The Ghostwriter Who Yearns To Be a Real Writer
Jay Newman doesn’t feel like talking about himself in the third person…so I’ll switch gears right here and let you know that I’m an experienced, reliable writer and editor in search of 
steady work—whether it be with a publishing company, a magazine or website, a non-profit, or a TV production company. Since 1998, I’ve been a content creator, researcher, and editor for Portable Press, publisher of the Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader book series. These annual trivia compendiums—along with dozens of satellite editions—are a publishing phenomenon. The hundred or so Bathroom Readers that I’ve worked on have collectively sold over 10 million copies.
I work from home as an independent contractor. Most recently, I completed 205 pages (and bonus facts and filler) for the 37th edition of the series. As much as I love writing for (and as) Uncle John, it only employs me for part of the year. That’s why I created this website: to showcase my favorite articles with the goal of finding supplemental writing work.
As a Developmental Editor employed by Portable Press until 2016, I served as lead editor for 15 satellite books—including The World’s Gone Crazy, which sold 500,000 copies, and Uncle John’s Weird, Weird World: EPIC, which was awarded the 2016 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award Gold Winner in Humor. I also helped launch three successful book lines: For Kids Only, Facts To Go e-books, and the Strange series. My articles have also appeared in Reader’s Digest, Mental Floss, Neatorama, and History 101.
It makes me very proud to have contributed to this entire Barnes & Noble shelf:
Why Hire Me?
Great writers are difficult to find. I learned this over and over during my time as a non-fiction book editor, when it was my job to hire freelancers and train them to deliver engaging material that requires minimal editing, and most importantly, in the “voice” of the series. I would have loved to have one of me.
I’m a Storyteller: I have written thousands of articles in a variety of styles on a multitude of subjects—including history, science, politics, true crime, pop culture, entertainment, travel, language, and children’s. Like an investigative journalist, I take a deep dive into my topics until I find the story, figure out how best to tell it, and then craft it to perfection. And I’ve been delving into fiction as well: I’m writing a novel, and I write sci-fi comic strips for the Britt Music and Arts Festival in nearby Jacksonville, Oregon. (See the link below.)
I’m a Wordsmith: Unlike juggling or doing my taxes, writing comes naturally to me. It was one of the first things I realized that I was good at in grade school. I spent my teens writing songs and poetry, my 20’s reading and writing fiction, and the last 25 years composing non-fiction prose—all without the aid of illustrations, which requires explaining every pertinent detail so that the reader can picture it. And last but perhaps most, I had a ruthless editor and mentor in Gordon Javna (Uncle John himself) who helped me become one of the best trivia writers in the business. “Not only is Jay a top-notch writer and editor,” graciously wrote Gordon in a reference, “he’s creative and a good problem solver. He’ll take on any project I assign to him and he always delivers.”
I’m Versatile: Most writers I’ve worked with excel at just one style. When it comes to humor and non-fiction, I can do it all: one-line facts, quote collections, lists and listicles, brief anecdotes, feature articles, and marketing copy. (As the de facto “keeper of the voice” of the series, it fell upon me to write most of the book introductions and cover copy.) I can generate pitches or work on assignment. Or, if you have a clunky article that needs smoothing, hand it off to me, as I have extensive experience copyediting, content editing, proofreading, and fact-checking.
I’m an Idea Generator: I just love thinking of punny titles and funny article ideas. Wondering what to call your quirky cooking blog? How about “Truth is Stranger than Chicken”? Here’s an idea for a New Orleans food truck: “Show Us Your Tots—every customer gets beads with their tater tots!” (Should you take that idea and run with it, I get free tots for life.) Two ideas that I’m most proud of: coming up with the title and concept for one of our best-selling satellite editions, Uncle John’s Funniest Ever Bathroom Reader (2015). And in another book for which I served as head writer (and came up with the title), Uncle John’s Lists That Make You Go Hmmm…, it was my idea to incorporate the page numbers into the “running feet” (what we call the little facts at the bottom of each page). It wasn’t easy to do this for all 286 pages, but we did!
I’m a Visual Artist: I’ve been a professional photographer for over 20 years. Along with my wife, Sue, I co-run NewmanImages Photography. We provided the images for two recent books, Crater Lake & Beyond: A Story of Fire and Ice (which won the Bronze Medal at the 2018 IPPY Awards for Best Regional Nonfiction—West-Pacific), and the follow-up coffee table book, Deep Blue Volcano: Exploring Crater Lake, for which I wrote the copy. 
As the publisher’s “cover liaison,” I worked closely with graphic designers to shepherd 35 book covers from concept to completion. I also worked as part of a team to design interiors, web pages, and catalogs. Here’s one of my cover ideas brought to life. That’s my copy on the back, and our turtle, Proudfoot, on the front:
Bio
When I was growing up, I wanted to be (in this order) a herpetologist, astronomer, rock star, grade school teacher, sci-fi author, and National Geographic photographer. Lucky me, I ended up as a humor writer for Uncle John. I spent the first half of my life in the Washington, D.C. area where I attended one of the best school systems in country before graduating from one of the best party colleges in Virginia (go Radford!). I moved to southern Oregon in 1996; two years later, I wrote my first article for Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader (“The Origin of Scooby-Doo”).
When I’m not writing or watching TV (for research, you know), I’m either working in the garden with Sue, or we’re wandering the countryside in search of owls, agates, or waterfalls…preferably all three. We live in a little house in Ashland, Oregon, with two cats, five turtles, a tortoise, and some fish.
Links and Resume
Resume and Letters of Recommendation
https://www.facebook.com/JayNewmanWriter
https://www.facebook.com/NewmanImagesPhotography
https://www.instagram.com/newmanimages
Jay@JayNewmanWriter.com