This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: How Much To Bill an Editor

Having been on both sides of the desk (as a writer with several hundred thousand published articles, columns, and short stories and as an editor of magazines, newspapers, and books--I'm easily bored!), I think it's important to iron out all the details of a publishing transaction from the start. 
 
Usually, an editor who requests 1,000 words or whatever has that much money in his budget.  If the piece runs long, the question that immediately comes to mind is why.  If the answer is that the piece works better at the longer length and you absolutely can't in good conscience cut it back, call or e-mail the editor with an explanation and inquire if you can get paid more.  With some advance notice, the editor might be able to go to his publisher or editorial board for the additional funds, IF he can sell them on the necessity of doing so.  If not, accept the fact that your agreement was for the editor to pay you for a thousand-word article (no more), and live with it.
 
Don't get me wrong.  As a member of the Author's Guild and as president of the American Society of Authors and Writers (http://amsaw.org), I'm also an advocate for authors' rights.  But when an author fails to protect himself or herself going into a publishing deal, it's unfair to blame the editor.
 
As for the issue of what rights to sell, I agree that you should always sell only NAS rights (or secondary reprint rights, or whatever the publication normally buys) and possibly Web site rights while withholding other rights for future negotiation.  Selling all rights for all time is not only foolish but also self-defeating for you and for every other writer who comes along and has dealings with that particular editor.
 
D. J. Herda
AmSAW
 
 
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index