I’ve written before about the exciting New Pulp Era in which we writers live. Publishing is cheap. New media is opening all kinds of venues to display — and make a living from — our work. Despite a lot of uncertainty in traditional publishing, it’s a great time to be a working writer.

One example of this is the PodioBooks website. Founder Evo Terra and his team help “underpublished” authors find a home for their work. It breaks down like this:

Authors record individual chapters or sections of their books, which they post on Podiobooks.com as a series of podcasts.

Users can download them for free — or for a nominal donation. Fans can also download complete copies of the novels for a small fee. The overwhelming majority of those fees go straight to the authors.

The service is free, though the site will hook you up with professional editors, readers and experts if you like.

It’s an intriguing model, which has been successful for the past few years. In 2012, I plan to put some of the stories from my fiction blog up there, to see how it works out.

Meanwhile, download some fiction. It’s a pretty cool idea.  You can also listen to an in-depth interview of Mr. Terra by “Grammar Girl” Mignon Fogarty.

I recently got a resume critique as part of signing up for one of the major job site engines. If you want to read along, you can find my resume here. You can break it down into five sections, each with its strengths and weaknesses.

Header

This is my contact information and key description. According to the review..

Pros:

• simple and clear — I don’t get fancy with a photo or other fiddle-faddle

Cons:

• uninspiring headline makes me look like a cog in a machine

Key Skills

A summary of the things I’m good at that employers might want.

Pros:

• User-friendly layout
• Complete profile includes lots of keywords potential clients might scan for

Cons:

• Passive presentation of info doesn’t catch the attention
• Needs updating to accommodate new skills from this year

Assignment Matrix

A list of the kinds of assignments I’ve successfully completed in the past.

Pros:

• Far-reaching, capitalizing on my breadth of writing experience
• Includes many high-dollar, little-known kinds of writing
• Keyword stuffing that helps the resume make it through filter programs

Cons:

• Too general. Shows competence, but not expertise

Work Experience

Summary of my relevant assignments, including major contributions.

Pros:

• Uses job tasks to indicate strength in writing even in non-writing positions
• Includes work in a variety of sectors

Cons:

• Tells what I did, not why it was important. A more active presentation would draw more eyes.

Education and References

Brief listing of my education and note that references are available.

Pros:

• I de-emphasize my formal education, which is not the strongest part of my resume.
• Simple, to-the-point presentation.

Cons:

• I don’t need to say “references available on request.” Of course they are. That’s standard.
• I could incorporate writing-related activities from my education here.

I hope that was helpful. Thanks for listening.

Shameless plug: resume redesign is one of the many services I offer. Mention you read this and you’ll get a $50 discount.

As a freelance writer, I have a skill not everybody has — and not everybody knows enough about to gauge what it’s worth. This means I could choose to gouge clients who don’t know any better.

Like the plumbing franchise Rescue Rooter.

Our toilet rebelled the other day. Started leaking from a crack in the porcelain. The handle broke off. Generally acted like a juvenile delinquent with its crappy attitude and carrying on.

Rescue Rooter comes in. They recommend replacing the unit, and say they’ll do it — new toilet included — for just under $1,100. That broke down to $860 for the new toilet and about $240 for the installation.

This seemed high to me. I hopped onto HomeDepot.com and found the identical model for $141. I chased the Rescue Rooter rep out of my residence.

The final result? Home Depot was running an installation deal where they installed my $141 toilet for $69. My city is running a tax credit for water-efficient plumbing, reducing the cost of my toilet to $78. Total price: $147.

Two morals to this story.

1. Don’t abuse your customers. Even if you don’t get caught and make a killing, it’s bad karma. Do good work for a fair price, and the referrals will make you plenty of money.

2. Don’t do business with Rescue Rooter. Seriously, those guys are pirates.

For today’s Friday Fun, check out this interview with Dave Barry on writing humor.

And if you haven’t already read his fiction book “Big Trouble,” take a weekend afternoon and do so.

http://www.learner.org/catalog/extras/interviews/dbarry/db02.html

A cover letter is the first sign any employer has of an applicant’s quality. For writing jobs, it’s doubly important: why would somebody hire you to write for them if you can’t write compelling copy for yourself?

Good cover letter writing strikes a balance between time-consuming customization and a basic form that lets you get the thing in the mail today. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, your letter should include the following elements:

• Personalized greeting if possible (and possible includes “possible with research”).
• Demonstrating knowledge of the client and the specific assignment or position.
• Pointing out specific traits that make you excellent for the job.
• Specifics called out in the job description or ad post.
• A compelling closing with a call to action.

Email cover letters have the same characteristics, although with the anonymous nature of some job posts, it’s growing increasingly difficult to personalize your greeting.

It’s a good idea to have one or two basic cover letter templates on file for each major job type you routinely seek. You’ll add to the framework with details that tailor the letter to a specific job. Here’s an example of one of my templates, used for marketing copy:

Greetings (XXXX),

Jason Brick here, freelance writer responding to your call for (XXXX). I came to writing professionally after a career in business management and ownership. This means you get not just a solid writer, you get somebody who understands the importance and context of excellent copy.

(XXXX — details of assignment, connections)

You can find my resume and several writing samples at my online portfolio www.brickcommajason.com. (XXXX- qualifications). I work well with editors and meet deadlines with ruthless efficiency.

If my skills and experience match your needs, I look forward to learning more about the project. Thank you for your time and consideration. Have an excellent day.

Best regards,

Jason

I have no illusions that it’s the best darn cover letter ever written, but it’s kept my family fed for a few years now. Sometimes the finished product is pretty much this exactly. Other times — especially when the job description is detailed enough to give me something to work with — it will be unrecognizable.

How about you? What’s your process for cover letters? What lessons have you learned in this part of the job hunt?