It’s that time of year again when I talk about my career and what I’ve learned! I think I’m finally coming out of the post-pandemic years, first with hardly any work and then an overabundance. Now we’re somewhere in the middle. This year has had some financial expenses I wasn’t exactly prepared for, so I didn’t do as well as I have in past years.
I again sent over 330 pitches or was assigned and placed stories with almost half of my pitches not even getting a response. This is partially due to how they are submitted, namely pitch forms that you can’t reply to. But I had some perks, like breaking into new to me outlets like Bon Appetit, Modern Farmer, VinePair, Plate, The Toronto Star, Savannah Magazine, and the Chicago Tribune.
I also had a story killed that really devastated me. But onward and upward! I expanded what I wrote about, including more food and drink coverage. I had some stories take a while to come out or come to fruition, including a story that just came out that I pitched at least six months earlier.
I also had more print stories than ever, with one coming out nearly every month of the year. I also contributed to another book! The least I was paid for a story was $100 and the most was $2,500. I’d like to see more of the latter this year! I also earned my first royalty check from my book that came out in 2018! I’d like to focus on balance and drive this year.
For more writing goals from previous years, see the editions from 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. See almost all of my work on my Contently page and follow along on my professional website.
What Worked This Year
Relying on in-person contacts
Now that we’re back to in-person events and conferences, I was glad to use this as a chance to actually network. For example, at one conference, I got an idea that became a story for VinePair. I met an editor in passing at another conference, but we later connected on a press trip and I placed a story with her afterward. I also reconnected with two editors I’d worked with previously and talked about doing more work.
Taking non-traditional writing jobs
Sure, I’d love all my stories to be big, splashy, $2/word stories, but that’s not realistic. I took some sponsored content jobs and highly recommend it because it’s fairly easy to do and pays very well.
Plus, there seems to be a seemingly endless well of it, which I can’t say about editorial stories, especially as outlets shutter constantly. I also had a few paid consulting calls for PR firms and branding agencies, which I would absolutely do again.
Returning to previous outlets
In the past few years I’ve had a few “one and done” stories and a goal for this year was to circle back to them. It was easier said than done because, let’s face it, the needs of publications have changed greatly since the end of 2019.
But I was able to break back into Atlanta Magazine, BBC Travel, National Geographic Traveler, and Travel + Leisure.
Flexing my love of research
At my core, I’m just a big nerd. This year, I finally embraced it, specifically in the history-rich stories. For BBC Travel, I learned about the soldiers that went on to found America’s ski towns and for VinePair, I wrote about when Mexico sustained America’s bourbon industry during Prohibition. I’d love to do more like these!
Goals for 2024
Focus more on the story, and less on the outlet
It’s easy to get sucked into the idea that I “have” to write for big outlets. And yes, I have a running list of outlets I’d like to see my name in (and have even crossed off a few). But what’s more important to me is writing a story I’m really passionate about and getting paid fairly.
Take time to notice the progress
It’s crazy that I’ve been writing these posts for a decade and writing for even longer. In an early post, I wanted to send one pitch per week! These days I send 2-3 per day. It wasn’t long ago that I was working at my retail job, dreaming of the day I would be able to write full-time. I also used to work late into the night but have better boundaries these days.
Travel less
I’ve been saying this for many years but I have a hard time not saying yes to every single trip I’m offered. But then it gets to the end of the year and I haven’t written stories I’ve committed to. So I’d like to be more selective with where I go and spend the rest of the time with my loved ones, not to mention reading more.
Organize my invoices
I got to the end of the year and realized I hadn’t sent a few invoices. One of my favorite editors even reminded me that I hadn’t sent one. I suspect that I have undiagnosed ADHD so that might be part of the reason, but even though I have a spreadsheet about payments, I always forget to cross them off.
Embrace the side hustle
I made around $32,000 from writing alone, but also supplemented with my website revenue and a few side gigs like my Etsy shop. In some years I’ve been able to get by only from writing and I have to be okay with the fact that sometimes I’ll need other work.
I have insecurity about my journalism background and feel like if I were a “real” writer, I wouldn’t need the extra work, but that just isn’t the case. I can’t control the economy.
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