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Author
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Comment
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Kerrie
Registered User
(4/30/02 8:22:32 am)
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Careers available...
I think we've had more focused discussions on this theme (as in one single field, like publishing), but I just wanted to discuss what other options are available that relate (in one way or another) to fairy tales, folklore, mythology, fantasy, etc.
Careers I can think of include (in ABC order):
Arts
Education
Illustration
Librarian
Publishing-Trade books
Publishing- Trade magazines
Publishing- Literary journals
Publishing- Academic
Researcher
Writer
Are there any other fields that anyone can think of? Anyone wish to give advice on any of the above? Are there certain areas (such as NY for Trade Publishing) where some of these fields may be more prevalent? Levels of education and/or expertise required? Entry level positions one could start at to gain experience?
Soft whispers and valley blossoms,
Kerrie
Edited by: Kerrie at: 4/30/02 1:49:03 pm
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Lotti
Unregistered User
(4/30/02 10:43:36 am)
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What about stage and the movies?
Kerrie,
what about the stage and the screen? I was thinking costume makers, for example, or the people who make the background decorations. On stage, that is - on screen it will soon be all computerized, I guess...
And then there is of course the profession of storyteller... Wich I suppose isn't only poorly paid in Western culture, but not at all. So it is debatable if you could call it a profession! It sure won't put any gingerbread on your roof. :O)
Best regards and Happy Walpurgisnacht (Beltane)
Lotti
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Kerrie
Registered User
(4/30/02 11:25:56 am)
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Re: What about stage and the movies?
Oh dear! I didn't mean to leave those out! I think I bunched them together under the arts, but visual and performance arts are so different! I think I would then add:
Performance arts- Dance
Performance arts- Acting (Stage)
Performance arts- Acting (Film)
Performance arts- Acting (Television)
Performance arts- Storytelling
Performance arts- Music
Visual arts- Textile
Visual arts- Fine arts
Visual arts- Crafts
Visual arts- Conceptual design
Have I missed anything else?
Soft whispers and valley blossoms,
Kerrie
Edited by: Kerrie at: 4/30/02 1:49:43 pm
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ZMethos
Registered User
(4/30/02 2:55:21 pm)
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Re: What about stage and the movies?
Screenwriting/Playwrighting. Unless that's what you originally meant by "Writer." Or "Storytelling." But I prefer the other terms (since my undergrad degree is in Critical and Cultural Communication - Screenwriting). And my husband writes plays.
~M. Pepper
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Kerrie
Registered User
(4/30/02 5:21:21 pm)
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Variants of "writer"...
Absolutely! I was thinking about that on the way home, changing "Writer" to:
Author (General)
Screenwriter
Playwright
Poet
Journalist
Novelist
Short Story
I wasn't sure if I was getting too specific. And I'm sure I'm still
leaving general and specific categories out. Any others? Any advice
on those mentioned already (see questions above)? I know we often
have people stopping in to find out how they can make a living in
the field, what steps to take and such.
Soft whispers and valley blossoms,
Kerrie
Edited by: Kerrie at: 5/1/02 5:49:09 am
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Laura
McCaffrey
Registered User
(5/1/02 10:29:11 am)
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re:how to make a living
Librarians have professional degrees - Masters of Library Science,
Masters of Information Services, etc. The American Library Association
has lists of schools that offer these kinds of degrees. www.ala.org
However- one must not necessarily have such a master's degree to work in certain kinds of library jobs. School librarians often have joint education and school media or librarian degrees. In my small rural state, we have no library school. School librarians, like myself, must have a combination of school library classes and education classes to be certified by the state as a 'school library media specialist" - but we don't necessarily have to have a librarian degree. Additionally, many of our public libraries have part time positions that are paid low hourly wages. These jobs don't usually attract librarians with masters degrees, who can expect much higher wages at urban public libraries and/or academic instititutions. The Vermont Department of Libraries offers a series of workshops one has to take if one is the librarian in a small public library and doesn't have a librarian degree.
I do use folk and fairy tales at my school. I read them aloud, discuss them, use them for plays, etc. Plus I read all kinds of reviews and get to buy them!
Laura Mc
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Kerrie
Registered User
(5/28/02 9:24:03 am)
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Publishing detailed?
Thanks Laura! That was most helpful!
Just wondering if there is anyone who could talk more about the differences and similarities in careers in the following as relates to folklore, fairy tales, and mythology:
Publishing-Trade books
Publishing- Trade magazines
Publishing- Literary journals
Publishing- Academic
M. Pepper- would you like to tell us more about your degree in Screenwriting?
Soft whispers and valley blossoms,
Kerrie
Edited by: Kerrie at: 5/28/02 2:40:02 pm
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Marie
Registered User
(5/28/02 9:16:41 pm)
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Visual Art detailed . . .
Kerrie ~ Thanks for bringing this up, and detailing it all out for the benefit of those trying to 'break in'.
I'm wondering if anyone has any more ideas or comments on the visual arts careers, like those listed above - fine arts, or conceptual design.
I know the main idea is to get a solid portfolio, but once you have that, who do you take it to? What happens from there?
Just looking for some ideas . . .
Thanx ~ Marie
=)
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swood
Unregistered User
(5/29/02 6:57:24 am)
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Academic publishing
I currently work as an editorial assistant at an academic press. I have very little to do with folklore/ mythology except as it relates to the field of the editor I am assisting. She is in art history and classics which mean we deal with scholars who study images of these things as they relate to art history. We have a big book coming up called, _Images of Myth in Classical Antiquity_. It's a scholarly, but we hope, accessible book that deals with identifying characters and stories from classical mythology on artwork from the time.
I have also commented on renewed interest in Victorian artists/ artwork which often deals with mythological figures, particularly as relates to the movements in Nationalism at the time.
My personal focus is on children's literature. I would like to be an author, a teacher and an editor of childrens literature. However, this was the only job I could get in publishing at this time. People who are interested in careers in publishing should be aware of the following:
* it is virtually impossible to get entry-level position cross country. In order to get a publishing job in New York, I had to move to New York. It took me three months to get a job. It's harder now. Ivy-league grads take precedence, even for positions that pay less than 25K and tend to turn over every 6 mos. There are smaller presses in smaller towns. San Francisco was a secondary center of publishing, however it has been very heavily hit by the economic recession and presses are closing offices there everyday.
* expect to be at your entry level position for at least 2 years. This is the average turn-around time for a book in the trade industry and they want you to see the entire process before moving ahead. (Academic books move a little faster.)
* it only gets more competitive as you move up the ranks. Companies tend to hire from outside rather than from within. To get promotions, expect to change jobs frequently.
* internships or special classes in publishing can give you an edge. So can work experience. Do whichever one you can afford. Try not to carry to much debt in this career because living in NYC on 23K is probably the biggest challenge this job has to offer.
I can't tell you much more, as I am only just begining to explore the field. It excites me and incites me. I look forward to one day making a living wage somewhere closer to my hometown in Colorado, persuing my passion for children's literature.
Sarah
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Kerrie
Registered User
(6/10/02 8:01:13 am)
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Careers available... booklet?
Quick question- does anyone think a booklet on careers available would be a helpful handout at conferences, to students, etc? Let me know and maybe I can pull something together!
Soft whispers and valley blossoms,
Kerrie
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Carolyn
Unregistered User
(6/10/02 12:57:45 pm)
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Booklet
Kerrie,
I think that is an excellent idea. I used to teach Careers at both the junior college and high school level, and from the point of view of a high school vocational counselor, this would be good for students who are interested in mythic arts. We used to publish handouts from the Career Center at Butte College and distribute those frely to college and h.s. students. They were like gold...
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ZMethos
Registered User
(6/10/02 1:15:32 pm)
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Re: Publishing detailed?
About my degree in Screenwriting? All I can tell you is that it hasn't been particularly helpful! I did work on some movie sets, reading and analysing scripts for the producer, to help her decide which movies to bother making. But even then, it was very clear that it's who you know, not how good you are, when it comes to Hollywood. Since I didn't care for my boss much, I chose not to pursue a career in that direction.
~M. Pepper
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Kerrie
Registered User
(6/11/02 5:03:05 pm)
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Booklet, Screenwriting, and Educational Publishing...
Thanks Carolyn! I'll try to start something and maybe bring it to Readercon or send it to anyone who'd like to work on it. (Hee hee, another project... must finish others at some point.)
Thanks M.- sorry to hear it didn't work out. It does seem to be
like that in many careers these days- who you know or years of experience
vs. quality of experience or skill level. As I'm sure I'll discuss
further with you tomorrow... again.
I thought I'd chime in on how fairy tales, folklore, and mythology fit into educational publishing, at least from my perspective. I'm not sure about other companies, but the textbook publisher I work for includes in their reading pupil editions special sections that focus on different genres, including fairy tales, folktales, and myths. The sections I've seen have all been very PC, and on occasion misleading. One of our acquisitions editors often gives me any books she receives that relate to fairies, folktales, etc, as there are strict guidelines about what can and cannot appear in textbooks. For example, Texas as an adoption state has strict guidelines that must be met, or fines must be paid. One such guideline is the absence of anything related to the occult. This includes, from what I have been told, most of what would be considered fantastic literature.
I have found it quite frustrating that more attention is not given to allowing the children the use of their imagination and censoring according to state standards and businesses.
I'm probably quite biased in this description, but I guess it's
because I love fantastic literature so much that I want to see more
of it. Perhaps we have more than other textbooks, I don't know.
I just know I want to homeschool my own kids a bit someday, or at
least expose them to more than it seems the states are allowing.
Testing. Yuck.
Soft whispers and valley blossoms,
Kerrie
Edited by: Kerrie at: 6/11/02 5:53:16 pm
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Laura
Registered User
(6/12/02 10:09:37 pm)
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Re: Booklet, Screenwriting, and Educational Publishing...
Kerrie, I'm curious about something you said: "For example, Texas as an adoption state has strict guidelines that must be met, or fines must be paid." What does that term mean, adoption state? My immediate thought was children given up for adoption, which of course makes little sense. Would you mind clearing this up for me?
Laura S.
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ZMethos
Registered User
(6/13/02 4:08:13 am)
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Re: Booklet, Screenwriting, and Educational Publishing...
Kerrie can probably answer this better, but she's referring to textbook adoption. Texas, California & Florida are the Big 3, the states that school book publishers most want to have adopt their textbooks for use in the states' schools. If you can "win" an adoption in these states, you're in great shape. But it's very difficult because of all the rules each of these states has regarding the books the schools use.
~M. Pepper
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Kerrie
Registered User
(6/13/02 5:19:28 am)
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Textbook adoption...
As M. Pepper stated, "adoption" refers to "textbook adoption." There are several states that are adoption states, and others that are Open Territory. This site can explain it better than I can:
www.afb.org/info_document...mentid=373
Florida, California, and Texas are the biggies, and the other states seem to look to them for guidance.
Soft whispers and valley blossoms,
Kerrie
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lmallozzi
Registered User
(6/13/02 9:08:57 am)
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the reality of the job market
I have been interested in trying to get my illustrations published, especially in the field of fantasy and folk lore, but so far I have had no success. I moved to NYC to pursue this dream and right now, I am wondering if I made a terrible mistake. There has been no response to my website at all. I've even had quite a few interviews with publishers, but it seems there's always someone else with more experience.
My other fear is that my chances of getting my work published are small because the art is not marketable enough. Is there the sense that folk lore and fantasy are not marketable, and therefore, publishers are edging away from that field? I know that companies have to make a profit, but it worries me that perhaps quality is being sacrificed, in favor of big bucks. Am I way off base here?
Luciana
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Kerrie
Registered User
(6/13/02 3:18:44 pm)
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Alternative markets for illustration...
Luciana,
Have you looked into less traditional markets? I don't know if others have worked with them, but Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. seems to be looking for illustrations for the following: book covers, book interiors, tape J-cards and calendars as well as tarot decks.
www.llewellyn.com/submit.php3
I have some books by them, and they really seem to look for good quality artwork to grace their covers and internal pages.
Best of luck!
Soft whispers and valley blossoms,
Slipping into Dandelion Dreams,
Kerrie
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