Writers and the Recession: How Can You Succeed?
I was interviewed by Tad Richards of the New York Careers Examiner. We discuss writing, publishing, recession, and how everything is changing … and how writers need to shift strategy…
I was interviewed by Tad Richards of the New York Careers Examiner. We discuss writing, publishing, recession, and how everything is changing ... and how writers need to shift strategy to succeed. A snippet:
TR: With print periodicals in danger of becoming dinosaurs, what's the future there for writers?
JF: Where is journalism headed or what will happen? I have no idea.
We're in the middle of a huge transformation in the culture, and it's
nearly impossible to say how it will shake out. Clay Shirky wrote a fabulous essay on this
that I highly recommend to every writer. I do think the culture is
headed into a media environment that does not value advertising, but
has a lot of respect for content. Writers who can build a trust factor
and also specialize in reaching a particular audience should find
plenty of opportunities no matter what happens. Being online and being
engaged (the social media thing) will be essential. Everything will be
more community-driven ... but how all of this will be monetized and
provide writers/journalists with a living ... We'll see!

Jane Friedman is a full-time entrepreneur (since 2014) and has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. She is the co-founder of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest. In addition to being a columnist with Publishers Weekly and a professor with The Great Courses, Jane maintains an award-winning blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com. Jane’s newest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press, 2018).