Niche Necessary

Freelance writer Yael Grauer on her blog Yael Writes, reports on a panel discussion  "The Future of the Magazine" in which participants described how they believed long-form journalism will work on various platforms.
According to Grauer, Utne Reader editor David Schimke "recommended new writers brand themselves as niche market writers [and] need to be blogging, tweeting, working with authors, speaking, putting video and podcasts on their website, promoting their won work and writing SEO-optimized copy."
For a report on what Schimke and other panelists had to say, see Grauer's blog entry. Here's also a link to the event which was held in early October in Minneapolis and promises to post video.

Byliner.com

Byliner.com claims to be both a publishing company and social networking site whose focus is original narratives of some length. As well as publishing original magazine-type pieces, the site also provides links to select pieces from such magazines as Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated and Granta. A current featured article by James Wolcott describes how, armed with a recommendation from Norman Mailer, the writer attempted to join the ranks of scribes for the Village Voice while navigating the gritty New York City streets of the early '70s.

Check out the site at Byliner.com