Letters to the Editor

How can I get a writing job? I'm a good writer. Everybody says so. So how come other people get hired? By Cary Tennis [2008-04-10]

• Case in Point

  Heather Havrilesky, one of my favorite writers (yay rabbitblog!), lied to get her job with suck.com. See below.

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  When Heather Havrilesky heard about a copy-editing position open at a new San Francisco-based e-zine called Suck.com, she jumped at the chance to apply, doing what any honest, hardworking young Red Herring intern would have done.

  "I lied," the 29-year-old recalls, grinning. "I told them I was a copy editor."

  So where is it that lying gets you? If you're Havrilesky, a Duke University graduate with a degree in psychology but a rather short publishing resume, it speeds your way to the sort of life many Web writers only dream of.

  After an amended stint copy editing Suck's articles and essays ("We learned very quickly that her copy-editing expertise left something to be desired," recalls Suck.com Publisher Joey Anuff), Havrilesky was offered a shot at a weekly column.

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  So take Cary's advice and lie your little butt off.

  -- xdrewx
  [Read xdrewx's other letters]
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