not favorable.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t sweat it. If you’re sending in well-written pitches that are being rejected, just keep pitching new ones until something sticks, and if you get feedback from an editor as to why you’ve been rejected, then take that lump gracefully, listen carefully, and learn from it.

Best,
The Freelance Dude

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Follow @nmeunier on Twitter for more writing advice, game industry commentary, and freelance shenanigans.

Have a writing, freelancing, or game journalism related question you’d like answered? No problem! Hop on over here for details on how to submit it to The Freelance Dude!

It’s no surprise that plenty of “me too” imitators have come pouring out of the woodwork to vie for a piece of the action, especially on platforms like the Xbox 360, where it has been unavailable. If you’re an Xbox 360 owner itching to get a taste of Minecraft’s RPG-survivalist building, crafting, and exploring adventure, that’s not such a bad thing. The Xbox Live Indie Games Channel is already packing a few crafty clones that offer a similar experience — and they’re pretty awesome for the few bucks you’ll spend on them. We still have a few months to wait before Minecraft hits Xbox Live this spring, so why not dig into these indies in the meantime?”

Check out the full article here at OXM.