If interested, check out the Guidelines for Writers.
Payment is $10-$20 per article for articles of 250-500 words each.
If writing for this site, I encourage you to discuss the following clause with the site owner (especially the last sentence):
ALL WORK MUST BE ORIGINAL AND EXCLUSIVE TO FITMUSLIMAH.COM All rights and ownership will be transferred immediately to buyer (Fit Muslimah) upon payment. After payment, you must not use the articles in any way including as examples of your work.
5 comments:
Asalaamualaikum,
JazakAllahkhair for informing us of these opportunities.
How exactly do you suggest we negociate with the site owner about the copyright/ownership clause? Should one ask to increase the payment if they are persistent on complete ownership of our work?
If a publication already spells out their conditions, doesn't that mean that if you are interested in writing, you have to accept their terms?
As-salamu Alaykum, and thank you for leaving a comment.
There is often room for negotiation when writing for websites and magazines. The more valuable you are to the publication, the more likely you may be able to settle on terms that are more favorable to you, the writer.
In this particular case, I happen to know that the site owner is open to giving writers by-lines and scrapping the clause that says you must not use your articles in your writing portfolio. Of course, even with this information, one cannot assume anything and must take care to discuss these issues with the site owner in order to reach mutual understanding and agreement.
Asking for extra payment (as you mentioned) is another way to negotiate with an editor or site owner. Giving away all rights should not come automatically or cheaply.
Editors and site owners often ask for the maximum they can because it is more convenient and advantageous to their businesses. Also, some might not necessarily work with freelance writers on a regular basis and thus may not realize the value writers place on retaining the rights to their articles. Once they know, they are sometimes open to purchasing first rights instead of all rights.
Having said that, it is actually very common with this specific type of writing (SEO writing for the web) that the site owner asks for all rights - and the pay might not be all that low for someone who is an experienced SEO writer who knows how to research and write the articles quickly. SEO articles are not like magazine articles and generally require much less research to complete.
It does not hurt to (politely)discuss and negotiate the terms of any contract. But if the publisher remains firm about the terms, then the writer has to decide the pros and cons of the situation for him or herself. Sometimes you are in a better position to negotiate when you have been doing the job for a while and the publisher already likes your work. That is another thing to keep in mind.
walaikumasalaam sis Amel,
JazakAllahkhair & thank you very much for your prompt & detailed reply.
It was very helpful.
Also, as a result, i learned a new term - SEO - after googling it!
For people unfimiliar with that abbrv, it stands for 'Search Engine Optimization'.
As-salamu Alaykum, and thank you for writing back. Here is a Muslim-authored article on SEO that I found interesting to read:
http://dinarstandard.com/marketing/SEO100108.htm
"The Avid Writer" is also a Muslim-authored blog that is maintained by an experienced SEO writer:
http://avid-writer.blogspot.com/
Asalaamualaikum,
Once again, JazakAllahukhair for the links. I appreciate your help.
SEO writing is an interesting avenue i intend to explore inshaAllah.
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