www.inkthinkerblog.com — A colleague on one of my discussion lists inquired about how ethical it is to use the same set of research and information to write multiple articles, specifically in the context of using research and contacts gathered during a commercial assignment to write a journalistic piece.
Here’s my take:
You absolutely can do journalistic work and commercial work if you want to do both. The only thing you can’t do is publish proprietary information that you have solely as a result of a commercial relationship with a client (that would be anything covered by an NDA or general good ethical practices). Any research you do, any on-the-record interviews, anything like that is completely acceptable to use in any format.
How would writers resell articles otherwise? If they had to start fresh with every single solitary sale, this biz wouldn’t be practical. One interview can be used for dozens of articles. When you research, the knowledge you gain becomes your own (of course you still have to cite it!). When you do the work, you can apply it however you feel is appropriate within the confines of the law.
The bottom line is that you shouldn’t do anything you’re not comfortable with — including repurposing material. That being said, I see absolutely no reason why you can’t use your corporate assignments as inspiration for journalistic pieces, and no reason why you can’t get extra mileage from research you’ve done in the past regardless of the context.
Thoughts?
Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King
www.inkthinkerblog.com — The current issue of Notes in the Margin is out now!
Here are the highlights:
– New Year’s resolution updates
– Marketing in 2006
– Review: The Elements of Style, Illustrated
– Preview of coming attractions for :: inkthinker ::
If you haven’t subscribed yet, hop on over to www.kristenkingfreelancing.com and use the subscription box to the right to get on board. I’ll send you the new issue right away.
Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King
www.inkthinkerblog.com — My cats aren’t really into books.
Isabel, the kitten, has been “helping” me work by chasing the cursor and the pointer on my laptop for the last week or two, and tonight she noticed the television for the first time. (She’s been around since December, but she’s not very bright.)
Speaking of dumb kitties, Zoe, the big one, somehow managed to close herself in the washing machine last night. Fortunately it was empty at the time, but that didn’t make it any less hilarious. I was innocently working away on my laptop (translation: fighting Isabel off the keyboard) when I heard a loud bang and a weird scraping sound. Investigation revealed one very embarrassed — and slightly damp — cat.
I should have read to them more. They say it increases IQ in children when you read to them from birth. Do you think it will have a delayed effect on the cats if I started today? One can hope.
Kristen
Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King
www.inkthinkerblog.com — Tonight someone described publishing to me as “an accidental profession.” This struck me as odd for two reasons: (1) that the statement was made in a room of people who are actively pursuing a graduate degree in publishing, and (2) that I was the only one who really challenged it. An impromptu survey revealed that less than 25% of people in the room considered publishing as a deliberate career objective. Okay, obviously it’s their deliberate career objective now or they wouldn’t be in the class, but we’re talking more long term here, a goal whose attainment is the motivation for how they have structured their careers to date.
Publishing is literally what I have always wanted to do (except for about five minutes when, at the age of six, I announced that I would be pursuing a career at McDonalds–I outgrew the phase quickly). One of the things I love about this industry is that everyone comes to their place in it in a very different way. It may not necessarily be with a large sign that says, “Publishing, here I come!” but I think it’s a kind of siren song, less accidental and more fateful. Am I channeling someone more well-known than myself when I say that I didn’t choose publishing, publishing chose me?
Kristen
Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King
www.inkthinkerblog.com — Answer: The term “kill fee” refers to the amount of money a magazine pays to a writer when the publication of an accepted article is canceled. Kill fees are typically a percentage of the original price of the article and can vary from publication to publication.
Check out this detailed explanation from the Writer’s Encyclopedia at WritersMarket.com:
Kill fee
A fee paid to a writer who has worked on an assignment that, for some reason, is not published. For example, the editor of a city magazine assigns a writer a 3,500-word article on a local political figure. The next issue of the area’s regional magazine carries an in-depth article on the same politician, and the city magazine editor decides his publication’s article would be too repetitious. The city magazine editor informs the writer, who has already researched and written the story, that the article will not be published after all. The writer then receives a percentage—from 20-50 percent—of the initially agreed-upon price for the manuscript, depending on the publication’s policy.
Terms of the kill fee should be established when the assignment is accepted. If an editor fails to mention a kill fee, the writer should inquire whether such an arrangement is possible. The writer does not ordinarily receive a kill fee unless mention of it is included in the original assignment.
Kill fees are not common. Many magazines do not offer kill fees at all; others offer them only to professional writers with established writing credits. Writer and editor Art Spikol explains: “Look at it from the magazine’s point of view: they end up paying . . . for nothing. The writer, at least, can resell the story elsewhere. . . .”
After receiving the kill fee, the writer may submit the article to other markets for a possible sale. Kill fees are offered to writers on assignment only; they do not apply to unsolicited manuscripts submitted on speculation.
Be sure to include a kill fee clause in your contract or letter of agreement.
Yours ’til the ink wells,
Kristen
Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King
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