Freelance Writer/Publisher Matchmaking Service
New writers sometimes have trouble finding places to write for. This is a service that will allow writers to submit their samples and receive recommendations on who they should write for. I'd like to index a large number of magazines, trade journals, and websites that accept freelance work.
Q1: What do publishers do to find quality writers right now? I've heard its a "who you know" type of business. What about small journals with a limited distribution?
Idea Description
I do freelance writing myself. I find it takes a lot of research to find editors to query. I would like to solve this problem for other writers using machine learning. The site will consist of a directory of publications with updates coming from anyone. Writers can drill through the directory or submit a writing sample and receive recommendations on who they could write for. I see particular novelty connecting writers with small publications, niche websites, and trade journals.
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I prototyped the correlation technology for this using "social news sites" instead of journals at http://kindling.dashnine.org/
What will you do if you win $10,000 for this idea?
I'll use the $10K to fund myself and a designer to prototype the service.
Vote for it now.
As the Executive Editor of a small niche publication, I can see the value in the service you envision providing. There are many companies out there that propose to match freelancers with those needing work. We've worked with many of them. Most of them require a fair amount of screening and testing.
We've had the greatest difficulty finding talent that understands journalism well. As a publisher, I don't want content written by someone with a simple English degree. I want someone that is trained to write and cite sources as a journalist. It's even better if they have experience with SEO, specifically keywording.
We've had luck finding some journalists through Craig's List, the Society of Professional Journalists and through direct referrals. What's interesting is that some of highest value writers have come directly out of college. These are writers looking to make a name for themselves. What is most important to them is getting published. That's how they get their start.
I think you could find some good success if you focused in on smaller, nich…moree publishers and looked to take advantage of the incredible value that can found in new writers. It would be fairly easy to locate these new writers, simply talk with guidance counselors and journalism professors at colleges.
I can also tell you that there are more and more of these specialty publication and niche websites popping up every day. It's a trend you may be able to capitalize on by becoming a the resource for niche publishers to find and manage their team of freelancers.
You may even be able to partner with an organization like News University (www.newsu.org) to provide some on-going education to help improve the skills and the value of the writers on your service.
I've got a lot more thoughts about how you could use a service like this to provide value to small publishers. If you are interested in the perspective of someone that has managed an on-line publication, feel free to e-mail me and we can set up a conference call (jeremy.ames@nuwireinvestor.com).