Despite delays, a best practices guide for the Canadian magazine industry is on its way
There are some things that are right about the magazine industry in Canada and some things that need changing.
With that in mind, and with what appears to be a goal to establish shared standards, three groups—the Professional Writers Association of Canada, Magazines Canada, and the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors—have been working together on a best practices guide for the Canadian magazine industry. Read the rest of this post »
Smart on the page, smart on the screen—smart for the writers?
According to this recent Postmedia News article, it’s getting harder to fund documentaries in Canada. So the kind of partnership The Walrus and High Fidelity HDTV have announced—making documentaries “inspired” by Walrus stories and broadcasting them on High Fidelity’s eqhd channel and on WalrusTV—might be what the industry needs to continue putting our non-fiction stories on film. But, being ever-curious about compensation for freelancers, we wanted to know: who, if anyone, is paying the writers for providing that inspiration? Read the rest of this post »
Got a story about editorial independence (or lack thereof)?
We’re glad to share this call for stories about advertisers’ influence in newsrooms at magazines and newspapers. It comes from journalist Micah Luxen, who last year quit her job at the Kelowna Daily Courier, where, she says, advertisers had too much sway over editorial content. She’s collecting stories to share during a panel discussion at this year’s CAJ conference. Here’s what she’s looking for:
I’m calling for stories from the battlefield. Have you seen advertising dollars influence editorial content at a Canadian newspaper or magazine? Or on a related note, have you seen ownership ignore conflict of interest, interfering with editorial independence for the sake of profit making? Please send me your stories.
I’m helping to plan the April 2012 Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) conference in Toronto, and am putting together a panel on this topic. It’s important we understand the prevalence of this issue (if it is in fact prevalent), and what we can do to turn the trend around. I know I’m likely not the only journalist who has seen advertising dollars influence editorial independence, and I’d like to include some of your stories at the panel.
I will protect the identity of those who submit (unless they give me permission to do otherwise), but please include your name and the publication for the sake of authenticity. Email me at micahluxen@yahoo.ca.
Learn more about the 2012 CAJ conference here.
A room of your own: The Born Freelancer on the merits of out-of-home offices
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? Your input is welcome in the comments.
The recent poss.ca article on the benefits of working at home, already recommended on this blog, is excellent. If you haven’t looked at it yet, I would strongly suggest that you do so now. I’ll discuss some of my own additional thoughts on working from home in a future post, but in the meantime I thought it would be timely to talk about the successful freelancer’s primary alternative to working at home—namely, getting your own office.
Some freelancers might resist the idea of their own office based entirely on the costs involved. Why rent an office when you can work at home for free? The answer will vary for individuals according to their circumstances. The bottom line: having your own office can help some freelancers become more focused, more motivated, and ultimately more productive. In this post I explain why getting your own office can be very good value for the money. Read the rest of this post »
Secrets worth sharing: Tips and tricks from three successful Canadian freelancers
As part of its ongoing Professional Development series, PWAC Toronto hosted an event entitled “Secrets of Freelancing Success.” Its panel of experienced freelance writers shared—if not secrets, exactly—a boatload of valuable advice. This latest edition in PWAC’s series, which we’ve covered before, really packed ‘em in at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (the event was sold out).
We don’t want to give away all the nuggets of wisdom that IJ Schecter, Camilla Cornell, and David Hayes shared (with some help from moderator Dawn Boshcoff), so below we’re sharing our three favourite tips that emerged over the course of the evening. Read the rest of this post »
Masters of our (public) domain
A post by Michael Geist on his blog this week is spreading online and spurring debate about Canada’s public domain and who, exactly, benefits from it.
Currently, works enter the public domain in Canada 50 years after the death of the author, which is less than in many European countries and in the U.S., where the terms is 70 years. But the Canadian government is considering joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free-trade agreement between countries including Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and the United States. Japan and Mexico, like Canada, have expressed interest in participating in the agreement. Our government is seeking public feedback on the idea until Feb. 14 (details here). Read the rest of this post »
Working from home, a survival guide
Being a freelancer means working from home, in between stints at coffee shops or the odd brief occupation of a client’s office. For many who’ve never tried it, working from home sounds like a breeze—a dream, even. Imagine: tapping away on a laptop in your comfiest clothes or blasting your favourite tunes with abandon or taking guilt-free extended breaks at your leisure. Of course, as you know, fellow freelancer, working from home has its pitfalls. Toronto writer Jowita Bydlowksa has researched and written a great piece for Poss.ca on working from home, including hard-earned nuggets of wisdom from Canadian freelancers and her own handy tips on keeping sane in your home office. Here are just a few: Read the rest of this post »
Survey on freelance business journalism raises more questions than it answers
Are journalists who write about money making more of it than they used to? According to a recent survey, the answer is: maybe?
The Society of American Business Writers and Editors has conducted its second annual survey of freelance business journalists in the U.S., and the results tell us….well, not much. The online survey asked business journalists about their location, compensation, the type of media outlet in which they worked, how long they have held their current job and how long they’ve been in business journalism. The results say a lot, but do they provide any valuable insight into the industry? Read the rest of this post »
Get outta here: The Born Freelancer’s top 10 reasons to travel
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? Your input is welcome in the comments.
The Born Freelancer no longer makes New Year’s resolutions (an almost certain guarantee that they will never be accomplished as a result of genetic contrariness) but I hope to travel more in 2012. Travel is not only a personal adventure, it offers the freelancer many unique advantages and opportunities.
Any time I have an unexpected free chunk of time looming immediately ahead of me I think, “Where can I go?” Time and budget will be your most vexing constraints but another advantage to freelancing is that we often have unexpected time on our hands. Always keep your passport current. There are tons of travel deals for folk like us who can travel at the last minute. Check your newspaper ads or go online to find deals. Less time or less money on your hands? Go explore your own city or another nearby city or a part of the nearby countryside you’ve never seen before. It’s all good. I was recently away in another country where I always go to feel emotionally and physically recharged. I combined family and friends with some work and came back feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the freelance world once again.
My top 10 reasons for freelancers to travel: Read the rest of this post »
Taking stock: The Born Freelancer’s 2011 posts
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? Your input is welcome in the comments.
A very happy and healthy New Years to you, my fellow freelancer.
New Years is always a good time for stocktaking. Looking back over my previous 18 posts, it has been my privilege to share with you my thoughts and experiences on the following topics (listed from most recent on backwards). I mention them now in case you missed some or have just joined us and think that a particular topic might be of interest to you:
- BURNING BRIDGES
- THE ART OF REBOUNDING
- TESTIMONIALS
- ON FEAR AND HUNGER AS MOTIVATION
- BLOGGING
- BUSINESS CARDS
- “PITCHES CAN BE BITCHES”—A DECONSTRUCTION
- REAL LIFE FACETIME
- INVOICING
- FEAR OF MISSING OUT
- DOMAIN NAMES & WEBSITES
- TOP 10 REASONS TO LOVE FREELANCING
- COPING WITH CHANGE: EVOLVE OR DIE
- MENTORSHIP/TRIBUTE TO ROGER ABBOTT
- BUDGETING
- UNIONS
- HEALTH INSURANCE
- RECORDING PHONE INTERVIEWS
If you have any thoughts on any of these topics, please leave a comment after the appropriate post. Your comment will also turn up in the “Recent Comments” section in the right-hand column of this page providing an easy link back to it and my original post. Should you have any suggestions for future topics for later this year, feel free to comment at the end of this post.
Thanks to those of you who have already commented on any of my previous posts. I appreciate you becoming part of the dialogue. Despite our separateness, we’re still all in this together.
