Archive for September, 2011
The Copyright Modernization Act: friend or foe?
Yesterday in Ottawa, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages James Moore and Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture) Christian Paradis spoke to the media about their plan to fast-track Bill C-11, the Copyright Modernization Act, and have it passed by the end of the year. The act is, according to many, a […]
PWAC Toronto’s 2011/2012 professional development series
Starting next month and running until next May, PWAC Toronto is hosting a series of evening seminars for writers, focusing on professional development topics such as alternate revenue sources, health and science writing, and narrative non-fiction. After the 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. seminars, which will take place either at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community […]
CAJ responds to proposed two-tiered press in Quebec
Late last month, Quebec Culture Minister Christine St-Pierre voiced her support for a “professional journalist” status in Quebec. Reaction from journalists (and from us) was predictably negative. For freelancers especially, the designation would block too many from accessing important sources in government. Some suggested it was an attack on freedom of speech. And now the […]
Freelancer beware: 11 pitfalls of spec “pitches” and how to handle them from the Born Freelancer
Here is a fantastic cartoon that illustrates some of the dilemmas we freelancers face [LINK]. Could anybody who is not a freelancer get it? It is so funny because it is all so sadly true — I’ve seen them all at some point in my career. I guess the freelancing experience is universal. Go over […]
What’s the Word on the Street in 2011?
It’s that time of year again. The Word on the Street festival is a celebration of literacy, with a focus on magazines and books. Every year it evolves a little more, and since its first year in Toronto in 1990, WOTS has expanded to five other cities across Canada. This Sunday, September 25, Halifax, Toronto, […]
Magazines get in the digital long-form game
In a story for the New York Observer, Emily Witt shares journalist David Dobbs’ digital long-form success story. Working with The Atavist, his long-form piece about his mother’s affair with a flight surgeon during the Second World War sold a “healthy five-figure” number of copies through Kindle Singles. As Dobbs received a dollar for every […]
Increasingly ill-defined roles translate to lower rates for freelance editors
“When hired to ‘edit,’ are you hired to be a developmental editor? A copyeditor? A proofreader? A compositor? Is what you are being paid commensurate with what you are being asked to do?” Freelance editors are hurting themselves and their peers by not distinguishing between different editing roles when negotiating with clients, says a post on An […]
The Atlantic’s series on the “freelance surge”
On Labour Day, Freelancers Union founder Sara Horowitz wrote an article to announce and set the stage for a series for the Atlantic on the “freelance surge,” what she calls “the industrial revolution of our time.” She writes: “We haven’t seen a shift in the workforce this significant in almost 100 years when we transitioned […]
UBC ends deal with Access Copyright, freelance writers lose out
Joining more than a dozen other large post-secondary institutions across the country, the University of British Columbia has ended a long-standing contract with Access Copyright, a non-profit organization that aims to guarantee fair compensation for writers and publishers when their works are copied. UBC says that the organization was demanding “dramtically” higher fees and wanted […]
Fitting in face time: The Born Freelancer on the benefits of meeting IRL
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer will share personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? Your input is welcome in the comments. In a previous post, I wrote about the creative and health benefits of solitary walking. Today I want to talk about the […]
