Seawoman's Caribbean Blogspot

Charging For Your Writing & Editing

2010-05-29T00:51:00.000-07:00

By Sandra Sealy

So you wrote a pretty good article. You’ve done the format check; the spell check; the someone-else-outside-of-your-writing-circle-read-it-and-liked-it check. You think somebody would be interested in reading it. Or you’re really good with editing or proof reading. You may have even have a few credits already under your belt. Great! Time to make some $$!

But what if the organization/publication doesn’t have a rate scale? Or maybe they do, but you’re not sure if your efforts = what they’re willing to pay. What if it’s a project for a whole publication and YOU need to send them what your rates are?

This is NOT an exact science but beyond research, I highly recommend touching base with other writers from your community first. Think about your expenses, your time, rights you will be selling and, what you bring to the table as far as experience and the amount of research you will be doing. Give some thought too as to what the particular market will bear.

You don’t want to undersell yourself just to get the business-especially if you have experience. You want to walk away satisfied for what you’ve offered. However, if the client is reliable and respects your worth, compromise may be necessary. After all, you want them to come back; good clients are hard to find!

These resources will prove to be useful for those travelling along their freelance writing journey:

Lynn Wasnak also provided her excellent "How Much Should I Charge?“ originally in a grid format.

Debra Jason gives great cost factors you need to consider in "Putting A Price On Your Capabilities: How To Set Your Fees As A Freelance Writer".

. (Seems we are on the same page!)

Sharon Hurley Hall has a great blog called Get Paid To Write.

Angela Hoy’s "Writing For Others – What to Charge?“ is a good read too.

And of course the Holy Grail for Writers - the $1.00 per word markets.

Daren McClaren’s "Write For Markets That Pay US$1.00 Per Word"

Get busy!

*****

Sandra Sealy is an award-winning writer of poetry, short fiction and non-fiction (articles) and drama as well as a performance poet, based in Barbados. She is also Poetry Editor with Anansesem: The Online Caribbean Children's Literature Magazine. Among her several writing credits are: Arts Etc; Island WHERE Magazine; Timbooktu.com; Calabash: A Caribbean Journal of Arts and Letters; the Nation Newspaper and SHE Caribbean. Sandra maintains Seawoman’s Caribbean Writing Opps. and Seawoman’s Caribbean Blogspot

*NB. This piece is an updated blog post from Seawoman’s Caribbean Writing Opps.

Breach of Trust

Seawoman's Caribbean Writing Opps

2009-05-18T05:51:00.000-07:00

Adobo Criollo: POUI - CAVE HILL Literary Annual NO. 7, Decemeber, 2005

Let The Writer Beware!

2008-12-03T04:56:00.000-08:00

Along the great Internet search for publishing opps. we are bound to meet some scam artists looking for some ripe victims in need of positive feedback at any cost (yep...they don't care about your work; they just want your cash).

Copyright Registration Service (NOT!)
One of the most nefarious scamps I've encountered is Copyright Registration Service (CRS). They claim to internationally register the copyright of your work online-for a fee of course.

They LOOK legit (fooled me into posting it on my Seawoman's Caribbean Writing Opps. site) but when I learnt more about Reproduction Rights Organisations or RROs (nothing to do with pregnancy-repography in its various forms), I realised that I didn't see any reference to IFRRO or the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). Thanks to Access Copyright in Canada, the mentoring RRO of the Barbados Copyright Ag ency, Inc. (B-COPY), I discovered it was a fraud.

However, there was an endorsement logo of the Intellectual Property Rights Office (Who the hell are they?) that turned out to be...guess what? A sham too.

When you dig further, you'll realize it's hard to find a contact address or even telephone number. Pretty suspicious, if someone wants your money. I even tried to find it in Google or Acronym Finder; no luck.

POETRY.COM- The Mother of All Poetry ScamsI hope you are familiar with one of the big ones POETRY.COM (pops up everywhere). They also go by:

The National Library of Poetry
International Library of Poetry
Watermark Press
International Society of Poets

This is an example of a VANITY anthology. They pay for their costs purely from all the proceeds they make from people who buy their anthology, attend their seminars etc.

A bona fide or prestigious journal or anthology (like POUI: The Cave Hill Literary Annual or CALABASH: A Caribbean Journal of Arts & Letters) DOES NOT ask the contributors to buy their first copy (in which their work appears)!

But would any self-respecting poetry contest or organization advertise in the National Enquirer (watch this ad on Youtube) like they do?

So, if in doubt, check it out with someone else in your wrting circle. They just might be able to help you. Meanwhile,check out the following:

Check it out for yourself

WATCH PoetryNOT.com and Poetry Scam on Youtube. Very enlightening!

READ:

Excerpt from ABC's 20/20 News Magazine TV program script-Jan 5, 1998
& THE POETRY.COM SCAM
http://windpub.com/literary.scams/abc-nlp.htm

Getting The Scoop On Poetry Scams by Linda A. Dewey

A "FAMOUS" just POET'S STORY

Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America's ALERTS FOR WRITERS

Writer's Weekly ezine's Whispers And Warnings Forum

Ask yourself:

Is it difficult to find an address or contact name?
Do I have to purchase a copy of the book in which my work appears?
Are they giving you promises of everything (including huge cash awards) for nothing?
Do they have criteria for assessing the work?
Are they flattering you (without even seeing your work?)
Is it affiliated with a suspicious looking organisation?

So be selective, Your work and your reputation deserve it.

Copyright (C) Sandra Sealy, 2008

"I see a dagger before me..."Says A Book - Is it the Internet?

2008-12-01T20:57:00.000-08:00

Is the Internet killing reading and books?

Really interesting (and ongoing) debate.

The Internet is powerful. I recognize the power of it first hand. Crawling the web has lead me back to some dear friends in far away and not so far away lands (after too many years), free phone calls, created a few concrete business opportunities, led to several leads to publishing and has served as a great marketing tool.

But there is NOTHING like curling up with a good novel - when you're feeling under the weather, or on a rainy day or just because...reading a BOOK (vs catching up with my friends on Facebook.com) is so satisfying. Could I read an entire e-book (like a novel or non-fiction or a play) online or download to my laptop and read it on the screen?

Ehh...not yet, I don't think. I'd have to (you guessed it tree-lovers) PRINT IT!

But I'd be willing to do so for some poems, or an article or maybe a short story.

And yet...a book. How would a writer doing a book signing, sign an e-book? Hmm...

And oh! The joys of perusing and taking your time with and chatting with second hand book store proprietors (Thanks Hasani and Brian!) prompted me to write my FIRST article many eons ago.

So in the final analysis?

As one winner of the Commonwealth prize said in the discussion, I believe they can co-exist। Listen to this Commonwealth Prize winners' discussion

But I still think there are some things a book can do-that the Internet like any other means of technology-cannot.

I recall the joys of introducing books as friends to my daughter began long ago; when she was an infant. In fact my 1st "gift" to her WAS a little, plastic book that she drooled over (but caught on quick!). I KNOW story time was one of the ways we definitely bonded. Later, dramatizing Lady Macbeth from the play when she had Shakespeare texts assigned brought the beauty of the language alive.

As for the children going to the LIBRARY to use the internet to chat or mess about on the computer (rather than using books there) in the UKCommonwealth discussion; I've seen it PLENTY myself -right here in Barbados. I take a different view. I for one, am grateful they are IN the library.

The library's job is to get this captive audience to discover the world waiting in some new friends-between some covers sitting right there on the shelves.

Copyright (C) Sandra Sealy, 2008

World Journalists Back Swedish Union Battle over Decent Pay

2007-08-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

Seawoman's Caribbean Blogspot: Stand Up For Your Writes!

Stand Up For Your Writes!

2007-08-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

Everybody,

I’ve been away for awhile – still having some challenges with my ADSL link…but anyhew…

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had it with writers being at the bottom of the pile. I’ve coined it as the “Cinderella of the Arts”. It feels like NO END to the disrespect and disregard we receive.

Have you noticed how it is the norm for people generally to expect you to perform, judge or perhaps write something for free or very little? (In one case some writers PAID to attend an event and were dragged up from the audience to judge and not even offered reimbursement.)

Have you noticed how we are expected to be grateful for the few crumbs we are offered from the great cultural table?

Have you noticed with all this “talk” of the importance of literacy, that writers do not seem to be factored in at all?

Have you noticed how generally book stores treat “local” authors abominably? Note how their books are placed compared to the ones “from ovah and away”. Some refuse to carry them at all.

Now before I go on in my rant, I want to make two (make that three) things clear:
1) NO AGENCY or ORGANIZATION is responsible for us. WE are responsible for ourselves and our welfare and that of our families. We are responsible for how our work is marketed and making appropriate choices of opportunities.
2) If we are unhappy and don’t put our grievances in writing, then we deserve what we receive. I’ve said it before, there’s no point grumbling amongst ourselves and nothing is done.
3) We can often be our worse enemy by not taking what we do and how we do it seriously. (Present company included!)

I shall do more of what I should be doing – writing rather than talking. So having said that, I’m prepared to, as we say in Barbados, “tek a few licks”…because I’m tired and I’ve had it.

I pride myself on trying to be fair when I am responding, especially if in writing.

But know this…

I shall exercise my right/write to say so, no matter who “vex or please”.

Blessings,
Seawoman

Artists Working Together

2007-05-22T01:06:00.000-07:00

Folks,
Unless we pool our resources (i.e. share our information, opportunities and links), "we ain't sayin' a pang!"

So if you have an opportunity - markets for writers, photographers or visual artists, a competition or even fellowship and grant information - a Caribbean writer, in particular, could use, let me know!

Meanwhile, I'm doing my share at Seawoman's Caribbean Writing Opps.

Here is where you'll find:

ny 2 cents + VAT about various issues about "livin' in a writing whirl"
reviews of cultural events and interviews with Caribbean writers and other artists.

When we all work together, there's no telling how high we all can soar.

Peace & blessings,
Sandra

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Seawoman's Writing Contest Coming Soon

2007-05-21T23:27:00.001-07:00

"A writer is..."

Many moons ago founding co-ordinator of VOICES: Barbados Writers' Collective posed this question. The right irie Nailah Folami Imoja-award-winning Barbadian writer and one of my muses-asked fellow this question in one of her articles. She published it in one her "Rhyme & Reason" articles.

Hmmm...I did it. (You can search for it on one of my sites.)

BUT in a brief paragraph, can you do the same?

To celebrate this new blog, the best entry will win my spoken-word CD "Beauty Of The Bald Head: The Jazzy Spoken-word Single".

Contest Guidelines to be posted soon!
If you REALLY are interested in more information about entering, respond to this post or contact me via e-mail.

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