Forum - View topic

NEWS: Staff Opening: Manga Reviewer

Of manga companies, for example, Digital Manga Publishing (perhaps unsurprisingly) does all their review material digitally, and Dark Horse offers the option of digital review copies as well. Plenty of publishers do still only offer print review copies, though, so your point about the writer being North America-based is probably still valid, though.

DoktorZetsubou wrote:

Is there a deadline for applications?

When the listing is taken down, the position has been filled. There's no deadline but if you're interested you should apply ASAP. I already have a small mountain of applications.

Quote:

^ Yes this, also if there are any age restrictions if anyone else is planning to apply.

I can't hire anyone under 18, but the call is very specifically for experienced writers, so unless there's a very special case out there, that kinda cancels out people under a certain age.

Quote:

Is someone leaving?

Lissa Patillo has stepped down. No further questions on this issue will be answered.

Inujake, I think Zac has made it pretty clear in this thread what he's looking for and what he means by "experienced writer." Unfortunately, I don't think where you're at right now fits what he's looking for.

As someone who's a freelance writer who's been writing about anime at another website for three years, I'd like to pass on some advice that can hopefully help you along at building up the experience you need to apply for similar types of writing positions later on.

When I was really getting started with my freelance writing career, I was forunate enough that the site I write for now had an opening for someone to write about anime, and having someone I know point me to the site and encouraging me to apply. In that case, I consider myself to be rather lucky.

If you're really serious about wanting to write about manga, you could always work at developing a portfolio of work on your own. Probably the best way to do that is to start your own blog that's devoted to writing about manga, if you don't have one already. With services such as WordPress and Blogger, as well as other blogging platforms, it's really easy to start up your own blog.

You can populate the blog with manga reviews and your opinions and insights on manga. If you have your own manga collection, start reviewing the manga titles that you have. Also, if your local library or library system carries manga and has titles that you don't own, you can also check those out and review those as well.

After that, the next step is to promote your blog, and then promote it some more. One of your best tools is to utilize social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. There's also blog distribution networks available (I write a music news blog that's syndicated through the Demand Media Studios blogger network, and there may be other networks out there as well). I can only speak for Demand Media Studios, but there is an application process you have to go through and then they have to decide whether or not they will include your blog in the network and make your content available for potential inclusion on websites that are part of their network. This is also a revenue share program, so you can work at building up a little bit of income as well. As a warning, though, don't expect to make a lot of money quickly through the DMS blogger network. I've been with them since October 2010, and I've managed to earn a few cents; luckily for me, this is simply supplemental income for other work I do, so I'm not too concerned about the low payout. Also, before applying to any blog network, be sure to read the terms and conditions and look through the fine print carefully.

If you start a blog and maintain it regularly, you'll be able to build up a portfolio of samples. If a similar position to this opens up at ANN in the future, or at some other website, then you will have samples you can use, and could even potentially be seen as an "experienced writer."

Also, good luck to everyone who has applied for this position.

I submitted my application, and now I'm very nervous. I'm wondering how long it will take before we get any word back. I understand when you say you can't send responses to everyone, and it'll still probably take a few days, if not weeks, for everything to get sorted out. It's the two together that make me worried, since I begin to think I did badly until I get anything back, if I ever do.

I'm also wondering exactly how many qualified applicants there will end up being. I imagine it'll be a lot, which just makes me more nervous.

I submitted my application, and now I'm very nervous. I'm wondering how long it will take before we get any word back. I understand when you say you can't send responses to everyone, and it'll still probably take a few days, if not weeks, for everything to get sorted out. It's the two together that make me worried, since I begin to think I did badly until I get anything back, if I ever do.

I'm also wondering exactly how many qualified applicants there will end up being. I imagine it'll be a lot, which just makes me more nervous.

I'm curious, are people who write for ANN required to write under their real names? I'm not suggesting that Theron Martin is really a pseudonym for Noam Chomsky, although that would be fantastic, or aught like that, but I do wonder if the allergy to anonymity in journalism that America developed somewhere between Publius and today extends to niche entertainment journalism.

(I hasten to note that I am not an applicant, as I have no qualifications for the position and have elected not to waste the editor's time)