Archive for the ‘Freelance writing’ Category

I had a new writer contact me about an article she had written for a photo-editorial fashion spread. Here’s what she wanted to know:

“A photographer friend and I recently did a fashion shoot as a part of a fashion and environment awareness idea that we came up with. The images are beautiful and the story is relevant to the ‘going green’ movement showing how. Because it is not your typical fashion magazine spread that’s trying to sell a specific product, but is more of an informative approach, I am trying to figure out which publication it is best suited for. Possibly a magazine that’s in need of content? Should I expect to pay to have this first item published? and if so, how much should I expect to pay?”

Here’s my response:

Sounds like a great concept and very timely, too. You should not pay to have your work used; you should be paid. I’m guessing that the photographer has either given you the rights to the images or you will be submitting the work as a photo editorial. You both should be paid for your contributions. What you can get depends on the quality of the work and the publication’s budget. Small, regional magazines don’t have big budgets, but typically would be interested because they lack the staff to do it on their own. Many fashion spreads are shot and written by freelance contributors. What about the fashions featured? The designer or the store that supplied the clothes should be credited.

Paying to have your work published in a magazine or other print publication is advertising. Do not confuse it with self-publishing a book, where the author assumes the production costs but receives all the profits from book sales.

If you are a consultant, coach or freelance writer, your fee is probably based on your time. Most likely you have an hourly rate or you base a project fee on the amount of time you estimate it will take you to do the work. I’ve been working as a freelance writer, editor and consultant since the late 80s, and I can say I’ve yet to find a great formula. So this blog post will not be about how to set your fees. Something came up this week that opened my eyes to the value of my time.

I had an unhappy client. That was distressing to me, but it got even worse. The client complained to someone else who is well known in the community and whose opinion is highly valued. I cannot deny that my client had a valid complaint. However, to my knowledge all that was mentioned was the mistake without acknowledgment of the months of good service.

While I lived in Florida, I went to the same hairdresser for over 20 years. We often talked about business and he had a great attitude about customer service. “You’re only as good as your last haircut,” he told me many times. I’m just now realizing how well that applies to any service.

In my mind, I had served my client well, giving far more hours worth of service than I billed. Yet from her perspective, the one bad “haircut” was what she remembered. It was a good wake-up call for me. Now I understand that it’s not about what my time is worth or how I set my fees; it’s about how my time is spent delivering what I promise–because good customer service is all any of us have to offer. It’s really never about the money.

I’m intrigued that you are an author as it is one of my goals. Are you local in the Broward County area and was it hard for you to get started as a writer/author? I hope you don’t mind my asking… I only have a couple of clips under my belt and I’d love to hear how other writers have taken their love and turned it into a business that pays.–Joy

Dear Joy,

The way I broke into this industry after leaving an editorial position with a book publisher in New York was as a magazine editor. A staff position gave me the opportunity to build a portfolio of clips and learn the biz from both sides (editor and writer). Once I went freelance, I quickly turned to copy writing and public relations because the rates are higher and you get paid faster (if you’re working directly with clients). Although I enjoy marketing and p.r., my first love is fiction, then editorial. But a girl has to eat…

If you can or desire to do it, I recommend taking a staff position. You will earn instant credentials to include with your clips when you send queries to editors, for one thing. You’ll also gain invaluable experience and insight into how this business operates. Once I went freelance, I often wrote to magazines asking for editorial work and was assigned articles on the basis of my experience. It’s sort of a back door not frequently used.

I am posting a letter I wrote last week. The editor of a magazine that I write for had sent an email to all the contributors during the production of the latest issue, and all our email addresses were ganged along the top of the “To:” line. When the “payment upon publication” was late in arriving, one of the writers took it upon herself to start a dialogue among the contributors, using the the email list from the editor’s earlier email. The emails went from inquisitive (did you get paid?), to complaining (I heard this magazine is going out of business), to “this is the way it is.” At first, I didn’t get involved in the conversation, mostly because I didn’t want to converse with email identities such as “cutegirl@website.com” But I did jump in at the end, and this is the letter I wrote.

Fellow writers and contributors,

I’ve read the past few days of emails with interest but did not participate because I felt discussing private information about pay, etc was inappropriate with a group of people I did not know and couldn’t identify by their email monikers. But now the conversation has turned to the philosophical–and I need a break from the assignment I’m currently working on.

The amount of compensation is not the point in wanting to be paid in a timely (and promised) manner. Regardless of the amount, you did the research, wrote the article and met your deadline. It’s not too much to expect that the client (or publisher) shows you the same professionalism and respect.

I have been in the publishing industry for 30 years and freelancing for almost 20 years. In that time, not much has changed, including the rate of pay for editorial or commercial (copy writing) material. Like most writers, I stay with it because it’s what I do, and what I love. However, I’m tired of chasing my money. The next time you call a magazine or client’s office about a past-due account, ask the person on the other end how he or she would feel if his or her weekly paycheck was withheld until the advertiser paid. Ask that person if she could wait 30, 60 or 90 days for compensation. Or, how about never being paid? That’s happened to me on several occasions when a “pay on publication” magazine went out of business before my article ran.

Yes, these are the accepted rules. But what if writers stopped acting like doormats? What if we asked for fair and timely compensation? Radical! Do you know how much photographers and designers (advertising, not editorial) in our industry get paid in relation to our rates? Why accept being starving artists? Perhaps it is for love or need to communicate. But whatever the reason, we do not have to just shut up and take it. We can expect to be treated like professionals and extended the courtesy of timely payment. Good manners alone require a business person to return a phone call and follow up on promises made.

So, don’t feel sorry about wanting your money–$9, $90 or $900–you earned it.

I don’t advocate whining or complaining. Take action and don’t be afraid to speak your mind to the people who can change things–your editors, publishers and clients. Writing one another won’t change anything at all–unless you want to form a group that works together for better treatment of freelance writers. But, for goodness sakes, don’t just accept the status quo. Keep writing and improve your skills so you can work for larger publications, many of which pay on submission and at a much higher rate. Keep writing and submitting so that you have enough work out there that you won’t starve or miss a payment because one or two checks are late.

You may have to or choose to work for small amounts, but you do not have to accept being treated unprofessionally. Respect for our talent and professionalism is worth more than any compensation–so don’t settle for less than that.

Well, back to work. My next deadline looms.

Best regards,

Shelley Lieber

P.S. I wish more of you would include your real names and be proud of what you write.