Getting mileage out of writing

Redlass · #1 04-08-2002, 05:25 PM

One of the secrets of successful freelance writing is the ability to repurpose one's work and sell it multiple times. It's why the issue of rights becomes so important when negotiating a contract and determining pay.

Would anyone here be interested in brainstorming some ideas on markets where we might be able to resell some of our work (either as is or with reworking for the appropriate audience)? I'm primarily thinking of finding print markets for Epinions pieces we've written (simply because that is one of the things that we all have in common and could find easily.

However, I certainly think there are some things that we've written here that could be worked into articles. For example, I'm about to send out a query letter to my denomination's monthly magazine for an article about our founder, Phineas F. Bresee.

So here are my questions:

1. Is anyone else interested in this?
2. If yes, what do you think would be the best way to work it?

**conradd** · #2 04-12-2002, 04:12 AM

Great idea, Bridgette!

I'd love to find a market for some of the kids & family stuff I wrote when I was an expert in that category. I also think my cookbook reviews (where's Andrea! I want company with this idea!) have a market somewhere.

Deb
who is not planning on writing anything on breasfeeding, spanking, or

circumcision thankyouverymuch!!

Redlass · #3 04-12-2002, 04:44 AM

Hmmm, cookbook reviews.

Have you read cookbook reviews in any magazine? That might be the first place to start, figuring out who uses them now.

Anyone know?

Redlass · #4 04-12-2002, 05:43 PM

OK. I'm a little bit more awake now.

I sent an e-mail off to www.cookbooks.com

They feature reviews on their site, but they have very few of them. I'll post what I find out from them once they reply.

I wandered around the cooking.com site for a while, but most of their cookbook "reviews" are more of publisher's descriptions.

www.culinary.net is part of the Family Features Editorial Syndicate. They might be a good source to research further as they provide food section materials to food editors across the country. They would need reviews and articles.

Another member of the FFE Syndicate is:

http://www.foodeditor.com/index.html

The Syndicate can be reached via snail mail at:

Family Features Editorial Syndicate Inc., 8309 Melrose Dr., Shawnee Mission, KS 66214. 800/800-5579. Dena S. Klein, VP/Director of Sales.

Home Cooking also publishes cookbook reviews. They're at:

House of White Birches, Publishers
306 E. Parr Rd.
Berne, IN 46711
(219)589-8741
e-mail: home_cooking@whitebirches.com

My contact information is from '99, so it is probably outdated. They are 60% freelance written. They pay upon acceptance, $10=$300 for assigned articles, $10-$150 for unsolicited articles.

Time for me to take off. I'll keep researching and let you know what I come up with.

**conradd** · #5 04-13-2002, 01:14 AM

Bridgette, these are great leads!! I need to pick up a few new release cookbooks anyway . . . perhaps I'll get back in the swing of things. Thanks!

I'm fascinated with your series of Soapbox threads on how various faiths believe. Are you pursuing a few articles on this?

Deb

Redlass · #6 04-13-2002, 05:40 AM

Melanie really had a great idea with those threads, didn't she? I can't wait to read the next ones.

But yes, I think I am going to contact Holiness Today with an idea I had for an article based on those threads. I need to finish up a little reading I'm doing on Phineas F. Bresee first and see if I can find any other sources before submitting a query.

Actually, I think we could find several ideas around this board for articles. I was talking with a friend of mine who freelances today. We were trying to figure out whether there would be any consumer philantrophy magazines that might be interested in a story on EA and how an electronic community has come together to try to make a difference in their world (the 3-Day walk, the genome project, blood drives, etc.).

realtraveller · #7 04-14-2002, 10:18 PM

I had some of my travel articles almost sold until I saw that the contract included electronic rights. Now I will have to rewrite them in their entirety to get around copyright problems. Do most print publications want electronic rights now? Probably, to avoid any later problems ala the recent Supreme Court case involving the New York Times.

Redlass · #8 04-18-2002, 10:09 AM

I'm betting they are including electronic rights now just to cover themselves--and to make it easier if they have an online edition. The online editors probably want to be able to take everything in the magazine without having to go through a bunch of forms to see what they have permission for and what they don't.

In one of my writing newsletters this week, they had this information:

Bon Appetit (pays $500-2000)

Cooking Light (pays $1/word)

Home Cooking (pays $25-300)

Veggie Life (pays $.35/word)

Kashrus Magazine (pays up to $250)

TO READ ALL THE GUIDELINES, visit
http://www.absolutewrite.com/marketplace.htm

phoenixx · #9 04-18-2002, 10:48 AM

For those who don't know about the yahoo groups, I belong to an email only one called Funds for Writers - it has been an excellent source of grants, scholarships, retreats, full time employment, contract assignments, contests, etc. for me.

Just go to the Yahoo groups page and search for Funds for Writers, sign in and you'll start receiving about an email a week for freelance/contract/contest work and another one each week for permanent writing positions and internships.