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Working Words

Market Madness
by Kim Hoelzi

Have you ever looked at a job board and been completely overwhelmed by the number of listings and requirements that you just don't know what to do?

That's the madness of the market business. There are lots of good paying writing jobs out there. The trick is to get them.

Recently, I saw an ad for an institution looking for writers to produce material for a reading intervention program. I have sold children's books and conducted workshops on getting children to read, so I knew I would be perfect for the job. I sent an email to the contact and requested information about the program. She directed me to the institution's website.

This website had been very carefully designed. It had several different sections of information for potential authors to read and at first sight, it was confusing. However, I did realize one thing from the information I was being given: these people knew exactly what they wanted.

The institute was looking for a variety of pieces, nonfiction, textbook type pieces, fiction pieces, and recipes to name a few. It seemed like easy money and I had a number of choices available. The catch was that these pieces had to interest students who don't like to read. The purpose of the intervention program is to aid students with reading difficulties to become better readers.

I read through the guidelines. I read all of the examples that were provided. The institute had also produced what they called "graphic organizers" to be filled out by each author and sent in with their story. Students reading the passages would eventually use the organizers to test their comprehension.

I decided to write a nonfiction piece for the grade 3 level on bats. I chose bats for no better reason than I happen to read a lot about them. I wrote the article up and read it.

It was boring. It sounded like it came from a textbook. I know they asked for "textbook" type pieces but textbooks are boring. It needed something to catch the reader's attention.

I re-wrote it and began by asking the reader a question: "Have you ever thought about owning a bat?" Maybe the reader had, or maybe not, either way, it was food for thought. I then explained all the information about the bat's eating habits, reproduction and habitats in the form of a pet guide. Rather than say "bats fly at dusk," I said the reader would have to miss bedtime to exercise their bat. I related the information in terms that applied directly to the lives of the audience making it interesting for them.

Once the story was written, it needed to be readied for submission. The institute wanted a cover letter with very specific biographical information and the name of the piece. Each page had to include the name of the piece and the page number in the top right hand corner. It all had to be submitted by email with the graphic organizer.

I know most places don't accept attachments. But the graphic organizer had been downloaded and filled out and wouldn't go into the body of the email text. I checked the website again and couldn't find the answer to this submission problem. Rather than guess what they wanted, I contacted the person in charge of submissions and asked her what she wanted. The website design had alerted me to the fact that these people were going to be very precise not just about what they got, but how they got it. The response was to send it as an attachment.

In the email that I wrote to go with the attachments, I made it very clear that I would be happy to make any changes they wanted. I also added that if they had any specific needs to be filled, I would be willing to do more writing for them. Then I pushed send, submitting a month before their deadline.

Two weeks later, the contract came in the mail. Two weeks after I sent the signed contract back, I had the check. Within a week of that, I got an email from the institute asking me to submit another piece as they don't have all their needs filled. Will I? You bet!

The key to getting this job was about more than clear, interesting writing. It was about putting aside everything that I might have liked to write for them and writing what they asked for. I filled out the graphic organizer, created the title page and sent it as attachments, just like they requested.

In the spirit of co-operation I also volunteered to make any changes they might need, relieving them of the duty of editing.

Anyone who advertises for writers knows what they want written. They have a specific need they want filled and they don't want to deal with writers who offer them something else. The next time you see a job listed on a board, go for it! Read the requirements and stick to them. You'll get the job, but more important, you'll get the check!

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