Getting a job with a fashion magazine

[Marbles29]

Would you say Mr. Vidal articulates himself a "stilted" manner?

 

[Acephale]

Why don't you post the 'witty' letter of introduction here...

Please.

(you never know Mr Editor may well read here - the GQ editor I knew in the UK was a big enough erm to probably fit in quiet well here.)

 

[LabelKing]

I understand being a pillow-biter gets you far in the fashion world.

 

[ter1413]

Originally Posted by Marbles29

Would you say Mr. Vidal articulates himself a "stilted" manner?



Guess what buddy...you ain't Gire Vidal!!!!

 

[Jack2000]

Have you considered the devastated state of the magazine industry? Print is hurting. Titles are closing faster than than you can imagine. Get a subscription to FOLIO and do some reading. Learn about the industry. There are no or very few jobs anywhere in publishing and there are so many qualified applicants for those jobs that have been laid off from other pubs that an outsider has little chance of competing. GQ is not going to hire you to write or edit. The guy who suggested writing a blog was right. It's the only way you will get a portfolio of published work that you might be able to parlay into a job at a major pub. If you can't write interesting or original copy for your own blog you won't be able to provide commercially viable copy to a mass market publication anyway. You need a body of work to have any chance of getting attention from an editor--any editor, not just someone in as lofty a position as the editor of GQ. A single story is not going to do it.

 

[ter1413]

Originally Posted by Marbles29

What specifically? I'm open to criticism


Specifically?? Where can I start! How you "write" in not what GQ publishes! Do you just read some of the articles and say to yourself, "Self, I can write much more stately that that!" Guess what, if you write like that, I would not want to read GQ! Or Esquire..or Details!
As stated, you ain't Gore Vidal...try being yourself and not making every sentence that you write(even in these posts) sound as if you are a 75 year old blue blood from Scotland(no dig at Scotland!)
Post the intro letter here! I know many people in the industry(and at Conde Nast) and while I would not recommend you for ANYTHING based on your writings so far, it would be interesting to see how hard they laugh when I tell them this story(if I bother!)

 

[blairh]

Originally Posted by Jack2000

Have you considered the devastated state of the magazine industry? Print is hurting. Titles are closing faster than than you can imagine. Get a subscription to FOLIO and do some reading. Learn about the industry. There are no or very few jobs anywhere in publishing and there are so many qualified applicants for those jobs that have been laid off from other pubs that an outsider has little chance of competing. GQ is not going to hire you to write or edit. The guy who suggested writing a blog was right. It's the only way you will get a portfolio of published work that you might be able to parlay into a job at a major pub. If you can't write interesting or original copy for your own blog you won't be able to provide commercially viable copy to a mass market publication anyway. You need a body of work to have any chance of getting attention from an editor--any editor, not just someone in as lofty a position as the editor of GQ. A single story is not going to do it.
Marbles, everything in this quote is 100% on point. Not once during all your postings have you mentioned anything about your previous work being published or available to be read somewhere. Basically you are banking everything on the fact that your page and a half of prose will somehow impress Jim Nelson so much that he offers you some type of opportunity. This reeks of "shortcut" in my book. You need to prove yourself as a writer before you can even begin to get the attention of a higher up. As recommended by others before, start a blog and write for it every day, M-F, for at least a year. If you are talented you will gain a following and then at least have something to show someone at GQ, etc. Also it appears you have no previous experience working at a magazine. That really will not help your prospects. You are trying to cash in your chips but you have no chips in your hands right now. Instead of focusing your efforts on handing Jim Nelson two pieces of paper, take the time and effort to create a body of work. As I stated before, I don't approve of you approaching Mr. Nelson in the first place, but now it's become clear that your efforts need to be focused on having something to show people at GQ, etc, in the future.

 

[Scrutinizer]

Originally Posted by Jack2000

Have you considered the devastated state of the magazine industry? Print is hurting. Titles are closing faster than than you can imagine. Get a subscription to FOLIO and do some reading. Learn about the industry. There are no or very few jobs anywhere in publishing and there are so many qualified applicants for those jobs that have been laid off from other pubs that an outsider has little chance of competing. GQ is not going to hire you to write or edit. The guy who suggested writing a blog was right. It's the only way you will get a portfolio of published work that you might be able to parlay into a job at a major pub. If you can't write interesting or original copy for your own blog you won't be able to provide commercially viable copy to a mass market publication anyway. You need a body of work to have any chance of getting attention from an editor--any editor, not just someone in as lofty a position as the editor of GQ. A single story is not going to do it.

What he said. If you want any magazine publisher to pay attention to you, approach them with a viable way to make some money out of e-publishing.

Trying to get into print now is like trying to get into horse-carriage building in the 1920s: bad career move.

 

[ter1413]

Originally Posted by Jack2000

Have you considered the devastated state of the magazine industry? Print is hurting. Titles are closing faster than than you can imagine. Get a subscription to FOLIO and do some reading. Learn about the industry. There are no or very few jobs anywhere in publishing and there are so many qualified applicants for those jobs that have been laid off from other pubs that an outsider has little chance of competing. GQ is not going to hire you to write or edit. The guy who suggested writing a blog was right. It's the only way you will get a portfolio of published work that you might be able to parlay into a job at a major pub. If you can't write interesting or original copy for your own blog you won't be able to provide commercially viable copy to a mass market publication anyway. You need a body of work to have any chance of getting attention from an editor--any editor, not just someone in as lofty a position as the editor of GQ. A single story is not going to do it.

Conde Nast just had Mckinsey in to advise how they can cut costs due to the state of print publishing as stated above! So you want to skip the hard work and just land a gig at GQ because of your boldness to approach J Nelson! If someone asks what else you have written, what will you say.."I sound like G Vidal!" Hey, I think I can hit a fastball better than AROD, doesn't mean if I tell that to the Skankees, they will put me on the team!

 

[TC (Houston)]

Originally Posted by Marbles29

What specifically? I'm open to criticism

The fact that you are unaware of how your voice affects readers is an even greater indication that you are not qualified to write for such a publication. I'd suggest you get some professional training and some feedback from some writing coaches or editors. Good luck.

 

[Marbles29]

Last night I looked heavily into blogging. Wordpress seems the most popular choice, but how could you establish a substantial blog with 'wordpress' in the URL? I have a working knowledge of HTML, but nothing more advanced.

This writing style comes naturally to me. Aside for generally writing poorly on this forum (might have something to do with the font), 19th century lit has fashioned my diction to its current form. That era produced some great thinkers, not to say I am among them. I do wish I were more adept at writing colloquially.

Is there really a point to post what I had written? Will you guys actually offer constructive criticism, and not disseminate or subconsciously appropriate my material? Would you guys actually tell me which words should be excised, and what sentences revised? Pinpoint the strongest and weakest paragraphs?

 

[blairh]

The Sartorialist uses blogspot to maintain his blog. Having wordpress does nothing to demean your blog/work.

I don't recommend you post on this thread what you were going to give Jim. Actually, it appears as if you are still planning on going through with approaching him, which I'll say one last time is a terrible idea.

If you want or need your work to be looked over, show it to a smart friend(s) or someone whose feedback you would appreciate and consider. Though I'm sure SF is populated by many intelligent people who can help, you are bound to get a series of posts making fun of whatever you write, and if that is going to affect your confidence moving forward, then don't post it. We are all still a series of strangers when it comes down to it.

Set up a wordpress/blogspot blog and get to work. Create a blog that showcases your talent and knowledge (do this for a minimum of six months, nine months better, a full year best). Only then are you ready to contact people at magazines and start to network with hopes of getting your foot in the door at a publication.

 

[JLibourel]

As someone who actually is the editor of national magazine (albeit with a smaller circulation than GQ, alas), I think a lot of people in this thread have been over-thinking the matter. Go ahead and send letters of application telling about yourself with a resume and a relevant sample of your writing to each of the editors of the magazines you are interested in. Odds are, they will see them.

As others have said, the print journalism is hurting, but it is far from dead. A successful blogsite would certainly strengthen your case. It will probably be a very long shot, especially if you are not applying for an advertised opening, but at least you will have tried.

Sadly, there are fewer openings in journalism of this sort simply because with today's computers one editor can accomplish what it took three to do in the old days when I got into the game over 30 years ago.

 

[Britalian]

As Mr King says, above.
Have you seen The September Issue, sweetie?

 

[Master Squirrel]

Originally Posted by ter1413

Someone already suggested it..start a blog....Mention it in SF. Let us judge. You never know who is part of SF and could read your work!

Everyone who I personally know that is writing articles for online and print began with a blog. They do it well because they love it and people would read their stuff.