I Just Got an Article Assignment. Holy Crap! Now What?
Since I teach an e-course that tells writers how to write queries that will hopefully land magazine assignments, one question I get a lot at the end of the course is, “What happens if I do get an assignment? What can I expect?”
Well, first, you do the happy dance. Then you e-mail me and let me know of your good fortune so I can do the happy dance. Then it will probably look something like this:
Let’s say you pitched Big Health Magazine with your idea for an article about how friends and family affect your health. First, the editor will call or (more often) e-mail you and let you know that they would like you to write the story. What you need to know before you accept the assignment is:
- How long the article will be.
- What the deadline is.
- What the contract terms are.
- What the pay is.
Unfortunately, many editors leave out crucial information — especially the pay. They ask whether you want the assignment, and when you pant “Yes!” they drop the bomb that they pay half a cent per word.
If the editor leaves out any of this information, ask for it. The editor will not withdraw the assignment if you ask what the pay is, or what rights they’re buying. She probably won’t even blink an eye.
Make sure you’re ready to accept the terms the editor offers before you accept the assignment:
- How long the article will be. Is the editor asking you to write a story you envisioned as 2,000 words in 300 words — or vice versa? If so, do you think you can make it work — and do you want to?
- What the deadline is. Do you think you can make the deadline? Remember, even if you’re a fast writer, nailing down sources for interviews can be the most time-consuming (and unpredictable) part of an assignment.
- What the contract terms are. Many magazines these days are asking writers to sign contracts giving the magazine all the rights to the article, such as Work for Hire or All Rights. Are you willing to give up the right to resell your article as a reprint? Are you willing to see your article reprinted by the magazine’s publishing partners — without seeing an extra dime? I’m by no means a contract expert, so check out the contract terms glossary on the American Society of Journalists and Authors website to learn about the different terms you may be offered.
- What the pay is. Usually the editor will offer you a set fee, such as $1,000 for the article, rather than a per-word rate such as $1 per word. Do some quick math in your head. If the per-word rate acceptable to you? Can you estimate how long it will take you to write the article, and if so, will you be making an acceptable hourly rate?
What if you don’t like some of the answers you get? Negotiate. Again, an editor will not kick you to the curb if you negotiate for terms that are more acceptable to you. You can ask for a few extra days on the deadline, see if you can wrangle more words, ask for a First North American Serial Rights contract, or request a boost in the payrate. If you think it will help your case, tell the editor why: “Do you think you can give me more words? That way I can be sure to include all the latest studies” or “I have some other deadlines around that time. Can I have a few extra days?” You may get what you ask for, and you may not; if not, you have to decide whether you’d still like to go ahead with the assignment.
At this point you may want to ask a few questions about the magazine, such as their circulation or the demographics of their readers. For example, I just wrote an article for a health insurance company’s custom magazine, and it was good to find out that the circulation is 300,000 and that even though the company operates in Rhode Island, the readership is nation-wide. Sources will often ask you for this information before deciding to grant you an interview (or just out of curiosity), so it’s good to have the details. Also ask what issue your article is slated for, as sources will almost always ask you that as well.
Next, you’ll want to discuss what the editor would like you to write. The editor may tweak your idea for the department it’s slated for; for example, she may want a sidebar on how the quality of your relationships matters as much as the quantity. She may also let you know what kinds of sources you can interview; for example, some health magazines want quotes only from expert sources at large universities or hospitals.
Once you have all the details, be sure to thank the editor for the assignment! Also make sure you have her contact information in case you have any questions…and, of course, to send the completed article to.
Finally, before you begin to write your article, refresh your memory by reading through a back issue of the magazine so you can be sure that your lede, organization, etc. are in line with the magazine’s style. (You can also ask the editor for the magazine’s style sheet, but many don’t have them.) Also be sure to check how the magazine handles attributions (some publications I write for quote sources as “Dr. Smith” and “Ms. Jones”), serial commas, and state names (such as PA versus Penn. vs. Pennsylvania).
I’m not going to get into all the details of actually writing the article…that’s enough for an entire book. But I will work on a blog post about what to do once you’ve written the article: putting together the source list, sending in the completed article, invoicing, and handling revisions.
I hope this post helps you get over the first-assignment jitters. Now go out there and kick some butt! [lf]
Very timely! Thanks Linda.
Make sure in your email of confirmation and understanding that it’s clear it’s assigned words–in other words a flat rate–and not on an actual word count of the edited version. Also–many publications want to pay on pub (or 30 days after even). I am death on that. It can mean never if the pub goes belly up. Or, even best case, that you wait 6 mos or more for your money or get stuck with a kill fee if the piece goes stale or something that isn’t your fault. Kick this around! Ask the question–get the answer. Get it on paper or in electrons.
Thanks for the great advice, Star!
Gwynneth, does that mean you just got your first assignment?!
Thanks for this post. I have just recently had my first article published, but I did not do anything right regarding the contract..exept for maybe the happy dance. I just accepted the assignment and went with, I have no regrets on this one..but in the future I will make sure to ask the questions you mentioned and to negotiate if necessary.
Sarah, congrats on your first article!
Woah – talk about timely! I’m in the first few weeks of Writing for Magazines, and I was actually starting to think “what if I get an assignment?” The first thing I will do is the happy dance. And I can feel the tingling at my fingertips. It’s nice to have my negotiating power reaffirmed. I am sure that many of us “newbies” are afraid to speak up – I know I am – with the old timers in the business, the editors, the seasoned professionals. I also think that if I write well, I deserve to be treated with respect and to be paid for it. There has been sooo much negative chatter on Linked In about being paid well, respect for good writing, word mills, etc. Honestly, I’m getting a little sick of it. Leave it to Linda to put “a positive plan” on the Renegade!
Thanks for your nice comment, Karen! i too am sick of all the negative chatter about how writers can’t make it anymore. I’ve been doing this full-time for 12 1/2 years now, and even during these economic woes my income has stayed pretty much the same for the last few years.
I guess I am guilty of the negative chatter–but the state of this business has been of acute interest to me after 29 yrs as a full-time freelancer and sole support of my family. Our income is half what it once was–and I am pretty sure it’s not because I am half as smart or experienced. I reached an editor at LinkedIn today and asked would she still look at queries–she said she is now freelance, too. But none of this means you cannont get magazine assignments–get out there with the ideas. They all want the pitches now.
Hi, Star — that stinks! I think part of the reason my income has remained stable is that I’m now concentrating on custom pubs, with newsstand magazines as a secondary source of assignments. The custom publishers I work with have been loyal to me and they seem to be doing well. I’m almost-sole support of my family of 3 (+1 exchange student as well!); my husband earns part-time income through his blog. I move between different categories of magazines as I need to to keep the assignments rolling in (and to keep from burning out). I know what you mean, though — I know a LOT of former editors who are now freelance writers. Hey, editors, stay away from my assignments!
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This is a great checklist, Linda! One thing I would add is that you need to know the magazine’s fact checking process. Do they insist that you do conduct interview by phone and send them an interview transcript? Or can you do email interviews and forward them the email as backup if needed? Will you be required to provide an annotations explaining where each bit of information came from? (Some editors will be much more relaxed, but you’ll want to hold onto all your emails and other info just in case.) At the very least, I find that editors appreciate when I include a source list in case they need to contact someone for photos or fact checking.
Great points, Susan, thanks!