Writing For Halo-17
From HaloWiki
Halo-17 is always interested in getting new writers to contribute music reviews, feature articles, and other content. We don't insist upon things like experience, qualifications, or expertise, but we do insist on enthusiasm, reliability, and a love of music. If you're interested, read on!
Application Process
What we need from you
At the most simple level, all we need from you is a single, 400-word review so that we can assess whether you're suitable to join our team. This review should be of an album released in the past twelve months, that we have not already covered. Please include all the things that are included within a Halo-17 review, that is, the actual review itself, a short information blurb (that's the text that appears on the front page), and a score out of ten. Email this to Craig, and it will be assessed, spell-checked, and mercilessly edited.
What's in it for me?
We realise that writing a quality review takes time, which a lot of people do not have. On the flipside, we're not exactly rolling in cash ourselves, so we can't afford to pay the money that we'd like to pay our writers. However, you can be assured that we'll keep you well-stocked with new music, from both well known bands and artists, to incredibly obscure indie musicians.
Is there a chance my application will be rejected?
Yes, we often reject applications that we feel are substandard. To minimise the chances of this happening, please spell check and proofread your application before you send it. You might want to also read the Halo-17 Writer's Guide to see what we expect.
Do not plagiarise, trust me, we can tell when you do this.
FAQ for Applicants
How do I send my review to Craig?
Click here, and all shall be revealed
How may items will I be sent at a time?
Your first package will probably only have two items, future packages may have between two and five, depending on the size of our stockpile. At the start, these items will mainly be copies (to protect us against theft by non-serious writers, see Blacklist for more details of why we do this), as time passes more and more of these will be originals, promo copies, and retail copies.
What sort of deadlines do you have?
Reviews are due sixteen days after we send them. This allows two days for it to reach you, plus two weeks for you to come up with something.
Help, I haven't received my package!
All packages are sent registered post through Australia Post. If you haven't gotten it a week after we've sent us, let us know and we'll follow up with AP. Occasionally, unfortunately, things do get lost.
I'm in America/Europe/Africa/Asia, can I join?
We don't have anything against applicants from these areas, but you should understand that it is prohibitively expensive to send parcels full of CDs off to the United States or England or wherever. If your writing is exceptional, we may be able to come to some sort of alternative arrangement, however. This will be done on a case-by-case basis.
You should also look at the topic below about receiving review material electronically.
I'm from New Zealand, can I join?
Applicants from NZ are perfectly welcome to apply, and will be treated the same as Australian writers.
This is the 21st century, can I get my review material electronically, rather than through the post?
Provisionally, yes. Halo-17 maintains an FTP site that writers are invited to use. Due to the electronic nature of this, you don't have to be in Australia/NZ to get access to this.
However, you should be warned that not everything that we receive will be placed here. Specifically, because of the potential for piracy, we need written authorisation from labels/bands before we upload stuff there. Obviously, some of our suppliers are not too keen for this to happen, so their stuff does not appear there.
If you are interested in reviewing through this medium, please let us know when you send your application in.
Where do you get these CDs?
We get them from a variety of sources, including:
- Record labels
- Music Distributors
- Direct from bands
- Community Radio
Do I have to send the CDs back after I've finished reviewing them?
No! Once you've done the review, you get to keep them.
I only want to receive CDs from a particular genre? Can this be arranged?
Yes. Although we prefer reviewers who can cover a wide variety of genres, we can cater to someone who only wants to look at a particular genre. Be aware that, depending on the obscurity of your chosen genre, this may lead to us not being able to send you as much. A specialist "metal" reviewer will probably get a lot of material, someone who likes Thai singer-songwriters influenced by early-90s Icelandic pop... maybe not quite so much.
I write for another site, can I write for yours too?
Yes, however we would ask that you do not use our review material to provide reviews for other sites. It's probably also a good idea to check with the editor of the other site, too.
Our policy is now that you may not repost any reviews written to us for another website. Personal blogs and such are alright, at our discretion, but other review sites are definitely out. This is because we don't want to give you money/promos to write for our competitors. Once again, once we've published it, please do not allow that particular item of your work to be published elsewhere (you may, of course, publish stuff that we don't publish anywhere you like).
Do I have to use my real name?
You're welcome to use a pseudonym if you like. This must be relatively believable, "Anita Bath" is out, but "John Westlake" is fine. This will be the name used to identify you throughout the site, without exception.
Choose carefully, because it's difficult to change the username after you've already posted a few articles!
What's this about a blacklist?
Please review the Blacklist policy before you sign up. If you think that you're going to be so unreliable that you will fall afoul of this, then please do not apply. By submitting an application, you agree to the Blacklist policy on that page.
Can I change the name/pseudonym that I'm credited under?
Generally speaking, no. Not only does it possibly confuse readers, but it also is not easy to do in a technical sense. Exceptions will be made, of course, if you are using your real name and it changes for some reason. Generally speaking though, if you're going to use a pseudonym, then choose carefully!
I have a question that isn't listed here!
Email Craig (see section 2.1) with your question, and it'll be added here.
