Letters To The Editor For March 15th

Should Ghostwriters Charge Hourly Rate Or Flat Fee?

Angela,

On the ghostwriting thing, I haven’t done as many books as your example author by any means, but I have ghostwritten five business books and about 50 articles. I ALWAYS charge by the hour ($40/hr. now). I find it way too hard to estimate the scope of the project up front as things can and will always change midstream. One 300-page book took about 80 hours, but another one took around 200, even though the latter had a better sense of the final outline. Not really fair to charge them the same rate, for me anyway. I’ve never had someone want to change this to a flat fee, either.

Tim

Writer Receives $500 For Unauthorized Use Of Her Work

This issue of the newsletter made me smile more than any other. As a writer who has been ripped off a few times over a 40-year career, I feel a real sense of well-being and joy when I think of how hard you fight for us.

Thanks!!!
Martin



Hi Angela,

Thank you for Writer Receives $500 for Unauthorized Use.

I, too, have had many articles used without credit to me. Some of my articles appear with different author bylines!

Joy,
Jeanette Fisher



Dear Angela,

The attitude of the website owner who stole another writer’s work reflects a thoroughly amateur attitude. She seems to be childishly happy that her work is being scattered throughout the world wide web while we professional writers insist that newspapers who put our work into their electronic editions or archive them pay more to do so. It’s a very small fee as yet but we are alert to the likelihood that the web version is likely to be the profit maker in the future. As for googling for our work to see who’s stealing it, that’s just being businesslike.

Yours,
Anne

Thanks!

Angela,

I have been reading your Writer’s Weekly newsletter for about a year now and enjoy every issue. Recently you posted a freelance market for a parenting magazine. I contacted the editor you listed with a query. I was prepared to wait the traditional 2-3 months for an editor response, but to my joy it was much quicker. The editor responded in 2 days to my query and I am currently writing my first draft to her for the story. It is slanted to appear in their May issue.

Thanks again for your freelance writing listings and for having current and accurate information on each market.

E.T.