Weekly Reader folds into history

“Curiouser and curiouser.”

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Posted:
July 23, 2012
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Weekly Reader folds into history

The Daily News reported today that Weekly Reader was sold to Scholastic last February. It was cited that Scholastic was “axing all but five of Weekly Reader’s 60 employees in White Plains, NY.” I suppose that is an accurate (albeit broad-stroked) account. Those of us who have not been picked up have, for the most part, moved on. Though it’s probably safe to say that none of us will ever forget the work we did or the extraordinary people we collaborated with at our beloved company.

From my own perspective, working for such an inspiring piece of Americana was always a delight. Whenever I told someone what I did for a living, regardless of their age, they would more often than not respond: “Ohh, Weekly Reader! I used to love getting those in school! You guys are still around?” Heh. Well…

Despite the many challenges we faced in our final years, the incredibly talented team of dedicated people that put those educational periodicals (both elementary and secondary) together always gave it their all. ”Like all papers,” the Daily News reported, “Weekly Reader was struggling with changes roiling the print world and was under pressure to develop digital editions.” True, we struggled inasmuch as any other publishing company does in today’s world. But rather than shy from new technologies, we embraced them. We created digital editions of all our magazines, launched “e-issues” (educational, interactive, themed web sites), wrote blogs, and kept the lines of communication open with teachers and educators as we attempted to stay one step ahead of the ever-evolving classroom environment. In the end, I suppose Weekly Reader became a casualty of the times. It’s sad that we no longer get to work together in White Plains, doing what we love to do. But what’s more depressing is that this time-honored brand that so many of us grew up with, loved, trusted, and learned from is now but a memory.

I do look forward to seeing what Scholastic does in the future and I am confident that, though WR is no more, what it stood for will live on.

And to exit on a promising note: if anyone out there should ever require a talented, dedicated, creative editor, art director, photo editor, copy editor, production designer, or web designer for an educational or otherwise, print or digital publishing task, gig, job, or consult… I know sixty extraordinary candidates.

 

Posted:
July 16, 2012
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Be Yourself… sorta

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? “Stay in school” may ring a bell whereas “keep your chin up” could have you blinded by the sun. I have no idea what “don’t squeeze the Charmin” is supposed to mean. Advertising fail! Maybe it’s good advice, who knows? Regardless, none of these words of wisdom can compare to the ever popular, time-honored classic: “Be yourself.”

Just be yourself. Period. No explanation necessary. You get it. Immediately. Whether or not you have come to terms with just who that person is yet is irrelevant because those two words allow you to go exploring within your own character. But let’s pretend, for argument’s sake, that you know who you are and you’re exquisitely comfortable with <ahem> being yourself. Great!

But are you sure?

I’d venture to guess that there are about fifty shades of you, sexy pants! There’s the You you are with your friends who is probably someone different than the You you are with your family who is most definitely not the same as the You you are with your pets, or whoever you are during dreaming, fantasies, social interactions with strangers, bankers, cops, the guy who sells you milk, and most importantly there is the You who has the quiet nook carved out in your head and sits there peacefully in those most private of moments—no one can get anywhere near him (or her). I guess the question we should be asking ourselves then is not Who Are You? but rather Who Aren’t You? Which skin will you be wearing out in public today? You’ve got so many!

If you want to be in business for yourself as a freelancer, you’re going to have to get a grip on your most rational and clear-thinking self. That’s the You you want steering the boat. There is no room for self-doubt or wishy-washiness here. You see, contrary to popular belief, freelancing is not all about the writing. If it were, your multi-shaded personality might be just fine masked behind those carefully crafted, written words of yours. Unfortunately, the writing is only half of it. And in order to get to that half (the fun half), you must first make your connections, be pleasant, charming, sell yourself! Ahh, there You are again. Is your smile polished? Are you confident? Stutter-free? Ready and rarin’ to go? The client will smell self-doubt a mile away. Kick that Unsure You to the curb! Bring your A+ Game! If you misstep, so what? Brush it off and get back in there. Whichever You you’ve chosen, make it the best. Put your worries away for another day. In fact, stash them so far up in your brain’s attic that you can’t hardly even remember what they are! The point is that maybe “be yourself” isn’t the best advice you can implement when navigating the choppy waters of Freelancia. Perhaps a better way to approach things is to “be the best yourself there is.” In fact, that’s pretty good advice for all your life’s myriad adventures. Good luck, You!

Posted:
June 30, 2012
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Pay it Forward, Bring it Back – A Freelancer’s First Month

Of all the careers, in all the towns, in all the world… …you had to be mine.

Since the sad, sorry closing of my old company and the beginning of my new career as a freelance writer/editor, I’ve been pretty lucky. I sort of fell right into my first contract job by paying it forward. By that I mean that while I was scouring the web for freelance gigs for myself, I was also looking out for others. If I saw a job that wasn’t necessarily right for me but might be right for a colleague, of course I would forward that information on. As it turned out, one of these did actually result in a good friend of mine snagging a pretty impressive project. That, in and of itself, made me happy! Then, come to find out, the contract she received was such a large undertaking that she was alloted a small staff! So she came back to me and asked if I’d like to join the team. Heck yes, I would!

Without saying too much about the project, I believe it would be all right for me to say that it involves working on a career-focused educational game for students. In doing much research of hundreds of different professions over the past three weeks, I have come to really appreciate where I am in life right now as well as becoming more aware of  how many other opportunities there are out there. I don’t presume to understand how one child grows up to be a neurosurgeon while another becomes an editor while another becomes a game show host while another becomes an electrical engineer while another becomes a candlestick maker. The paths we choose are based on an incomprehensible amount of conscious and unconscious decisions, traits, skills, etc. as we go. All I know is, out of the countless professions that could have chosen me, I am very content with this one so far. Of course, I am still a newbie as a freelancer and I don’t pretend to think it’s all wine and roses just because I landed this first gig pretty pronto. I am sure there will be days in the future where I will be at my wit’s end trying to find work. I hope those days will be few and far between. But in the meantime, it’s pretty groovy to make your own hours, choose your own projects, write-off office supplies, meet interesting people, learn new things, and do it all in footy pajamas! Just kidding, those only come out in the winter.

The only two big cons I have seen so far are: having to buy my own insurance and the occassional loneliness. The former is just a necessary evil of the business. Suck it up and deal. Pretty soon everyone is going to have to be insured whether they have a company to pay for it or not so I guess I’m ahead of the curve there. As far as the loneliness goes, it’s not terrible. I still keep in touch with the old crew and I do live with my girlfriend and four cats so they all keep me on my toes, no doubt. And the newly installed birdhouse out back makes for interesting company every day. I do enjoy raising and shaking my fist at those damn squirrels while secretly marveling at their acrobatics. But sometimes I do miss the long commute into work, the company camaraderie, the excitement of a magazine well-done, and even (or especially) the moaning that inevitably comes in any shared office from the “same boat mentality.” I’m a one-man show now. It is at times very exhilarating and at others, kinda dull. But at least it’s where I want to be and when someone asks me what I do, I can say with pride, “I am a freelancer,” and smile.

-LW