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Reading through the latest copy of WN I can't say I'm happy with the market news about Your Cat magazine. They only pay £40 per thousand words! This is an insult to writers. Look at the price on the cover, how can they justify such low fees when charging such a high cover price? Other mags in this price range for pet owners pay at least treble that fee - even that is low. Is the editor paid a low wage? Are the printers paid part fees? The answer is probably no, again it is the writer that is being taken for a ride.
Comments
Just for a moment, I thought i'd found a market . :)
Practical Family History
The last ever issue will be published in December. Its sister magazine Family Tree will continue to be published on a monthly basis.
So why are they inviting articles...?
Beats £6.95 p/h for running around a cafe or restaurant. :D
Some just can't afford to pay their rates I suspect.
I've noticed that a lot of websites are not updated regularly- probably because they don't have anyone to do it, so it costs commercial rates to do anything- and I know for a fact that the suggested going rate is hundreds for one page change.
So information will be out of date.
Oh yeah, like I could go without money while waiting for payment after publication. Too erratic, I'll stick with the guaranteed £500 a month which gives me freedom of getting paid erratically.
It must be a right juggling job to live off the payments one earns by writing, isn't it? Anyone like to prove to me it isn't? :)
Things have got worse in the past year with publications either folding or cutting their fees. Waiting for payment affects ones cashflow, I stopped working for one mag as they were so unreliable with payments.
I have books that earn me royalties and also recieve an annual ALCS payment for my articles but we writers do need regular monthly incomings.
Only last week when a cheque failed to arrive I decided to find a part time 'proper job' and found an accountancy vacancy on my doorstep. The day of the interview one of my dogs colapsed in my arms and died. The agency were unsympathetic when I asked to reschedule the appointment so I cancelled it. I then remembered why I freelance, I can work from home and be there for my dogs. My dogs also supply me with the knowledge for my specialism, somehow I'd forgotten that along the way.
So, I am pitching like mad, have spoken to my publisher about another dog book and telling myself to get off my backside and work harder!
It;s been a bad year generally. My business has suffered considerably, I didn't get paid again last week (a regular occurrence) because others have to be paid before me but I can see signs of improvement and my career is set to take off next year, with 3 books coming out. I just have to cope with credit card bills, heating, and the need to eat, between now and then.
Regarding freelance fees in general, it's difficult to draw a line on what is and isn't acceptable. Rates can be recommended, by the NUJ or whoever, but no one can be forced to pay a fixed amount. Our market reports try to uphold a reasonable standard of pay, but also try to provide a range of opportunities for writers of different specialities, interests and levels of experience - so cat lovers without a strong CV of publication might find Your Cat to be worth pursuing - but I appreciate that not every market will appeal to all of you.
I'm sure you're right about getting stuck into the writing. However, if times get a bit thin, have you considered contacting local firms and offering to do accounting from home ? Many companies are looking at saving on the overheads of staff in-house and, if you have decent broadband, it might be possible to work from home. If you were to use your computer, electricity, heating etc then you'd save them quite a lot. That way you'd be able to stay with your dogs and maybe supplement your writing income.
P
As for writing fees. Things have largely stagnated. What with the way the economy is, and the fact that the internet has proved a lot of people are prepared to write without being paid, times have probably never been tougher for a professional freelance writer. Many companies have slashed their budgets, are writing more content in house, and using unpaid interns to do what other people should be being paid to do as part of a real job. And yes, magazines tend to pay based on their circulation. You can always negotiate, but in the end you either take or leave the best offer they are prepared or able to make. There are many honest, fair editors out there who don't like this situation either, but they are driven by economic circumstances - and sometimes from pressure from above - to save every penny they can.
Gary
Thanks for this link Phots Moll. It's rather eye opening and so varied.