Take the Writers’ Union of Canada’s 2018 income survey
Canada’s national organization of professionally published book authors is conducting a survey of authors’ incomes. It’s designed to try and help the union understand how current industry conditions are impacting writers’ incomes. Responses to the survey are anonymous. There are questions about employment status and earnings during the 2017 calendar year. If you’ve had a […]
2018 Access Copyright Payback claim period open until May 31
If you’re a writer or visual artist who is affiliated with Access Copyright, it’s time to submit your claim for works published between 1997 and 2016. The 2018 Access Copyright Payback claim period is open until May 31. All creators who were affiliated with Access Copyright as of December 31, 2017 are eligible to submit a […]
Freelance Rates Rising at CBC/Radio-Canada
The Canadian Media Guild and CBC have agreed to an across-the-board wage increase of 1.5% for 2018-19. This increase is also applicable to all the minimum rates applicable to Freelance Contributors. The increase is effective April 1st, 2018 and the new rates are posted in a downloadable Excel file on the CMG Freelance website along with other tips […]
Freelancers reach settlement agreement with Ebony magazine
The National Writers Union has reached a settlement agreement with Ebony magazine over its failure to pay freelancers for their work. The union reported today on its website that the settlement means 45 freelance writers, editors and designers will get paid the $80,000 they are collectively owed by the magazine. The NWU, an American trade union that […]
2018 Public Lending Right Program registration open February 15 to May 1
Canadian authors, illustrators and photographers with published books should invest some time over the next few weeks to register for the Public Lending Right Program. The program is a Canada Council for the Arts program that distributes payments to Canadian creators in compensation for the lending out of their books through Canadian public libraries. This year’s registration […]
National Writers Union takes action against Nautilus Magazine for non-payment of freelancers
The National Writers Union is taking action this week against U.S. science magazine Nautilus for non-payment of freelance writers. Nineteen writers say they are collectively owed $50,000 by the magazine. Some say they have been waiting for payment for over a year. The NWU, an American trade union that represents freelance writers, published an open […]
National Writers Union pushes ahead with effort to get freelancers paid
The National Writers Union has been forging ahead this fall with a campaign to get a group of freelancers the $85,000 they say they are collectively owed by Ebony for work that has been published in the magazine. Thirty-eight freelancers filed a lawsuit against Ebony in September along with the NWU, an American trade union that represents freelance […]
CBC Freelance Specific Services Contracts – Good Value or a Possible Minefield?
by Don Genova Last month I went over the nuts and bolts of CBC’s Freelance Contributor Contracts. But CBC also uses other kinds of contracts with freelancers. One of those is the Freelance Specific Services contract. For a type of contract that often gets used by the CBC to hire freelancers, it sure doesn’t say […]
Critic says new Globe and Mail freelance contract isn’t fair to writers
by Mitchell Thompson The Globe and Mail has received criticism for a revamped freelance contract that one critic says doesn’t treat authors fairly. Content Writers Group — formerly known as the Canadian Writers Group — founder Derek Finkle said the provisions in the Globe’s “amended and restated” freelance contract take away rights freelancers previously retained, with […]
Back to School: The ABC’s of CBC Freelance Contracts
by Don Genova There are actually A’s, and B’s, and C stands for Copyright in a typical CBC Freelance Contributor Contract, but I’ll get to those in a bit. With the new broadcast season, more local and national programs, radio, TV or digital, will be engaging freelancers to provide material for their shows in the […]
