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Grant
McDuling
Grant is a professional writer with over 28 years
experience working as a journalist, author, broadcaster and PR Consultant on
three continents. He holds a Degree in Communication and has experience both as
a working journalist (print media and radio) as well as running his own business
as a freelancer and consultant. Grant is a prolific writer, having already written 16 other books, 12 on business and wealth creation, two children’s picture books, a book on motorcycling and a young adult’s adventure novel. Read this review from Steve: I
have just finished your book on freelance journalism in one sitting. Thank you
for a very informative and insightful read. I
am a first year Professional Writing and Editing TAFE student and have been
asking teachers to provide me with this stuff, yet they had not been close to as
helpful as your book. So, thank you and thank Zeus for having a first page
result in Google. I
now feel armed to give it a go myself, in due course and according to my set of
goals, guided by your instructions. Anyhow, I just did a quick search on the net for your email, apparently found it, and thought I should give credit where it is due.....Steve INTRODUCTION
ournalism is
these days considered by many to be one of THE professions to make a career of.
It’s exciting, creative, glamorous and romantic. It also brings with it a
certain amount of power, due largely to the ancient notion that there is power
in the written word. Journalists
also have a social responsibility, which further empowers them. They are able in
no uncertain way to form social opinion about any matter they choose. They have
the ability to place topics on the public agenda. Yet
it is also a profession fraught with dangers – professional dangers. It is a
highly stressful profession, leading to many burning out and others taking to
the bottle. It is
also an all-consuming profession that really is like a drug to its adherents.
Many find it all but impossible to think of anything else even when off- Media
positions too are few and far between, and the queue for an opening is a long
one. To make matters even worse, success is a two-edged sword – it brings many
unforeseen and unwanted challenges that all but the very toughest can survive. In Australia, one of the most testing of challenges is a uniquely Australian phenomenon called the Tall Poppy Syndrome. Getting to the top in this profession is one thing; staying there for any length of time is quite another. Just ask any successful television presenter! But
the encouraging thing is that most journalists-in-training don’t for a moment
let this sad state of affairs put them off. They flock to universities, TAFE and
Colleges in their droves. And this is wonderful. I
suppose it’s a bit like sport. Take a drive around any Australian suburb on
any Saturday morning and you’ll find literally thousands of kids playing just
about any form of organised sport imaginable. Let’s take soccer as an example.
The last time I enquired there were about 500,000 registered players in this
country. This makes soccer one of the most popular sports of all; yet take a
look at the state of the National Soccer League. Nationwide there are only
twelve professional teams that struggle to attract more than a few thousand
spectators to any game. Now consider how many Aussie players make it on the very
lucrative international scene and you’ll understand that kids don’t take
notice of these odds when they first lace on a pair of soccer boots. And they
all, every single one of them, dream of playing for Manchester United one day. Writing
is no different. Every journalist dreams of one day writing a best - selling
novel, yet they know, deep down, that chances are they never will. Yet they
continue to dream. Every aspiring journalist – the student at university, TAFE
or college – dreams about landing a job as a cadet on a major metropolitan
newspaper, or as a reporter for a television news team. They all dream about
seeing their name in print; they all dream about experiencing that adrenalin
rush that they’ve all heard about. This
book is all about making that dream come true. It’s about showing the way to
turn your journalistic ambitions into reality – and to earn real money as you
do so. You see, what would be the point otherwise? Forget what you’ve always
been told about what motivates and what doesn’t. The fact is that MONEY is a
great motivator. Why else would the Journalism departments at universities and
TAFE be overflowing with students? There’s no shortage of prospective
journalists, just as there’s no shortage of starry-eyed professional football
hopefuls. So
congratulations on your decision to buy this book and put into action some
positive steps towards making your dream come true. But before you start
reading, push aside all you’ve ever been told about being a working
journalist. Start with an open mind, You
see, I’ve spent over twenty five years working as a journalist. These years
haven’t always been good. They haven’t always been profitable. Well, not
until I worked out what I was doing wrong and corrected it. Then everything
changed. The writing commissions flowed and the money began rolling in. So too
did requests to lecture to Journalism students, both undergraduate and
postgraduate at the University of Queensland. I was able to develop a strategy
based on my experiences in journalism that would open doors for students so that
they would, at the very least, gain renewed enthusiasm and hope in an often
gloomy job environment. At best, they would gain meaningful employment in their
chosen profession. But
let me, at this stage, outline briefly the experience I gained that has enabled
me to write this book. I
was born into a family of journalists. My Dad Leo is a career journalist who has
worked in various roles ranging from reporter to sub-editor, and from motoring
editor of The Star, a major South African daily newspaper, to the editor
of various South African newspapers and magazines. My two uncles were also
career journalists: Alan wrote for The Pretoria News and Denis worked for the
South African Press Association (SAPA) for many years. My younger cousin Sue is
also a career journalist, working at present as editor of a food and travel
supplement of The Star. My brother-in-law Raymond is the works manager of Times
Media Limited. And now my daughter Kerry has been awarded a degree in Journalism
from the University of Queensland and works as a freelance journalist. Writing
was in my blood. It was something I couldn’t help doing. Imagine how hard it
was then for me to take a conscious decision, on leaving school, not to follow
in my Dad’s footsteps and join his newspaper as a cadet reporter. I guess it
was because I was keen to try something different. You see, all my life all I
had heard about was the news. African coups, trouble spots, wars and violence
were common subjects discussed at the dinner table. The latest front-page story,
who wrote it and against what odds, were everyday discussions in the McDuling
household. And I loved it. But,
I guess, a side of me wanted to break free and try something else. How I was to
rue the day I chose to join an oil company instead. Not because I didn’t like
working for Shell – far from it – it’s just that I was to have that
creative urge gnawing away at me for many years to come. My decision was partly
based on the fact that, in South Africa, journalism at the time was a very
poorly paid profession. I was acutely aware that our family had lacked what many
others took for granted and I was keen to ensure I didn’t also end up trapped
in a poorly paid job. Then,
in 1978, after years of languishing in the journalistic wilderness, I decided to
get back to my real roots and freelance. I also discovered that this would not
be an easy path to follow as there was little in the way of accumulated
knowledge to help me. I would be left largely to my own devices. I would have to
pioneer my own route to publication and financial reward. At
the time I was involved in motor sport at Shell, and this proved fertile ground
for writing. I was also involved in the world of vintage motorcycling. This
would be my entrée into the world of journalism, I knew. I approached Evert Van
Niekerk, Motoring Editor of The Citizen, a major Johannesburg daily morning
newspaper, and I was in business. In no time at all I became somewhat of a
specialist writer, reporting on motorcycle events on a weekly basis. And the
modest cheques began rolling in. From those humble
beginnings I gradually spread my wings, adding to the publications I wrote for.
I also began writing the odd road test of new car models for some newspapers. I
began to realise that if I wanted to significantly enhance my prospects in this
business, it was time for me to give serious consideration to improving my level
of formal education. This meant further study. I scouted around and found the
best solution for my particular circumstances was to enrol for a Bachelor of
Arts Degree in Communication at the University of South Africa (UNISA). You see,
having a young family meant studying full time was impractical. What I needed to
do was to study at night via correspondence, and this was the only university
that offered that option. Six
long years later I had the degree I was after and did it open up opportunities!
Within weeks I was appointed PR officer for Ford, Mazda and Mitsubishi at the
South African Motor Corporation (SAMCOR), the assembly plant in Pretoria. That
meant more writing, more road tests and more motor sport – a perfect situation
to my way of thinking. But
my freelance writing didn’t stop. I continued to write for those publications
that had given me my break when I really needed it. And needless to say, the
extra money was more than welcome. The
political climate began to deteriorate rapidly as the 1990s began to unfold. As
the levels of crime and violence began to escalate alarmingly, we decided, like
many, that the time had come to seek greener pastures. The destination of our
choice was Ireland, partly due to our family roots and partly because it was,
after all, the land of writers. So we sold up, bundled the kids onto a plane and
headed north. Our
first few days in Dublin were wonderful. Life had suddenly become a real
adventure. But as the days turned into weeks, it began to concern me that I was
proving to be decidedly unsuccessful at landing any work. Of course I started
off making contact with publications like The Irish Times. What I found
astonishing was the fact that not being a member of the trade union meant I had
absolutely no chance of being employed as a journalist in Ireland. I was
actually told that by the editor of one of the papers over dinner one evening. No
worries, I thought. I’ll just join the union then. So the next morning I was
on the phone to them. “I’d like to join the union,” I said. “I’m
afraid that’s not possible,” came the reply. “I beg your pardon?” I
responded. “What do you mean it’s not possible?” “We’re full,” the
Irish brogue sang back. “What do you mean you’re full? Surely trade unions
can do with all the members they can get in this day and age?” “We’re
full,” the voice came back. There was something very final about the way it
was said. It
was final all right. It sealed my fate in no uncertain terms. All I had managed
to achieve at that stage was to sell a few articles, two to the Irish magazine
Fleet Management and one to The Golfer, an English-based magazine that was soon
to fold. What
was I to do? Radio - that’s it, I decided. If I can’t get work with a
newspaper or magazine, I’ll get work as a newsreader on radio instead. So I
phoned up all the radio stations I could find and asked if they had work. “I’ll
be able to give a unique perspective on the upcoming South African general
elections,” I explained. My
lucky break came with Anna Livia FM. “OK, can you start tomorrow? You’re
reading the 7pm news.” My
excitement quickly turned to trepidation because until then I had never seen the
inside of a radio studio before. But it’s amazing how quickly you learn when
your kids are hungry. Anyway, I made it through the first week – quite how
I’m still not sure. Perhaps it was the fact that I also had to write the news
that kept me going – or distracted me from the terror of getting behind the
microphone live to read seven or eight minutes of news each evening. Anyway,
I loved my time as a newsreader. It was one of the best years I had had in any
job. It only lasted a year because during that time we had come to the
realisation that Ireland was not to be our home; we had decided that Australia
offered us a better long-term future. So
we packed up once more and headed for Brisbane, well prepared emotionally to
start all over again. I
was given a tour of the ABC radio studios in Toowong, Brisbane, on our second
day here. However, I chose not to get back into radio – first I would have a
real good go at getting into the print media. Why I decided that I still don’t
quite know. Must be something to do with being driven, I suppose. After
a short spell as MD for a business venture – a position I was offered while
attending a book launch of all things – I ended up being offered a job as a
journalist working for the Redland Shire Council. And what a wonderful job that
was too, except for the fact that it was only for a fixed nine-month term. From
there I went back into PR, and worked for a year as a Senior Account Manager for
Bayly Willey Holt, a local Brisbane PR Agency, before being lured by CSIRO
Tropical Agriculture as PR Manager. While
these jobs brought in a regular, much needed, income, they didn’t distract me
from my love of freelancing. Indeed, they helped fine-tune my business instincts
and heightened my desire to expand my writing repertoire. I began writing for
more publications than ever before, and on a broader range of topics too. I
began to see, first-hand, that I didn’t need to be an expert on a topic to
write well about it. After
three years with the CSIRO, the chance came to really put the sum of my
accumulated freelancing knowledge to the test. And it would be the ultimate
test, because, due to an internal reorganisation, the CSIRO closed down or
amalgamated entire divisions, leading to staff redundancies and lay-offs. This
would be the nudge I was waiting for, I knew. And I grabbed it with both hands. Overnight
I found myself set up as a full-time freelancer, with a registered business
name, sales tax number and various types of professional indemnity insurance
policies in place. I was ready for the big test. Running
my own business had always intrigued me - but I did worry whether it was more
some type of fatal attraction rather than a genuine desire to ‘do my own
thing’. Whatever the case, I was soon to find out. I
knew the CSIRO would continue to have writing needs and that someone would have
to perform them. Why not me? After all, I was more than familiar with the
organisation, its people and culture. A few short discussions later, I found
myself signing a contract to perform the work for a year. I was in business! Of
course, I was only too well aware of the age-old adage that one shouldn’t have
all one’s eggs in one basket, so with that firmly in the back of my mind, I
began marketing myself to selected organisations that I guessed would find what
I had to offer of interest. The first was another scientific organisation, the
Australian Centre for International and Tropical Health and Nutrition, based at
the University of Queensland. It turned out they required a complete set of
brochures to be designed, written and produced, as well as various other
promotional activities. I was asked to submit a proposal and a quote, based on a
monthly retainer basis. This I did, and was duly appointed. Great, I thought.
That’s my second client. It
really began rolling from there. I was then approached by the Queensland
Horticultural Institute and asked to write their annual report. After that they
needed some brochures produced. The
game was well and truly on. Regular writing work continued
to roll in too. I found myself writing regular feature articles, mostly
supplemented with colour photographs, for Australian Classic Car Monthly, The
Jaguar Magazine, MG World, Triumph World, Car News, The Courier Mail, Australian
Sugarcane, Computer Reseller News, Military Vehicles Magazine, The Qantas Club,
Balloon Life, and Australian and British Soccer Weekly. As
you can imagine, I found life was suddenly very busy indeed. And very lucrative.
I had never earned so much in my life before! But the funny thing was, the more
involved I became, the more I found I could achieve. I began recognising
opportunities almost every day. I launched a magazine aimed at the Australian
– Southern African business community and published it for a year before I
realised I could make more money more easily doing other things. Like producing
calendars. All I needed to do this was a decent camera – I had bought a single
lens reflex Pentax camera in Dublin for £100 – a roll of colour transparency
film and a market. Too easy; the printer does the rest. I produced a full-colour
calendar with great pictures of classic Triumph sports cars and distributed it
to the classic car market. The entire production run of 1,000 calendars sold
like hot cakes. I
flirted with magazine publishing again and remain attracted to the idea, however
risky it might be. I launched a glossy soccer magazine, aimed at the burgeoning
soccer market in Brisbane. The first issue sold out overnight, but selling
advertising space and collecting advertising revenue proved frustrating. It was
not what I wanted to do. However, I couldn’t afford to hire an ad salesperson
just then – I wanted to prove the concept first. And that’s the classic
Catch 22 situation, isn’t it? I chose not to continue with the magazine, and
decided instead to buy one that was already up and running. My
opportunity came when I heard that another sporting magazine may be for sale. I
won’t mention names here because the owners didn’t want it known they were
thinking of selling. And it is still being published by them today. Anyway, I
didn’t quite have the financial resources at the time, so I put it on the back
burner. A year later I revisited them and negotiations began once more. However,
I finally decided to drop the idea, as according to my cash flow predictions, it
would take me six years to recover my initial investment. That timeframe was a
little too long for my liking. I
was also offered the opportunity to edit an internet-based business-to-business
magazine, which I accepted. I ran that publication, which was aimed at the
forklift truck industry, for the better part of six months before I hit the
proverbial jackpot – being asked to ghost write a series of books on business
and wealth creation. This I couldn’t refuse because it was, to my mind, the
Holy Grail of journalism. You see, not only would I be writing books on a
full-time basis, I’d also not have to bank on sales to produce an income by
way of royalty payments like most authors do; I’d be paid a good monthly
salary and a monetary bonus for each book completed. This
wasn’t my first attempt at being an author. I had, by this time, already
written and published three books: a children’s picture book that was
published electronically (I also drew the illustrations myself), a young
adults’ novel set in the horse-racing industry, and a book about motorcycling
in Australia. The latter two were published in America. I
wrote seven books during my first year as a ghost-writer. Life as a full-time
writer was certainly looking up. And to crown it all, these books have all gone
on to become best-sellers, both here in Australia and in New Zealand as well. The
idea for this book sprang from lectures I gave to senior journalism students at
the University of Queensland. Their reaction was nothing short of terrific. I
began to see that the challenges they would soon be facing in finding meaningful
employment as journalists would, in some way, mirror my own. However, I had
found ways to deal with, and overcome, most challenges, and they appeared eager
to try some of my ideas. They listened enthusiastically and asked intelligent
questions. This whole topic needed further attention, I decided.
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