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allanamayer · 4 years

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A few years ago I wrote a summary of why and how library and culture workers should pursue freelance writing - not an economic impetus so much as the need to basically do professional outreach - to explain ourselves in more than just puff pieces.

Now that we’re in a global crisis, I know a lot precarious workers (a large portion of our workforce) are hurting and stuck for what to do. I also know that a lot of publications are tightening their budgets for paying for freelance pieces (due to lost advertising revenue, because nobody’s buying anything anyways so why would you run ads?) so it’s not exactly a great time to be competing with experienced journalists and freelancers for the slim pickens of writing assignments. But that doesn’t mean your voice isn’t important and that you can’t provide a perspective nobody else can - it just means you have to be extra crafty about it.

Please note: Apparently in Canada the crisis benefit is only for people who have absolutely no income, unlike Employment Insurance, which is prorated based on your other income each week. So, if you’re getting the CERB because of lost work, maybe don’t try to scrape together a few more hundred bucks a week in freelance writing. If you’re in the US, honestly, godspeed to you, because nothing I say can help you.

I wrote out the following in response to a few people who asked me about freelance writing. It’s somewhat a restatement of that post from 2016, because it may be useful to you.

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There are great feeds that share opportunities for writing. There are a bunch on Twitter, and there are probably more wherever you get your social media. They share full-time and part-time jobs too, but also a lot of calls for pitches.

Here is what a call for submissions looks like:

https://twitter.com/saruhli/status/1246234314959921154

Versus what a call for pitches looks like:

https://twitter.com/ModelViewMedia/status/1244670667418730497

https://twitter.com/DavideMastracci/status/1244627615861952515

A call for submissions often means they want the whole thing right away, which is almost always the case for short stories, poems, artwork, photography. A call for pitches means they want you to sell them on an idea or topic first and not submit the whole thing right off the bat. That’s almost always the case for any reporting, review, analysis, personal essay, interview.

There are lots of reasons to want to approve an idea in advance for these, rather than get a piece in draft. Depending on what you like to write, you may not need to learn how to pitch at all. If so, here’s some advice on pitching.

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I find pitching articles to publications is like a muscle. You have to build it from nothing and then if you don't use it it will atrophy and you have to build it back.

Read a lot of invitations for pitches and wait for your brain to really get into the pitching mindset - you won't have any ideas at first, and then you'll have a few, and then you'll have lots, and then you'll have maybe too many.

Be slow and cautious at first because you don't want to overcommit yourself when you don't have a lot of practice at the rolling deadlines and the sudden intensive editorial overhauls.

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A good pitch is one paragraph of semi-writing and one paragraph of a work plan.

By "semi-writing" I mean you want to basically draft some of what you plan to contribute. It should be snappy and show off the tone of the eventual piece, it should get them interested enough to want to hear more, and it shouldn't give away the ending even though it should include the thesis. ("In recent years libraries have become _________. But how does this affect ________ / play out in _____ communities / reflect the changing nature of _____? One library is ______, and another has taken on ______." is probably a fine pitch.)

The work plan should be professional, and shorter, like maybe just one sentence, that says how many words you plan and a bit of the structure (like "In 2000 words I'll introduce the context, discuss a few complicating factors, walk the reader through two or three clever solutions currently in practice, and end with suggestions for more.") It's just meant to show you mean business.

Get a byline (two sentences) + links to your work ready. Only share two or three links with each pitch, the most relevant ones, or those similar in length or tone.

And always read their website of course. Most submissions guides will ask for these kinds of things, but some will vary and be more specific.

So, for the example above, Model View Culture (who I have written for, and who are great) will have a page on their website:

https://modelviewculture.com/contribute

Not every publication will tell you what they pay, but people are getting better about asking, so if you see a call, you will most likely find the relevant information in the comments:

https://twitter.com/ModelViewMedia/status/1244672115263049728

ALWAYS spend a half-hour on the publication’s website reading what kind of stuff they like to publish. Always search to see if someone’s written something similar to what you want to do. Always find a new angle to analyse, if so. Always reference pieces they’ve published if you want to build off them - publications LOVE it if you link, in your own piece, to older pieces of theirs. And it helps show them, right in the pitch, that you’re aligned with what they do. You have an advantage if you’re already a regular reader of said publication, but it’s not too hard to do some research here.

Think of it like a job application: you wouldn’t apply without spending at least some time on their website or searching around to figure out what it’s like to work there.

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There is absolutely nothing wrong with telling the story of someone very close to you, with their permission. Many a great article has been a decent writer basically recounting their sister’s difficult pregnancy, their parents’ love story, their coworker’s breakup, their child’s developing mind. Find a story you think needs to be told because it’s a microcosmic reflection of some societal issue. I mean, do split the payment.

I would start with less people-intensive pitches to start, until you get the process down and know how you work. Personal essays, reviews, history-ish work, pop culture stuff is great to start with.

I imagine right now is a great time to do something thought-provoking / deep-dive-y on streaming shows and movies. It sounds a bit hokey but you can always bring a crit lens to just about anything, problematic faves being what they are. Lots of places are looking for "new hobbies to do from home" articles. Crafts? Wikipedia editing? Cooking? Lots of fodder there.

LOTS of publications right now are looking for political predictions or analyses about a post-pandemic world. It’s a heavy topic but do consider pitching something answering “What will libraries look like?” or “What is an essential service, really?” or “Why don’t we protect frontline workers better?” or “Why we should all unionize.” I know you have thoughts.

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I like to write a draft of what I'm thinking right away. Even if it's just point form or the first half or the snappy conclusion. Then I don't have to try to recreate my inspiration weeks or months later when they finally get back to me. And it builds my confidence to have most of it written before I even pitch it, so I'm less worried about deadlines. You can always reuse this material for other publications so it's not wasted effort. Put it in Google Drive, honestly. It’s so easy to search for things you’ve already drafted if it’s all in one place. I’m always writing ideas down even if I’m too busy to even consider pitching. Here’s a glimpse.

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So they will write back and say "Nope, not for us" or "Yes, we love it" or "Maybe can you do this specific thing instead." They will give you a deadline (or a total timeline), a word count, and a price. If not, ask for those right away.

Okay, now to write the thing.

If you already have a draft or some notes in a document, you're off to the races.

If you've pitched an article where you interview people, you should probably have reached out to those people gauge their interest before you make the pitch in the first place (unless you have 10+ people in mind, then you'll probably be fine).

I really can’t help you with the writing part too much, but I can tell you that the more I wrote the moment I had the idea, the easier it is to finish it later. Make sure you do research! No matter what level of brow the article is at, you want to link to and cite similar pieces from around the web. You’re not being any less original and meaningful by pointing out that others have contributed to your thoughts, and it’s simply a nice thing to do, and who knows, you may get some attention that leads to future writing opportunities. There are almost no web publications out there that won’t let you put links in your work (though, as I said, they will prefer links to their own stuff).

You may wish to ask, upon their acceptance of your pitch, for a pro bono subscription to access their back catalogue if one is needed. They will almost always have a writers-level login for you to use. It may be time-limited or it may be not worth their time to monitor, so congratulations, you just got a free subscription!

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They will always, always, always return it with edits for your approval. This is where you start creating a relationship with an editor, one-on-one, and also learning about the editorial process for these types of publications writ large. Some editors will basically only do a copyedit; some will change whole sentence structures; some will slash and burn hundreds of words out; some will do an excellent job tightening up repetition and emphasizing the important bits; some will just confuse you. Some editors will put in jokes that you would never in a million years write.

You can decide which hills you want to die on, or you may wish to meekly accept whatevs for your first few articles. I have stood up for myself when an edit created a voice that was distinctly not my own, or perhaps cut out a clarification I thought was necessary (e.g. something having to do with intersectional axes, or that ended up feeling gender-essentialist or tonedeaf in some other way). Otherwise I generally let the editors go with what they think is best.

It could be one round of quick edit approvals or several rounds of embarrassing grinding. It could make you absolutely miserable. I have pulled pieces I thought were good but upon multiple editing rounds turned out not to have a point, or not the point I thought they did. I have pulled pieces that I ran out of time to make good or couldn’t quite grasp what the editor was working toward (and they couldn’t quite grasp how to tell me). And I have had pieces fall into a purgatory of nobody-knows-what-to-do-with-it, where they ended up paying me in full (or paying me a “kill fee”) and not publishing it. It happens. Don’t worry too much about it.

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And finally, paperwork.

They may wait until you have a draft they like before doing any paperwork (or even a publication date and a final version), or they may do the paperwork first.

Online publications pay less than paper ones - 5 to 10 cents a word, versus 10-50 cents a word for paper. Most will say on their pitching guidelines if they do a flat rate (like "$200 for 1500-2000 word essays").

Reviews are paid less but can be good experience-builders. Anything that verges on reporting (interviews with professionals, ATIPs, travel) will be much higher rates but I have no experience with that and I imagine you're not gonna aim for that anytime soon.

Most will pay on publication, which can be months from now; others will pay when they get a final draft ready. Some will pay monthly based on one of those dates. Many will pay automatically, and some will require you to invoice.

You can make an invoice really easily in Word or Google Drive, there are lots of templates. They may mail you a paper cheque, they may e-transfer, they may wire, they may PayPal. Put all those instructions on your invoice so they have no excuse later.

If it's an American publication, they may require you to sign a W8 or a W8BEN or some similar form that just says "The US has a tax agreement with this person's country; the money will be taxed as income in their country." That's why it's good to put "_________ is a Canadian living in Toronto" or whatever in your email byline right off the bat - you want them to make you aware of their requirements for paying you.

They may also have other contracts for you to sign such as giving away your copyright. I'm not too precious about this - every publication I write for is readable online without a subscription, so it’s mostly moot - but you can always ask about a CC license or something. You will want to use an online document signing tool like HelloSign if you don't want to print, sign, scan, and email each contract.

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You will need to count up all of your "self employment income" for your taxes. Once you get your very first acceptance, start a spreadsheet. (I have all my information in an Airtable database, and yes, that is a referral link, because they are great and also free.) I also keep track of places I pitched and what their response was so I don't double-send, and so I can follow up if they have promised to do so but have not (but of course, don’t be annoying about it).

You just need to know your total earnings for tax-time, not too complicated, and be able to list the website you wrote for. Depending on how much you earn you may be able to claim deductions from this income for business-use-of-home (usually a percentage of your workweek throughout the year, so, probably quite low unless you really make a go of it).

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emeraldbroam · 7 years

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do all 100 questions

I’m so pissed I started this and got through 25 ish questions and then closed the tab so here we go again

6 of the songs you listen to most?

Praying, Ke$ha

Eraser, Ed Sheeran

Play That Song, Train

Here, Alessia Cara

We Didn’t Start the Fire, Bon Jovi

Something Just Like This, Chainsmokers and Coldplay

If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

TBH I don’t know

Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

“He infused them with Stormlight, Lashing them to a point behind the king.”

What do you think about most?

Figuring out who I am and what I want

What does your latest text message from someone else say?

“I think I cab sleeo NoeThank u for the kittiesThey wer v niceIlyyyyy ❤❤❤❤❤”

(spelling errors left intact)

Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

depends on the day

What’s your strangest talent?

My ability to be very awkward

Girls… (finish the sentence); Boys… (finish the sentence)

Both are great?

Ever had a poem or song written about you?

Yes! several actually!

When is the last time you played the air guitar?

....not in my memory

Do you have any strange phobias?

nah, not that I can think of

Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

Absolutely

What’s your religion?

Atheist/Agnostic

If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

Reading/Biking/Hiking/just chilling

Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

both but generally behind

Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

.....whichever one of those in Q1 counts as a band?

What was the last lie you told?

Something decently sized and sorta important but overall unimportant

Do you believe in karma?

Yes

What does your URL mean?

I was 15 and really liked the Stormlight Archives

What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

Greatest weakness is probably the fact that I assume everything is directed at me and I have trouble telling people when things bother me (lmao closely interacted), and my greatest strength is my ability to befriend some really weird people

Who is your celebrity crush?

N/A

Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

Yes! several times

How do you vent your anger?

I write

Do you have a collection of anything?

Yes!

Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

depends on the person and topic

Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

Mostly? I’ve got a long way to go till I’m the person I want to be tho

What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

I cannot stand the sound of people eating, some peoples voices are truly fantastic though.

What’s your biggest “what if”?

What if my dad had known earlier?

Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

Maybe? Absolutely

Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

A wall (complete with Ace flag), and my water Bottle

Smell the air. What do you smell?

Surprisingly nothing?

What’s the worst place you have ever been to?

It depends a lot on the definition of worst TBH? cause like...worst for my mental health is probably high school?

Choose: East Coast or West Coast?

East. all the way

Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

I don’t know if there is anyone with an opposite gender to me? I mean how do you invert Nonbinary?

To you, what is the meaning of life?

Define Art.

Something that makes someone happy/feel things

Do you believe in luck?

In small amounts

What’s the weather like right now?

Cloudy and humid as fuck (if it would storm at any point that would be fucking fantastic)

What time is it?

2:20 am

Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

Yes and no!

What was the last book you read?

I’m in the middle of Way of Kings

Do you like the smell of gasoline?

Somewhat actually?

Do you have any nicknames?

Harpe diem, Ralph, that nickname my mom gave me that I’m not telling y’all.

What was the last film you saw?

The Matrix

What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

definitely a tie between breaking a chip off my foot and cutting a gash in my thigh that (at the time) was like half the length of my thigh (please note I didn’t get medical assistance for this and instead just applied a lot of bandaids)

Have you ever caught a butterfly?

Yes!

Do you have any obsessions right now?

The TV show leverage and Cosmere are a few!

What’s your sexual orientation?

Ace!

Ever had a rumour spread about you?

Maybe? not in a bad way tho

Do you believe in magic?

Small magics

Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

That depends a Lot on what they’ve done

What is your astrological sign?

Cancer

Do you save money or spend it?

Save, definitely save

What’s the last thing you purchased?

Tomatoes

Love or lust?

Love

In a relationship?

Nope

How many relationships have you had?

Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

Nah

Where were you yesterday?

Generally near my school, more specifically I did a lot of walking and visited the farmers market

Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

yeah, my roommate loves pink

Are you wearing socks right now?

Nope

What’s your favourite animal?

Dragons!

What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

Being myself? idk?

Where is your best friend?

They’re all a little scattered, within a mile of me, this city, another state, two other cities in my state

Give me your top 5 favourite blogs on Tumblr.

Oh shoot I’m bad at this idk, it’s 2:30 in the morning don’t ask me to make decisions

What is your heritage?

All of those Scandinavian countries? yes

What were you doing last night at 12AM?

something on my computer

What do you think is Satan’s last name?

something that starts with LeC-

Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?

I’m ignoring this one cause I don’t wanna

Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

I hope so

You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

Call my boss as I fish the dog out and run to work

You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

I definitely tell people

I don’t know what I’d do honestly, cry a lot probably?

definitely

You can only have one of these things; trust or love.

Trust

What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

Yellow Submarine

What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?

Why do you want this information?

In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

Trust and communication

How can I win your heart?

Be kind, listen, don’t ask for more than you can give, enjoy things I enjoy

Can insanity bring on more creativity?

Yeah I suppose so

What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

Switching high schools to the one I graduated from

What size shoes do you wear?

8 or 11

What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

Fuck man I don’t know

What is your favourite word?

I don’t really have one?

Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.

Muscle

What is a saying you say a lot?

“We’re just going to ignore me doing that stupid ass thing that I just did”

What’s the last song you listened to?

Eraser, Ed Sheeran

Basic question; what’s your favourite colour/colours?

Blue/Green

What is your current desktop picture?

This stock photo of an ocean

If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

How big is the blast radius?

What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

here’s the thing, I would say but then people would ask and I don’t wanna answer it so nah

One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?

My heart rate would spike and then I’d probably just....leave

You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

Invisibility

You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

A time when I was 12 or so and I could just hike on the eno with my dad and cookout

You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

As shitty as some points of my life have been I would keep them because they’ve shaped who I am and my understanding of myself

You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

No one

You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

To a mountain range

Do you have any relatives in jail?

ummmmmm

I don’t actually know how they’re related to me but my great aunt’s grandchildren’s boyfriend maybe??? is/was in jail????

Have you ever thrown up in the car?

yes. it fucken sucked

Ever been on a plane?

Yeah! I enjoy it!

If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?

can we all collectively take one deep breath and then think this through? Okay thanks, now exactly what is the issue with everyone?

#personal #also I know who asked this and hello nerd #Anonymous

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