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"JOB SCOUT: Weekday: February 15, 2010"

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free*lance: n (1820) 1 a. usu free lance: a mercenary soldier esp. of the Middle Ages: condotierre.

Editor: Michael A. Casano
Publisher: George Giokas/StaffWriters Plus, Inc.

Welcome to -30-, found exclusively at the StaffWriters Plus Web site. One of the most common challenges faced by freelance writers today is keeping up with the latest trends within the industry and the changing needs of their customers. This is where -30- will help. Each installment of -30- will deal with a topic or issue of interest to the freelance community, from ideas on how to grow your current client base to techniques that can enhance the quality of your work. We hope you find -30- a useful tool in your pursuit of new business.

We also look forward to hearing from you. Please submit your messages and thoughts for future articles to (info@staffwriters.com).

ABOUT OUR NAME:

Reporters used the symbol -30- at the end of their typewritten copy to indicate to editors that they have reached the last word.

IN THIS ISSUE:

In this issue of -30-, our main story looks at the growing field of on-line writing and analyzes the "dos and don'ts" of writing articles for on-line magazines and Web sites. Our Q&A looks at John Hlinko, whose freelance writing career has taken him from working on political campaigns to comic strips! And see how our columnist Melanie Hauser handles the fine art of "negotiation " in this installment of Scribbler's Scrapbook.

Scribbler's Scrapbook

by Melanie Hauser

It all begins in a moment of exhilaration:

"Yes, we love your piece!"

You are proud, excited, justifiably smug. You are being published, and fie to all those who were too dim to appreciate the sparkling prose, the tender insight of your masterpiece, "To Bee, or Not To Bee: A Guide to Cross-Pollinating."

Then you hear the dreaded words:

"Now, about your fee."

And the champagne bubbles in your heart burst as if suddenly pierced by a sharpened number two pencil Oh, yes. Fee, payment, contract, rights: the slimy underbelly of the writing life. (Unless you're blessed with a Michael Ovitz-like agent, in which case you are probably not reading this column.)

You see, the sad truth is, I'm a bad negotiator.

I would have advised Jefferson to pay Napoleon twice what he was asking for Louisiana, and to throw in New England as well. Had I been President, those hostages would still be in Iran.

I am a person who offers to pay full retail at a garage sale. My husband won't let me accompany him when we buy anything larger than a toaster. I once paid $7.50 for a kitten that was advertised as "free to a good home."

So it was with a painfully honest awareness of my own ineptitude that I entered into my first real (gulp) salary negotiations.

First, there was the flurry of calls back and forth about acceptance, deadlines, blah blah blah. Then there was the one that said ominously, "We usually pay X-dollars for this type of article. What do you normally charge? (Apparently, editors are not particularly good at negotiating, either.)

What do I normally charge? That would imply that I am accustomed to being regularly paid. I am not, although there have been definite signs of an upswing in that department.

However, I was not about to tip my novice hand. Armed with Donald Trump's "The Art of the Deal," I carefully considered my options:

1.) I could go with my gut instinct, which was to offer to pay them. This way, I figured, I might be remembered with fondness, and future articles may be accepted. I consulted Donald. Evidently, that is not an accepted tactic in negotiation.

2.) I could accept the offer, no questions asked, but with just the slightest delay in my acceptance. You know, just enough hesitation to make 'em sweat a little, but not enough to allow them time to realize a terrible mistake had been made, and a future National Book Award winner was at this instant opening his dreaded SASE, while my article would result in a widespread drop in circulation for their thus-far profitable publication.

I felt most comfortable with this tactic. But for the sake of The Donald, I contemplated another.

3.) I could ask for more money. This bold move would be require me to accept with blind faith that mine was a truly desirable piece of writing, and that they needed me more than I needed them. Donald really liked this gamble; I could see his blue eyes gleaming at me from the book jacket as I pondered this move.

I seriously considered this for about a second, then realized that to ask for more money took more cojones than an Italian soccer team.

So I screwed my courage to the sticking post, to quote some famous writer, and made my move.

What? Is that snickering I hear? Are some of you quickly scrolling down to the end of this file, so certain are you that I happily took the original offer and framed the check instead of cashing it?

Well, you are so WRONG! What does a writer long for more than money?

Yes, I took their original price, and smartly parlayed my grudging acceptance of a somewhat smaller fee than I normally receive into a long-term contract, six more articles at the same price. Who's snickering now?

Still feeling kind of cocky, I then held a garage sale and sold my copy of "The Art of the Deal," since I so obviously do not need it anymore. Well, I didn't actually sell it. I kind of gave it away.

All right, all right, if you must know, I paid a college student five bucks to take it. But only because it's not in very good condition, and the book jacket is torn a little, so she'll need to buy a cover for it, won't she?

And THEN I took the proceeds from that garage sale, and bought a frame for the check.

INTERVIEW: JOHN HLINKO

by Michael A. Casano

John Hlinko knows how to wear many hats as a freelancer. The San Francisco-based writer has worked on writing assignments and campaigns for political figures and causes, from Rock the Vote to The Alliance to Revitalize California. And Hlinko's content and design projects on the Web can be found on sites for Saturn cars and Planet Golf. He was even involved in the creation of a comic strip, "Happyland" (www.gethappy.com), distributed solely via the Internet.

A master's graduate of Harvard University, Hlinko took his love of humor and politics and co-founded the Harvard Guerrilla, a political humor magazine. He has also been involved in a number of political comedy Web sites, and was even selected to write and direct a comedy spoof video by the senior management of Lehman Brothers.

Today, Hlinko has turned his attention to handling public relations for firms in the growing hi-tech industry, and continuing to write comedy and develop screenplays to pitch to Hollywood producers. And, he still makes time to support political issues dear to him.

Q: You received your Master's from Harvard with a concentration in Business and Government. How did your background help you as a freelance writer?

HLINKO: The political background was essential for one of the best jobs I got -- writing a political comedy site, "http://www.netparty96.com," for a division of AOL during the '96 campaign. And, while working for a political ad firm, I got a great piece of advice from my boss. Every time you write something, before you start, ask yourself two questions -- 1) What audience am I writing this for? 2) What do I want them to do? Although it's especially good for political and cause-oriented writing, it's also good for any kind of writing where you're trying to influence people.

Q: What are the differences you found handling freelance writing assignments for business and for political campaigns?

HLINKO: Well, to start, business tends to offer a whole lot more money! The average presidential candidate spends about $50 or $60 million on a campaign. That's a lot of money, but to put it in perspective, that's about a day's pay for Bill Gates. Bottom line businesses -- particularly high-tech ones -- have a lot more revenue to use to pay freelancers. You can do some great stuff in politics, but if you want to spend your full time doing political writing, you'd better have a lot of passion for what you're doing . . . and a nice trust fund.

Q: Your work has also included being a speechwriter for a Saudi Arabian prince (Prince Fahad bin Abdullah). How did you get that assignment?

HLINKO: At the time, I was working with Lehman Brothers, which had an advisory contract with the Saudi government. One of the firm's mandates included advising the Saudi government on how to attract foreign investment. And so, when the Prince was going to speak to a group of foreign investors, I got the task of writing the speech that he would deliver. Unfortunately, this work got put on hold a few months later -- when Iraq invaded Kuwait. The "noisy neighbors" in the region made it kind of hard to attract investors to a war zone.

Q: You've served as campaign consultant for a mayoral candidate and have been part of a political advertising team. Any interesting stories from the campaign trail?

HLINKO: Actually, right now I'm involved with a great on-line campaign -- MoveOn.org -- to end the impeachment process and encourage Congress to move on with the business of the country. It's been great in that we've got a quarter of a million supporters to sign up. On the other hand, I've gotten some really interesting e-mails from some folks who've not been quite as sympathetic to our cause.

Q: Humor has been a motivating force in some of your other freelance writing. How does humor help you in developing your more "corporate" work?

HLINKO: Actually, it's been a great help for corporate writing, and has even enabled me to carve out a bit of a niche for myself. When properly used, humor can really make corporate writing stand out. Let's face it, there's a lot of information out there that might be boring, but still needs to be communicated. And, there's no better way to get people to listen to your message than to entertain them.

Q: You've worked on the creation of a comic strip on the Web. What's it like to write one?

HLINKO: Fortunately, given that I can't draw for my life -- I was able to work with a really gifted animator, Gus D'Angelo. It was a ton of fun collaborating. The big question was how to get it out to a larger audience. On-line was the answer. We were able to build a fan base of thousands, get our mugs -- and our work -- on CNN, and get the attention of a newspaper syndicate.

Q: You've worked in multimedia as a Web site writer/producer and have recently begun to concentrate on high-tech public relations. What brought you towards this marketplace?

HLINKO: Partially, it's like that famous quote about the bank robber -- "Why do you rob banks? That's where the money is!" And partially, it's because it's a growing, exciting industry. Back in '96, I was living in LA, intending to pursue work in screenwriting, and interestingly enough, I got a great project doing on-line writing. Ever since then, the potential to make money and the inherently-interesting nature of the work has kept me there.

Q: You've handled a wide range of freelance assignments for a diverse group of companies and individuals. Are there any other areas you'd still like to try?

HLINKO: Two things I'd love to do -- work on a presidential campaign, and write for a sitcom. Hmm... or maybe some kind of combo. Anyone out there from Politically Incorrect or the Daily Show if you're looking for writers -- send me an e-mail!

SELLING STORIES FOR CYBERSPACE
Be Careful Out There

by Michael A. Casano

Here's a riddle. It's Monday morning before 9 a.m. You're at the work desk with a cup of coffee in your hand wanting to read up on the latest news or look over some articles in your favorite magazine, but you don't have the publications in front of you. What do you do? Go surfing.

More and more people use the Internet as their primary source of information -- and this trend has not been lost on the print and broadcast media. Today, print giants like The New York Times and BusinessWeek regularly maintain online versions of their publications. TV and cable networks use their Web sites first to file reports on late-breaking stories. And, magazines such as Slate are available solely via the Internet. Michael Ray Taylor

Michael Ray Taylor is a writer well versed in the on-line publishing marketplace. Taylor, whose background is in print journalism, is the author of several science books and articles, including his forthcoming book, Dark Life, which is a study of microbe life beneath the Earth. But Taylor has also become a successful on-line journalist, writing articles and columns for The Discovery Channel On-Line and ABC.com.

"There are several (sites), like ABC, CNN and CNBC, which all maintain excellent Web sites with news articles from all sorts of sources," Taylor said. "They use a lot of rewritten material taken from broadcast, but in each section, especially in areas such as finance, technology, science and space, there's opportunity for freelancers."

Rates for on-line writing vary from site to site. According to Taylor -- who also teaches online writing courses and is the Chair of Communications and Theatre Arts at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas -- Web sites can pay writers anywhere from $40 to $50 an article, to upwards of 50 cents to $1 per word.

Taylor adds: "Within some organizations there is also crossover between a Web site and its print product. So, if you haven't gotten in the door writing for your favorite magazine, maybe the way to start is by writing for your favorite magazine's Web site."

As with standard magazines, Taylor recommends that writers try to break in by handling a Web site's shorter, departmental slots, like a regular column or news brief. When you do land a feature piece for a Web site, however, Taylor definitely suggests taking on a breezier, chattier, more engaging style of writing -- and with shorter sentences.

"Certainly, formality can be the kiss of death," he explained. "If you have friends whose e-mails are always written with wit and get quickly to the point, you want to try to imitate that style in writing professionally for the Web. It's a style that seems to be evolving for the medium."

Another key element of feature writing for Web sites is remembering the interactive nature of the Internet itself. In many ways, online writers are like TV producers, and their audience is looking to do more than just read text. That's why writers should keep in mind interesting video clips, photos, or graphics that will also "grab" the reader's attention.

"My very first big feature for The Discovery Channel On-line was on the death of a noted cave diver who was exploring a deep underwater cave system in Mexico," Taylor said. "By chasing someone down that I had seen at the site, I got the phone number of a local Mexican TV station which had video of the diver's body being recovered from the pit. That video became sort of a climax, around which a big part of piece was built."

Also helpful for writers is identifying links to other Web sites which provide additional information. Taylor, for example, likes to provide his editors with suggested links (URLs). That way, his editors then can decide to attach them to Taylor's article after receiving permission from the host site.

Online writers should expect to be responsible for most -- if not all -- of the fact checking for their article, although that process may change in the future. "The medium is new enough that there haven't been any huge, multi-million dollar libel suits," Taylor said. But if there is one, suddenly you're going to find the editors of Web sites doing a lot better fact checking than they do at present."

When you pitch a story or column idea to an online publication -- whether via e-mail or fax --make sure to include clips so the editor can get a sense of your writing style and ability. If you have previous pieces already at other Web sites, even at non-paying sites, include the URLs of where that work can be seen.

"The great thing about e-mail queries is that you'll often hear back within 24 or 48 hours," Taylor said. "But if two weeks go by and you don't hear back, it's OK to send another e-mail to the editor again. If you're dealing with a print magazine, and you don't hear a response from your query, you might wait two months before contacting again, and then wait another two months after they finally ask for a chance to look at it."

Whichever Web site or on-line publication you pitch to, Taylor recommends that you do some research prior to sending your material. Because of the sophistication of some Web sites, it may be hard to determine whether they are being sponsored by a major company, or by an individual or organization who has no budget to pay its writers.

"Today, a site designed by a Junior High School student can look just as professional as that of a major organization," Taylor warned. "To make sure it has financial backing, look for advertising billboards that are posted on the site. But if you're looking to be published on the Web, consider working with the independent Web site too, especially if it gives you a chance to receive your first byline."

Past Issues:

[March '00 Newsletter]

[December '99 Newsletter]

[June '99 Newsletter]

[April '99 Newsletter]

[February '99 Newsletter]

[September '98 Newsletter]

[July '98 Newsletter]

[June '98 Newsletter]