A freelancer's friends

If you want to be a successful freelance writer (or freelancer of any kind) you need more than skill, the ability to generate leads and ideas, and great marketing.

You need to be friendly with some key people -- people who can make your life (and cash flow situation) miserable if you act like an ass towards them. And conversely, who can make your life much more pleasant if you are kind.

I'm talking about editors, contracts people, the folks in accounts payable, and your fellow freelancers.

You count on these people, and you should treat them well. Sometimes, they will do you favours in a pinch ("I'm going on holiday -- is there any way you could get that cheque out to me a week early?").

I don't mean you need to be fake friendly. If people do their job well, you should show them some appreciation for it. And presumably, if you are a writer you have some interest in people's lives and their stories. Some kind of innate curiosity. Take advantage of it.

1) Be friendly with your editors. This one is kind of obvious. You don't have to be friends with your editors. But it's good to be friendly, and to develop a relationship that extends beyond your current and future assignments.

When I was starting out as a freelance writer, editors seemed like some other species. They were on a higher plane of existence than I was. I'd get nervous when I had to call them. Then I started to develop great relationships with editors.

We chat on the phone. We friend each other on Facebook. I find out what's going on in their lives. They find out what's going on in mine. Sometimes those conversations lead to story ideas, or to invitations to pitch. I learn about needs I could fulfill. They learn about skills and areas of expertise they may not have realized I had. It works for everyone.

There is a caveat. Not everyone loves to share. I've been hired by people who are generous and delightful to work with, but who are also quite private. It's essential to respect their boundaries.

2) Get to know the people who draw up your contracts -- especially if you plan on having a long-term relationship with an organization.

If you treat them badly, there is no reason why your contract can't sit on their to-do list for a good, long time. Also, in some organizations the person commissioning the work doesn't necessarily understand all the legal ins and outs when it comes to rights and permissions, or to collective agreements (if you are freelancing for an organization like the CBC, whose freelancers are covered by the union agreement). The contracts person does, and will make sure the terms of your agreement are done up properly.

Sometimes the contracts people seem to be the only ones in an organization who actually understand freelancers -- namely, that there is no paycheque or direct deposit coming our way every two weeks. They may suggest structuring a contract so you get paid in a few steps, instead of waiting til the end of a project. And they can go to bat for you if the editor has forgotten to release payment, or if there is trouble with accounting.

I've found that people who do contracts tend to be fastidious and detail-oriented. They don't like loose ends. Return your contracts to them in a timely manner. You will get paid faster, and they will be happy to not have to bug you.

3) This brings us to accounts payable. These are the people who pay you. You should be nice to them. Sometimes I've had to bug them for reasons that were entirely my own fault: for instance, I've screwed up the bookkeeping, and I'm not sure if I've been paid or not. A good relationship can ensure that I get the answer quickly, and that it can easily be rectified, if need be.

4) When you are a freelancer, you can see other freelance writers as competitors, or as colleagues. I've always chosen the latter. Sure, they are my competition. Maybe. But they are also sources (or sources for sources), they have all kinds of market intelligence and information about editors, and they are there for support when times are bad. I pass work along to them, and they pass work along to me. Knowing each other's skills and strengths helps us all.

Bring on the good karma.

Cash flow tips for freelancers

If you are a freelancer writer (or any other kind of freelancer for that matter) summer can wreak havoc with your cash flow. The people who draw up contracts are on holiday. Accounting has someone filling in, and they are slow. Work dries up. You go on holiday, meaning you are working fewer billable hours.

Meanwhile, your bills keep rolling in, same as always.

A few years back, Canadian Screenwriter ran a story I did on cash flow for screenwriters -- but really, it applies to pretty much any freelance writers or artists.

And if you're a freelancer and want to share your own tips, hit the comments link below.

Go With the Flow
By Philip Moscovitch

If you're anything like me, you wind up tuning out all that standard financial advice in the media. Why? Because, most of it doesn't work for people with fluctuating incomes and lots of job insecurity. People like screenwriters.

Amanda Mills, who bills herself as a “financial therapist,” says the most volatile incomes belong to screenwriters and sculptors. But don’t throw up your hands. Despite the unpredictability, you can plan and avoid cash flow woes.

Put it aside
Mills, who works primarily with artists and writers, says a realistic view of your income is key. We tend to take our best months or years as our benchmark. Instead, Mills says, take the low end of the curve and base your budget on that. “When the upswings come you can expand your budget a bit. If you’ve allowed yourself so much for entertainment, add to that. But also make sure you use some of the money to build a six-month cushion”—a nest egg that you can live on if you’re out of work.

Brian Bowes, who offers financial planning and tax services for writers and artists, says you have to make sure to put enough money aside not only for lean times, but for the taxman too. “You have to master setting money aside—people in the first year especially, because they forget about income tax. Suddenly you get a bill for $10,000. Not only have you not saved anything, you owe all this money.”

It works best if you put money for taxes and a rainy day fund aside in a separate bank account, preferably one that will pay you a bit of interest. As for the amount to save, Bowes says it depends on many factors, including your income. But he offers 30 percent as a good general target. “If you’re the kind of person who has good times and then lean times I would think 30 percent is not a crazy number. The worst that happens is you’ve got extra money.”

Spend smart
Saving is one way to ensure decent cash flow. Another is to become smarter about spending. Barbara Florio Graham, who has been a freelance writer for 36 years, says you need to plan your spending, because “you don’t have time to shop when you’re working, and you don’t have time to work when you’re shopping.”

Her planning includes buying office supplies in bulk in August and September, and computers and other office equipment after Christmas, when they’re always cheaper.

She also tracks her spending by putting it all on two credit cards that offer rewards, and paying off the balance at the end of each month. Mills says that’s a great approach for people who “have a hard time getting receipts but are good at paying off the credit card bills. But it’s not good if you’re not the type who pays your balance off.”

Graham says that keeping an eye on spending doesn’t mean deprivation. Instead, skip the frivolous expenses and treat yourself once in awhile. “My philosophy is getting the biggest bang for my buck,” she says. “If I go out for dinner, I really enjoy myself.”

Bowes suggests flexibility as a way through the down times. Don’t buy a car if you don’t have to. You avoid monthly car payments—one less thing to worry about when money isn’t coming in.

Bridging the gap
No matter what you do, there may be times when you’re just short of funds. A line of credit can help—especially now, with interest rates so low.

“If you’re working on something and you don’t get your production fee for four months, certainly a line of credit can sustain you,” Bowes says. I would suggest that you consolidate at four or six percent instead of carrying credit card debt at 18 percent.”

But Ellen Roseman, personal finance columnist for the Toronto Star, points out that lines of credit have their downside too. If you find yourself just making the minimum payment, you’re only covering the interest and never paying down the principal. She says, “You have to watch that, or it’s a loan for life.”

Many banks offer lines of credit secured against your house. Technically, Roseman says, that’s a second mortgage. “Don’t leverage your house to the hilt,” she says. “It’s very easy to do because lines of credit are so cheap… but it means you’re really vulnerable if rates go up or market value goes down.”

One way to get through the tough times is to draw money out of your RRSP (because you maxed out your contributions during the good times, didn’t’ you?). Both Bowes and Roseman note that by maximizing RRSP contributions, you get a great tax break during the good times, and then when you withdraw the money during the bad times, you’re taxed on it in a far lower bracket.

But Mills is skeptical of the strategy. She says what often happens is that writers “are in clover the first half of the year, and then they’re cashing in their RRSPs in the second half of the year when work is slow.” Because you earned good money for part of the year, you’ll face tax hit on that RRSP withdrawal. “It makes me sick when that happens,” she says.

Bankrupt news

Bizarre story about writers and a new magazine on the early editions of CBC Radio's "World Report" today. (I assume it was dropped from later editions, because it's not part of the latest show available online.)

The story began with the assertion that these are tough times for writers. Well, maybe. Certainly they are tough times for journalists, whose papers are being shut down all over the place. I've rarely been busier than I am now -- and I know plenty of other writers who aren't hurting either.

So let's assume the story means these are tough times for staff journalists.

It then goes on to say that there's a new magazine from Vancouver that has sprung up to give emerging writers the opportunity to publish. It's called Bankrupt, and -- here's the hook, I guess -- it doesn't pay contributors.

Now, wait a minute. Did the story mean these are tough times for literary writers? Times are always tough for literary writers.

A look at the magazine's website indicates that it's mission is "showcasing the latest stories from Vancouver writers."

The magazine launched about six weeks ago.

I'm trying to figure out how any of this is national news.

• Timely? Magazine launched six weeks ago.

• Innovative? Writers have been putting up with the same old crap ("We don't pay but you get exposure" forever.)

• National in scope? It's an online Vancouver litmag.

• Recession? Yes, I guess this is it. The mag is called Bankrupt, and we are in a recession.
  

Therefore it is news that a) a little online journal with a clever name has launched, doing the same thing little online journals have always done, and b) it features emerging literary writers -- many of whom not only don't mind being kicked but will line up, ask you to kick them and then thank you for it. In any kind of economy.

Workshop on Interviewing, May 10

On May 10, I'm offering a 1.5 hour workshop on interviewing, through the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia.

Here's the description:

Get What You Need: The Interview
An hour and a half with Philip Moscovitch
1:15 to 2:45

Nothing can bring on a case of the jitters like having to interview someone. You may only have one chance to get the information you need. This session will consider the following interviewing questions and techniques: Approaches to advance research and pre-interviews. Setting yourself and your subject at ease. Interviewing in person, on the phone or electronically. Getting the quotes you want. Deciding when a question is worth asking. The power of the simple and direct question. Creative listening and the power of silence. This workshop is designed for storytellers of all kinds who conduct interviews – journalists, documentary filmmakers or writers researching subjects for longer works.

Philip Moscovitch is a freelance writer and broadcaster who has interviewed hundreds of people, including musicians, filmmakers, private eyes, activists, prisoners, and an NHL hockey legend. He loves to immerse himself in new worlds through the people he talks to.

This is one of several workshops being offered by WFNS in Halifax on May 10. The full list is here. Cost for a single workshop is $25 (WFNS members)/$35 (non-members); you can get two workshops and a light lunch for only $45 (WFNS members)/$55 (non-members).

Register by emailing talk@writers.ns.ca or by calling (902) 423-8116. Full registration information is here.

Quirky or cause for concern?

Reader's Digest Canada has just launched Best Health, a smart-looking health mag aimed at women.

I have a small story in the current issue (adapted from a US RD piece). The print edition calls it Just a Quirk, while online edition titles it How Weird Is That?


The story looks at compulsive counting, hair-twirling, clutter, and other common -- but sometimes worrisome -- habits. Give it a read if you want to learn how hair-twirling can help you concentrate, or what the evolutionary benefits of worrying are.

You're welcome

I got a good reminder today of why I gave up trying to write for daily newspapers ages ago. The Montreal Gazette was good for my confidence when I was starting out as a freelance writer, picking up a few of my stories. The pay was not great, and I wound up joining a group suing the paper for re-selling our stories online without permission (court date coming up at the end of February), but it was a good way to get a freelance career underway.

As the writer of the a kids' comic ("Daisy Dreamer" for Chickadee magazine) I was visiting a rural school last week, talking to kids about comics writing. At the end of the day I got to chatting with the principal. Turns out he is a top-level table tennis official. He worked the Barcelona Olympics and was about to leave for China to help train officials for Beijing.

Since the guy was leaving town soon, I figured I'd do a quick pitch to a local Halifax paper. Called the newsroom, where warning bell #1 should have rung: the woman who answers the phone told me the newsroom never pays for freelance submissions. But she gives me the name of another editor who does pay for them. I email him a query.

Monday, I follow up with a phone call.

Tuesday morning, I hear from the editor that he has passed the query on to editor #2. Then I hear from my source that he's been interviewed by the paper.

Nice.

Editor #2 claims he didn't know it was a freelance pitch, so he assigned the story to a staffer. Says there was some miscommunication. I believe him, because, you know, I tend to believe people. Even if he had known it was a freelance pitch, mind you, his section never buys freelance stories anyway.

I used to hear stories like this from other freelance writers, and I'd think "Why are you pitching these jerkwater papers that are going to pay you 50 bucks for your story?"

I should have asked myself the same question.

Being in the story

When you're a freelance writer, you don't tend to see your own name in print (unless it's a byline). So I was a bit taken aback to come across this story on Reader's Digest education hero Joe Bishara, in The Yarmouth County Vanguard.

Because I wrote the RD profile of Bishara, I'm there in the lead and at various other spots in the story.

The writer from Readers Digest looked with disbelief at the 60-strong student honour guard in their bright red jackets with Canadian flags fluttering over-head last September. He turned to teacher Joe Bishara.

“This is for one veteran?” asked Philip Moscovitch.

“I told him “Yup - one or a hundred- it doesn’t matter around here,” said Bishara, who spearheaded the Maple Grove Memorial Club close to two decades ago.

The writer of the story never checked with me on what I thought, relying instead on what Bishara says I said. That, and a few factual errors in the piece drove home (once again) the lesson of how important it is to check your sources and make sure your facts are straight.

Although there are mistakes, I have to confess to feeling slightly tickled at seeing myself in the story -- even if I think it's a bit weird.

Joe Bishara: Reader's Digest education hero 2007

My profile of Joe Bishara, selected by Reader's Digest Canada as their education hero for 2007, is online here.

In order to write the article, I spent a day with Joe, and it's hard to imagine a nicer guy. What he says in the story about the kid throwing a poppy in the mud in 1984 resonated with me. I could imagine myself having done that at the kid's age, in that era.

Joe personalizes the struggles kids face and gives them some perspective. And it's truly amazing to see a teacher who seems completely committed and enthusiastic, even after almost 30 years.

Harlan Ellison sums it up

Speaking of rants (see previous post), here is Harlan Ellison on the subject of paying writers. Note that he uses what my buddy Vern would call "some choice language" so this one may not be safe for work.

I suspect that pretty soon most every writer I know will have this posted. (Hat tip to writer Allison Finnamore, who turned me on to it).



On a related subject, in her most recent column, Heather Mallick notes that "Ironically, Viacom sued Google for $1 billion in lost online profits over pirated video, but tells writers that their work is worth nothing online and they don't deserve a royalty."

Reader's Digest courtesy testing

The November 2007 issue of the Canadian edition of Reader's Digest has a cover story on courtesy in cities across the Canada.

I was one of the researchers who worked on the story, spending a couple of days with one of the magazines editors walking through doors, dropping papers on the ground and buying small items in shops. The point was to see if people would hold the doors, help pick up the papers, and thank us for our purchases. The cities I worked in were St. John's and Halifax.

The first few times I had to look like a goof by scattering a sheaf of papers, I felt pretty self-conscious. But eventually I got used to it -- and even began to have fun.

The magazine has put some behind-the-scenes stuff on their website, as well as this video from Halifax. (I'm the one in the black jacket dropping papers in front of the city's main library.)

One of the interesting things about working on this project was seeing how everyone came up with an excuse for why they hadn't been courteous, often beginning with "I usually am." I actually quite liked the young guy with the backpack who failed to help me. Even though he made excuses, he'd started off by saying, "Oh, I'm an ass!" Then he told us he was from Montreal.

Rick Mercer and paying for free content

In the September 2007 issue of The Walrus, Jon Evans makes the case that writers ought to be putting their content free online, and that this will not hurt book sales.

He points to the music industry to illustrate the point. Anybody can download as much music as they want, risk-free, for free, by doing it at a public location (say a library that's a Wi-Fi hotspot, or an Internet cafe). Even doing it from home is almost risk-free, given the tiny number of people charged with pirating music. Yet, millions and millions of dollars are spent annually on purchasing digital music. (Not just that, but digital music that often has digital rights management limiting what you can do with that music built in.)

Evans also points to the case of The Java Tutorial:

Online reference works can make use of endless space for appendices, unlimited full-colour graphics, examples that run on the user’s screen, discussion boards, and chat rooms. Given this interactivity and timeliness, why would anyone want to buy, say, The Java Tutorial onpaper?

And yet people do. The book is a worldwide bestseller for technical manuals. The physical Java Tutorial is, compared to what’s freely available and downloadable online, limited in scope and out of date; but its readers — overwhelmingly web programmers — purchase the bound sheaf version anyway.

For years, I was convinced that having your content available free online was a bad thing. I still think there are circumstances in which it is a bad thing -- say, when a freelance writer owns the copyright, but a publication (like a newspaper) is profiting from the sale of digital versions of the work without the writer seeing a penny.

I also think that providing free content to major media -- which more and more people are happy to do -- makes it harder for anyone in the business of creating to make a living.

At the same time, reading something online and reading a book are clearly different experiences. And that brings us to Rick Mercer.

Mercer's new book, The Rick Mercer Report: The Book, is #3 on the Globe and Mail's bestseller list a week after its release. Clearly, many of us are willing to buy it, even though most of its content is freely available online, on Mercer's blog, and on his TV show's archive site.

Buying a book like this is like buying a collection of comics. Who wants to clip Zippy the Pinhead every day (or Baby Blues, if that kind of thing turns your crank)? Or store post links in a feed reader for permanent reference? Or continually return to bookmarks? You liked it the first time, you want to return to it again, and it's handy to have it all in a book to which you can easily return anytime.

Writin' your life away

The CBC is running a contest called Canada Writes. One of the rights the Writes people want (you agree to it by entering) is that contestants waive their moral rights.

Here's what I wrote the CBC about it, not that I expect it to either make a difference or get me a response.

The Rules and Regulations for Canada Writes include the following sentence:

"By entering the contest, each participant shall waive any and all moral rights over his/her entry."

I can understand that every legal department wants to protect itself from every circumstance, but I cannot understand why CBC would insist on this right.

Moral rights have no financial value. They include a) the right of the creator to be identified as such; b) the right to the integrity of the work (so that it is not altered or mutilated in a way that damages the creator's reputation); and c) the right of the creator to refuse to have the work used in a way that damages his or her honour or reputation.

The CBC does not require any of these in order to run its competition. Once a creator has given up moral rights, the CBC could, conceivably, sell contestants' entries to advertisers, publish entries written by one person under another's name, or mashup entries until they were unrecognizable.

There would likely be an outcry if the CBC did any of these things. So why insist that people give up the most fundamental right related to something they have created? It is obnoxious.

If it is too late for this year, perhaps the rules could be revised prior to next year's competition. I can't imagine anyone who truly understood the impact of waiving moral rights wanting to enter.

Will the moral rights clause stop people from entering this contest? Yeah, right. But it lowers the bar even further -- like, below the floor -- when it comes to acting decently. Once enough people sign over these rights it becomes no big deal. And it should be a big deal.

Have I signed away moral rights in the past? Yes, occasionally. But only if I really, really trusted the clients and I was getting paid generously. I've also successfully fought off moral rights clauses in freelance writing contracts before.

Word count

A writer I know once told me the best lesson he'd ever learned about making a career as a freelancer: you don't have to be an exceptionally good writer. All you have to do is deliver clean copy, to the word count, on time.

It's a good lesson. I was reminded of it again yesterday. I filed a story for a national magazine earlier in the week. The assignment said "1,000 words, max." When they specify max, I figure you have to take it pretty seriously. Then again, there's always the 10% wiggle-room rule.

I filed 1,070 words.

The editor called two days later. My story is one of a series, all the same length. The editor thanked me for sticking to the word count -- which is basically being thanked for doing your job properly. The next shortest piece came in at 1,200 words. The longest was about 1,800.

Clean copy, to the word count, on time.