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  • From: eog9612@aol.com
  • To: gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [gwl-g] Writing Fees
  • Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 15:18:18 -0400

I've written a monthly column since 2000 for a national organization with more than 100,000 subscribers in 124 cities. 

I started out at $75 for a 350-word column.  After 2 years and a new editor, they asked me for 650 words per month and OFFERED an increased rate of $200, plus an opportunity to write and appear on a 90-second gardening spot that ran on the local Fox affiliate.  They were fun and awful and a tremendous media education at lasted for about a year.  Then the management changed and the spots went away, but the money stayed the same. 

Several years later with yet another editor, they upgraded the graphic layout of the pub, requiring more space for graphics/photos.  My word count went down to 500.  At the same time, I pushed for my editor to accept my 12-month topic schedule with a new approach to customize copy for the largest markets.  In my former advertising life, we called it a "donut" format -- generic copy for three-quarters of the article, then one-quarter customized text for each major market.  The smaller markets would just run the generic copy.  For this innovation and about 16 100-word versions, my monthly rate went up to $400.

Today, I'm writing a generic version and one major city version for the same money and usually send a couple of my own photos to illustrate the piece.  I've included environmental and conservation topics to broaden the appeal of the "gardening" topic: impacts of drought/flood/urbanization/alien species/pesticides/loss of tree canopy--etc., etc. on the landscape, both in the yard and around the neighborhood.  I'm personally very committed to the ecology and to promoting public awareness of these issues, so it works for me.

The best way to ensure your longevity with a pub is to innovate.  Do their thinking for them and give the editors something extra -- an idea that will help your section stand out and make their lives easier.  Recruit a sponsor(s) for your column.  Make some noise.

Ellen Goff
Lake Wylie, SC

  • [gwl-g] Writing Fees, eog9612, 05/12/2008

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