BootsnAll Travel Community

Hiring travel/human interest writers is new for me and I have run into a problem. I have paid several writers to write featured articles for my travel destination web site. I was very naive and did not realize that I should have had a contract of some sort. I was simply telling them what I needed and paying them by the word. I have been contacted by a major newspaper and they have requested the use of text from the site and edited featured articles on a regular basis to use in their travel section for my area. They will run a "reprinted with permission of my web site" at the bottom of any text used. I have requested bylines for the authors but they will not change their offer. I have looked at their travel sections and this does seem to be their standard practice. The author of half of my articles has declined to give permission, the other writers agreed. All articles on my site contain bylines with links to complete bios for each author. Am I making an unreasonable request of the writers and should I turn down this great free publicity? Also, how much do travel/human interest writers typically get paid?

Hi Lori
Just my 2 cents worth of inputs. In most countries, under the local copyright laws, the copyright of the article will remain with the author. If the author is an employee of a publication, the copyright vests with that publication only. In the absence of any written agreement, to the contrary, the copyright will vest with the contributors (you will have to check it with your local laws), thus the best way forward would be negotiation with the contributors. At present, they seem to be on a stronger footing, at least legally.

But, i am sure that some convincing and perhaps some additional payment, if the publication will be paying you will help you.

All the best
Dusty

Dusty,
Thank you for the clarification. I am not being paid by the publication. It is just wonderful advertising that I could not afford to purchase and great exposure for the writers on the site. I would like to know what is typically included in a contract for freelance writers.
Thanks
Lori

Hi Lori
the bootsnall contract, they send you one if you are a regular writer, is really good. Typically, in a freelance contract, it is stated that the copyright vests with the author, but a right is reserved to syndicate the article, with due reference to the writer and the original source, contribution received if any shall be shared as per the terms specified... hope this helps
all the best
dusty

The best advise, i can give Lori is to get a standard document prepared by a local law firm. It will be worth it.
cheers
dusty

Lori...you should not being paying writers that you do not have a contract with.....the Boots Boys have their little contract, but I think that it some sort of reassurance for the writer that he retains his rights and maybe to make him feel good...I don't know. But, as you can see, they'll publish anybody...they need the copy...well, maybe not now, but they used to. In the REAL WORLD, paid writers must sign contracts, especially, if they're freelance, like me. Basically, the contract should say that YOU retain certain rights for a specified period of time. dustyshoes is right...get a lawyer....but, it sounds like you are going to take a screwing from your main writer. Shit, if I could hold out for more $$$, then I'd tell you to go jump in the lake (maybe not in those words, probably with words that contain a lot of "f's" and "u's".) How much should you pay them? Depends on who they are or how well known they are....the first article that I wrote for $$, I got paid $50 and free beer...for like 2500 words, but I was also living in Costa Rica...so it would be more like $150 in the US....but, now it's more like $2000 and rising for 5000 words. Be fair, but don't overpay someone who damned well might ought to be PAYING YOU to let them write. But, don't mind what I say: I'm greedy and hedonistic and Second Cousin to the Devil. Ciao.....bd

I have contacted a lawyer to write up a contract, pulled this particular writer’s articles from the site and am running local ads for writers. This writer has only written a few articles, sometime back, for our local paper and I have been told this week that she was charging me 5 times the amount that the paper was paying. She has since e-mailed telling me that unless I have a legal reason for pulling her articles from the site that I should reconsider my decision. Writer's contracts might be something new for me but I happen to know that I have every right to display whatever I choose on my site. I will chalk this up to an expensive learning experience.

Wow Lori, I hope that everything's getting sorted out. Once money and rights get involved, a contract is a definite necessity. Taaka's right, ours is more a clarification, peace-of-mind for everyone involved.

The main thing is learning now - could you let us know on here, how everything's coming along?

Have backpack, will scribble,
Anthony

4 months, 1 continent, a loopy Yank writer and a lot of trains. Oh my.

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