The Write Track: How to Succeed as a Freelance Writer in Canada. 2nd ed.

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

This second edition of The Write Track: How to Succeed as a Freelance
Writer in Canada includes the basic advice found in most books about
writing: “keep a notebook,” “include a self-addressed, stamped
envelope,” “never let the only copy of anything out of the house,”
and so forth. The really valuable part of the book is Wiley’s
first-person commentary and the fact that she’s writing about the
Canadian environment. “I’m giving you all these little vignettes,
insights and anecdotes,” she writes, “to show you what I
encountered, all unsuspecting, and what I learned, too slowly about
aspects of the writing life that most writing books don’t tell you.”

Wiley doesn’t pull any punches. What do you do when you encounter the
standard contract clause that authorizes free reproduction in Braille?
Wiley says that she doesn’t sign it because “if CNIB pays its
janitors … then it can pay its writers, too.” Looking for a referee
for a grant? “You have to be political here … because although
everyone is bending over backward now to affirm equal rights, some
rights are more equal than others.”

The first four parts of the book cover the mechanics of writing. Parts
five through eight deal with the business of writing, including
marketing, agents, lawyers, writers’ organizations, copyright, and
electronic rights. Items specific to the Canadian environment include
the GST, Access Copyright, Canadian granting agencies, RRSPs, and a
recommended fee schedule in Canadian dollars.

Especially useful is the clause-by-clause discussion of a standard book
contract; in comprehensible terms, Wiley explains what the clause means
and the practical impact of the clause on the writer. Sample letters and
contracts, a contact list, and a reading list round out the volume.

Wiley has “been there and done that.” Freelance writers working in
the Canadian context will benefit from this seasoned pro’s advice.