On the fly during half of the year, Michael Sedge has developed sharp worldwide vision and savvy business techniques to grow his 30-year writing business. The author of books including Double Your Income Through Foreign Sales, The Writer’s and Photographer’s Guide to Global Markets, and Marketing Strategies for Writers, he has also targeted the Internet industry, where he frequently resells his work.
After extensive travel in Germany, Sedge recently headed back to his base in Naples, Italy, where he moved from Flint, Mich., in 1973. On a brief layover after another business trip to Djibouti, Africa, he was setting off again for two days in New York and a weeklong conference in Salt Lake City. Before he was airborne once again, Sedge paused to share his tips for a smooth flight through the international and Internet markets.
Also on Mediabistro
How did your education prepare you for your career?
My education gave me an excellent base for my position as a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press, covering military and war activities in the Mediterranean region, Middle East and Northern Africa. Having a knowledge of the history of Europe and these regions allowed me to approach my features with a better understanding in answering the “who, what, when, where and why,” which all stories should provide.
What are the greatest lessons you’ve learned to succeed?
Have confidence in yourself and your ability to write what readers want. As a professional, you should have the tools to do any type of story. Be a “pen for hire,” as it will expand your opportunities and your writing skill. The more you write, the better you get. If you fall into what is traditionally plugged as “writer’s block,” then you should reconsider a career in this business. If, on the other hand, you find yourself with too many ideas to ever complete, you are on the road to success.
Why do you stress approaching writing as a business, and what are the critical steps?
You should be telling the editor what rights are for sale and what the cost of those rights will be. For some strange reason, the writing business has developed in an opposite manner, whereby the buyer, in most cases, dictates what you will make. Certainly, you can negotiate, but the offer should come from you — the manufacturer of the product — not the buyer.
I was one of the first individuals, before the Internet, that established myself — that is, my business — as an international syndication. I had classifications of clients — newspapers, as well as travel, in-flight and military organizations — that used the same types of articles. It was, therefore, an easy task to write one article or product and sell it repeatedly in these various markets while giving the editors the rights they required, for example, first in-flight magazine rights, exclusive rights in Detroit or exclusive Spanish-language rights.
| “I have one article — the second I ever wrote — that has sold more than 37 times, earning me a total of $22,000. I was able to do this because I know rights and how to give editors what they want.” |
What is the secret behind your prolific writing, and how do you juggle multiple stages of various projects simultaneously?
Using the “multiple sales” method, I reached a point in my career that allowed me to complete two articles a month while working on a book. Considering that I produce two to four pages, or 500 to 1,000 words a day, on the book and articles averaging 1,500 words, that is not a lot of writing. In fact, I spend the mornings writing — what I consider the real work — and the rest of the day doing administrative tasks such as sending out queries and record keeping. I do not consider myself a prolific writer but a better businessman than most writers.
I also target clients I want to work for and might spend up to two years to get into that market using guerrilla tactics. For example, when I decided to work for the Discovery Channel, I found out what book and documentary projects they planned to produce two to three years in advance. I then did a feature story on one of these projects, the archaeological research to find Cleopatra’s palace in the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt, and then made a trip to the program manager’s office. When she mentioned they were working with French archaeologist Franck Goddio, I pulled out the magazine Mobil Oil Compass, which had the article on the cover and handed it to her. I left the Bethesda, Va., office of Discovery Channel with a contract.
Describe your schedule during a recent workday in Italy.
When I’m home, my day begins around 5 a.m. with a four-kilometer walk that gets my mind thinking. This activity is particularly productive if I’m working on a long-term project, like a book or television documentary. During these daily excursions through the streets of Italy, I am able to create the story, put events into a logical sequence and come up with storylines that are strong. It also allows me time to map out articles and the work to be done during the day.
I am at the computer by 6:30 a.m. and work until noon, which is sufficient time to get the daily writing completed. Then, I break for lunch, after which I normally spend three to five hours corresponding, submitting queries, researching and marketing.
Why did you decide to move from Michigan to Italy, and how has this decision impacted your life and business?
I saw friends on the street where I lived going off to Vietnam and not returning. I enlisted in the Navy to have my choice of geographical duty. I selected Europe. Two weeks after arriving in Southern Italy, at the U.S. Naval Air facility in Naples, the war in Vietnam ended. That decision changed my life forever and, ironically, I found myself during the next few years in more war zones than I could have imagined. This time, however, as an Associated Press correspondent, I spent time in Beirut, a year in Bosnia and have been in Africa 10 times during the past two years — most recently at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, where I had coffee with the U.S. Special Forces involved in fighting Somalian pirates.
How do you effectively oversee another office in Wilmington from abroad, and how frequently are you in the States?
I travel to the States every three months for various projects. Delaware is my corporate headquarters, where I maintain a corporate agent that handles registrations, licensing and mail forwarding. Most of my U.S. travel is for business development to meet with clients, editors and agents.
How has living in Italy changed your viewpoint and tactics in sustaining an international business?
Without a doubt, when I found myself a foreigner in Europe, it forced me to create a living, a business and an entirely different view of how to approach life and the writing world. By example, after writing such books as Marketing Strategies for Writers, The Writer’s and Photographer’s Guide to Global Markets and Successful Syndication, I realized I could take advantage of my expertise in this area, as well as the geographical location in which I lived, and came up with “The Dolce Vita Writers’ Holiday.” I had taught other seminars for universities and through the overseas United Service Organizations. But during this particular weeklong vacation-seminar, I gave daily lectures while participants enjoyed bed-and-breakfast lodging in Tuscany, viewed the local attractions, the food and wine — and just had a great time. I had students from around the world, and these seminars turned into a profitable division of my writing business. There are no set dates for the “Dolce Vita Writers’ Holiday.” But when the urge strikes, I’ll offer another seminar.
More than the business side, living in Europe has changed my perspective of the world and America. It allows me to write with an international view, to bring in aspects that most American writers might find difficult to understand or have the knowledge to include in their projects.
What do you advise writers negotiating different cultural, monetary, publication and payment policies while cracking the global market?
The Internet has made the world smaller. Today, I can send 50 queries in a single day to editors around the globe, although I normally stick with four or five. In the 1970s and 1980s, I would go to the post office every day with 20 to 30 letters and then wait. The response time has also been reduced to days.
At the same time, email is a dangerous tool because editors can simply click the delete key, and it is as if you never made a submission. Serious editors, however, respect writers. Similarly, writers should respect their clients. In negotiations, be honest; do not accept a low fee, if you feel it is not just. Do not get so wrapped up in getting published abroad that you lose focus on the business you are in: getting paid for your writing.
Regarding money differences, international banking is such today that you can deposit all forms of checks into your account or have wire transfers made. I became famous at my local bank because in one week, I deposited checks from Bahrain, South Africa, Germany, Singapore and the United States.
| “Offer editorial packages, not just articles. Include photos and graphics in your packages; if you don’t, the editor will have to spend time and money to get them. By offering packages, you’re helping the editor while increasing your income.” |
Like all markets, there are those publications that will use your work and then not pay. I feel fortunate that this problem has happened only twice to me. Perhaps that is because I first attempt to ask for the money owed. Then, I will write to the publisher of the media. If this effort fails, I normally send letters to the advertisers informing them that their money might be spent better with a reputable publisher. That approach normally does the trick, but one must be very careful, as there are legal implications involved in such a tactic.
What are your thoughts about writers focusing their energy on Internet versus print markets in today’s shifting industry?
I view the Internet as an alternative market to print. Traditionally, payment is less; so, in my view, the rights these markets receive should be fewer. I use the Internet as a resale market in most cases or a foreign-language market, where the Web editor does the translations.
What are the best ways to break into paying online outlets?
For those who have read some of my books or taken my seminars, this is not a secret. For others, here is a hint: Try to obtain the media kit of the Web publication — or even print publication for that matter. This marketing tool is used to sell advertising. Traditionally, it will include a copy of the publication, readership statistics and demographics, as well as an editorial calendar. This information will allow you to understand the readers fully and target your queries and articles to that market. These details will also give you a heads-up on what these publications plan to publish in the months and year ahead.
What are some key survival tools for writers currently navigating a highly competitive and shrinking marketplace?
Be professional. Provide what you say you’re going to and in the timeline that was agreed. Know the markets you plan to pitch. Offer editorial packages, not just articles. Include photos and graphics in your packages; if you don’t, the editor will have to spend time and money to get them. By offering packages, you’re helping the editor while increasing your income.
How do you balance your writing with overseeing two businesses — The Sedge Group and Michael-Bruno LLC — and how many [people] do you employ?
For the first business, founded in 1989, I handle editorial, photographic and marketing services with a staff of three. The latter, which I established in 2003, provides architectural design engineering services and construction management to the U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization governments in Europe and Africa. We have a staff of 24.
How do I manage all of this? Long hours, dedicated collaborators and a never-ending desire to expand, grow and find new opportunities.
What are some current and future projects?
Under The Sedge Group, I have an editorial package to put together for a U.S. publication on Lac Assal, the world’s third-largest salt reserve in Djibouti. The reserve will soon be mined using a technique that will allow the salt to re-generate itself, making this source never-ending — not to mention profitable. I also have to develop a couple of new Web sites and am working on a new book idea.
What are the benefits of your global approach?
It is great to see your words in Spanish, Japanese, Arabic and other languages. Not long ago, I received a book in the mail from one of my publishers. I read four pages before I realized that this was a Korean edition of my book, The Photographer’s Guide to Making Money.
Five tips for a lucrative global and online writing business:
1. Above all, learn the ins and outs of rights. “I have one article — the second I ever wrote — that has sold more than 37 times, earning me a total of $22,000. I was able to do this because I know rights and how to give editors what they want — that is, exclusivity within their geographical circulation area — while keeping all other rights.”
2. Consider your article as a product, much like a pie. “The more pieces of the pie you can cut up, and sell individually, the more money you make. This practice is one that I have applied to my business of writing. You — and not the editor– should take control of the ‘deal.'”
3. Be creative in your marketing, and do things that set you apart from others. “I increased my sales by 50 percent one year because I sent hang-up calendars to 200 editors. When they needed a writer and were contemplating who to call, I was ‘hanging’ in front of them.”
4. Always remember to plan ahead. “As a rule, I plan my proposals six to 12 months in advance. So I’m sending out queries on summer holidays in October and November.”
5. Think globally. “Make the world your market. You will find that you can increase sales — and income — substantially.”
Andrea K. Hammer, founder and director of Artsphoria: Visual Word Artistry, specializes in arts and business writing.
Topics:
Mediabistro Archive
