Dealing with freelance writers
acquire new leads, convert them into paying customers,
and grow your business. Visit www.topica.com to
learn more and to download your free white paper now.
Previous topic: Dealing with reader email
Next topic: Dealing with spam (and permission)
Many newsletter publishers use freelance contractors to produce their newsletter or at least provide contributions.
You might wonder why your interaction with these people should reflect on your professionalism. It's simple, really. If you can develop a professional, friendly relationship with your contractors, then they'll likely deliver a more professional product. And this product is what your readers get to see.
So how do you get the best out of your contract writers?
Payments, rights and obligations
Many problems between freelancers and their employers arise because the financial or working arrangements weren't spelled out clearly from day 1.
Ensure everyone is aware of:
- how much the writer is getting paid.
- the conditions for payment.
- what the writer is expected to deliver and when.
- what rights you're getting.
If you want to avoid disputes later, get all this set down in writing, preferably in a contract.
The most problems arise over the conditions for payments and the transfer of rights. The former should clarify whether payment is only eligible if the material is accepted for publication (on-spec) or whether it's eligible on delivery (assignment).
Many professional writers will not work on-spec, and certainly not if the publisher comes to them, rather than the other way round. However, there is a halfway house involving something known as a kill fee.
With a kill fee, you assign work to a writer, but pay on spec. But you also pay the writer a kill fee should the submitted material be rejected. A kill fee is normally in the order of 30% of the full fee. The writer also keeps all rights to the rejected work.
When agreeing payments, it should also be clear at what point the writer or editor can submit an invoice (on acceptance of a piece of work? On delivery? Monthly? On publication of that work?) and when they can expect the invoice to be paid.
Finally, if you're paying a writer per word, define the maximum and minimum number of words acceptable. And define the maximum number of words you're prepared to pay for.
Transfer of rights is a complicated issue, which is why it should be clarified before any work is undertaken. Also, the more rights you assume, the higher the likely price for the delivered work.
At one end of the rights' spectrum is the work for hire contract, where the ownership of the work and all associated rights passes to the purchaser. At the other end, the publisher only has the non-exclusive right to publish the work once, and in only one location only.
As an email newsletter publisher you will want at least the rights to publish in your email publication and in online archives.
If you plan to do anything else with the work, such as release an ebook of archived material, or reprint the work at another website or in another newsletter, then make sure this is agreed in writing.
Don't assume any rights you don't have. Apart from the legal trouble it can get you in, it shows a lack of respect for the writer who contributed the work.
Be aware that so-called electronic rights (publication and (re)distribution of material via email, websites, CD ROMs etc.) is a very sensitive topic among writers, who have seen their work bought for one-off publication and then repackaged and resold elsewhere without compensation.
As a small-scale business, I know full well that plenty of deals get made without any formal contract being signed. Without a certain level of trust and verbal contracts, it would often be impossible to do business. But at least ensure you've clarified the above issues with your freelance writers.
Support them with information
If you want to get newsletter material that meets the needs of yourself and your audience, then you must communicate these needs to your contributors. The more information you give them, the more likely they are to deliver the right material.
Ensure the writer has plenty of background material on:
- your publication.
- your readership.
- your objectives.
- the style and tone of your newsletter.
- your editorial preferences.
Here we see why a style sheet is so useful. I've found it helpful to ensure that writers and editors are also familiar with the peculiarities of e-newsletter publishing.
Give your writers a contact they can call or email for help, should they have a question or issue needing clarification.
Respond and pay promptly
Finally, perhaps the best way to get freelance writers on your side, is to be on their side. For various reasons, there is often an adversarial relationship between publisher/editors and writers. You can win a lot of favor if you:
- pay your writers in a timely manner.
- respond to submissions as quickly as possible (or let them know if there's a decision delay).
- explain any large changes you make to their work.
- let them know when their work is published and send them a copy.
Need more email marketing guidance? Try the email newsletter.