Online/digital media

The distinction between online and paper media is, of course, blurring - especially as many newspapers and magazines adopt "online-first" publishing strategies that in effect mean printing a digest of the website. Meanwhile a few online-only publications, such as salon.com, have achieved prominence and some may even be making money.

Regrettably, many online-only publications continue to pay lower rates than their printed equivalents. Some dual-mode publications try to pay less for work that appears online only. In both cases they do this because they can get away with it, not least due to the supply of enthusiasts wanti to see their name on screen.

The position is further confused by the phenomenon of the digital tail wagging the print dog in setting editorial priorities. This happens despite the fact that in almost all cases it is the print edition that pays your fee - and the salary of the person commissioning you. This may be worth noting when you negotiate rates for work that will appear in print.

Production work

For design and advanced production work for online publication, norms from the world of computer programming may still apply - and are often significantly better than those for magazine and newspaper production.

The "editing and production" section covers work for website production, website design and management only.

See also the Illustrations and cartoons section of this guide and the sections for newspapers and magazines. The Society of Authors' Quick Guide to Publishing Contracts covers some aspects of electronic book publishing. Links are below.