HelloTokyo
Syndicating stories and writing for publications overseas can be lucrative, but there are pitfalls. Ruth Addicott reports
I
t’s 4am and your phone is pinging with a message from a picture editor in Sydney. If this is your worst nightmare, working for
clients abroad may not be for you but, for many UK freelances, it is big business.
Karen Pasquali Jones specialises in the real-life market (she
was founding editor of Love It and created Pick Me Up magazine). Since she started syndicating her stories abroad in 2016, she has seen her income multiply. Overseas work now makes up 50 per cent of her earnings. “I hadn’t thought about it until I went to the Middle East
and was working at Gulf News doing Friday magazine,” she says. “I was commissioning people from America, Australia, UK, Ireland, the Maldives – everywhere. When I came back, I thought: why am I not doing that? I set myself a target that for every good real-life story I had, I would try and sell it five times.” Jones will usually sell first to a big weekly such as Take A Break, That’s Life or Chat, then sell second rights to a national newspaper, Sunday supplement or smaller magazine, before selling it again to one of the nationals online – giving them exclusivity for one week. She will then go international, syndicating to the Middle East, India and Australia, often rewriting the story to fit each style. “It has got to be something amazing that will go
everywhere – the sort of ideal coverline story,” she says. One example involved a 26-year-old case study in England
who had a surrogate baby for her aunt in Australia who could not have children and, when she delivered the baby, it saved her life because doctors discovered she had cancer. Although some titles require a local link, there is demand
in Australia because a lot of people have English relatives. British journalist Kerry Parnell worked in Australia for
15 years as head of lifestyle at the Daily and Sunday Telegraph and executive editor of Marie Claire. Since returning to the UK two years ago, 80 per cent of her work has been for News Corp Australia, writing features, news, travel, celebrity stories and royal content. According to Parnell, the biggest challenge is the time difference. “Conversations can take days over email, so you have to factor that in to deadlines. Also, interviewing people on the other side of the world is usually at antisocial times. But it’s fabulous having a whole other market to work in. I was surprised to find myself writing more and more royal content for Australia – the appetite for it is increasing.”
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So how do rates compare? As in the UK, they vary. For a real-life story, it could be
anything from £200 up to over £1,000 depending on the story and the length. Jones always negotiates and has doubled fees in the past. She also pitches to a number of international titles at the same time to start a bidding war. If a story doesn’t sell, she will rewrite it, add a new headline and pitch it again three weeks later. Parnell says the rates of pay in Australia are similar to those here and, in her experience, publishers pay on submission rather than publication – another reason it appeals. Rates also depend on the sector. Freelance journalist Tom Minney specialises in African business and most of his outlets are in Africa and Europe. The problem he has encountered is many African journalists with lower living costs are prepared to work for low rates and bad terms. “At least one Africa-focused UK publisher thinks £150 per 1,000 words is reasonable and takes up to six months to pay,” he says. “The best South African and other international publications pay better. Rates in other African countries are often too low to consider.”
Top tips for selling journalism abroad
Do your research Look for reliable, well- established titles, if possible recommended by other journalists and do thorough research of the market you want to work in. Kerry Parnell says: “Find
out what newspapers and magazines are there, what sections and supplements they have and what content they run. Then really target your pitch. It doesn’t have to be about the country you reside in. If you make good contacts, then you can get a lot of regular commissions/ sales from them.”
Copyright Retain all the rights to your
work. Sell first British rights only so you are free to syndicate abroad.
Fees Always negotiate. Don’t forget to take into account tax and extra bank transfer charges and be aware of different regulations.
Contacts The internet and social media have made it easier to find contacts. Facebook, Linked In and Twitter can all be useful in tracking down commissioning editors abroad.
Build up trust Having a good relationship
with the case study is key. Karen Pasquali Jones ensures her case studies receive a fee each time their story is sold and also asks them to sign an agreement to ensure they will stay with her.
Style and language Be aware of different styles, turns of phrase and spelling, especially if you are working for US outlets.
Time zones Take into account the time distance and be prepared for pings and texts going off if you keep your phone by your bed at night.
Don’t give up If you don’t sell a story first time then rewrite it, add a new headline and try pitching it again later.
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