BYB is hiring!

As you can tell, things are going pretty well around these parts. We're pretty popular -- and people are really into the Tigers, too. We want to take advantage of that and offer even more content for our readers. That's really great news for you if you've ever thought, "I'd really like to write for Bless You Boys!" And I know you're out there, because from time to time people write me letter saying just those very words, though notably without the excitement of an exclamation point, which is probably why they didn't get a gig in the first place.

So, what are we looking for in a candidate?

Our ideal candidate:

• Has strong knowledge about the Tigers and enjoys following baseball in general
  
• Is familiar with the application of sabermetrics. Whether one likes them or not doesn't matter, but understanding which stats are useful for analysis and which stats aren't is necessary requirement here.
  
• Has strong grammar and will write to our site style guide.
  
• Is able to write in line with our best practices for ideal search engine optimization (SEO).
  
• Is able to write and publish quickly while remaining accurate.
• Is a self-starter.
• Possesses solid communication skills.
• Is comfortable working in a virtual environment.

Job description:

Hours are negotiable. We try to patchwork together what fits in each person's schedule and strengths so that the site is taken care of throughout the day. This is not a position that watches the clock so much as it is open to someone who can jump in to help out when necessary and create several articles a week.

In particular: We are looking for a weekly feature or two -- a series if you will -- as well as the ability to spin 200-500 words of news, analysis or perspective (that is, finding a Tigers angle to a non-Tigers story) on a weekday basis.

Compensation

Financial: We can offer the right candidate a monthly $25 stipend, though occasional bonuses may be available. This might not sound like much, but consider that most bloggers do not receive any compensation for their work, and indeed your blog managers did not initially make any money at their blogs either.

Non-financial: Here's the real reward: The opportunity to learn from a successful team of bloggers in a fun environment, writing about a great team, and having the possibility to make a name for yourself in the blogging world.

Kurt has run a blog since 2006. Professionally, he is an award-winning journalist and has a weekly column in the Detroit News. He is also a night shift editor at SBNation.com, head copy editor at SBNation.com, and helps run the @SBNation and @SBNationMLB accounts. Humor him, but he believes he knows a thing or two about how to be successful in this world and is an open book to learn from.

Bless You Boys is known and read by media members, baseball front office workers, players and their families, and a rather large amount of fans. It is one of the more successful baseball blogs out there. Writing for it is a pretty good online resume point in our minds.

How to apply:

A quick rundown of your writing experience is useful, but I am especially interested in three things: Your goals in writing for Bless You Boys, how you would fit into our coverage team, and 3-5 relevant (baseball) writing samples (please include a news brief among those. Past work is fine but feel free to create something especially for us from the opening 10 days of the season if you need.) Send this to bybtigers@gmail.com

Deadline: 4/19

Questions? Feel free to ask by email or in this thread.