The Writers For Hire: A Look at 2017

Two-thousand seventeen was an exciting year at The Writers For Hire, Inc.

We celebrated some big milestones and witnessed our community come together in amazing ways, during a time of crisis.

As we reflect on the past year, we are ever grateful for the opportunities we have had to meet so many wonderful people who have greatly contributed to the growth and success of TWFH. Tweet this

OTC 2017

At the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in May, we had a great time chatting with O&G industry representatives from Houston and around the globe.

We were also pleasantly surprised by some of the amazing corn hole skills we witnessed.

A big thanks to all of you who took the time to stop by to see us at our booth!

10-Year Anniversary!

In July we celebrated the 10-year anniversary of our awesome senior editor, Stephanie Hashagen.

This was the first 10-year employee anniversary for The Writers For Hire!

To help commemorate this exciting milestone, we asked Stephanie to share some of the wisdom she has acquired over the past ten years.

Media Mentions

TWFH partook in a couple of fun media events in 2017…

In July, Media Bistro published an article about Wintress Odom, our owner, titled “The Pros and Cons of Running a Writing Agency.”

The piece described Odom’s journey from freelance writer to founder of a successful writing-services company.

VoyageHouston, a community news publication, featured Odom and TWFH in November.

The artice, “Meet Wintress Odom of The Writers For Hire in West,” includes some of the challenges Odom has overcome while building her business, along with shout outs to some of the people who helped her make TWFH a success.

Hurricane Harvey Relief

After Hurricane Harvey devastated greater Houston with floods in August, we witnessed the very best of humanity, as people from all walks of life came together to help however they could.

We are extremely grateful those who, like our Communications Manager Brittany Cooper and her husband Cody, put their lives on the line and traveled throughout the Houston area by boat, rescuing people who were stranded in their homes.

We also want to thank all of you for pitching in and helping the Odom’s and The Writers For Hire provide much needed supplies directly to flood victims. We could not have done it without you!

We will forever be inspired by the “everyday heroes” who selflessly stepped forward to make a difference in the lives of others.

Donation to Las Amigas

In November, TWFH was given the opportunity to participate in an amazing event, benefiting Amigas Para Niños, a nonprofit organization helping young people in need.

We were very excited to find out that the personal history book package we submitted was auctioned off for $2,200!

It really was an honor to be part of such a worthy cause.

2017 was truly an incredible year, and we have all of you to thank for that.

We cannot wait to see what 2018 brings!

 

NAVIGATING A SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL PROCESS: PART 3 OF 3

The Proposal Team Kick-Off

Before your team meets, distribute the RFP to all members. Instruct them to read it from cover to cover and come to the meeting with questions. After all, you’re not the only one who should be preparing.

2. Choose the proposal management software

If the proposal is extensive and/or requires many different hands, you’ll want to consider software to help you manage the process.

Your company may already use a certain project management program.

But be aware that there are software applications designed specifically for answering RFPs.

Capterra, a website with the byline “The Smart Way to Find Business Software” has compiled a list called Top Proposal Management Software Products. It includes the names, reviews (when available), and links to the websites for 95 web-based and installed applications.

The list offers the capability filter your choices and select and compare products.

You will likely not have the time to weigh all these choices before your kickoff, but keep in mind that there are many tools available to help you.

It would be well worth your time to research these options before an RFP crosses your desk if your company is considering bidding on any proposals in the future

3. Decide how the various sections and related documents will be reviewed

Will you simply email drafts and versions to your team?

If the proposal is small enough, this might be sufficient.

But for complex projects, consider document management software such as SharePoint® or a repository such as Google Docs where contributors can add and review content.

Of the 95 proposal management software products listed on Capterra, 42 include a content repository and document management.

4. Go through the RFP again

Make a list of every project deliverable.

Outline the terms used in the RFP that may need clarification with your team.

The RFP may have a glossary of terms, but there may be other jargon in the RFP that is unique to its issuer.

5. Create a spreadsheet that lists every deliverable in the RFP

Even if you have RFP project management software, the experts we consulted still recommend a good old-fashioned master spreadsheet.

A spreadsheet offers an at-a-glance overview of what you’ll need to produce and shows team members the status of each action item.

Plus, even the most tech-averse on your team will usually be comfortable with spreadsheets.

“Include columns where a name or names will be placed beside every deliverable,” says Carey Miller, a professional writer who has project managed dozens of RFPs. “Add column heads for project milestones, due dates, and reviewers for the initial drafts as well as reviewers for the final package.”

Please feel free to use our spreadsheet template to get you started.

Conducting the Kick-Off Meeting

Your team members must be absolutely clear about their roles, deliverables, and deadlines when they leave the first meeting.

It’s also critical that you cover certain rules of the game, so they’ll understand the company’s RFP process and some best practices in proposal writing.

Cover the topics that follow for a successful meeting.

1. Address the team members' questions about the RFP

When you circulated the RFP, you asked that team members come prepared with their questions about the RFP.

Address those questions up front so that they’re not interfering with people’s concentration during the other meeting topics.

2. Assign team members their roles

As each team member is assigned a role, clarify the responsibilities associated with that role.

3. Place a name or names in the column besides each deliverable

Go over the spreadsheet, one deliverable at a time. Determine whether the Subject Matter Expert (SME) will write it or if someone else will write the section using information provided by the SME.

Miller notes that the writer should be clear about the point person for information: “With an unusually complex proposal, there may be several point persons for various sections.”

4. Establish the reviewer for each section

The reviewer’s name may appear in multiple rows, depending on how many deliverables are in a section and how many sections that reviewer is qualified to review.

Hewitt stresses, “Designate reviewer(s) for the various sections and the reviewers for the packaged proposal.

The drafts can be reviewed by multiple SMEs; the finished package should be reviewed by only a small set of key players.”

5. Establish a timeline

In Winning Library Grants, A Game Plan, Herbert B. Landau writes, “To ensure that the deadline will be met, I start with the proposal delivery date and work backwards to the present.” \

Build in a pad in case something unexpected results in a project slowdown.

Landau also suggests, “To allow for all contingencies, set the date to have the complete proposal, including all forms, the narrative, the budget, and all attachments, at least four days before the day the proposal must be submitted.”

Include each of the following milestones in your timeline:

  • The completion date for the initial draft of each section or part thereof (according to the list of deliverables)
  • The completion date for the initial review by one or more SMEs
  • The completion date for incorporating the requested changes into the initial draft
  • The completion dates for any additional review cycles
  • The required submission date for the budget numbers and any attachments
  • The completion date of the draft of the packaged proposal
  • The completion date of the package review
  • The completion date for incorporating review revisions
  • The completion date of the final proofreading (ideally set at four or more days before proposal delivery)

Tip: Build in as much time as possible for the proposal writer to organize and format the information, write the executive summary and conclusion, ensure that everything in the RFP has been addressed, incorporate the required dollar amounts, and ensure that the proposal reads as though one person wrote it. If there is a particularly tight deadline for proposal submission, consider insisting on very tight deadlines for reviews.

6. Distribute and discuss your list of terms in the RFP and their definitions as they apply to the contract

This will ensure that, in echoing the lingo of the RFP, the terms will be accurately and consistently applied by your team.

7. Explain how documents will be reviewed and progress tracked

As the leader of this meeting you should have a clear idea from your pre-meeting planning as to how these processes will flow.

8. Discuss lessons learned

Consider including a brief review of lessons learned by previous proposal teams.

You may have conducted lessons-learned reviews following other proposals, but, depending on how long it’s been or whether there are members who didn’t participate on those teams, it may be helpful to review a few of them now.

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have successfully put the proposal process in motion.

You have scrutinized and absorbed the RFP, captured the requirements, consulted various key players, anticipated and worked through potential roadblocks, made critical project management decisions, initiated a team, and put the team in motion.

FINDING OLD COPIES OF PUBLICATIONS IN A DIGITAL AGE

So, you’re trying to find copies of old magazine and/or newspaper articles.

Easy, right? Ha! That’s what you think.

A few months ago, I was given the task of tracking down some old magazine and newspaper articles for a book project we were working on.

Given that the articles were to be included in the book, they had to be original publications or copies with the pictures and format of the originals.

There were around 30 different articles that were needed from various publications, ranging from the well-known Wall Street Journal and New York Times, to smaller players such as the Colorado Springs Gazette and the St. Louis Post.

I figured that locating these articles would be as simple as contacting the publications, and just asking for a copy.

I reasonably assumed that there would be some sort of cost associated with getting these copies, but that was to be expected.

What I was not bargaining for was just how difficult it would be to locate the articles I was searching for, and how many hoops I would have to jump through in order to get copies of them.

After several weeks of going down various rabbit holes, only to come up empty-handed, I finally found the answers I was looking for — as well as some knowledge to bestow upon you.

Now, I could just hand over my newfound knowledge, but that would be robbing you of the opportunity to experience a little bit of my roller coaster of a journey in obtaining this information.

Instead, take a walk with me through my wild goose chase of hunting for old magazine and newspaper articles.

The First Step: Checking the Publications’ Online Archives

Oh, how naïve I was!

There I sat, staring haughtily at my computer screen, as I typed “Wall Street Journal Archives” into my Google browser.

Clicking on the “news article archives” link for The Wall Street Journal, I soon discovered that this was not going to be as easy as I had so loftily believed.

 

 

This website probably would have been exactly what I needed, if only I were looking for articles from earlier this year, or even three years ago.

That was not the case.

No, the articles I was trying to find were from 30 years ago.

And while the Wall Street Journal site does allow you to search for old articles, it only has the capability to go back to 2010.

I repeated these steps with The New York Times, Business Week, and Fortune Magazine, only to be told the same basic answer: “We do not house copies of our publication going back that far.”

Suddenly, I found myself heading back to the drawing board.

My ego was slightly bruised, but I still believed myself to be quite clever. After all, how hard could it really be?

Step Two: Trying Third Party Archive Websites

Once again, visiting my old friend Google, I searched for “how to get old copies of newspapers.”

I felt my excitement rise, as I clicked on the link for a site that promised to deliver articles dating back to 1739.

Surely this site would be the answer!

 

 

While I was able to locate a few of the smaller publications that were on my wish list here, the bigger players such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times were still playing hard to get.

It was apparent that I was going to have to up my game.

Step Three: Calling the Publications Directly

Fighting the introvert in me, who generally tries to avoid talking on the phone, I forced myself to dial the number for The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

Three rings later, I found myself on the line with a lovely gentleman who informed me that licensing and reprints for the WSJ (and many of the other publications) were handled through the Dow Jones reprint and licensing department.

The kind man directed me to a website, where I was instructed to enter the information individually for each of the publications I was trying to get. I was then promised that someone with the reprint and licensing department would be contacting me soon.

So, I waited.

A few days later, an email from Dow Jones magically appeared in my inbox.

My anticipation soon waned, as I read through the first sentence: “Dow Jones Reprint and Licensing does not offer single article reprints, rather we offer reprints for bulk distribution.”

Bulk distribution — of at least 500 copies!

What would I do with 500 copies?!? And how much would that cost?!?

There had to be an easier way!

Putting The Wall Street Journal aside for a minute, I dialed up the number for The New York Times, hoping for a more positive response.

In turn, I was sent on another expedition to seek the publications through PARS International, which I learned was another big-wig in the reprint and licensing game.

Once again, after the tedious task of entering the information for each of the articles I was searching for, I waited for some good news to come.

And it came. They had my articles!

PARS International could provide a PDF of each article to me for only $100 — per article. That fee only covered the actual copy, and did not include the $500 per article fee that had to be paid for licensing and copyright purposes.

Thirty some articles, at $600 a pop!

This was turning into quite the expensive venture — especially since I was not allowed to even view the PDF copies of the articles before placing my pricey order.

This was just not a viable option. I had to find a better way…

Step Four: Contacting Independent Publishing Firms

Taking a break from the pricey third-party licensing companies, I decided to try my luck with independent publishers.

After playing a week-long game of phone tag with various publishing firms, I finally got a response.

They were unable to help me, due to not having a relationship with any of the publishers in question.

Grasping for straws, I begged them to point me in the right direction. Noting my desperation, they recommended that I try contacting the Copywrite Clearance Center (CCC).

Willing to try anything at this point, I located the information for the CCC.

As had become the expectation, I was directed to a website, which instructed me to input the information for the articles I desired.

After opening an account and submitting my requests, I again found myself waiting for some kind of break.

Two days later, the break came.

“We found it! Now download it.”

Those words were so enticing. I was just a click away, plus a fee of $23.77, from the articles that had been eluding me for so long.

As I clicked my mouse on the “download” button, I thought I had finally achieved my goal.

My victory, however, was fleeting.

While the article had indeed been found, it was not at all what I was searching for. The words were there, but they were just words.

It looked as though someone had just typed out the content from the article, instead of presenting me with an actual copy of the article as published.

I was looking for this:

But got this:

 

Upon contacting the CCC again, I was informed that the actual copy was not available. This was the best that they could do for me.

I shook my head in disbelief. Somehow, I was back to where I started.

Step Five: Moving on to Online Sellers

By this time, my stubborn determination had kicked in.

I would not be defeated.

My old friend Google seemed to stare me in the face, daring me to try again.

My mind was racing. Where else could I look?

I searched through Amazon, Ebay, and Etsy, to no avail. All three sites had a large array of collectible newspapers and magazines, but none of the ones I needed.

 

 

I even checked with sites advertising that they could send you any newspaper from the day you were born.

As promising as that sounded, I soon read through the fine print and saw that for the small fee of $49.99 they would send you the closest match to the paper you were looking for.

Closest matches were not going to cut it. I needed a guarantee.

Step Six: Flashing Back to my Childhood at the Library

Digging deep into my theatrical roots, I tried some method acting. I tried to BE the newspapers.

“If I were an old copy of a newspaper, where would I live?” I found myself asking.

Just then, it came to me — like a beam of light, shining through a dark curtain of clouds.

I had it!

The library!! Of course!

Why had I not thought of that before?!?

As a child who spent hours upon hours weeding through the public library’s microfilm collection for school projects, how did I not think of this earlier?

Had I become so accustomed to the digital age that I had forgotten about the painstaking steps we used to have to go through to complete a research paper?

Pushing those traumatic memories aside, I quickly searched for libraries that housed copies of old publications. The first result to pop up was “Harvard.” Of course, how could it be any other?

Dialing up the Harvard library, I soon found myself confronted with yet another challenge. I was not a Harvard student or staff member. I did not have an esteemed “Harvard Key,” which was required for me to access their archives.

Seeing how I did not have the time, or the SAT scores, to quickly enroll in Harvard, I searched again.

Scrolling past the names of other Ivy League schools, that I was sure would also deny me access to their exclusive archives, I finally saw it: the New York Public Library!

They HAD to house old copies of newspapers, right? After all, it’s the New York Public Library.

I attempted to search their website for the articles, but was prompted to enter my library card number, which I did not have.

Again, ignoring my dislike for making phone calls, I dialed up the number for the library.

The phone rang twice, and was then answered by an angel named Jane.

Jane had the raspy voice of someone who had likely been smoking for most of her life, and the telltale east coast accent for which New Yorkers are so well known.

Explaining my dilemma to my new best friend Jane, she quickly eased my pains.

Not only did the New York Public Library have the articles I had been searching the ends of the earth for, they also provided a service to locate those files.

Now, if my journey had taught me anything it was that nothing is as easy as I assume it will be.

Challenging Jane’s answers, I asked her if I needed to be a library member to have access. I was elated to hear that I, a non-library card holding citizen, had the same rights as those who held the illustrious card.

Jane gave me the website address, assuring me that she would be there for me if I had any further questions.

 

 

I went to the site and put in the requests for the remaining articles that I was still trying to locate. After providing my credit card information, and authorizing them to charge me $25 for the service, I waited in anxious anticipation.

Less than 24 hours later, the email arrived.

I held my breath.

Was this finally the moment? Was this the end of my treacherous journey?

There it was.

Never had I seen such a beautiful PDF.

After weeks of searching, and endless dead-ends, I had finally located copies of the articles I needed.

It was such a simple solution, yet it took so much work to arrive there.

And while I still have nightmares of searching high and low for newspaper articles, I can rest easy knowing that I now have the answers and can hopefully prevent others from having to go through the struggle of locating old publications.