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June 30, 2010: C-Monster on The Future of Freelancing
Here is a post from C-Monster to stiffen our spines and remind us of our mission:
For two days last week, I traveled to Stanford to participate in a conference on The Future of Freelancing. Needless to say, any gathering of journalists these days is akin to attending a deer-in-headlights convention. It's a fraught time to be a freelance writer. Newspapers are shutting down left and right. Magazines, which have historically paid the livable wages, are thinner than ever. And everyone seems to want journalists to write for free, or almost free - or, worse yet, for "exposure." And any time anyone even utters the word "exposure," I am seized with a terrific desire to bitchslap Arianna Huffington.
June 23, 2010: Another Class Action Moves Ahead
If you have been published in The Montreal Gazette
since 1994, please read to prepare for the eventual distribution of $9
Million from CanWest Global and CanWest Publishing to eligible
freelancers. The link below will also provide information on how to
exclude yourself from the class action if you assess your potential to
collect damages from the companies as an individual is greater than by
joining the collective and you wish to engage legal representation to
proceed on that basis.
Here is part of the announcement from the ERDC:
The
Electronic Rights Defence Committee (ERDC) is pleased to announce it
has reached a tentative settlement with two of the defendants in our
long-running class action arising from unauthorized electronic use of
the freelance stories in The Gazette of Montreal. In addition, the
Quebec Superior Court has ordered the posting of a Notice to Members of
the class together with copies of the settlements. This starts the ball
rolling toward a payout to class members.
Visit http://erdc.ca/?p=298
for PDF files of the settlements with CanWst Global and CanWest
Publishing as well as the official notice to members of the class
action.
As you may know, PWAC supports this initiative. We
encourage our members to read the official documents to determine if
they qualify as members of the class action and for other information
about these two settlements. The process of claiming compensation will
not begin until the judicial process is complete, including settling
with at least one other defendant in the ERDC's case. You can contact
the ERDC directly if you have questions at info@erdc.ca.
June 11, 2010: Evil villians at Industry Canada?
Following the blog of Canadian copyright expert Barry Sookman is a good way to keep up with developments that will affect your negotiating position with publishers in the future.
For instance, today Barry linked to a piece by Texas musician Guy Forsyth, an artist so committed to economic justice for creators that he may have gone a little overboard on his conspiracy theory. Still, his analysis of some of the technical contradictions in the draft bill tabled June 3rd is instructive:
When reviewing any proposed legislation dealing with the online world, it is well to keep in mind that you have to assume that unscrupulous operators such as Limewire, Isohunt, or the YouTube founders, will do everything the law does not expressly prohibit plus about 50% of what it does prohibit as long as they can tie up creators in court with legal obfuscations or bully the creators who can't afford to resist. This means that the law likely will be violated as soon as it is passed and may in fact create an ex post facto "gotcha" that will actually undermine its stated purposes. So - attention must be paid. Litigation delays and obfuscations are the principle tools of the bad guys. You don't have to litigate your right to stop someone from stealing your car - you just call the police. If every victim of theft had to litigate their right to call the police, the law in its majesty, would fall on its face.
For the true policy wonks among us (c'mon, I know you're out there!) dig into that friendly advice from an American colleague.
As we delve further into the draft bill I feel completely justified in quoting a well known source, now in the public domain: "Curiouser and curiouser!"
June 05, 2010: Winners Announced for the Inaugural PWAC Writing Awards Competition
Winners and runners-up have
been announced in the inaugural writing awards of the Professional
Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) for stories published in 2009 in
print or on the web.
The winner in the features category (over
1,200 words) is Jenn Hardy for her entry "Cleanup in Aisle One," which
appeared in the July/August 2009 issue of This Magazine. The runner-up is Carolynn Semeniuk for "Christina's World," which appeared in the December 2009 issue of Swerve Magazine. The other finalists in this category are:
- Eve Lazarus for "The Parent Trap" (Enterprise)
- Kimberley Noble for "Why Garth Drabinsky is No Ordinary Fraudster" (Toronto Star)
- Kerianne Lauren Sproule for "Girls Interrupted" (Swerve Magazine)
- Kim Gray for "Magic Hour" (Alberta Views)
The
winner in the short articles category (1,200 words or less) is Philip
Fine for his article "Her Tough Literary Voice and Frankness About Sex
Masked a Fatal Vulnerability", which appeared in the October 6, 2009
print edition of The Globe and Mail. The runner-up is Susan Pinker for "Extra Credit," which appeared in the November/December 2009 issue of Psychology Today. The other finalists in this category are:
- Ann Chandler for "Royal Rewards" (More)
- Ann Chandler for "Sage and Stewardship" (Canadian Cowboy Country)
- Wendy Helfenbaum for "A Fine Romance" (Canadian Family)
- Giancarlo La Giorgia for "Good Eats, At Your Convenience" (The Globe and Mail)
"Congratulations
to the inaugural PWAC Writing Award winners, runners-up and other
finalists. The judging panels' selections demonstrate the rich
diversity and overall quality of journalism and creative non-fiction in
the country," says PWAC President Tanya Gulliver. "PWAC is pleased to
showcase the skills of Canadian writers through the award competition."
Gulliver
also thanked the competition's judges for their expert consideration:
Stephen Kimber, Elaine Kalman Naves, Bilbo Poynter, Maxine Ruvinsky,
Eric Siblin and Jennifer Walker.
2010 is the first year that
PWAC has presented the PWAC Short Articles Writing Award and the PWAC
Features Writing Award. "Interest in the competition exceeded our
expectations, particularly the number of entries received from writers
outside of PWAC's membership," Gulliver said.
The winners and
runners-up were announced on Friday, June 4, 2010, at MagNet, Canada's
premier magazine industry conference. The first prize in each award
category has a $500 value, including a free PWAC membership for a year
(if eligible).
PWAC, established in 1976, is the national organization representing over 600 freelance writers and journalists in Canada.
More information:
Sandy Crawley, Executive Director, scrawley@pwac.ca, (416) 504-1645
Tanya Gulliver, President, tanyagulliver@gmail.com, (504) 292-0683
June 05, 2010: Michael Totzke Named Editor of the Year by the Professional Writers Association of Canada
Michael Totzke, the Editor of Canadian Interiors magazine, was named Editor of the Year yesterday by the Professional Writers Association of Canada.
The award recognizes Mr. Totzke's outstanding editorial work during the 2009 calendar year. He was presented with a plaque and gift during the Writers' Industry Awards Luncheon at the MagNet magazine conference in Toronto. Holly Bennett, Editor-in-Chief of Today's Parent Special Editions received an Honourable Mention for her work.
"Great writing and great editing go hand in hand," said Tanya Gulliver, President of the Professional Writers Association of Canada. "This award is one way for Canada's freelance writers to express their gratitude and admiration for the top notch editors working in this country. Congratulations to Michael for his achievement."
This is the third year PWAC has presented the Editor of the Year Award. Nominations are submitted by PWAC members, and a panel of judges evaluate the nominees based on criteria that includes editing and communications skills, the ability to bring out the best in writers, and the fairness of pay rates and contracts.
PWAC, established in 1976, is the national organization representing over 600 freelance writers and journalists in Canada.
More information:
Sandy Crawley, Executive Director, scrawley@pwac.ca, (416) 504-1645
Tanya Gulliver, President, tanyagulliver@gmail.com, (504) 292-0683
June 04, 2010: Professional Writers Welcome Debate on C-32 Draft Copyright Amendment
The Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) reports from their Annual General meeting in Toronto that they welcome another opportunity to strike a balance in our copyright law. The draft bill tabled this week in Ottawa, Bill C-32, moves towards harmony with the global framework set out in treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) that Canada signed in 1996 but has yet to implement. PWAC acknowledges the federal government attempt to align our laws in order to strengthen the legal tools required to give and retain value for copyright materials in the global digital marketplace.
But there are errors in the structure proposed in the draft bill. "This summer's promised debate and discussion are essential to striking a more appropriate balance between accessibility and value than is present in the draft," said PWAC Executive Director Sandy Crawley when reached at MagNet, the annual pan-industry conference of magazine publishers, editors and writers. "We need to determine whether the dismantling of fundamental structures that make Canadian writing and publishing worth pursuing, as proposed in C-32 as drafted, is unwitting or intentional."
PWAC President Tanya Gulliver noted that the current political landscape offers an opportunity to ensure that the issues are thoroughly debated and more widely understood by MPs and their constituents. "We will be working with our partners in the writing and publishing industry to make sure that all parties understand what is at stake for Canada's creative economy if the draft Fair Dealing exceptions move forward." C-32 as written contains a blanket exception for education that is particularly troubling to the writers group. Gulliver added that PWAC does support the proposed five-year automatic review of the legislation as a sensible mechanism in this time of rapid change in communications technology and usage.
The organization agrees with the Canadian Publishers Council's statement as reported in Quill & Quire that every exception to copyright results in reduced incentive to invest in the publishing process, reduced innovation, reduced author royalties, reduced employment, and reduced output of cultural expression.
PWAC, established in 1976, is the national organization representing over 600 freelance writers and journalists in Canada.
More information:
Sandy Crawley, Executive Director, scrawley@pwac.ca, (416) 504-1645
Tanya Gulliver, President, tanyagulliver@gmail.com, (504) 292-0683
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