Which magazine pays the most for tips?

[Phil Thien]

Anyone know which magazine pays the most for reader's tips?

[Jason Beam]

Looks like I misunderstood the question ... d'oh!

[Chuck Lenz]

Why do magazines need to pay for woodworking tips when they can get them for free in woodworking forums from us ? Sometimes I think woodworkers are their own worst enemies, myself included.

[Kim Spence]

One of the magazines (believe Popular Woodworking but not positive) is running a contest for the best tip, they're giving away a couple of Festool Dominoes. I think the tips have to be submitted by end of July for consideration.

[Bruce Benjamin]

Shop tip of the day: Instead of paying a lot of money on a magazine subscription to get your tips, just read a couple of wood working forums and get a bundle of them every month. :rolleyes: Will that one win me a Domino?

Bruce

[Chuck Lenz]

Probably not Bruce, but everyone will think you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.

[Neil Lamens]

Hey Phil:

You haven't been answered but rather misread, unfortunately I have no idea what magazines pays the most for woodworking tips.

Hopefullt this will bump you up for an answer.

Neil

[Bruce Benjamin]

Probably not Bruce, but everyone will think you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.

:D :D :D That's all I'm asking for. :rolleyes:

Bruce

[David DeCristoforo]

Phil, no offense but you are living in the past. "Back" in the "old days", when there were many more woodworking and project oriented publications, you could actually get paid for this stuff. Now most of what you read is paid for with a "by line" or a small (very small) monetary consideration. In 1975 I was typically paid around $1,200 for an article (more if it was featured on the cover) in a nationally circulated mag. Right now I'd be lucky to get a couple hundred for the same work. Tips (or "kinks" as they are called "in the biz") used to pay an average of $25 - $75 each. But with the concept of "reader written" publications that currently dominates the "industry", guys will give them away just for the pleasure of seeing their name in print.

[Nissim Avrahami]

Hi Phil

Wood Magazine has "Top shop tips" forum and if your tip is selected to be published, you get $75. They "bought" from me 2 tips.

niki

[Phil Thien]

Phil, no offense but you are living in the past.

No worries, I have no ill-conceived notion of a magazine bestowing BIG money for a tip. I just want to know who pays the MOST for a published tip. Or offers a shot at something like the Domino (see Kim's post above).

[David DeCristoforo]

I just want to know who pays the MOST for a published tip. Or offers a shot at something like the Domino (see Kim's post above).

The best way to get this information is to request the writer's guidlines and/or payment rates from the various publications. There is also a book called "The Writer's Market" which publishes this information for most, if not all, current pubs and is updated yearly. Keep in mind that most pubs use a "sliding scale" to detirmine rates for different contributors.

[Phil Thien]

The best way to get this information is to request the writer's guidlines and/or payment rates from the various publications.

Sure, but it is also printed in the magazines themselves (typically in a sidebar where the tips themselves are published). Here is what we have so far:

Popular Woodworking (maybe): Contest for best tip submitted by end of July, with chance to win one of two Festool Dominos.

Wood Magazine: Pays $75 for published tips. They pull them from their "Top Shop Tips" forum.

Still need: Fine Woodworking, Woodsmith, Shop Notes, Workbench, what else am I missing?

I'll be happy to summarize if readers will open their favorite magazine and find out what they pay.

[Kim Spence]

Sure, but it is also printed in the magazines themselves (typically in a sidebar where the tips themselves are published). Here is what we have so far:

Popular Woodworking (maybe): Contest for best tip submitted by end of July, with chance to win one of two Festool Dominos.

Wood Magazine: Pays $75 for published tips. They pull them from their "Top Shop Tips" forum.

Still need: Fine Woodworking, Woodsmith, Shop Notes, Workbench, what else am I missing?

I'll be happy to summarize if readers will open their favorite magazine and find out what they pay.
OK, I looked through my magazine collection and here is what I found in addition to those listed above:

Woodworkers Journal - I looked in Oct '06 and they were paying $100 - $200 plus a Drill Doctor for the best tip in that issue.

Shop Notes - Vol 14 Issue 83 they pay up to $200 if they publish your tip, plus the top tip got a Porter Cable 690 Router

Woodsmith - Vol 28 Issue 166 they gave away a Porter Cable 690 Router to the top tip.

Popular Woodworking - April 2006 they were offering $25 - $100 for Runners Up, and a set of three specialty Veritas hand planes valued at $500 for the best tip.

American Woodworker - October 2006 they were offering $150 plus a shirt and shop apron.

Woodcraft Magazine - January 2007 they offered $100 for every tip published plus a $100 Woodcraft gift card for the best tip.

Anyone get other magazines not listed here?

[Kim Spence]

OK, I looked through my magazine collection and here is what I found in addition to those listed above:

Woodworkers Journal - I looked in Oct '06 and they were paying $100 - $200 plus a Drill Doctor for the best tip in that issue.

Shop Notes - Vol 14 Issue 83 they pay up to $200 if they publish your tip, plus the top tip got a Porter Cable 690 Router

Woodsmith - Vol 28 Issue 166 they gave away a Porter Cable 690 Router to the top tip.

Popular Woodworking - April 2006 they were offering $25 - $100 for Runners Up, and a set of three specialty Veritas hand planes valued at $500 for the best tip.

American Woodworker - October 2006 they were offering $150 plus a shirt and shop apron.

Woodcraft Magazine - January 2007 they offered $100 for every tip published plus a $100 Woodcraft gift card for the best tip.

Anyone get other magazines not listed here?
OK, I think I'm a magazine Junkie...here are some more I found.

Fine Woodworking - May/June 2007 $50 for unillistrated, $100 for illustrated tip plus best tip got a pair of Brian Boggs/Lie Nielsen spokeshaves

Workbench - Feb 2006 - Best tip winner got a Bosch cordless drill, jobsite radio, and flashlight combo kit.

Woodcarving Illustrated - Summer 2005 - $25 Fox Chapel Publishing gift cert for best tip.

ScrollSaw Workshop - $25 Fox Chapel Publishinhg gift card for best tip.

Woodwork - $35 - $75 for each tip published

Woodworking - $25 - $100 for each tip published.

OK, I swear thats all the magazines I get...

[Phil Thien]

Thanks Kim. Yes, you may be addicted to woodworking magazines. But we all benefit. :)

[Bruce Wrenn]

Here is a list of tips and payments I have received in last couple of years: Workbench-$50 garden hose handles for portable planer, FWW-$100 bench for hanging upper cabinets, Woodsmith-$100 using Wixey to set miter gauge.

[Art Mulder]

Phil, no offense but you are living in the past. "Back" in the "old days", when there were many more woodworking and project oriented publications, you could actually get paid for this stuff. Now most of what you read is paid for with a "by line" or a small (very small) monetary consideration. In 1975 I was typically paid around $1,200 for an article (more if it was featured on the cover) in a nationally circulated mag. Right now I'd be lucky to get a couple hundred for the same work. Tips (or "kinks" as they are called "in the biz") used to pay an average of $25 - $75 each. But with the concept of "reader written" publications that currently dominates the "industry", guys will give them away just for the pleasure of seeing their name in print.

(I added the emphasis above)

David, I found your comments very illuminating. I had no idea that the prices had changed that much over the years.

I have had a few articles published myself the past few years, in Canadian Home Workshop magazine. (not a huge magazine, but has a circulation of 108,000 up here in Canada) I sure can confirm that the first time you get a magazine in the mail with something in it with your name attached -- it's quite a rush. But as for compensation? Several people approached me and asked, half serious, if I was going to make a living at this. I had to laugh. Yes, the money is nice, but you're not going to make a living at it. (Unless you can managed 4-5 articles per month!) You're just going to have some fun, and get some cash for the tool budget.

I do disagree with your comments about getting just a "couple hundred" for an article. It's a little better than that. I've read the writers guide (http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/fw_authorguideline.asp) for FWW and they pay about $150 per published page, so call it $450-500 for your average 3-5 page article-- allowing for inserted photos etc. Still if you were getting $1200 for an article back in 1975 then this is a far cry from that.

From what I've heard, a lot of the "big names" who write for FWW and other magazines are (in part) doing this for name recognition, which helps their other business. For instance, if you're a ww'ing teacher, you can charge a lot more if you are featured in Wood or Woodwork magazine regularly than if you're just Joe Shmoe from Peoria.

And as for the original question regarding payment for tips... I find this a little puzzling just going by the numbers. If the average magazine publishes 10 times a year, that is only 10 opportunities for you to get that tip. Out of how many reader-submitted tips? Seems like a far far remote chance to me.


...art

[Chris Barton]

From what I've heard, a lot of the "big names" who write for FWW and other magazines are (in part) doing this for name recognition, which helps their other business. For instance, if you're a ww'ing teacher, you can charge a lot more if you are featured in Wood or Woodwork magazine regularly than if you're just Joe Shmoe from Peoria.


Bingo, we have a winner! Art, you hit it directly on the head. I know a few "published professionals" and they have confirmed exactly what you say. They are building their marketability and the proceeds from the actual article are paltry but, the advertising is priceless.

[michael merlo]

i think playboy does - 'specially for the big ones ....... oh ..... was that
"T I P S" ? ..... nevermind. :-)

(couldn't help myself)

[Doug Shepard]

i think playboy does - 'specially for the big ones ....... oh ..... was that
"T I P S" ? ..... nevermind. :-)

(couldn't help myself)

:D Stop it:D . Spraying coffee out my nose it not funny.