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Topic: How much is the industry hurting?
| Author | Message |
| snappiness | Posted – 5/20/2008 10:08:28 AM | show profile Just curious what indicators others are seeing. My word counts have dropped -- I used to get features at 2000 to 2600, now they're 1000 - 1800. Yikes! Also, less assigning. And this is from magazines with no writers on staff (are the editors writing? Not sure). In the corporate world I'm seeing the custom publishers being told to hold issues or losing the contract completely when the client cuts the publication. I'm thinking maybe a good time to focus on a book proposal. What's going on there? |
| globetrotter78 | Posted – 5/20/2008 10:12:57 AM | show profile I've been told by a few editors that they aren't hiring freelancers "because of the economy." Thank goodness for my day job! |
| spacedesign | Posted – 5/20/2008 1:03:46 PM | show profile | email poster some of my (local) work has definitely been damaged by the real estate bubble bursting and now the resulting economy. I lost one weekly department on residential development because there's no residential construction going on in my region. I lost one department in a magazine because it's temporarily folded. I lost a regular gig at another magazine because its ad sales have dropped so much that it needs to slim down and publish fewer issues. Yet another magazine in a different region of the country is adding to its stable of writers and contacted me out of the blue. Go figure. Also at two recent conferences I attended with mostly newspaper writers and editors, I've seen a lot of editors lose their jobs and go freelance, which just adds to the competition. I did just read recently though that luxury and women's magazines were doing quite well. Ah, the shallows of America. ------ http://senseofplacewriter.blogspot.com/ |
| caitlinkelly | Posted – 5/20/2008 1:24:47 PM | show profile Depends how widely you're willing to cast your net. I'm busier than ever. |
| DQ102 | Posted – 5/20/2008 1:36:00 PM | show profile I am a full-time freelancer, and I write for a regular roster of clients, and I am busier than ever these last few months. The reason? Just about everyone I write for has had to cut staff positions, so they are farming more work out to their freelancers. We'll see if it keeps going this way. I am enjoying the extra work, but I am also trying to sock some money away for the inevitable slowdown. If there is one. I like to prepare for the worst. |
| writethis | Posted – 5/20/2008 2:14:28 PM | show profile | email poster I am a full-time freelancer and it's been up and down for me since the year started. January and February, while typically slower than other months, were really quiet this year. I had a bunch of projects delayed and one regular assignment dropped due to the economy. However, I've been out of my mind busy since March. Many, but not all, editors are telling me that there are fewer ads so pages are being cut. What's left is being filled mostly by staffers and long-time contributors. That said, many of the niche pubs I write for, which count almost solely on freelancers, haven't cutback on assignments yet. And, many of my corporate clients are still hiring freelancers; my guess is they and/or their clients are aware that in tough times they need to keep their brands out there as much as possible. I think we will most likely see many more cutbacks before the economy finally rebounds. To make it through, I plan to do as I've always done and continue to take a diverse array of assignments/projects. |
| snappiness | Posted – 5/20/2008 2:29:03 PM | show profile Yes, that is my big focus at the moment: diversify! And network. I have been getting a few calls out of the blue for assignments. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 5/20/2008 3:35:55 PM | show profile I've had projects cancelled and word counts shortened because the advertising didn't come through for them. I've had people call me with $10,000 projects which suddenly disappeared because the advertising they thought would be there for them wasn't. |
| seeattleme2 | Posted – 5/20/2008 5:50:16 PM | show profile women's magazines, except for Elle and one other --harper's Bazaar???--are all down double digits. |
| maphop | Posted – 5/20/2008 6:38:38 PM | show profile Interesting responses from everyone. What I'm seeing is plenty of work available but pay rates are lacking ("I need 2000 words but instead of paying my normal $1/word rate, can you do the job for $1400?") and slow, slow, slow payment of invoices. I'm seeing magazines who have traditionally paid pretty darn close to net 30 stretching out to net 60, net 90 and beyond. I have to assume they are paying their printer and their distributor - and their staff - before they bother to pay their freelance writers. |
| globetrotter78 | Posted – 5/21/2008 12:47:08 PM | show profile That is interesting that people are getting more work, although it makes perfect sense. It's much cheaper for pubs to use freelancers vs. staff. |
