Posts Tagged ‘reviews’
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 »
December 28, 2012
Or perhaps more appropriately titled: “Holy crap I survived another year of freelance game journo word-fu craziness!” Every year seems like a wild ride, but 2012 in particular has been an interesting one across the board. So much so that I feel compelled to blab personal thoughts about some of the more interesting moments of my year. Feel free to indulge in my self-indulgence!
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Tags:2012, beer nerdistry, book, craft beer, features, freelancing, game journalism. freelance, gametrailers, mac|life, nathan meunier, Nintendo Power, oxm, PlayStation: The Official Magazine, reviews, shop talk, up up down down left write
Posted in Freelance Game Journo Shop Talk, Shop Talk | 2 Comments »
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
Posted in Ask The Freelance Dude | 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
Posted in Ask The Freelance Dude | Leave a Comment »
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
Posted in Ask The Freelance Dude | Leave a Comment »
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 22, 2012
“Who doesn’t want their brain punched in the face? Puzzlejuice makes the bizarre prospect a lot more fun than it sounds by combining aspects of Tetris and Boggle into one real pressure-cooker of a puzzler. Matching colored blocks and chaining letters to quickly clear the screen as red, turquoise, and yellow hell rains down from above adds a dizzying twist to a familiar formula — one that’s bound to titillate puzzle addicts and word nerds alike.”
Check out the full review here at Mac|Life.
Tags:freelance, ios, ipad, ipad 2, maclife, mac|life, nathan meunier, puzzle, puzzlejuice, Review, reviews
Posted in Mac|Life | Leave a Comment »
August 4, 2011
Don’t. Even if you’re just getting started out in the freelance world, your time and energy are worth something. The prospect of having your work published, particularly if you’ve yet to sip from those glistening waters, can do crazy things to a new writer. It’s tempting to jump at any opportunity to have your work picked up by a publication – even a small one – regardless of whether you’re getting paid for it or not. Seeing your byline on a published article for the first time is exciting stuff. Period. The problem is the vast majority of websites in the video game world that actually take the time to publicly cast out nets to attract freelancers don’t want to pay you for your work. They’re looking to take advantage of your fine ability to churn out words in an intelligent and thoughtful manner by corrupting you and bending you to their own dark aims. Don’t let them.
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Tags:101, freelance writer, freelancing, game journalism, getting paid for your work, how to, nathan meunier, reviews, shop talk, video games, writing for free
Posted in Freelance Game Journo Shop Talk | 5 Comments »
