Inkygirl: Daily Diversions For Writers

From the Inkygirl cartoon archives:

A while back I posted about About.com as a venue for freelance writers, wondering about what rights they’re asking for and expressing doubt about the commitment in light of the pay offered.

Someone claiming to be an About.com guide posted in response: “I am an About guide who makes about $60,000 a year and some guides make much more than do. I think your impressions of About are wrong. Maybe this page will help.” The person who posted did not include an e-mail address. I asked them to e-mail me privately so I could verify that they were indeed a Guide and also to ask them some questions. They never wrote me.

However, another About.com guide kindly agreed to be interviewed (I approached him) but asked to be kept anonymous. This person finds the pay fair, and says that many of the Guides make upward of $1500 a month. He puts in about 20-30 hours a month (”I try to spend an hour each day, though I haven’t really been working on weekends.”)

According to the current Guide contract, Guides can re-sell their content elsewhere as long as they pay About.com 50% of the profits. The company can use Guide content elsewhere and outside of About.com, but promises to pay the Guide 50% of any direct revenue earned this way. I’d be curious to know what they mean by “direct”…does this mean Guide content can be posted somewhere else without permission of the author? In another site that may not necessarily generate direct revenue?

So far, however, the Guide I interviewed says the experience has definitely been worth it. Thanks to his Guide job, he has been able to get other professional blogging jobs for well-known companies, and he has “absolutely no complaints.” He also points out that many people have been exposed to his writing. “This has clearly been a great career move.”

I did some research online, and found this Guide contract online, but it’s clearly Work-For-Hire; I haven’t seen a copy of the current Guide contract so I’m not sure how much this has changed. Those unfamiliar with copyright terms should read this excellent article by Moira Allen. Here’s part of what she says about ‘Work for Hire’:

“When you sign a ‘work-for-hire’ agreement, you lose all rights to your work, including your copyright. If a publication chooses to run that work without your byline (or under another byline), it has the right to do so. The publication also has the right to edit, alter, reprint, or resell your material. Most alarmingly, you may even be liable for copyright infringement if you write another article that closely resembles the ‘work-for-hire’ piece.”

I also found several mentions of an old lawsuit by a group of Guides against About.com but was unable to determine the lawsuit results.

Anyone out there know how it was resolved?

In any case, it looks as if being an About.com Guide is a good gig for some writers. Just be sure to read the contract carefully and be aware of what rights you’re giving up.