Writing Work-for-Hire by Tina Cho

New book alert: My work-for-hire chapter book, Asian American Women in Science: 15 Inspiring People You Should Know, published with Rockridge Press, an imprint of Callisto Media, yesterday, March 1^st, right on time for Women’s History Month!

As I begged, politely asked, people to review it, some asked what work-for-hire means, so I thought I’d explain.

A work-for-hire book is one in which a publisher, most often an educational publisher, finds writers to write books on a quick time table, according to an idea usually thought up by the publisher, and in which the copyright is in the publisher’s name. So that means they will pay the writer a one-time, agreed upon amount. The writer will not receive any more funds, no matter how well or poorly the book sells. Also, since the copyright is in the publisher’s name, they can do whatever they want with the book. The writer is giving them all rights to his/her work.

Pros of work-for-hire:

·       quick turn-around in getting books published
·       sometimes faster payment for your writing
·       a nice side gig if you want to earn some money (paying for child’s college, hehe)
·       a good way to add to your writing resume
·       a great way to get into the writing business working with an editor

Cons of work-for-hire
·       one payment, no matter how well the book does
·       giving up rights
·       fast turn-around of manuscripts, meaning it can be stressful doing lots of research and writing in a short amount of time

My experience

I started writing in 2008 for the educational, work-for-hire market. Most of you know, I’m an elementary teacher and still am. You can see my work-for-hire projects here. Lately, I haven’t pursued projects, but rather clients come to me. If I have time, I’ll accept.

The summer of 2021, an acquisitions editor from Rockridge Press emailed me. She had seen my bio in SCBWI and of course, my website. (Another reason to keep those bios current!). She asked if I was interested in this project—Asian American Women in Science. I was interested in the topic, but because it was so close to school starting, I wasn’t sure I could dedicate enough time to research. The editor said if I was interested I’d need to do a writing sample test on one of the women. So I thought, ok. If it’s meant to be, then…if not, that’s my answer. Well, it so happened, the editor chose me, out of the others in the running. So I prayed and told God, if He wanted me to write this book, He would have to help me. School was starting soon, and I had a daughter to move in to college.

So from July 26-Sept. 10, I was extremely busy writing 15 biographies, basically every two weeks, five stories were due. I paced on my calendar about how many days to write for each lady. I bought a new notebook (it’s the little fun things that count!) and added tabs for each scientist. I got into a groove of research and writing up my stories. The hardest part was finding enough information on some of the scientists. I wish I could’ve done interviews with those who are still living, but when I tried to contact them, there was no response. Or, I was told not to. 

 

What I learned:

·       I can write a chapter book of 15 biographies in a short amount of time.

·       Check You Tube for interviews of your source.

·       Be activists. I was amazed by the women still living and carrying out their mission. At the time of the writing, one of the women, Alice Min Soo Chun, was back in Haiti, carrying out her mission because they had just had another earthquake.

·       Women are unstoppable. We leave legacies for our children. They are watching us, even if we think they aren’t.

·       Never underestimate yourself and what you can do with your writing!

So maybe you’re thinking, I’m interested in doing work-for-hire. What are the next steps?

·       Here is a work-for-hire writing course from my author friend, Annette Whipple. Annette is graciously offering a discount: code KIDLIT25 for 25% off any of our courses

·       And here’s a handout from SCBWI.

·       Or you can jump in yourself. Go to the library and find the children’s nonfiction shelves. Write down the publishers, check the copyright. Look at the publishers’ websites and how to submit ideas or a sample packet.

For more information, see my posts here.

There are all kinds of work-for-hire writing assignments. Besides nonfiction, my husband and I translate and proofread Korean books for Tuttle Publishing. I’ve written guided reading books for schools, lesson plans, reading passages, devotions, and stories for magazines.

There’s a whole world of writing out there waiting for you to explore. Have fun!

Tina Cho is the author of four picture books with 2 more unannounced-- Rice from Heaven: The Secret Mission to Feed North Koreans (Little Bee Books 2018), Korean Celebrations (Tuttle 2019), My Breakfast with Jesus: Worshipping God around the World (Harvest House 2020), and The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story (Kokila/Penguin Random House 2020). Her lyrical middle grade graphic novel, The Other Side of Tomorrow, debuts from Harper Alley in 2024. After living in South Korea for ten years, Tina, her husband, and two teenagers reside in Iowa where Tina also teaches kindergarten. 

Kids' Nonfiction and Work-for-Hire ~ by Patricia Toht

On February 9, the world welcomed this book:

The Junior Ranger Activity Book
is available here and here.

It's a book of facts, games, puzzles and fun about the U.S. National Parks -- terrific for traveling families. And a GROGger is one of its authors!

Congratulations to...

Who better to co-write a book about the great outdoors than an author who is so at home there?

I had a chance to speak with Christy about her experiences writing the book:

Congratulations on the JUNIOR RANGER ACTIVITY BOOK, Christy!

Thanks, Patty. I was so pleased to see this book in print after months of working on various electronic and pdf versions of the manuscript. It's available online at the National Geographic website, as well as local booksellers and online sellers.

How did you come to write it? Do you have an agent who arranged it? Did you write a proposal to National Geographic Kids?

I wrote the book under contract with a book packager. There's no author credit given, but I felt fortunate to be part of the team.

How did it happen? I attended a Highlights Foundation nonfiction writing workshop in 2013, and there I learned about the option of working with a book packager. Basically, publishers contract with packagers to produce books they want -- mostly specific nonfiction titles. The packagers find the writers. Lionel Bender, founder of Bender Richardson White (a book packager), presented at the workshop. I was really impressed with his description of the work he does, and it sounded like an excellent option for getting my work published. I sent my resume to him (in England!), and nearly two years after the workshop, he asked if I would be interested in this project.

National Geographic Kids originated the concept for the book, and they asked Bender Richardson White to hire the writers.

So, NGK + BRW = a sweet writing job for CM!



Can you give our readers an insight into work-for-hire?

With work-for-hire, a writer is hired to perform a specific task for a set fee. With a book, the publisher sets the subject, length, word count, etc. Writers can work directly for the publisher or a packager, and contracts vary. My contract specified my hourly rate, deadlines, and deliverables for writing outlines, reports and text. In most arrangements, a writer is paid a fee upfront, rather than receiving royalties.

How did you go about researching the book?

Well, sad to say, I didn't get a travel budget! My research was through books and online sources. National Geographic also has a vast amount of information about national parks, and I utilized that.


What was your favorite part of working on the book?

I loved learning about the history of the parks, and so many odd animal facts! It was a great deal of fun seeing the book come to life as the photographs were collected and the text was incorporated into the books design. I also really enjoyed coming up with quiz questions, and the wrong answers for the multiple choice questions.

Christy's dog, Cheddar, is very supportive!

What draws you to writing about nonfiction?

I like all kinds of writing, but I particularly enjoy turning factual material into fun, interesting stories that appeal to kids. If even one child reads something I wrote and learns from it, how cool is that??

What advice do you have for aspiring authors of kids' nonfiction?

•  If you're interested in doing work-for-hire, check out the educational market. Laura Purdie Salas offers a very helpful book about this market, along with other resources. You can find all of her books for writers here.

• Regardless of what you want to write, I'll share the same advice I've heard more than once:

Know your market -- read, read, READ!

Hone your craft -- write, write, WRITE!

Find a critique group, preferably one with 

other writers in your genre -- revise, revise, REVISE!

Go to conferences -- network, network, NETWORK!

• Enhance your credentials as a subject matter expert through further education in your field, volunteer work, and publishing short pieces in your specialized area.

• Attend conferences that focus on nonfiction, like the 21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference. For insights into the conference, see this GROG post.

• Check out other GROG posts about nonfiction and educational markets by Tina Cho, Sherri Jones River's interview of Miranda Paul, and an interview with Nancy I. Sanders.

Christy with Marc and Abby

Thank you for all of the terrific information, Christy. I can't wait for your Spring, 2017 rhyming picture book! And good luck with your middle grade nonfiction proposal that is making the rounds. 

For more about Christy Mihaly, check out her website here, 
*especially the section for Educational Publishers, where Christy presents her credentials for writing nonfiction.*