I don't know, help me

[harlemchick]

Here's my problem... I contacted this magazine called Busride. It's a small trade magazine that serves public transportation systems and private motorcoach companies. The editor, Dave Hubbard, emailed me and said that the magazine is a small operation and usually only gets material from its staff and from bus company pr. However, if I had a specfic idea about buses that he liked, we could negotiate payment. This never happened to me before in my writing career. What should I do? I don't want to be underpaid for my work, or, even worse, have the editor say that he's not paying me anything.

Anybody else who had been in the same predicament?

B.

[CatMuse33]

What would you usually get for a story of the length you intend to pitch? Use that as a guideline. Also, Writer's Market offers tips on setting rates in the beginning of the book.

Finally, there's the old 'hourly rate' trick. How long will the article take you to complete, including research, writing, fact-checking, etc.? How much do you want to make per hour, based on your level of experience? There's your answer. Use that (or a little bit over) as a starting point for negotiation.

And congratulations--that's flattering that he doesn't have a typical freelance budget, nor use freelancers regularly, and is willing to consider your work--and pay you for it!

If he says he can't pay your rate--or at all--you can just walk away.

Dawn

ETA: If you do a search in the freelance forum, you'll find lots of threads on setting rates, etc., with other tips and viewpoints from other full-timers.

[harlemchick]

CatMuse,

Thanks for the advice. I sent the editor at Busride my query and clips. Now I wait.

Behlor