German freelancers say “Ja” to minimum pay rates
Freelance journalists may be the lone wolves of the media world, but many are starting to form packs, too. Look at Germany: freelancers there are biting back against “all rights” contracts and establishing fair pay models.
New Globe and Mail policy affects freelancers
John Stackhouse, executive editor at the Globe and Mail, has reportedly told Globe staffers they can no longer freelance for Toronto Life and Chatelaine because the magazines are now considered “competitors.” What’s more, the same policy applies may soon apply to freelancers who contribute to the paper, most of whom don’t earn enough from the Globe to […]
Canadians do like their newspapers
A column on Moneyville is bullish on newspapers. David Olive reports that 77% of Canadian adults read a print or online version of a newspaper at least once a week and newspaper readership has gone up by 3.7% in the last five years. Not only that, but people in the “top ten” markets spend 3.8 […]
HarperCollins seeks the right morals
Most freelancers are familiar with the concept of moral rights: the right to claim authorship of their work, and the right to not have it distorted or “folded, spindled and mutilated” in such a way that it would damage the author’s reputation. US publisher HarperCollins has recently started talking about morals of another kind. The […]
Reader’s Digest to feed MSN.ca
The Canadian Magazines blog is reporting that Reader’s Digest has a deal with MSN.ca to provide lifestyle and travel content in French and English for the news website. The Canadian Writers Group, which represents writers who provide content to Reader’s Digest, has made a formal inquiry to the magazine about how writers will be compensated for […]
Required reading for Canadian freelancers
The Canadian Magazines blog offers a succinct review of a new book it says “should be read by every freelancer, agency, editor and publisher” in Canada. Copyright, Contracts, Creators: New Media, New Rules is written by Osgoode Hall law school professor Giuseppina D’Agostino. The description of the book includes this gem: “The Internet-fueled recycling of existing […]
New alliance to fight for rights for freelancers
The alliance between the Canadian Media Guild and the Canadian Writers Group was officially launched today. It’s a first-ever alliance between an agency that represents independent journalists and a union and will advocate for freelancers on issues such as rates, copyright and digital and re-use rights. “I’m proud to be a partner in this alliance,” says […]
Rogers refuses to remove writer’s work from Yahoo
This fall, Rogers Publishing started syndicating work by independent journalists on line. The Canadian Writers Group (CWG) noticed in September that stories from late 2009 and early 2010 by Patricia Pearson and Ellen Vanstone, first published in Chatelaine, were posted on Yahoo’s “Lifestyle” site. When an editor at Chatelaine was contacted, she had no explanation […]
What do you do when you’re stiffed?
A small group of freelancers recently had this experience. They were engaged by a Toronto-based publisher to provide material for some specialized periodicals. The terms of the contract were clear and unequivocal. The price and deadline were set. Payment was due 30 days after publication date. Wait a minute. After publication date, not after submission? […]
