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Topic: Stuck in the middle of a sticky situation
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| redsocks | Posted – 6/17/2007 7:44:41 PM | show profile | email poster After working with an editor at a national women's mag on a few shorter stories, she contacted me to go on a press trip on the mag's behalf in the winter. There was no story assigned, but she just wanted me to go out and visit the location and test some products in hopes of using them for a future story. While I was out there, I met another PR person who invited me to come back out to this location two weeks later to try a women's sports camp. Again, no story assigned, but the hope was that I'd go back and sell it somewhere. When I got back from the camp, I pitched a full story complete with a camp hook from the second trip and product and location hook from the first trip to the editor who asked me to go out there. She likes the location and products, but doesn't like the camp angle. She wants me to go back out in January and find a different hook (basically find another sport to try and highlight). The mag doesn't pay for travel, so that means I'd have to get the PR people to bring me back out. The problem is that the PR people want me to sell the camp story first before they pay for me to come out again, but the editor I'm working with doesn't want me pitching the location to competitors (and says that since I was out there on the mag's behalf, that it wouldn't be right for me to do so). Since the camp is really only applicable to women, the competing mags are the only ones I'd think to pitch it to. And I can't think of a way to pitch the camp story without highlighting the location...it really is a main component. I don't want to buring bridges with either side, but I'm not seeing any other way around it. Any advice on what to do? Is the mag in the right? Help! |
| newbie | Posted – 6/18/2007 2:55:00 PM | show profile You've taken two trips to the resort yet you can't come up with more than one story angle? I think the PR people have a right to be wary of financing a third trip. You are in a sticky spot, so it's time to be resourceful. Surely the resort have a set list of activity options available--why not send them to your editor and see what she likes? The PR people will undoubtedly be happy to fill you in on details of the other programs to help you garner an assignment. At this point, it's probably best to secure a story before you leave, this way you don't waste your time or the resort's resources. If the magazine is being proprietary about the trip, it only makes sense to go again if they are definitely going to accept a piece about it. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 6/18/2007 6:23:35 PM | show profile This editor is being completely unreasonable. She doesn't want to buy your camp story, and yet says you shouldn't be allowed to sell it to anyone else -- what's more she wants you to travel without reimbursement and find her more story ideas, which she is free to turn down with no payment? Personally, if i were you, I'd pitch the camp story to her competitors. I wouldn't tell her I was doing it, because it's none of her business. If I sold the story and it came out, I wouldn't tell her that either. If she asked if you found another story for the location, I'd tell her that the PR person won't pay for your travel expenses this time so you can't go out there without reimbursement. No other explanation needed. --After working with an editor at a national women's mag on a few shorter stories, she contacted me to go on a press trip on the mag's behalf in the winter. There was no story assigned, but she just wanted me to go out and visit the location and test some products in hopes of using them for a future story. While I was out there, I met another PR person who invited me to come back out to this location two weeks later to try a women's sports camp. Again, no story assigned, but the hope was that I'd go back and sell it somewhere. When I got back from the camp, I pitched a full story complete with a camp hook from the second trip and product and location hook from the first trip to the editor who asked me to go out there. She likes the location and products, but doesn't like the camp angle. She wants me to go back out in January and find a different hook (basically find another sport to try and highlight). The mag doesn't pay for travel, so that means I'd have to get the PR people to bring me back out. The problem is that the PR people want me to sell the camp story first before they pay for me to come out again, but the editor I'm working with doesn't want me pitching the location to competitors (and says that since I was out there on the mag's behalf, that it wouldn't be right for me to do so). -- |
| Marie | Posted – 6/18/2007 9:11:56 PM | show profile That's exactly what I would have said, if I could think as clearly. The company sent you to screen these products, which you did. Fine. While you were there, you inadvertently and on your own, found another story. Editor is not interested (you offered it, she turned it down). She doesn't want to pay to send you out there again, but wants the PR people or you to pay. This is absurd. She can take the story that you found on her dime, in addition to the work she sent you out there for, or you're free to sell it elsewhere, which is what I I recommend, unless she's going to pay to send you out there again. To sum up, you fulfilled the work that she sent you out there to do. You offered an additional, an extra story that went beyond what she sent you out there for, and she doesn't want it. I don't think this is so sticky. Go ahead and sell the piece elsewhere, but tdon't ell her about it. It's not her business. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 6/19/2007 1:16:59 AM | show profile Am I reading this right -- the second camp was not assigned, but you were invited to? Pitch this around, a lot. The dog-in-the-manger editor is out of the loop. |
| Marie | Posted – 6/19/2007 2:09:21 AM | show profile ohmigod, I didn't even realize the camp trip was a separate trip. What drugs does this editor take? This is absurd. She has no claims on that story just becasue you got the lead when you were on a press trip that she sent you on, which was not even a trip the mag. paid for. Just sell the camp story to a competitor. There's nothing sticky here, except this editor's brain. How out of it can one be? |
| redsocks | Posted – 6/19/2007 7:09:23 PM | show profile Phew...so I'm not out of mind. Before I even posted this I emailed the editor to explain the situation. She and I (I thought) had a good enough working relationship that she would understand where I'm coming from. But instead she was making it sound that since I was out there on the magazine's behalf for the first trip (the PR one) that their pub gets ownership. But my point was that I made the contact while I was out there with new people and went out a second time to try the camp. I thought I was doing the right thing by giving my editor first shot at the camp story, but she wasn't interested. I never thought I wouldn't have the right not to sell it somewhere else. If I had even considered that, I would've told the camp PR person not to bring me out (or recommended one of my freelancing friends instead). But now that I've seen everyone's comments, I feel better about pitching the story elsewhere. And Newbie: I am resourceful enough to come up with other story ideas after being there twice. In fact I have multiple pitches regarding the resort and products I tried out to other mags with different angles. However, the issue at hand was this camp and getting it in front of women who would be interested, which would just happen to be those who read competing mags. I'm sure there are newspapers I could pitch it to as well (and may even do so), but my first choice would be to get it in a national women's mag...preferably one with a fitness/health angle. |
