The Born Freelancer on the COVID-19 Crisis
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? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
It seems to me we freelancers are in a unique position during this crisis.
Unique, in this case, being both good and bad.
We are psychologically better prepared than most to adapt to the rapidly-evolving circumstances being forced upon us. But we are also among the most easily compromised financially as freelancers are always the first to get “the chop”.
First, to our strengths.
Some generalizations. We are used to working at home. Often but not always alone. Usually with little or no direction. We continuously have to reinvent ourselves. We must be frugal. We know how to save! We must be strong enough to handle pressure, deadlines, rejection, disappointment.
We must also be sensitive enough to understand the hopes and fears of others. We are good at networking. We are good at planning and adapting to new circumstances.
The list goes on.
And so for many of us the initial hardships forcing others into minor meltdowns, such as working from home, are already part of our lifestyle. We are no strangers to the nature of the challenges that now face all of us – namely, adapting to enormous change that mutates daily.
Our troubles are more related to where we are on the employment “food chain”. We are usually the first to be let go and the easiest for employers and government to exclude from any mandated benefits. So we must be prepared to look out for ourselves as much as possible – while also helping those around us.
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The 5-Minute Freelancer Q&A #43 — Tom Hawthorn
by Monte Stewart
Photo by Paige Lindsay
Award-winning journalist Tom Hawthorn has spent most of his career as a freelancer. He is well-known for contributing obituaries to The Globe and Mail, but also writes about living people for other media outlets.
During the 1990s, he served as a staff reporter with two daily newspapers. He has also authored a number of books, including The Year Canadians Lost Their Minds and Found Their Country, about Canada’s centennial year, and is currently working on a biographical history of The Ubyssey student newspaper.
When he is not freelancing, he works part-time at iconic independent bookstore Munro’s Books in Victoria, B.C.
In this Q&A, Hawthorn, explains why he cherishes awards shaped like tombstones and offers tips – along with a few caveats – to current and prospective freelancers.
How did you end up becoming a full-time freelancer?
I did four stints as a summer intern – at The Vancouver Sun in 1980 and ’84, and The Globe and Mail in arts in 1986 and sports in ’87. I spent the 1990s as a staff reporter and desker at The Province in Vancouver and The Times Colonist in Victoria. In between and ever after, I’ve freelanced, mostly to newspapers and magazines.
Having learned journalism at a student newspaper [The Ubyssey], I’ve always enjoyed generating my own story ideas. I also have to say I can freelance full-time in part because my partner, also a journalist, has a union job with solid benefits. This would be much harder as a solo effort.
Who do you write for?
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The Unfulfilled Promise of Publishing with Partner Programs
by Liz Gallo
In August of 2018, I joined Medium’s Partner Program.
For the uninitiated, Medium is a publishing platform founded by Ev Williams who also co-founded Blogger and Twitter. They started their Partner Program in 2018 as a way for writers to earn money from their content.
Medium appeared to be not only an alternative to more traditional online publishing models but also a new way of being a published writer. No longer did I have to wait months just to have a submission rejected or search aimlessly through digital publications and blogs trying to decide where to submit my work. I could publish my work instantly and start earning money.
Even better, I would soon discover, there was a community of Medium writers reading, sharing, and publishing each other’s work. The platform also gives you access to stats on the performance of your articles. I could see the number of views, reads, and fans for each article. An avid poet, I saw my poems being read and making money. It was exciting.
In an interview via phone, Medium writer Roz Warren said when she first started publishing on the platform Medium “felt like the future.” A freelance writer with numerous publications under her belt, including The New York Times blog, she had hoped to replace the money earned via other freelance writing work with earnings from the platform. I’ll confess I had similar hopes — hopes of my writing becoming a lucrative side-hustle.
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Public Lending Right Program’s 2020 registration period now open
Canadian authors, illustrators and photographers with one or more published books, can now register for the Public Lending Right Program. The program is a Canada Council for the Arts initiative that sends payments every year to creators whose books are in Canadian public libraries.
This year’s registration period runs until May 1, 2020. To register, you’ll need to fill out and mail in a signed registration form along with photocopies of the title page, copyright page and table of contents of the book or books you’ve contributed to.
If you’ve already registered but you have new books to add to your file, fill out the blue file update form you’ll receive in the mail over the next few weeks. Forms should arrive by March 27 and need to be returned before May. If you don’t receive a form by the end of March, you can contact program administrators at plr@canadacouncil.ca.
The minimum payment the program will send out is $50. The maximum payment issued in 2019-20, was $4,500.
For details on eligibility criteria or the application process, see the Public Lending Right Program’s website.
Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Feb 11-18
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From around the web:
- Everything you need to know to start marketing yourself today [Freelancers Union]
- Dead, Dying, Or Evolving? Making It In The Changing World Of Music Journalism [Journo Resources]
- What readers miss out on when newsrooms aren’t diverse [J-Source]
- Ditch the 9 to 5 With a Successful Freelance Hustle [Blog Lovin’]
- How to make Twitter work for you [The Writer]
- Don’t get caught in these productivity traps [Freelancers Union]
- Rein in the RCMP, journalism is not a crime in Canada [CAJ]
- Freelance Success: How to write a successful follow-up email [The Writer]
Recently on Story Board:
- The Born Freelancer on “It’s All Been Done Before”: A young freelance writer I know was lamenting the other day how hard it was for her to come up with anything original. “It’s so frustrating” she said, “I mean, it’s all been done before”. But even if true, it’s still almost always possible to come up with a fresh, new, lively take on anything. The trick is in finding your own unique, authentic voice to do it in…
Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.
The Born Freelancer on “It’s All Been Done Before”
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? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
A young freelance writer I know was lamenting the other day how hard it was for her to come up with anything original. “It’s so frustrating” she said, “I mean, it’s all been done before”.
But even if true, it’s still almost always possible to come up with a fresh, new, lively take on anything.
The trick is in finding your own unique, authentic voice to do it in.
Today I’d like to talk about how to achieve this worthy goal.
Spoiler: It is a lifelong pursuit.
The ignorance-is-bliss approach
Most rookie creatives tend to fall into one of two camps: Those who appreciate and study (to some degree or another) the history of their chosen field; and those who plunge into it without any thought of those who have worked before them.
The latter approach certainly has strengths but also a surfeit of weaknesses.
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Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Feb 4-10
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From around the web:
- Tips for juggling writing and parenting [The Writer]
- Why I freelance: wealth and status weren’t worth my life [The Freelancer]
- Is the future of work stuck in the past? [Freelancers Union]
- ‘It’s Truly Feast and Famine’: How To Know When It’s Time To Turn Down Work [Journo Resources]
- Tech trends that could change news media in 2020 [J-Source]
- The definitive guide to using LinkedIn to get hired [Freelancers Union]
- Notes from a Hired Pen: My $135,288 Freelance Year [Tiny Letter]
- Don’t let your story pitches die a premature death [The Writer]
- 5 things to consider before you ask to pick someone’s brain [Freelancers Union]
Recently on Story Board:
- 6th annual SABEW Canada Best in Business awards open for submissions: There are 15 categories for the awards again this year, including investigative, long-form and short-form feature, and best young journalist…
Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.
6th annual SABEW Canada Best in Business awards open for submissions
Freelance business writers, the 6th annual SABEW Canada Best in Business awards are now open for submissions.
There are 15 categories for the awards again this year, including investigative, long-form and short-form feature, and best young journalist.
Freelancers who wish to submit their work must be SABEW members in good standing. There’s a reduced awards entry fee for freelancers of $30.
The deadline for entries is February 21 at 5:00 p.m. EST. Winners will be announced on March 20 and the awards banquet is on April 7 in Toronto.
For detailed guidelines or to enter your work for an award, see SABEW Canada’s website. And for more information, you can email bib@sabew.org.
Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Jan 28-Feb 3
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From around the web:
- The power of the self-imposed deadline [Poynter]
- New Freelancers Union Head Plans To Prioritize Gig Worker Legislation [Forbes]
- CBC union urges caution on reforms to broadcast rules [CWA Canada]
- Networking for introverts [Freelancers Union]
- Six counterintuitive goals to shake up your writing routine [The Writer]
- Canadian media diversity: calls to action [J-Source]
- Why are j-school students saying no to reporting careers? [J-Source]
Recently on Story Board:
- Researcher seeks Millennial freelancers in Toronto: If you were born between 1980 and 1995 and freelance in media in Toronto, you’re invited to share your experiences with a researcher at the University of Waterloo…
- Staff at the National Observer staff are officially unionized with CWA Canada: Staff at the National Observer became CWA Canada’s newest members Wednesday with the announcement that an application for union certification had been approved…
Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.
Researcher seeks Millennial freelancers in Toronto
If you were born between 1980 and 1995 and freelance in media in Toronto, you’re invited to share your experiences with a researcher at the University of Waterloo.
Dr. Nancy Worth is in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management. She’s conducting a SSHRC-funded project called Home/work looking at the experiences of millennial freelancers.
“Millennials are the largest generation of workers in Canada right now and they’re the generation most likely to be freelancers,” she says. “It’s become sort of a new norm. But if we look at how we measure work and think about work, we still have a social expectation of a regular 9 to 5.”
The study will look at how freelancers organize their time.
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