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Topic: What's the pay like for trade mags?
| Author | Message |
| renny | Posted – 9/7/2006 4:57:27 PM | show profile I just got a call from a trade editor after I sent a packet of clips in one of my areas of expertise. I've only written for consumer pubs before and I'm looking to boost my $$ by expanding to trades. What's the pay like at most trade pubs? Does it vary as much as consumer pubs? |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 9/7/2006 5:05:54 PM | show profile Yes, it does- starts at 20 cents per word (yeah, ouch) all the way up to typically consumer pub rates. |
| wander lust | Posted – 9/7/2006 7:29:03 PM | show profile i work for a trade pub and from what i hear, the writers get paid pretty low... i'm talking like $200 for articles between 600 and 1200 words. but i guess it all depends on the industry because i've heard from others that trade publishing pays well. i would think that the real technical stuff probably pays more. ------ "Talking is a hydrant in the yard and writing is a faucet upstairs in the house. Opening the first takes the pressure off the second." - Robert Frost |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 9/7/2006 9:16:13 PM | show profile It's all over the place. Most of the trades I work for pay $1 a word. Many pay less. Few pay more. It's important not to look at just the per fee, though. Trade pieces often require less work. For instance, I just wrote a 2000 article for a trade which paid $1500.00. Not a great per-word fee. However, it only required one in-person interview, one quick photo interview, and some online research. Including writing it took less than 8 hours and it went through without a single editor's question. My goal is to make about $200-250 per hour, and I find I can do that with most trade pieces. |
| mumbo jumbo | Posted – 9/7/2006 10:17:19 PM | show profile I used to be a trade editor. We paid $500 to $700 for a 1200-word article. But the work was steady and not too demanding. I had a lot of loyal freelancers, many of whom earned better rates with their other clients but they knew that this was pretty easy money. |
| WritingEd | Posted – 9/8/2006 1:40:35 PM | show profile Varies at my company from 50 cents/word to 75 cents/word; we expect stories with multiple sources (usually 8-10, but that all depends on how much it takes to tell the story we're seeking) that are well crafted and about 2,700 words, which means you'd be looking at $1,350 to $2,025. The people making .75 are those who have worked with us for years and know our industry well. While I rarely send stories back for a second draft, I almost always have some questions; generally these can be answered without going back to sources again or with a quick email. I think the big draw for our writers is the pretty regular work. Once you can prove yourself, you're likely to get about 5-6 feature assignments per year. And they get easier as you get to know the industry. Another draw is likely that we cover an industry that many, even those who haven't written about it before, consider interesting. And then, of course, there's the fact that most writers don't have to pitch us, so you save time researching and marketing your ideas. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 9/8/2006 4:38:45 PM | show profile | email poster Writing Ed, I'd love to do some writing for you. Please email me off the board so I can provide you with clips, resume, anything you need. I'd be a great addition to your "stable of writers." |
| WritingEd | Posted – 9/12/2006 2:46:16 PM | show profile Hi Writesonwater, Sorry, I have to pass on taking a look at your clips. I want to remain anonymous on this board, since I have vented about work here, and publishing is such a small world. |
