Freelance Writers, Ask Editors These Three Questions Before Accepting Their Offer to Publish Your Work

Because the essay fee isn’t the only way you can benefit from (and be harmed by) your published work

What we think of when we think about freelance writing (Photo by Christin Hume via Unsplash)

Let me get this out of the way first: I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice.

When most people, myself included, consider whether or not they should freelance their work, they think about the benefits: the flexibility to work on your own timeline, pursue your own ideas, and shop your work around to any and every magazine or literary outlet. The mental image we conjure of “freelancing” probably looks something like the beautifully filtered, soft-focus coffee shop image above (^^^).

This, needless to say, is not the reality. Freelancing involves a lot of self-initiative and self-discipline. It also comes with rejection and its own unique frustrations. So when you shop around an idea or an essay draft and you get an email from an editor who says they want to publish your writing, it’s reasonable to feel elated. You clarify the word count and the fee. You get back to work on the essay if it’s unfinished. A few days later, or sometimes even weeks later, the publication contract arrives in your email inbox. And the contract’s stipulations can make the…