Letters To The Editor For May 30th
This week:
- Authors Who Avoid Traditional Publishers
- Signing Back-Dated Non-Compete?!
- Do You Owe Writers Money? by “In-Debt Chet”
- From the Spring ’07 24-Hour Short Story Contest 1st Place Winner
Who’s a Hack? I Am! By Charles Wesley Orton
The responses to “How much (or, really, how little) money will you accept for writing” recently published in WritersWeekly made my teeth grind. From these respondents, it seems that the charge for a writing assignment depends on where one lives and whether one is a (heaven forbid!) “hack” writer.
Child + Writer = Inspiration By Sara Webb Quest
I’ve had over a dozen interviews published in the local Prime Time Cape Cod magazine. I got this job after emailing its editor a couple samples of children’s articles and reviews I’d written for another local publication. Guess what? Writing locally pays well and is fun.
Hey Buddy, Can You Spare Some R.E.M.?
Mason (11 months) has a bad cold and he’s been very congested for two days. Needless to say, I’m swimming in a stupefied haze due to lack of R.E.M. sleep. I know lots of parents complain about lack of sleep but, truthfully, missing sleep hasn’t ever bothered me in my mommy career. I enjoy cuddling a baby late at night (or early in the morning) when they don’t feel good and need mommy’s lovies. And, Mason just learned how to give sloppy kisses. You can imagine the horror on the other children’s faces when Mason, with his runny baby nose, tries to give them a sloppy baby kiss. Heh…
Authors Who Avoid Traditional Publishers By Angela Hoy
Last week, we talked about how many self-published authors have landed traditional contracts only after self- publishing. This week, I’d like to talk about authors who avoid traditional publishing houses for some (or all) of their titles, and why.
Years ago, I wrote and self-published a book with another author. It was a book about successful online publishing. We put the book up for sale as an ebook and it sold very well…so well, in fact, that it sold at auction to a large New York publisher a few weeks later. The initial advance was nice – very nice. It helped pay the down payment on our new home in Maine. But, there were quite a few downsides…
Letters To The Editor For May 23rd
Letters will return next week.
DO YOU OWE WRITERS MONEY? By “In-Debt Chet”
You know, I don’t really understand why some people in the publishing business don’t pay their debts. I’m not talking about the people who are open scammers. I’m referring to the people who start publications that end up underfunded or unsubscripted and, thus, leave writers unpaid.
When an editor runs a story online, in print, or elsewhere, he has to pay for it. Period. End of story. By publishing the story, he has devalued the writer’s only currency. Once the story is published, first rights are gone forever. It takes a writer’s time and energy to create those first rights and he should be compensated if you use them.
Editors Wants Me to Sign a Backdated, Two-Year Non-Compete!
Basically, I’ve already done some work for this company, the beginning of what seems to be a long-term arrangement, and they’re just now asking me to sign a backdated contract. The contract restricts me from writing about the topic for anyone else while I am working with them AS WELL AS during the first two years after terminating the contract.
Get Out Of The Pits By J. M. Cornwell
An article in “Writer’s Digest” magazine about looking for opportunity in my own backyard put me on track. Following the advice brought me the first of many sales to an alternative newspaper. Full of excitement and eager to write, it was a short step to other newspapers, local and regional magazines, and national syndication. Each step led to a modest career writing newsletters, press releases, speeches, book reviews, web sites, editing and ghostwriting, each sale piling up clips and credits. Editing, blogging and writing book reviews was safe and comfortable and paid fairly well.
Flippies, White Noise and Update on Richard
If you’re looking for a unique gift for grandparents, check out “Flippies.” Flippies are custom flip books. This is one of those “wish I’d thought of that!” products. Very cool.
Mason (almost 11 months old now!) is a very good napper…provided there’s a steady stream of noise in the background, such as television, soft voices, etc. The problem is, we have other children whose voices are anything but soft. Richard recently downloaded “white noise” to his computer and we played that during Mason’s nap yesterday. He slept for three hours!