Thank you for joining us for another installment in our our ongoing Journalism Tips series. We started this column as a way to help aspiring writers get their start in music, but over the couple months we have been evolving into a place writers come to have their questions about life in the business answered. Today we are continuing that effort with a response to a question posed by multiple reader in regards to how long it takes to begin making money as a writer. If you have any questions about developing as a writer/blogger in music, please do not hesitate email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
There are a dozen ways Facebook can suck you in and steal hours of any given work day, but for me the biggest hurdle to overcome is the allure of the platform’s messaging system. Any time I log on there are either friends or industry peers available to chat, and it’s rare that I do not click one or two just to say hello. After all, networking and communication are key in this industry. Earlier this week, however, I was pulled into a conversation for over an hour with a writer I had never met or known. They claimed to be fans of this blog and wanted to ask my opinion on something related to their writing career. I was flattered by the comments, but to be honest I still struggle with these kind of situations in public. The music industry is a crazy place, and what works/worked for me might not have the same results for someone else. This blog allows for advice to be given in a generic sense, making it possible for a lot of people to take in the ideas and refine them to fit their needs, but when talking one-on-one everything is much more direct.
I confessed all my apprehensions about offering advice, but ultimately gave in and asked what the question was this person had been pining over for so long that they felt compelled to seek help. Their answer, surprisingly, was one of the most frequently contributed questions this blog has ever received:
How long does it take to become a professional writer, and when should I expect to start getting paid for my work?
Questions like this are similar to the questions I think everyone asks themselves in music from time to time. The hard truth is, unfortunately, that there are no definite answers. One thing I know for sure though is that no amount of money can make someone a professional. Likewise, just because you’re getting paid to write does not necessarily mean you are a professional. Let’s expand on this, shall we?
Professionalism, as we have discussed in the past, is not determined by wealth or cultural status. To be a professional is to enter into a mindset where you treat the things you love doing as a profession. You strive to create the most interesting and in depth content you can, without thinking of the payment or praise you will receive for your efforts. The only thing you need to find satisfaction is the completion of whatever you are working on in the moment, and from there you will find a new project to begin. It’s not about figuring out the best way to do something and doing it that way forever, but rather inventing new ways to tell original stories that people may or may not know they want to hear. It’s about setting the curve not just for yourself, but for everyone around you as well.
Individuals become professionals in music journalism when they accept the fact there is no end point in the pursuit of writing perfection. Whether your first or five hundredth article goes viral does not matter if the 400+ articles in between are complete crap. No one story is going to make or break your career, but focused and consistently strong writing will allow you to continue pursuing your love of combining music and the written word. You might not get paid at times, but then again money is never the goal of the professional. It’s nice, and in many ways needed for survival over the longterm, but professionals realize money is little more than a means to acquire the items needed to survive and not the tool for survival itself. You can learn more about professionalism here.
On the topic of compensation and when writers can expect to begin receiving payment, there is no way for me or anyone else to provide any type of substantial answer. It’s likely you could be getting paid to write content right now if you clicked through enough Craigslist ads and LinkedIn postings, but if you want to get paid for creating content you are truly passionate about it may take some time to reach a point where you are able to support yourself from such endeavors. I interview writers every week who have been working in music for a decade or more, and nine times our of ten they admit to not making a dime for their writing for years (usually five or more). If they did somehow start getting paid sooner, they have been around long enough to see the rise of digital media cause a drop in the rates publications are willing to pay freelance contributors.
Reaching a point where you are able to cover the things that matter to you takes a combination of time, practice, networking, and – to be entirely honest – luck. You have to write long enough to develop a unique voice that people not only recognize, but seek out on a regular basis. Once you have established that, you need to create a portfolio of content, as well as a collection of new ideas, which can then be shared with editors and publications around the globe. Those who receive your submissions will then have to review those articles and content ideas to see if you fit in with the voice/focus of their site as whole and get back to you. They also may not even bother to contact you again. That’s just the way the business works.
Some may think starting their own website will be a quicker way to reach a point where advertisers and/or publishers are willing to pay for content, but that path has its own set of drawbacks. First and foremost, as the demand for content grows so will the need to either expand your writing staff or lessen the amount of time you spend on each post. Either decision will alter the way your only voice is received, and as time goes on that demand is only going to grow. If you do land a publishing deal, there will be an expectation for the type and amount of content created, which can make many writers feel stunted in term of coverage options.
If you really want to be a professional and make money while doing so, make it a point now to focus on your craft and set personal goals. Don’t worry about traffic or compensation, but do stress over the quality of the material you deem worthy of being shared with the world. Each article you create, whether a review or news update, should showcase your abilities as a writer to the fullest extent possible. Success comes to those who dive in without worrying about temperature of the water or how others will view their efforts to swim. Be yourself and embrace the fact you have a voice entirely your own, then use that voice to share the best and worst of the world with others. Success will follow.
