It’s a beautiful day so my ability to prowl the Internet today looking for good links is a bit inhibited by a touch of spring fever. However, The Journalist’s Toolbox does recommend some April 1-related links: don’t be fooled tomorrow. Also, this article from the Christian Science Monitor measures your gullibility (which does have three l’s) quotient.
Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion's Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook's Morin Oluwole, and bitly's Tim Devane. Register now.
This is a topic I was trying to address for a while, except that I kept finding the subject to be rather murky. What I’m learning, though, is that it’s actually NOT murky, it’s just rather not-fun.
As a freelancer, you might be entitled to the occasional giftie now and then. Some free purses in the hopes that you’ll write them up, a little knick-knack to say thank you for the nice profile. It could feel that since you’re working independently, you might not be under the same protocol as newspaper or magazine staff, who have more laid-out conflict of interest issues. But just because you don’t have a boss looking over your shoulder doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work under the same standards.
If you’re working on anything that might seem like it’s approaching a conflict of interest, don’t go there (if I may dust off an old chestnut). It might not matter to you but it could to your editor. Trust me: nothing is as fun as busting your butt to pitch a story and then work on it only to have your editor question your relation to the subject after you’ve turned in your second draft. Don’t risk ruining your reputation. Don’t waste your time.
I spoke with a lot of other writers on this topic and one particular freelance writer put it very eloquently:
“Graft is graft is graft. I come from a newspaper background, (and four years of j-school) where the rules about accepting gifts are absolute. Even accepting a cup of coffee from a sweet old lady was frowned upon. Yes, yes– who is going to be bought for a cup of coffee? But even the mere appearance of conflict of interest is a heinous problem. We are in a profession that is constantly under attack by a public that has lost trust in us. I mean, I’ve heard reporters compared with ambulance-chasing attorneys in terms of ethics. Do we really need to do more to feed this misconception?
“If you call yourself a journalist, or a reporter, or simply ‘freelancer,’ there is a code of ethics that we all should abide by. Why give anyone even the slightest opportunity to question why you gave a glowing review to one book or movie or kitchen cleaner? When you’re done with the book, donate it. Get flowers from a source? I became quite beloved by a local nursing home, because I always took my ‘gifts’ there. Your ethics may never come into question, and because you’re not working in a newsroom, no one might ever see what you do with your graft. But remember what motivates companies etc. to offer these gifts. It’s not the goodness of their hearts, or because they are so sincerely thankful. They want something. And they may believe that from you, they’ve gotten it. Perception is everything.”
Meanwhile, especially if you are a member, but even if you’re not, brush up on the code of ethics at the SPJ for a refresher.
Fashion writing always seems like it’s the gig most swimming in swag, most flush with freebies. You’re not actually trying to get into it because you feel that strongly about wide-legged pants, are you? Mary Lisa Gavenas, our expert, has worked as a beauty editor at Glamour, Mirabella, and InStyle and now will be teaching the class on getting a gig in beauty writing THIS MONDAY (so get in on the action.) She provides us with the dos and don’ts of fashion freebies. Of course, the follow-up post to this will be about how otherwise, freebies are wrong so enjoy this post while you can.
OK, you’ve heard all about the freebies that go with being a beauty editor and you’re already imagining your thin-thighed, shiny-haired, great smelling, flawlessly complected self lounging at a spa somewhere.
But, to get there, you have to know the etiquette of entitlement.
Scoring Freebies
•Yes, you do have to experience this stuff to write about it. And, no, most magazines are not willing to pay for you to have that privilege. Best way around this: If you need to sniff, wear-test, smudge, or otherwise try out a beauty product, ask for a lab sample. That way the company doesn’t get the idea that you’re ripping them off – and neither does your editor. (The payoff for this politesse: Most of the time, you’ll end up with the real thing anyway.)
•Free products, free services, and other promotional presents go with being a beauty editor. And, while your editor may not want them for herself, dispensing them is one of the major perks of her job. Therefore, if you’re a freelancer, always check with her before you accept anything. Beauty and fashion magazines are a small, gossipy world and she’ll find out about it anyway.
•Be honest with the PR person-up to a point. Often, she’s sent a sample to the magazine and somebody else has already nabbed it. (Chanel cosmetics, for example, are notorious for getting lost in transit.) So, if you need to sip, sniff, or stroke the actual product, practice diplomatic phrasing like “they’re so busy over there . . . can I borrow a lab sample and then return it to you as soon as I write my story?” Then, when you’re done, call her back so you can make good on your offer.
Good news for freelancers: more than half of Yoga Journal is open to freelancers. Jill Singer chats with executive editor Mary Bolster about the publication’s new design. Pitch to the Travel, Life and Wellness sections as well as Om (but no gossip, please.) Plus, the 2,000 to 3,000 features are also largely freelance-written. Stay away from Asana and Anatomy, which are written typically by experts.
Have you wondered if the experiences of your fellow freelancers is similar to yours? Check out these freelance survey results, out of the University of Nevada, Reno. The entirety of the study is not yet available but this is an interesting preliminary look:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: SURVEY OF FREELANCE JOURNALISTS
Doresa Banning, M.A.
doresabanning@sbcglobal.net
University Of Nevada, Reno
A Web-based survey of U.S. freelance journalists was conducted in Fall 2004. Data were collected for 605 surveys but analyzed for 473 cases, excluding incomplete surveys, respondents who primarily wrote fiction, respondents who worked outside the United States and respondents who did not consider freelancing their primary job. The survey addressed three areas: freelance journalists’ demographics, their work and career patterns, and their attitudes towards freelancing.
Demographics
In general, the typical freelance journalist is female (73.2% of respondents). She is, on average, 49 years old (65.1% fell between the ages of 40 and 60) and white (93.2% of respondents). She is married (65% of respondents) with at least one child (57.5% of respondents). She is highly educated, holding a college degree or higher (91.8% of respondents). She lives in a large metropolitan area-population of 1+ million (51.8% of respondents) in the Mid-Atlantic (33.2% of respondents). She has health insurance through her spouse (42.9% of respondents). She most often is paid by the piece (37.4% of respondents). She earns an annual gross income between $40,000 and $49,999. The following table presents reported gross salaries broken down into $50,000 increments.
Salary of Respondents in $50,000 Increments,
Salary, Number/(%)
Less than $50,000 306 (68.9%)
$50,000 to $99,999 106 (23.9%)
$100,000 to $149,000 18 (4.0%)
$150,000 to $199,999 9 (2.1%)
$200,000 to $249,000 5 (1.1%)
Work and career patterns
Most freelance journalists consider freelancing a long-term career (91.3% of respondents) and do not hold second jobs (77.8% of respondents). The majority quit jobs to pursue freelance journalism (56.2% of respondents), most often a media job (59.8% of respondents), but did not relocate to do so (92.8% of respondents). The average respondent has freelanced 14 years and considers getting started somewhat difficult. Becoming established as a freelancer required four to five years on average. The most common steps they took to become established were networking, sending out queries and cold contacts. Freelance journalists work full-time, 30 to 40 hours per week, writing most often for consumer magazines (68.7% of respondents) and newspapers (39.3% of respondents). They have at least one area of expertise in which they write regularly.
Attitudes
The vast majority of freelance journalists prefers self-employment (92.0% of respondents) and is very satisfied with freelancing. The aspects of freelancing they like the best are being their own bosses (51.6% of respondents), setting their own hours (48.0% of respondents), and working at home (36.8% of respondents). In contrast, the three aspects they dislike the most are the financial insecurity (64.1% of respondents), the rate of pay (44.4% of respondents), and workload fluctuations (37.2% of respondents).
The biggest challenges that freelance journalists face are finding new markets for their work (55.0% of respondents), landing assignments (50.1% of respondents), selling themselves (43.4% of respondents), negotiating (32.3% of respondents), balancing life and work (24.3% of respondents), and getting paid (24.3% of respondents).
Q: Did you hear what the people are talking about over on the Mediabistro Bulletin Boards? A: No, I’m just a stupid deer.
If you haven’t learned yet never to work without a contract, your lesson will come. It might come looking something like this.
Sure, one hand washes another but what if you keep washing and washing and washing? How helpful is a successful writer bound to be to other aspiring writers?
Is it necessary to put your photo on your web page? (Not if you look like this.)
How do you find out if a subject is really ‘worthy’ of a piece? Find out if they want to be written about, first.
Can you raise your rates with a new editor?
What do you do when your editor really, really changes your piece so that even the facts on you aren’t correct? (Call the editor!)
Which of these two covers is more appealing to you? Don’t feel weird if you pick the lizard over the ice cream: That was National Geographic‘s best-selling issue of 2004, whereas ice cream made for Woman’s Day‘s worst. Min Online goes through the best and worst selling covers of 2004 (did you have articles in any of them?)
Occasionally an editor or writer I speak with is so helpful that they practically write an entire post for me. I spoke with a long-time freelance writer who wrote reeting cards for about 5 years about the card-writing industry and how to get in it. This is what she said:
I used to write greeting cards fairly regularly for a Colorado based company. It was a fun diversion from other types of writing and it was a treat to see and use the cards when they were printed. I don’t know their current rate, but when I wrote for the company a few years ago they paid $25 plus a box of the printed cards for each verse they used, $10 plus another box for reuse. Periodically they sent out packets of covers (artists created the fronts of their greeting cards first), each of which had a reference number. Writers were to create verses or witty lines that went with the image. They may have a more efficient e-system now, but the last time I submitted verses, they had to be typed on 3×5 cards with the card cover ref. number noted at top left, writer’s info on the back.
Your best bet – get the book How to Write and Sell Greeting Cards, Bumper Stickers, T-Shirts and Other Fun Stuff by Molly Wigand, check other books on greeting card writing, compile a list of target markets from Writer’s Market or similar sources, start requesting guidelines, and follow what the companies tell you to do.
Here are some additional tips on breaking into that market:
1. The most important first step is — no surprise here because it’s the same advice that’s always Rule Number One for any type of writing, magazine, newspaper, book, whatever — read the products you want to write. If you have a sense of humor and think you would enjoy writing humorous greeting cards, spend some serious time at the greeting card racks reading humorous cards. Make a note of the company/maker and name of the card line (example: Shoebox) whenever you find one you especially like or that’s similar to something you already have written or that you think you could’ve written equally well. Go to several card retailers (i.e., stores that sell cards, not just specialty stores like Hallmark) to see a variety of card lines. Some stores contract to feature only one or two card companies so if you look no further than those stores, you’ll miss all the other companies. Also, browse the card samples you can view online.
If you’re hoping to get a gig with Ziff-Davis Media, the company that publishes such magazines as The Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, Jill Singer speaks with HR manager Amy Baum on what it takes to get in the door. I spoke with a writer friend of mine who worked for Ziff-Davis until around 2002, who had this to say about them: “It’s a great environment, overall. But it’s a sought-after magazine job, and ZD knows it. Don’t expect to be earning the big dollars unless you’re in an EIC position. Underlings are generally considered replaceable, so the pay scale doesn’t favor them.”
Are you the type who could turn a coconut into a radio? Paul Boutin at Slate checks out the new techie tinkering magazine Make.
Freelance writers stand to benefit in a suit worth as much as $18 million against companies like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal for publishing articles in databases without their consent. (NYT) (By the way, have an opinion on this story? Is this a decent repayment or is it on the skimpy side? Weigh in, please.)
Is food writing lately too food-y? What does that even mean? (NY-er)
NPR ombudsman on the use of language on the airwaves. Don’t forget to pledge, by the way.
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