No. Do not write on spec or at least negotiate a kill fee for your time. I spent 20 hours doing research for a pitch for a fairly prestigious magazine and worked with the editor on it and it still was turned down. It was a thorough waste of my time that I could have used for other work. I ended up selling the idea to another publication but I won't write on spec again. Bills need to be paid and I run a business. I only work for free for my own projects.
That's a tough situation. I've learned the hard way to limit the amount of time I am willing to spend to develop a pitch, unless a publication is paying for that time. Doing 20 hours of research for a pitch is staggering.
Anyone who asks you to write on spec will likely never hit the Pay target of the Pay/Passion/Prestige triumvirate. That said, I've written on spec for the other two reasons on rare occasions (just like I've sold a few stories for way, way below my typical rate, normally due to the Passion "P"). "Rare occasions" is the operative term here. No one should make spec a habit!
This is a function of the type of writing you do, and your objectives. If you want to write fiction and humor pieces, for example, you have no choice but to write on spec. However, if making money is a primary objective, spec work tends to be a losing proposition.
In the past, when there were a lot of publications paying big fees to top writers, I had some friends who made a good living pitching articles. I think those days are pretty much over. For my money writing, my work has almost entirely been on assignments generated by clients and editors.
Same here. I almost never write something before being assigned and knowing exactly how much I'm going to be paid. But sometimes (rarely, IE: can count on one hand), I've written stuff outside the bounds of personal essay and satire on spec.
So after negotiation, the editor offered $500, with a $200 kill fee if he doesn't want the piece. That is a fairly standard arrangement for editorial assignments. (Though, personally, I would look at a magazine that supports a business differently than a purely editorial publication.)
Bottom line: The decision to write on spec is entirely a personal one, depending on what you are getting out of the situation. I have written many humorous essays on spec because it was something I was passionate about. However, I wouldn't write, say, a piece about technology on spec, because that's the type of writing I do only for money.
If you decide to write on spec, just accept you are taking a gamble. If the editor kills the piece, he hasn't done anything wrong.
Writing on spec is an important decision but not the most for me. I really get pissed when I send a pitch never to be heard from the publisher. Since many publications depend on freelance writers, have the courtesy to tell the pitcher you are interested or not. That way the process continues by talking to the editor if they are interest and get a contract or if the editor is not interested I then send my pitch to another publication. Simple, but both sides depend on each other to make both happy.
Like it or not, we live in an era of non-response. I don't send a lot of pitches or essays out anymore. But when I push the send button, I assume I won't hear back. These days, I find that very few editors expect writers to give them an exclusive view of unsolicited pitches. It's perfectly OK to send the pitch to as many places as you want. The only reason to wait is if you want to give extra time to a publication you really want to get into. But then you are waiting because it's in your self-interest, not for the editor's benefit.
No. Do not write on spec or at least negotiate a kill fee for your time. I spent 20 hours doing research for a pitch for a fairly prestigious magazine and worked with the editor on it and it still was turned down. It was a thorough waste of my time that I could have used for other work. I ended up selling the idea to another publication but I won't write on spec again. Bills need to be paid and I run a business. I only work for free for my own projects.
Oooof that is rough, I'm sorry to hear that! But hey, silver lining, at least you sold it elsewhere!
True! I think what annoyed me is that they approached me.
That's a tough situation. I've learned the hard way to limit the amount of time I am willing to spend to develop a pitch, unless a publication is paying for that time. Doing 20 hours of research for a pitch is staggering.
Anyone who asks you to write on spec will likely never hit the Pay target of the Pay/Passion/Prestige triumvirate. That said, I've written on spec for the other two reasons on rare occasions (just like I've sold a few stories for way, way below my typical rate, normally due to the Passion "P"). "Rare occasions" is the operative term here. No one should make spec a habit!
"No one should make spec a habit" — words to live by!
<makes a note to never show Tim my folder of unpublished personal essays, numbering in the hundreds-of-thousands of words>
😬😬😬
This is a function of the type of writing you do, and your objectives. If you want to write fiction and humor pieces, for example, you have no choice but to write on spec. However, if making money is a primary objective, spec work tends to be a losing proposition.
In the past, when there were a lot of publications paying big fees to top writers, I had some friends who made a good living pitching articles. I think those days are pretty much over. For my money writing, my work has almost entirely been on assignments generated by clients and editors.
Same here. I almost never write something before being assigned and knowing exactly how much I'm going to be paid. But sometimes (rarely, IE: can count on one hand), I've written stuff outside the bounds of personal essay and satire on spec.
So after negotiation, the editor offered $500, with a $200 kill fee if he doesn't want the piece. That is a fairly standard arrangement for editorial assignments. (Though, personally, I would look at a magazine that supports a business differently than a purely editorial publication.)
Bottom line: The decision to write on spec is entirely a personal one, depending on what you are getting out of the situation. I have written many humorous essays on spec because it was something I was passionate about. However, I wouldn't write, say, a piece about technology on spec, because that's the type of writing I do only for money.
If you decide to write on spec, just accept you are taking a gamble. If the editor kills the piece, he hasn't done anything wrong.
Why don't you ask this guy to mow your lawn on spec?
Writing on spec is an important decision but not the most for me. I really get pissed when I send a pitch never to be heard from the publisher. Since many publications depend on freelance writers, have the courtesy to tell the pitcher you are interested or not. That way the process continues by talking to the editor if they are interest and get a contract or if the editor is not interested I then send my pitch to another publication. Simple, but both sides depend on each other to make both happy.
Like it or not, we live in an era of non-response. I don't send a lot of pitches or essays out anymore. But when I push the send button, I assume I won't hear back. These days, I find that very few editors expect writers to give them an exclusive view of unsolicited pitches. It's perfectly OK to send the pitch to as many places as you want. The only reason to wait is if you want to give extra time to a publication you really want to get into. But then you are waiting because it's in your self-interest, not for the editor's benefit.