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Freelancer Issues

In which we discuss the joys and the sorrows of being a freelance travel journo...

Tags: freelance writers, freelance writing, freelancers, travel writers

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tiana Templeman on August 12, 2009 at 6:40pm

Greetings all

Thought you might enjoy this post on the so-called symbiotic link between freelancers and coffee shops.

http://herrhorn.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/how-starbucks-might-kill-f...

Cheers
Tiana
www.tianatempleman.com

Permalink Reply by Robert J. Nebel on August 28, 2009 at 3:50pm

Has anyone published on examiner.com?

Permalink Reply by David Paul Appell on August 29, 2009 at 6:46pm

Hi Robert...I noticed one of our members, Jen Miller, listed Examiner.com among her credits. You might also try using typing it into the search engine to see if there are any others.

Robert J. Nebel said:

Has anyone published on examiner.com?

Permalink Reply by Sue Frause on September 3, 2009 at 4:21pm

Hi Robert: Yes, I'm both the Seattle Travel Examiner and the Vancouver 2010 Olympics Travel Examiner. Have been doing it for the past year. The group of travel writers who are active are great, as is our Channel Manager Grant Davis. And I'm making $$! Examiner just purchased Now Public, if you're familiar with that site. A lot of travel journalists turn up their noses at Examiner, but hey ... print is slowly disappearing. In fact I'm mostly all online, and I prefer it over print. It's fresh, it's now and it never ends up in the bottom of a bird cage.

Robert J. Nebel said:

Has anyone published on examiner.com?

Permalink Reply by Grace Lichtenstein on September 3, 2009 at 6:53pm

I am the New York Cycling Examiner. The money is less than pocket change for me. I'm doing it because I am PR director of the NY Cycle Club, & I can publish news of int erest to local riders and bike shops at Examiner, but I don't see it even as a part time job.

Robert J. Nebel said:

Has anyone published on examiner.com?

Permalink Reply by Robert Ellsworth on September 19, 2009 at 4:49pm

Don't expect to make any money. Expect to do a lot of writing, html, and work, with little compensation.

Permalink Reply by Sue Frause on September 20, 2009 at 11:11am

I'm actually making money ... more than from the no-longer-existing print publications I used to write for. Examiner is working out to be a fairly good gig. I'm nearly 100 percent online with my work these days -- that's the future, and the $$ thing will continue to be an issue until they figure out how to pay writers. But I'm on board -- no living in the past for me. New media is here to stay!

Robert Ellsworth said:

Don't expect to make any money. Expect to do a lot of writing, html, and work, with little compensation.

Permalink Reply by Susan Frost on October 6, 2009 at 5:09pm

Hello Sue and other members of this group,
Interesting discussion about writing for examiner.com. I checked out their need for writers and it does appear genuine. My question: does anyone know if the examiner.com is looking for photographers in each city--just as they are looking for writers?
Susan Frost

Sue Frause said:

Hi Robert: Yes, I'm both the Seattle Travel Examiner and the Vancouver 2010 Olympics Travel Examiner. Have been doing it for the past year. The group of travel writers who are active are great, as is our Channel Manager Grant Davis. And I'm making $$! Examiner just purchased Now Public, if you're familiar with that site. A lot of travel journalists turn up their noses at Examiner, but hey ... print is slowly disappearing. In fact I'm mostly all online, and I prefer it over print. It's fresh, it's now and it never ends up in the bottom of a bird cage.

Robert J. Nebel said:
Has anyone published on examiner.com?

Permalink Reply by JoAnn on October 7, 2009 at 10:30am

Hi Grace-- Interesting cycling coverage! I wanted to let you know that my online magazine, thecitytraveler.com, has posted a review of the new David Byrne book, Bicycle Diaries, and is also runnig a giveaway of the book. If you'd like to let your members know, I'd appreciate it. Check out the site for information! Thank you, JoAnn

Grace Lichtenstein said:

I am the New York Cycling Examiner. The money is less than pocket change for me. I'm doing it because I am PR director of the NY Cycle Club, & I can publish news of int erest to local riders and bike shops at Examiner, but I don't see it even as a part time job.

Robert J. Nebel said:
Has anyone published on examiner.com?

Permalink Reply by Robert DiGiacomo on October 7, 2009 at 10:34am

I'm also an Examiner -- my topic is Cheap Eats in Philadelphia -- and I find that it's a mixed bag, as far as a revenue source. The more you post, the more you make, but also the more work you have. I think it really depends on topic and how well Examiner is doing in a particular local market.

JoAnn said:

Hi Grace-- Interesting cycling coverage! I wanted to let you know that my online magazine, thecitytraveler.com, has posted a review of the new David Byrne book, Bicycle Diaries, and is also runnig a giveaway of the book. If you'd like to let your members know, I'd appreciate it. Check out the site for information! Thank you, JoAnn

Grace Lichtenstein said:
I am the New York Cycling Examiner. The money is less than pocket change for me. I'm doing it because I am PR director of the NY Cycle Club, & I can publish news of int erest to local riders and bike shops at Examiner, but I don't see it even as a part time job.

Robert J. Nebel said:
Has anyone published on examiner.com?

Permalink Reply by Marcia Frost on October 9, 2009 at 10:19am

I am the Wine And Spirits Travel Examiner and the College Tennis Examiner. Currently, I make less than anything else I do, but I'm hopeful that they are making some changes to improve this. The system is a bit strange since you are doing a column and not getting paid by the article or month. It's all on traffic and the rate isn't great.

That said, the people working there are great and extremely helpful and I really believe that they are looking to turn it into one of the biggest portals on the web. I have found that there isn't enough of a difference in the money by posting five times a week vs. posting once or twice a week. So, I have had to (for strictly financial reasons) write less than I would like to. If the pay increases, I would love to make Examiner my top priority.

It's definitely worth a try if you have a well-searched topic.

Marcia

Permalink Reply by Victoria Gutierrez on October 26, 2009 at 4:14pm

For those of you interested in/ successful at the Examiner model, you might be interested in the Local Expert program at NileGuide.com. Check it out here: http://blog.nileguide.com/2009/05/18/local-expert/. I may be biased, but I like to think that we nave an accessible, fun, and inviting program that pays well and gives you lot of visibility as an expert of where you live. If anyone is interested (we need writers world-wide) drop me a line!