Write for Magazine Publication - series #7

Writing for Magazine Publication is a great way to monetize your writing and test your topic for readership interest. This series has offered tips for magazine publishing. (Topic archive below)

Essays are all about the writer; articles are all about the reader. An essay is an opinion piece. An article is non-fiction text.

Today, we’ll talk about a long form magazine agreement, which may be used when the editor is interested in hiring you to write an article or essay.

Magazine Contract:

Contracts cover all pertinent information, and must be considered point by point. Take it slow and break it down item by item to know the conditions you are committed to deliver.

The main sections and subsections are:

1.       Payment method and rate

a.       Payment upon acceptance or on publication, but typically between 30-90 days

2.       Rights and responsibilities

a.       First North American Serial Rights,

1.        Provides the publisher exclusive rights to be the first to publish your article. Note the time period for this exclusivity, commonly 90 days.

b.      One Time Rights,

1.        Gives the publisher the right to publish your article one time

c.       Second Serial Rights or Reprint Rights,

1.        Grants the publisher a nonexclusive right to publish, one time, a piece already published somewhere else.

d.      All Rights

1.        You are selling all the rights to your article to the publisher—this takes careful consideration. What if you want to publish the article somewhere else? And, what if they rework the piece so much that it’s not yours any longer?

e.       Electronic Rights

1.        This means all forms of electronic media: CE’s, DVD’s, games, apps, etc.

3.       Deadlines and format for delivery, and

4.      Word count

These links may be helpful to you:

Contributor’s Agreement Sample     http://publishlawyer.com/contrib.pdf

Memorandum Agreement Sample --  https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/LIGHTSPEED-Original-Contract-Short-Story.pdf

Kerrie Flanagan’s new book is an informative resource:

“Writer’s Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing”  by Kerrie Flanagan

This series offers tips and ideas for magazine publishing: a list of genres or categories and where we find ideas (posted 5.25.18), research tips (posted 6.25.18), standard templates for essay and article pieces (7.25.18), query letters (informal known to editor 8.25.18) and (formal query tips 9.25.18), guidelines for submission (posted 10.25.18), and contracts (posted 11.25.2018), LOA & copyright tips.

Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts. Visit her web-blog: Deborah Lyn Stanley : MyWriter's Life .  

Write clear & concise, personable yet professional. 

Know your reader. 

Use quotes & antidotes.