Terms and Resources for the Magazine Freelancer

This course will cover many terms that might be new to you as a freelancer. With that in mind, I’ll cover some of the most important ones here. I will also give you links to sites where you can find more information on these topics.

Magazine Rights: When you agree to sell your piece to a magazine, you will sell one of the following: first rights, reprint rights or all rights. If you sell first rights, then you can re-sell the article again, offering reprint rights. If you sell all rights, you can never again sell the piece.

Simultaneous Submission: Many magazine publishers accept simultaneous submissions. That means you’re allowed to send it to several publications at once. You must let the editor know that the piece has been simultaneously submitted by putting the words “simultaneous submission” in the subject line of the email.

Books Rights vs. Magazine Rights: Book rights and magazine rights are two different things. If you sell a magazine article (even all rights) you can still use the same information in a chapter in a book. What you’ve sold is “all magazine rights.” However, that said, it’s usually a good idea to mix things up a bit, to make the article/chapter fresh.

Clips: Your “clips” are your previously published articles.

Plagiarism: When you take information from someone or someplace else and claim it as your own, you’ve committed plagiarism. This can be a tricky one, so check out the links below for more details.

Fair Use Act: The Fair Use Act gives writers the permission to use a certain number of words from another source in their piece. If you keep your quote/selection under a certain number of words (see links below) you must note all of your sources.

Slander: You never want to slander or defame someone. Because this is such a tricky subject, I’m going to refer you to the following links:

Take-away: The “take-away” is that little nugget of truth the reader takes away with him after reading your piece. Some would call it the “message” of the piece, or even the “moral” of the piece.

Felt Needs: A “felt” need is any need your reader might “feel” he has, real or imagined. For a full explanation of this term, listen to our lesson on felt needs.

Target Audience: Who are you writing for? Women? Men? Children? What age group? Your editor will want to know your target audience (who the piece is intended to touch/reach).

Write on Assignment: To write a piece on assignment means that the editor gives you both the idea and a basic outline for how the piece will be laid out.

Lead: A “lead” could be a “tip” that points you toward a potential story OR the opening of your piece.

Sidebar: A sidebar usually appears off to the side of your article and “beefs up” your already-great piece. It could be a quiz, a top ten list, or even a how-to piece. Some writers choose to use personal experience pieces as sidebars.

http://thedabblingmum.com/writing/magwriting/sidebars.htm

“Evergreen” idea: An “evergreen” idea is one that never goes out of style. Articles on love, relationships, emotions, weight, etc. are always in fashion. They’re “ever” green.

Kill fees: The kill fee is amount of money you receive as a writer if the publisher opts not to publish your piece after you’ve contracted and written it.

Residual income, Pay-per-article, Consultant fees, Pay in trade, Per-post payments: For more information, see the link below.