One of the challenges I find in working at a remote site is the loss of the newsroom dynamic, in which reporters and writers work with editors to shape the direction of an article or project. Here are some tips for dealing with this situation.

The current debate on a number of freelancers’ Web sites over Demand Studios’ new health plan, offered to contractors who turn in at least a certain amount of work each month, reminded me about why I am sometimes a reluctant blogger. Some freelancers took offense that Demand hyped the new plan for its “no deductible, no copay” features without prominently noting its limitations on coverage.

If you look at the words used in current health insurance debate, you find some interesting aspects often overlooked in the effort to reform the system and extend healthcare coverage to the uninsured.

Freelancers who read Deb Ng’s freelancers’ blog, www.FreelanceWritingGigs.com, are having another debate about pay rates – no big surprise, it happens regularly there and at other freelancers’ Web sites. Yesterday’s back-and-forth gave me some insight that perhaps I should have noted before.

A group of freelance journalists got together this week for lunch/coffee sponsored by the D.C. Professional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. This was the second meeting, and I was again pleased/surprised by the variety of people who attended. What didn’t surprise me was the obvious need for discussion of business issues facing freelancers.

There’s an interesting discussion at The Freelance Writing Jobs Network on “Who Sets Your Freelance Writing Rates,” and when I first read the title, I thought, “Well, I do, of course!” But as many of my clients know, that’s not always true.

Sometimes I write for magazines and Web sites that pay a set amount per word or per article. When I’m offered an assignment for one of them, I generally have two choices – take it or leave it. The third option comes up seldom – when I email an editor and say, “That topic will take too much research for me to do a good job for that amount.” I have never had a steady client turn me down when I’ve asked for more money – perhaps because they know I don’t do it often, and I have never put in an unjustified request.

Many times a client will ask what I would charge to do a particular job. I try to figure out how much time it will take, and then I set a fee accordingly. I factor in the kind of work (editing goes for less per hour than publication consulting) and how much expertise I have in the subject or publishing system involved. If I know I have to learn a new publishing tool, I discount the rate and don’t count the learning hours.

Sometimes there's a negotiation. Sometimes I take a lower fee. Sometimes I don't.

I appear to have lost a contract last week because of a disagreement over rights. As a writer and sometime photographer, it’s an issue near and dear to my heart.

When I’ve worked for other companies on salary, there’s been no question – what I produce during my working hours is “work for hire” and belongs to the company paying for my time. As freelancers, the issue needs to be worked out in a contract – whether a formal, legal document or a informal agreement through email.

Last week I had interesting negotiations with a publisher who seemed to want me to work for him. He offered a dollar amount per post that looked reasonable for the number of words and time involved but nothing extra for the photos. I was willing to take a chance on it, try it out because it would seed other business – get me into places and in front of people who could be the subject of articles for other publications.

Turns out this publisher wanted to deem my work for him as “work for hire” and own all rights. He said that was “standard” in the industry and asked, “Why would I pay you for something if I wasn’t going to own it?”

I think this guy is behind the times. Sometimes I do work for publishers and sell them all rights to the work, but when I do that, the price is right. If I sell someone something for $200/800 words, I expect to get more mileage out of what I’m writing at some point in the future.

If you want to discuss this topic, please apply for an account (click on Create New Account).

I posted this advice to new freelancers today in a discussion at freelancewritinggigs.com:

<Work on your portfolio. If you don’t have published articles, give yourself assignments and write them up. Having the “right” clips to send with your cover letter or email is critical to being able to answer posts and queries without spending gobs of time.>

I'm not sure why having the "right" clips is such an issue for prospective clients who can't see the skill and talent a portfolio represents. For some, if your clips aren't exactly like the assignment, they don't see what you have to offer them.

I try to display different kinds of writing and consulting projects in my portfolio to show the breadth of my experience. Sometimes that approach works!

Jennifer Mattern has a post today about how magazines deal with freelancers. She calls for an end to the system of queries, long publication cycles, and pay-on-publication that have put writers at a financial disadvantage for years.

Fortunately, I'm not currently contracting with any magazines that have such draconian policies. However, too many of my prospective clients are tied into various aspects of that business model. I hope they'll all read Jennifer's post - perhaps it will give them a different perspective on my business.

http://allfreelancewriting.com/2009/05/18/freelancing/general/query-free...

Like many freelance writers today, I'm learning about blogging. Some clients and other site users will find entries from blogs here.

If you're interested in a blog on a certain topic, please let me know. I'll consider adding some publication-related blogs to this site, as time permits.

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Thanks for visiting!

~Hazel