teenasharma589: 7 Reasons to Write for Publications in Other Countries

By Mridu Khullar Relph

The world is flat, asserts Thomas L. Friedman, the New York Times? Foreign Affairs columnist and the author of the bestselling book by the same name. Never before in the history of the world have opportunities been distributed so evenly between people of colors, countries and gender. This is certainly true in freelancing. You could live anywhere in the world, never have stepped foot in New York City, but still have a fantastic career writing for some of the most respected names in the business.

I know of what I speak. I started my career ten years ago from New Delhi, India, writing for small publications around the world, including in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Bahrain, France, Germany, Sweden, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and of course, India. I?ve now lived and worked in four continents and written for The New York Times, Time Magazine, Marie Claire, The Christian Science Monitor, The International Herald Tribune, Ms. magazine, Vogue, Glamour, and many more.

I have also come full cirlce and wound up where I began in India and even today, 95% of my income comes from publications that are based outside of my home country.

Selling work to countries outside your own isn?t just an ego boost (though it can be one when you get fan mail from Malaysia). With editors increasingly demanding more and more rights and your income threatening to dwindle, selling reprints in different countries and non-competing markets can be a fantastic solution. Even if you simply resell your pieces to different markets in various countries, you?ll earn substantially more.

Pitching to a foreign magazine is no different from pitching publications at home. Just be careful of cultural differences though. What works in the West may not necessary be right for, or even acceptable in, the East and vice versa. You can find international publications pretty easily these days. Just enter in keywords of your choice with country names into Google and just watch those babies pop up!

Here are a few more good reasons why you should be writing publications outside your own country.

1. Better pay.

Publications in the US typically pay a lot better than publications in Asia. Publications in Europe typically pay a lot better than publications in the US or Canada. Publications that are in foreign languages will translate your work and pay you for doing no extra work. Publications that are outside of the English-speaking world that need good writers in English will come back to you repeatedly for more work.

There is immense opportunity out there if you?re willing to look, do a bit of legwork, and keep your eyes open for opportunites beyond your newsstand. I get e-mails on a weekly basis from editors in European countries from publications I?ve never heard of asking me to write for them. If I do a good job, repeat work is almost inevitable. And my income has soared as a result. These aren?t the sexy gigs, but they?ll keep you in business.

2. Less competition.

Most writers ? new or experienced ? will usually look for publications in their own countries to pitch story ideas to. This means that there are editors in about 200+ other countries that may not have regular reporting or analysis from your country. That?s a very fertile market with very little competition.

For instance, I currently write for two construction trade magazines, one in the UK and one in the US. Both pay well, give me regular work, and have no other correspondents based in my country. They?re eager to hear about new developments from my part of the world, and I?m more than happy to provide it. Because I?m the reporter on the ground, I?m the eyes and ears for these publications and hence my relationship with my editors is much more involved and friendly than it would be if I were just another one of a group of writers they hire in their own country. I bring a specific part of the world to them and that?s what makes me stand out.

3. Less legalese.

American writers are often so used to 10-page contracts that will ask for everything but the deed to your house that when a publication doesn?t offer up a written contract or just, you know, wings it, they balk at this idea and think it must be some sort of scam. Sometimes, it is. But in much of Asia, and a lot of Europe, this is the way business is done. ?We?re going to buy your article, we?ll have first rights, we?ll pay you ?1,000 for it. Deadline is end of this month. Capiche?? How simple is that?

4. Extra income for work already done.

As I alluded to earlier, if you?re smart enough to hold on to your rights (and admittedly, it?s getting harder these days), you have 200+ more opportunities to sell that piece for first rights in specific territories. And that?s just in the English language alone. Then there are translations, audio rights, all sorts of rewriting opportunites, and don?t forget reslanting that information.

You?re obviously not going to go all that far with each piece ? you chose this career because you found it exciting to write and report new things, after all ? but even if you follow up on 1 percent of those opportunities, you?ll have a better income and more credits.

How do you get paid by all these publications? Wire transfer is my method of choice, but checks should work, too. Paypal works. Talk about tax with European publications ? some like to deduct at source, which means they might lop off a third of your paycheck before it even gets to you even though you?re not paying tax in that country. You can get that money back, but it?s a headache. So discuss these things beforehand so there are no nasty surprises.

5. Higher readership.

If you?re looking to sell e-books or products from your own website, bringing international readers into your fold can substantially increase your readership and your market.

And why just e-books? You might end up selling international rights to your paperbacks, Kindle versions are now available all over the world, and Friedman?s flat world is especially becoming a reality in publishing where readers have always been open to new ideas, new authors, new cultures.

By consciously making an effort to include international readers in your work, you make fans for life. And how do you find these readers? By publishing in newspapers, magazines, and websites in their countries, of course.

6. Short lead times.

You know the women?s magazine that has been sitting on your FOB for about six months and has just now slated the piece for March next year? That doesn?t usually happen with non-US publications. Lead times around the world are far, far shorter than those for US magazines, so if you?re looking to beef up your resume with a few quick clips and credits, look to publications in Asia, where the lead time is the shortest I?ve ever seen. There ? I think I just answered the age-old question of ?How do I get published quickly?? that every new writer seems to ask. Tell me you don?t love me.

7. Makes you an expert.

Writing for international markets is a fantastic way of becoming a specialist in a certain topic. Say you?re an IT expert. If you can say you?ve been published in IT magazines around the world (or in X number of countries), that immediately lends you credibility and boosts your perceived experience on the topic. This, in turn, brings you more opportunities for speaking, presenting, teaching, and, of course, more writing. So if you write because you?re a specialist in a certain subject (or have a book out on a specific topic), writing internationally can be the key that unlocks many potential opportunties.

How about you? Do you regularly publish outside your country? Do you have any additional tips to add to the Comments?

Mridu Khullar Relph is an award-winning freelance journalist who has written for The New York Times, Time magazine, The International Herald Tribune, Marie Claire, Ms., Elle, and hundreds of other national and international publications. Check out her tips for writers on her blog and connect with her on Twitter or Facebook. She?d love to hear from you.