Flu Bug Departs; Spring Fever Arrives
We’re all feeling much better. It looks like Richard escaped the bug, even after kissing me while I was feverish. Zach spent three days in bed. He had it worst of all.
Letters To The Editor For March 7th
Letters will return next week.
Writing for Writing Publications: Do you want fries with that? By E.D. Easley Part 1 of 2
Writers writing for writing e-zines have long known they’ll probably never retire in that market.
They come to expect low pay. “You’ll never get rich writing for us,” one e-zine acknowledged in its guidelines, “but you’ll get great exposure.”
Maybe the exposure is worth it. Almost all the writing e-zines are distributed to large audiences of other writers, but they also go to agents, editors and publishers…
Add A “Publish-By-Or-Pay” Clause To Your “Pays On Publication” Contracts
Angela,
A publication pays upon publication. Now, it could be months before they publish the piece…but in the meantime, they don’t pay the writer, but have yet to publish the work after three or so months.
Is the pub considered a deadbeat in your view ONLY IF they publish the work and don’t pay?
Please advise.
Roy
Chameleon: Selling The Screenplay, Writing The Novel By Richard Hains
Chameleon actually began life as a screenplay and, once finished after four years of development, I decided to write the novel around it as I felt that this was the best way of ultimately getting the film made. The novel quickly developed its own life, style and structure and, after a further five years, I successfully published the book. I am now in the process of aggressively marketing the book in the USA.
Sick…and Tired
I had a sore throat on Wednesday night. On Thursday morning, I warned Richard not to kiss me, but he did anyway as he left for the airport at 4:30 a.m. It’s so romantic to have a husband who will kiss you, no matter how snotty or miserable you are…but boy is he gonna be sorry when the incubation period is over!
Newspaper Contracts
Hi Angela,
Just got done reading the letters to the editor. Linda Odum sent in a letter with the information, “Most newspapers do not have contracts and the writer is free to send an article to as many places as she wishes.” I would caution other writers to check with these newspapers before making such an assumption. My local paper is for a small town, would not be considered national or even to have a big region like Chicago or other cities. And this small local paper has an all rights contract for writers – the infamous ‘work for hire’ type of contract. Other writer friends have mentioned other small town papers that do this as well. The reason I was given (not sure if this is the true reason or not) is this allows the wire services like AP, etc. to pick up these articles.
I realize this may not be true for all locations. In my case, my small town is home to the Mayo Clinic as well as an IBM campus. Any locally reported news could be of interest nationally. However, a writer who does receive a contract will receive it at the beginning and not the end of the assignment. You will find out when you pitch to your local newspaper (or small newspapers in other locations) what their policy is.
Linda offered some good advice, but small local papers are not as easy to use for resale as it would appear. At least, not in my area.
Thanks for the great resource!
Anna
Helping Yourself By Helping Others By Marie E. Cecchini
If you’ve never given a second thought to the idea of writing for a non-profit organization, it may be time to think again. In their never-ending search for funding, non-profit organizations are constantly in need of copy to promote their cause, update the public, and seek donations. Efforts to do this can require producing flyers, newsletters, pamphlets, booklets, and even radio and/or television spots – all of which require writing. That’s where you come in.
How To Respond To Negative Rating?
Since I started writing for this site’s clients, my rating has been at the highest level, as I treat each client’s project with extreme care and respect, and give each one 100% effort.
My problem involves the rating I was given by a first-time client from Europe who wanted an ebook written about her unique business. I estimated that the project would take about one month. After accepting the project, my client became ill and couldn’t send the necessary material for me to begin working. Two weeks passed, and finally I received her material. I communicated regularly with her throughout this period and until I completed the project, incorporating her edits and comments. I also advised her that I would not meet the proposed deadline due to not receiving her material on time.
You can imagine my surprise and shock when she wrote in my rating that I was late finishing the project.
Stories + Photos = More Sales By Joan Airey
When I first started as a freelance writer, rejection slips had a negative affect on my productiveness. Turning lemons into lemonade has increased my income.