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Anonymous (not verified) says:
In 1971, after graduating from a decidedly un-ivy college and having served in Vietnam, I came to New York city from the midwest with $150, one suit and a dream to have my byline in Time or Newsweek or The New York Times. Totally unconnected and working as a file clerk at the Plaza Hotel, I literally pounded the pavement during a recession and came up with a job as an assistant editor at...Modern Floor Coverings. Two years into this gig and making great dough, I decided to make my move into the consumer press. Not so fast. They wanted me to start, again, at the bottom. I argued that I was running the staffs of two magazines, reporting and writing everything from investigative features to newsletters, but the reply was, "Yeah, but that's for a trade magazine." I was branded. I was a trade guy. It seems from this piece that "online" now carries its own stigma. And I can't imagine what people think of online writers at B2B titles. But guess what, there are thousands of writers making a living and doing excellent work (see the Neal Awards) who don't work for Conde Nast or The New Yorker, or any other consumer title and, of course, never will. Bottom line, if a young person wants to write for print, not so they can live down the block from the latest trust-fund darling whose mommy or daddy got them a job at one of THE titles but because they want to write for print, there are plenty of jobs available, and ones THAT THEY CAN AND SHOULD BE PROUD TO HAVE.
In 1971, after graduating from a decidedly un-ivy college and having served in Vietnam, I came to New York city from the midwest with $150, one suit and a dream to have my byline in Time or Newsweek or The New York Times. Totally unconnected and working as a file clerk at the Plaza Hotel, I literally pounded the pavement during a recession and came up with a job as an assistant editor at...Modern Floor Coverings. Two years into this gig and making great dough, I decided to make my move into the consumer press. Not so fast. They wanted me to start, again, at the bottom. I argued that I was running the staffs of two magazines, reporting and writing everything from investigative features to newsletters, but the reply was, "Yeah, but that's for a trade magazine." I was branded. I was a trade guy. It seems from this piece that "online" now carries its own stigma. And I can't imagine what people think of online writers at B2B titles. But guess what, there are thousands of writers making a living and doing excellent work (see the Neal Awards) who don't work for Conde Nast or The New Yorker, or any other consumer title and, of course, never will. Bottom line, if a young person wants to write for print, not so they can live down the block from the latest trust-fund darling whose mommy or daddy got them a job at one of THE titles but because they want to write for print, there are plenty of jobs available, and ones THAT THEY CAN AND SHOULD BE PROUD TO HAVE.