Secrets of Outdoor Communicators, Part Deux
This post is the second part of my SEOPA conference wrap-up. Scroll down to read my first part on tips and secrets of outdoor communicators as shared by Wade Bourne.
Now we are continuing with more secrets shared by legends J. Wayne Fears, John Phillips and Mark Sosin.
The list of accolades and awards on J. Wayne Fears’ website is about the lengthiest I’ve seen. The man is a legend with the written word and I looked forward to hearing his insider secrets.
Fears first pointed out to be professional at all times, “Strive to get your work done on time, double-check your grammar is correct and be courteous.” I question if these three items are lost art on today’s communicator? All panelists agreed we rely too much on “spell check” and not enough on reading the article out loud to hear if it actually makes sense! Fears also agreed with other panelists to re-sell articles. He said he sold the same article to Outdoor Life twice! He must’ve reconfigured it somehow, but that’s awesome! And Fears found a niche – in talking about beef jerky. But it was something he sort of stumbled upon. He said he sold more than 45 articles on beef jerky and ended up writing a book about it.
Photo image: Laertes on Flickr
John Phillips has written more than 6,000 articles for 100 magazines and newspaper columns along with publishing nearly 25,000 photographs. However, he said he received 49 rejection letters before he ever had his first article published. He laughed and said, “Good thing I wasn’t smart, or I would’ve quit a long time ago.” But Phillips is smart and through perseverance, sweat and maybe luck, he built a tidy empire. His advice? “Find someone that is the best in their field and then do whatever they tell you.” Phillips said he’s had several mentors through the years, and he returns that favor by interning students interesting in writing, photography or the outdoors. “Most of us can do a whole lot more than we think we really can,” he said. Heck, Phillips should be a motivational speaker!
Mark Sosin is known as “Mr. Saltwater” and his show, “Mark Sosin’s Saltwater Journal” is celebrating its 25th season this year. He definitely carved a place that he alone owns. However, he said he fought that niche a little bit in the beginning. “It wasn’t until a friend told me to shut up and start calling myself ‘Mr. Saltwater’ that I finally took it to heart,” he told us. For some reason, Sosin wanted people to know he’s a great flats fisherman and can catch trout on the fly like no one’s business. But that wasn’t his core business – saltwater fishing is. So why muddle the message? Another piece of advice Sosin offered is that, “Success in our business depends on how well you handle plan B.” Amen to that. If a magazine folds, what do you do? If a new web-based internet show pops up, do you have content to sell to them?
Do these tips from part one and part two useful? Is there advice an outdoor communicator mentor gave you that you’ll never forget? Share with us!