EDITOR’S NOTE:

I raised my hand.

“How do you get published in The New Yorker?” I said. 

My English teacher crossed his arms and leaned against the chalkboard. This was in high school. 

“The New Yorker?” he said. 

He’d just lectured the class about how to get published in print. How it demanded grit, tenacity, all that. 

“You don’t,” he pursed his lips. A few kids laughed. 

“The New Yorker is a different animal altogether,” he said. “Writers work their whole lives trying to get a by-line in The New Yorker,” he pushed himself off the chalkboard. “And most never succeed.” 

Harsh (maybe even a tad embittered) but true.

Getting published in The New Yorker is a rare feat. It’s one of the most selective magazines in the world. 

But that didn’t stop Bizzy Coy, a copywriter and humor columnist. She has dozens of bylines in The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, Splitside, and other renowned publications. 

She’s also a brand voice consultant and strategist for arts and entertainment brands, including Disney, NBC, and Blue Man Group. 

So, yes, Bizzy is busy, which is why I’m honored she’s given her time to this VGC Micro-Interview.

In just 450 words, she shares:

• A day in the life of a freelance writer...

• How to get a masterclass in freelancing…

• One of the most important legacies of your full-time job…

And more…

Enjoy!

Thank you, Bizzy.

Let’s get started:

1) “What’s your work routine?”

I work from home, in a small cottage that sits on a tiny lake in the Catskills region of upstate New York. 

I go outside first thing in the morning with my dog, and the fresh air and chirping birds get me ready to tackle my most challenging work early on. Then I take a long break. 

I relish having the flexibility to run errands, make elaborate lunches or even have a leisurely bath in the middle of the day. In the afternoon, I handle administrative tasks, make phone calls, reply to emails and watch old episodes of Judge Judy on YouTube.

2) “What do you know about your work now that you wish you’d known when you first started?”

I wish I had known how crucial my colleagues and coworkers from my full-time jobs would be to my future freelance success. 

Every freelance opportunity or gig I've landed has been through some connection to folks I previously worked with. If I had been smarter back then, I would have invested even more time and energy into nourishing those relationships.

3) “What did your biggest professional failure teach you?”

My classic workplace failure story is back when I worked in agency-land and before I went freelance. 

A video shoot with International Sweetheart Angela Lansbury went awry and she left without giving the interview we needed to capture. I spent the rest of the day crying in my boss's office, which mortified me and probably him. Shortly after, I got a promotion. 

So I guess what I learned is, cry more at work because it makes everyone so uncomfortable that they will reward you just to stop looking at your sad face.

4) “What’s the #1 thing that has helped you shorten your craft’s learning curve?”

Working fulltime in the agency trenches taught me all of the skills I now use as a freelance copywriter. 

Flexibility. Hustle. Collaboration. Writing 100 taglines that get rejected and writing 100 more. How to fake it 'til you make it. How to handle ever-changing priorities with grace. How to write for various audiences in various contexts across various platforms. How to handle your shit. How the whole industry works. 

Agency life turned out to be a master class in freelancing.

5) “What book has helped you the most over your career?”

I don't have a great answer for this. 🙂

6) “And your parting piece of advice?”

Realize that if you wait to learn the "right" way to be a copywriter or a freelancer you'll be waiting forever. 

There are no rules. There are some rules, but they change all the time. So you write the rules. You work with your clients to write the rules together.