The Other Side of Publishing: Alternatives to Corporate Life

Ami Greko, Rebecca Fitting, Lorraine Shanley (back), David Nudo, Sandi Mendelson

As the Summer Publishing Institute wound down and students scrambled to complete projects and find jobs, an esteemed panel of publishing entrepreneurs helped to put everything in perspective. “We are all in this room because we are passionate about communication,” said panelist David Nudo, former publisher of Publishers Weekly and co-founder of Literati-A-Go-Go, validating every student’s desire to go into publishing. By sharing stories of their own career trajectories and advice on how to build a successful career, each of the panelists offered a refreshing look at what it means to be a part of the publishing industry in this new digital age.

Secrets of the Freelance Life

Being stood up by Britney Spears in Las Vegas, going on free vacations, and filing stories from sweatshops in Mexico all come with the territory, a panel of freelance journalists told students at NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute (SPI).

Virginia Sole-Smith

As Donna Sapolin, Magazine Director of SPI, deftly moderated, four top freelance writers and editors generously shared secrets and advice about how to get published happily and steadily in some of America’s leading publications. How to get started? Virginia Sole-Smith, who has filed stories from sweatshops in Mexico and whose bylines appear in the Progressive, the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, and Elle, among other publications, suggested setting up a schedule to help keep on track. When she was starting out, she made a list of potential stories and publications which might run them, and then resolved to pitch three stories a week. Within three months, Sole-Smith was a published journalist. “Set your own goals and deadlines and be strict with yourself,” she emphasized.