Dear Sarah
(with apologies to the list--I can't respond
directly)
I have done a bit of freelance writing myself and
have found that in the museum world it can be hard to come by.
I think there are a few reasons for that.
First, of course, museum budgets are limited and
the funds to hire outside writers for projects often simply don't exist, unless
written into a grant or funding proposal. Often staff just have to make do
with in house talent.
Second, many of the major publications in our field
(if not all of them) are scholarly journals which do not pay their authors with
anything more than a nice citation to add to their resume.
That isn't to say that freelance writing isn't a
possibility. You might consider contacting some of the major local history
publishers such as Arcadia or Donning. They are typically looking for
authors who can research (and finance) their own manuscripts, in exchange for
royalties upon publication. You could also look into various freelance
newspaper articles and editing positions as have already been mentioned.
And there are a variety of freelance websites available that can point you to
non-museum freelance opportunities.
Frankly, I've had the best success through personal
networking. Make sure the word is out among your colleagues that you are
available and willing to take on separate freelance projects on the side.
I got one wonderful job writing the text for a guidebook at the Wickham House
here in Richmond simply because the staff there had outside funding and knew
that I could produce a quality product for them and that I was interested in the
work (they had seen a similar book I developed for us in-house).
I would recommend that you think outside the box,
too. My writing resume (in house for APVA, as a consultant, and as sole
proprietor of my own business) has included all kinds of specialized museum
writing including not only exhibit and guidebook text, but also shorter things
like brochure blurbs, website text, interpretive text for museum store products,
etc. These are potentially smaller jobs, but they would make less
dent in an institutional budgets than a longer manuscript if you can prove that
you're worth hiring!
Best of luck,
Catherine Dean
Catherine E. Dean
Curator of Collections
APVA Preservation
Virginia
204 West Franklin St.
Richmond, VA 23228
804-648-1889
x313
FAX: 804-775-0802
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 11:13
AM
Subject: Resources for Freelance
Writing/Research/Editing
Dear all,
I am looking to suppliment my current museum work with some freelance
writing, researching or editing. Of course, it would be great if any
projects I undertake could be related to my current work, which spans both
curatorial projects and museum education. Articles or manuscripts to
edit, short research projects, articles on museum practice, etc. would be
ideal.
Does anyone on the list have any great resources to share about where one
might find positions like that online? Is there a great database or
search engine that I'm missing? Or are positions like that really only
available through an individual network of contacts?
Thanks in advance for any tips you might have,
Sarah Anne
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