Posts Tagged ‘ask the freelance dude’
May 23, 2013
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Dear Freelance Dude,
I’m gearing up to start pitching some things but have always wondered what the hard and fast rules on pitching a single idea or spec piece are. Is pitching one piece to multiple outlets a bad idea? Also, can you keep pitching a rejected piece to other outlets until it’s picked up? Are there any other tips to speed up the process or is it best left alone?
Signed,
James A.
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Tags:@nmeunier, advice, ask the freelance dude, Column, freelance, freelance game journalism, game industry, gigs, how to be a game journalist, nathan meunier, paying, pitches, reviews, the freelance guide to video game journalism, up up down down left write, video games, writing, writing advice
Posted in Ask The Freelance Dude | Leave a Comment »
January 23, 2013
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Dear Freelance Dude,
I’ve been writing for a volunteer website doing news, reviews, and features – mostly news. However, being recently laid-off has forced me to search for paying opportunities, and I feel I don’t have the experience yet to attain one, freelance or staff (I’ve only been in games journalism for six months). Should I focus on writing features to submit to other websites or should I continue developing my skills until I feel ready?
And are there websites that hire staff writers that work remotely or is that, basically, freelancing?
Signed,
Anthony S.
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Tags:@nmeunier, advice, ask the freelance dude, Column, freelance, freelance game journalism, game industry, gigs, how to be a game journalist, nathan meunier, paying, pitches, reviews, up up down down left write, writing, writing advice
Posted in Ask The Freelance Dude | 1 Comment »
October 31, 2012
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Dear Freelance Dude,
I’m trying my hardest to break into the world of freelance games journalism. I’ve had a couple of paid assignments which I managed to land without needing to submit any pitches. Since then, I’ve followed your advice about what makes a good pitch, and have tried several ideas tailoring them to several publications. After waiting a reasonable time, I have not had any responses whatsoever. What can I do if I’m simply being ignored?
Signed,
David O.
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Tags:@nmeunier, advice, ask the freelance dude, Column, freelance, freelance game journalism, game industry, gigs, how to be a game journalist, nathan meunier, paying, pitches, reviews, video games, writing, writing advice
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August 31, 2012
First off, a huge thanks to everyone who’s been pitching in to help spread the word and contribute to the Kickstarter campaign for my book: Up Up Down Down Left WRITE – The Freelance Guide To Video Game Journalism. It’s been a wild ride so far, with lots of ups and downs, and we’re nearing the end – for better or worse. I’ve added a lot of awesome bonus rewards and incentives in the past week, and we still have a LOT to raise in the remaining 8 days before the funding deadline, so I figured a big update was in order. Please read on, because I super need your help.
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Tags:#journlaism, #upupdowndownleftwrite, @nmeunier, advice, ask the freelance dude, blake wheeler, book, book campaign, freelance, freelancing, game journalism, how to, kickstarter, nathan meunier, need backers, shop talk, support, up up down down left write, writing
Posted in Up Up Down Down Left WRITE | Leave a Comment »
July 27, 2012
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Dear Freelance Dude,
I’m a student and games editor for our university newspaper. Being a student, my loan is covering me and allowing me put time into my degree and other hobbies. I’ve secured interviews with some big names and am planning to write some features. My goal is for these to be of a good enough standard to get paid for the writing. Yet, I’m going to write these regardless of whether a publication agrees to pay me for it. Can I pitch a feature I have already completed/ partially completed? How would I go about doing so?
Signed,
Marcus B.
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Tags:@nmeunier, advice, ask the freelance dude, Column, conventions, freelance, freelance game journalism, game industry, gigs, how to be a game journalist, meeting editors, moving west coast, nathan meunier, networking, PAX East, paying, pitches, pitching reviews, reviews, video games, volunteer, writing, writing advice
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July 10, 2012
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Dear Freelance Dude,
You’ve talked about reviews, but I’m curious about how pitching reviews differs from pitching features. For instance, do you need to find a way to secure your own copy of a game or does the outlet you’re writing for take care of that? And how does the approach of pitching reviews differ from other pitches? You wouldn’t pitch a review to a features editor when there’s a reviews editor on staff, so how would you best make the transition from one editor to another?
Signed,
Derek T.
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Tags:@nmeunier, advice, ask the freelance dude, Column, conventions, freelance, freelance game journalism, game industry, game journalism, gigs, how to be a game journalist, meeting editors, moving west coast, nathan meunier, networking, PAX East, paying, pitches, pitching reviews, reviews, video games, volunteer, writing, writing advice
Posted in Ask The Freelance Dude | 3 Comments »
April 16, 2012
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Dear Freelance Dude,
I’ve seen a number of folks comment on how luck played a role in their obtaining a paying gig as a games journalist. Do you see luck as a big factor that plays into a person’s success in this field, or are there other variables that have greater importance?
Signed
KnucklesSonic8
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Tags:@nmeunier, advice, ask the freelance dude, breaking in, Column, conventions, freelance, freelance game journalism, game industry, game journalism, gigs, how to be a game journalist, luck, meeting editors, moving west coast, nathan meunier, networking, PAX East, paying, pitches, pitching reviews, reviews, video games, volunteer, writing, writing advice
Posted in Ask The Freelance Dude | 1 Comment »
March 30, 2012
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Dear Freelance Dude,
I’m a soon-to-be college grad just starting to try his hand in the freelancing world. After being published on a handful of sites, I’ve managed to get a media pass to the PAX East convention in my hometown of Boston. It’s common knowledge that networking is a key to success for freelance journos, and conventions like these seem to be one of the best places to get started on making friends in the industry.
Could you shed some light on how to go about this whole networking process? Are there any particular do’s and don’ts that I should be aware of before walking up to complete strangers? I’ve got my personal business cards printed out and ready to be shared, so what can I do to get people to remember my name (without looking like a total weirdo)?
Signed,
Jeff D.
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Tags:@nmeunier, advice, ask the freelance dude, Column, conventions, freelance, freelance game journalism, game industry, game journalism, gigs, how to be a game journalist, meeting editors, moving west coast, nathan meunier, networking, PAX East, paying, pitches, pitching reviews, reviews, video games, volunteer, writing, writing advice
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March 7, 2012
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Dear Freelance Dude,
As you eloquently explain in your blog, pitching feature ideas to editors is a great way of getting started as a freelance. This has proven to be effective to me, as I recently had my first feature pitch accepted – WOOT!
Much as I love desperately squeezing increasingly bizarre feature concepts from my noggin, only to be ignored or rejected by editors, I would dearly love to review games for well known gaming sites too. It seems that reviewing is the holy grail of games journalism, only possible for the most well known writers. Is this the case?
Signed,
Ian B.
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Tags:@nmeunier, advice, ask the freelance dude, Column, freelance, freelance game journalism, game industry, game journalism, gigs, how to be a game journalist, moving west coast, nathan meunier, paying, pitches, pitching reviews, reviews, video games, volunteer, writing, writing advice
Posted in Ask The Freelance Dude | 2 Comments »
February 9, 2012
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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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Tags:@nmeunier, advice, ask the freelance dude, Column, freelance, freelance game journalism, game industry, game journalism, gigs, how to be a game journalist, moving west coast, nathan meunier, paying, pitches, video games, volunteer, writing, writing advice
Posted in Ask The Freelance Dude | Leave a Comment »
First off, a huge thanks to everyone who’s been pitching in to help spread the word and contribute to the Kickstarter campaign for my book: Up Up Down Down Left WRITE – The Freelance Guide To Video Game Journalism. It’s been a wild ride so far, with lots of ups and downs, and we’re nearing the end – for better or worse. I’ve added a lot of awesome bonus rewards and incentives in the past week, and we still have a LOT to raise in the remaining 8 days before the funding deadline, so I figured a big update was in order. Please read on, because I super need your help.
