I know this is the "New York Observer" and the general reader is from New York City. But as a Texan who was born and bred in Chicago, I've found another problem facing freelancers trying to break into NYC magazines. It's called "East Coast bias."

In other words, if you're a freelance writer living west of the Hudson River, you may as well have "hick" stenciled on your submission. Yes, competition is fierce and yes, there are as many "wannabes" in the hinterlands who can't write their ways out of paper bags as there are in the city. But the preference for East Coast writers over everywhere else is definitely there.

I agree with one other poster on this site. You can find plenty of writing work in the business-to-business category. Sometimes the B2Bs are better, as they don't make the writers wait for six months until the article is published to cut a check.

Given all of the above, it's probably no wonder that the younger journalists are turning to writing outlets that are more inclusive and that don't require a a writer to wait months to get paid.

Just my two cents' worth :-).