ANOTHER PEARL FROM DANIEL WOOD

FROM THE SUMMER 2008 EDITION OF THE BEACON

Daniel Wood changed a lot of minds at Powell River's recent Festival of Writers when he said magazines pay writers better than books. On average, one print mag needs 200 articles, long and short, every year and uses some freelancers to meet that goal. Thus income from magazine articles can be more regular than book royalties. And, he said there’s room for everyone in mags.

Wood, who teaches writing as well as doing it himself, reminded delegates that article ideas only come alive with story—people doing, feeling, seeing, etc. He advises opening a piece on an issue with a sequence of dramatic scenes filled with strong characters and motivations, and the use of dialogue. After that the writer can pull back and look at the issue through a wide-angle lens, and may (but not always) explicitly state the problem. Then, and only then, should the writer discuss what is being done about the issue and what more is needed. Wood says we should end with another riveting individual’s close-up.

Sound familiar? It should. This is what creative or narrative nonfiction is all about—employing fiction techniques to make nonfiction engage and move the reader.

ARE YOUR ARTICLES WEB 2.0 FRIENDLY?

BEACON FLASH # 28 - MAY 2008

Mid-April found me in Powell River, BC, presenting at the 8th Festival of Writers - a small gathering of seriously aspiring and published authors. Daniel Wood, the award-winning freelance writer, was the other speaker. I was privileged to hear his two hour session, "The Art of Facts: Non-Fiction Storytelling in the 21st Century," and will deliver some of his wisdom over the next few months in Beacon Flashes.

Here is the first pearl:

Daniel urged the attendees, whether they were writing books or articles, "to get modern." He made everyone realize that non-fiction is changing due to the influence of the Internet and interactive websites. Writers should no longer submit mss that are solely text. Daniel said that articles and books need a multi-media feel today to interest editors. Writers need to offer magazine publishers a couple of side-bars, illustrations, maybe a video, pull quotes, and/or a podcast, etc., along with the main story.

Why? Publishers like to buy stories that work on the web, as well as in print. Stories on the web need more, much more, than dense text to captivate readers. Daniel cautioned everyone to make sure the contract covers these eventualities. The publisher should pay more for additional features. For example, Daniel's half hour podcasts net him $500.00 on top of the article fee. He adds 10% for web rights (NOTE: not all e-rights) in a "step-up" clause, and photos that you take are always extra too.

Writers must think beyond the written word today and offer editors material that is Web 2.0 friendly. Are you offering more?

(For more articles about the business of writing, please visit: www.beaconlit.com/freearticles.htm)

WHAT SHOULD I CHARGE FOR MY WRITING?

Figuring out how much you should charge for your work depends on several factors:

• your skill level, experience, and reputation
• type of assignment (magazine, speech, corporate report, etc)
• amount of work required (research, interviews, etc.)
• length of project and the time it takes
• the rights being purchased

That said, here are some guidelines to help you set a value on your writing in Canada:

• Magazines (large consumer): $1.00-2.00/word
• Newspapers (large dailies): $0.30-2.00/word
  (community): 10c-50c/word
• Online: free to $3.00/word - corporate work pays higher, eg. web site text
• Ghost writing - 2-3 times your normal rate
• Newsletter (text only): $1.00-2.00/word

We all sell ourselves short at one time or another and sometimes choose to write pro bono, but we need to remember that we are professional writers and deserve a realistic fee. Settling for less means we undermine our and our colleagues' value.

For more articles for writers, please visit www.beaconlit.com/freearticles.htm.