December + EOY Newsletter
Hola desde Punta del Este, Uruguay! I’ve been here for about three weeks visiting my family for the holidays.
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If you’d like to work with me, I offer consultations where I workshop pitches and allow writers to pick my brain about the industry: LolaAnnMendez.com/Consultation
I worked 22 hours in December and filed 13 articles. Seven were assignments (as in editors contacted me to write the story). The other six articles were commissioned pitches (as in editors bought the article ideas I sent them). I sent 12 pitches this month—two were commissioned, two were rejected, and eight are pending a response.
Now let’s dive into the yearly stats. I worked 296.5 hours in 2021—about six hours a week or one full-time month of work assuming I had a 40 hours a week job. I made more than I would’ve if I accepted any of the full-time editorial roles I considered this year. Those jobs would’ve had me working about 1,920 hours this year with a parallel income.
My acceptance rate was low this year, about 17%, because I didn’t follow up as often as I usually do. I earned $6,000 less in 2021 than I did in 2020 (I worked an estimated 867 hours and wrote 260 articles in 2020). April was my most profitable month and I invoiced for five figures. October and November were close as I earned over $8,000 each of those months. February was my least profitable month at just over $1K. When I calculate the hours worked versus the amount invoiced in a month, I earned the most per hour in July at $397/hr and the least in February at $78/hr.
I wrote 125 articles this year. I worked with many publications for the first time including Porthole Cruise, LiveKindly, Well+Good, AFAR, TED Ideas, Bicycling Magazine, The Independent, The Vegetarian Times, Telegraph, USA Today, Broccoli, The Travel Magazine, Spruce Eats, and The Toronto Star. I also sold a greeting card and did about 43 hours of ghostwriting for a travel company.
Sixty-five of the articles I wrote were assignments—all but two were relevant to my beats and expertise. My proudest accomplishment of the year is carving a name for myself in the travel, sustainability, Latinx, and women’s health space and being recognized for my work by editors asking me to write stories within these verticals for their publications.
I sent 284 pitches in 2021—51 were commissioned, two are being considered, 194 were rejected (or I moved onto another pub or the subject was no longer timely), and 51 are pending a response. Of, the stories that haven’t been commissioned, there are about 20 titles I’m still hoping to land including the below in case any editors are reading this and would like to work with me on these stories:
What to Do if You’re Sexually Abused in the Air
This is why non-Black Spanish speakers should stop using the so-called 'term of endearment' Negrito
The Indigenous, African and Celtic Roots of Latin American Mediumship Intuitive Traditions (being considered by one pub but I haven’t heard back for over a month)
This Hot Sauce Makes Everything Taste Fancy
Meet the Brazilian Female Wall Street Exec Turned Kundalini Yoga Expert
Rwanda's Newest National Park is Now a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (being considered by a goal pub, but I haven’t heard back in months)
How the COVID-19 Pandemic Encouraged me to Finally get LASIK
A Sustainable Island Escape at Baker's Cay Resort
Guide to Vegan-Friendly Oral Health Care
Chlorella Health Benefits and Recipes
Where to find Vegan Food in Los Cabos, Mexico
Where to Enjoy Vegan-Friendly Food in Santa Fe, NM
These Snacks are Vegan and Sustainable
Why You Should Be Cooking with Tea
Why you Should Visit Hood River, Oregon this Spring
Why I Came Out as Queer at 30 in Uruguay
Why You Shouldn't Stack Rocks
Everything You Need to Know about Sustainable Banking
On Twitter, I shared my end-of-year thread with some of my favorite articles of the year. As promised, here are the rates and a bit more context behind the published stories:
How I Finally Forgave Myself For Being An Unintentional Mistress, Refinery29
The rate was $400 after negotiation to $0.40/word which is less than I usually earn at R29. The agreed word count was 900 and the published word count was 1,306. I wasn’t compensated for the additional work.
I pitched this story to Mirel Zee and working with her was fantastic. This story completely transformed from pitch to published essay. What I thought was a comical sex story ended up being a heartfelt piece about forgiveness thanks to Zee’s excellent editing.
Elon Musk: Climate Change Solutions Go Beyond Tesla, LiveKindly
The rate was $800, offered at $1/word. The agreed word count was 800, published word count was 1,231. I requested to be compensated for the additional work which required further research but didn’t receive payment for the extra work.
This was an assignment and I was thrilled to finally write for LiveKindly. I had two more assignments from the pub in 2021.
Three Frontline Workers—One Year into the Pandemic, Elle
The rate was $500, offered at $1/word. The agreed and published word count was 500.
This was an assignment and a follow-up to a 2020 interview with my childhood friend about her experience being pregnant during the pandemic and working as an ER trauma 1 surgical nurse. She’s about to have her second pandemic baby!
Monaco Is Becoming An Unexpected Leader in Sustainability, Architectural Digest
The rate was $225 after negotiation to $0.56/word (I had earned more for past AD articles). The agreed word count was 400 and the published word count was 575. I wasn’t compensated for the additional work.
This was my first travel piece for AD and was commissioned off of a pitch. I was already contributing sustainability stories to the publication’s Clever vertical.
Demi Lovato’s Documentary Highlights the PTSD & Long-Term Impact of Being Raped as a Teen, StyleCaster
The rate was $300, offered at $0.50/word. The agreed word count was 600 and the published word count was 638.
This was commissioned off of a pitch. I absolutely adore writing entertainment stories for Jason Pham who allows me to intersect entertainment and social justice in my articles for StyleCaster. Lovato came out as non-binary shortly after this article was published and Pham quickly responded to my email asking for their pronouns to be updated in the article.
Cindy De La Vega Is Paying It Forward As San Francisco’s First Latina Dispensary Owner, Refinery29
The rate was $500 and word count wasn’t discussed. I should’ve clarified, as the published word count was 1,320.
This was commissioned off of a pitch. Working with Thatiana Diaz at R29 Somos was a career highlight the last two years and I hope to work with her at Remezcla where she’s now the EIC.
Quarantine Taught Me How To Live More Sustainably & Here’s How You Can Too, Refinery29
The rate was $500 for 800-1,000 words. The published word count was 1,118 words.
This was an assignment and my first sponcon piece for R29. It was also my first sustainability piece for the publication. People still tell me the article has been a helpful tool for them on their path to becoming more green.
Why Queer Women Have To Create Their Own Sex Positions, StyleCaster
The rate was $250 for 500 words. The published word count was 644 words.
My editor Jason asked me for PRIDE stories after I tweeted that SF Gate had killed this story. He then passed it along to Bella Gerard who was incredible to work with and was very supportive when my relationship ended during the editing phase.
Queer journalists bullied me over this article on Twitter which was quite shocking and upsetting. But, late-in-life lesbians often contact me saying this article helped them. And well, this article was for them. A reminder that sexuality isn’t based on experiences or number of sexual partners.
Ask a Local: Where Can I See Live Music in Kansas City?, AFAR
The rate was $300 for 600 words. The published word count was 831 words. I wasn’t paid for the additional work.
This was an assignment after I responded to a call out for KC writers. I grew up there and it was a thrill to have my first piece in AFAR be about my hometown.
Why I Love Going to Nudist Beaches, CNN
The rate was $500 after negotiation. It was my first time working with Barry Nield, which was an excellent experience. The published word count was 1,111.
This was a commissioned article based off of a recycled piece that had previously been killed by Fodor’s but was more of a listicle, not a personal essay.
The Time is Way Past Due to Normalize Acne, POPSUGAR
The rate was $200 for 500 words. The published wordcount was 530 words.
I grew up with Kelsey Castañon and this was the first time I got to write a story for her. She reached out with this assignment and it was so much fun to finally get to work together.
After My Sexual Assault, My Tattoos Helped Me Heal, Refinery29
The rate was $500 for 1,000 words. The published word count was 1,214.
After Mirel Zee was so wonderful to work with during the editorial process of the firefighter cheater story, I knew I could trust that she’d work closely and carefully with me on this story that has lived inside of me for years.
Here’s one way to make solar energy more affordable and accessible: Share it with your neighbors, TED Ideas
The rate was $600 for 800-1,000 words. The published word count was 1,141. The invoice was overdue and TED Ideas paid double damages as per the Freelance Isn’t Free Law in NY State so in total I was paid $1,200 over 60 days after I filed the draft.
This was an assignment from Gulnaz Khan who was great to work with. I learned a lot writing this piece and was grateful for the opportunity to expand my knowledge of solar energy.
8 Tips for Talking to a Reluctant Family Member About Therapy, SELF
The rate was $500 for up to 1,000 words. The final word count, after several rounds of edits and additional interviews was 1,980 words. I asked to be compensated for the additional work and after negotiating I was paid an additional $300. In total I was paid $800 for this piece.
This was an assignment and working with Zahra Barnes was an excellent editorial process as she helped craft the draft into her vision for the article.
Shepard Fairey on Activism, Capitalism and a Life in the Space Between, InsideHook
The rate was $400. I generally don’t fuss too much about word count for Q+As as most of the writing is the introduction.
This was a commission based off of a pitch. I had written a guide to Fairey’s work for InsideHook and his rep reached out to offer me this interview. I love writing for Walker Loetscher, the EIC of InsideHook.
What to Know About Monaco's Luxurious Tree-to-Bottle Liqueurs, Food+Wine
The rate was $350 for 700 words. The published word count was 720.
This was commissioned from a pitch. I’m so proud of the stories I’ve written with Maria Yagoda and appreciate that they’ve accepted some of my more obscure pitches. They’re one of my favorite editors.
7 Wellness Practices You May Not Have Known Came from Latin America, Well+Good
The rate was $300. We didn’t discuss word count and the published piece was 837 words. I was extremely excited to take this title on as it’s near and dear to my heart. I’m still overjoyed that yerba mate is the cover photo!
This was an assignment from Samantha Leal. I’ve admired Leal’s career for quite some time and to finally write for the Latina editor was a huge career high of 2021. We worked on several stories this year that were assignments.
My Father Was Forced to Flee His Country; That’s Exactly Why I Protest Today, Refinery29
The rate was $1,000 for 1,200 words which was the agreed to and published rate.
This is the story I’m proudest of this year. It was also one of the most difficult articles I’ve ever written. This pitch was commissioned by Connie Wang who is a fellow daughter of an immigrant(s) and was the perfect person to help shape this story. I had worked with Wang about a decade ago when I still worked in fashion PR, so to have the chance to write for her was very exciting. The final polishes were thanks to the new Somos editor, Raquel Reichard, who I hope to continue to write for in 2022.
If you think AOC’s Met Gala dress is ‘white feminism’, you’ve missed the point entirely, The Independent
The rate was $300 for 600 words and the published word count was 660.
I was en route to the airport when I noticed people on Twitter calling AOC’s Tax The Rich dress white feminism—which I thought was outrageous. Holly Baxter had tweeted that she was looking for stories about the dress and commissioned mine. I wrote the article on my phone while going through customs on my way to Rwanda. The WiFi didn’t work on my flight so I was worried Baxter would have edits I couldn’t address but when I landed I saw the piece had published with very few edits. I secretly love doing quick opinion/news pieces like this and hope to do more of them in 2022.
Mexico: What it's like to travel to Los Cabos right now? USA TODAY
The rate was $300 for 600 words. I don’t have a paid subscription to USA Today so I can’t check the published word count.
Josh Rivera contacted me asking me to pitch stories about traveling in LATAM during the time of COVID-19 and assigned this piece. My second piece for him is about Uruguay and should come out tomorrow. This was my first time being published in a major U.S. newspaper!
Experts Say to Go Plant-Based to Boost Your Libido, The Beet
The rate was $250 for 500 words. The published word count was 616.
This was a commission from a pitch. I started to write more for The Beet in 2021 after the rates were raised to match my base fee of .50/word. I had a great experience writing for Stephanie McClain.
Basketball Legend Scottie Pippen Debuts a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Tea, Food + Wine
The rate was $300 for ~700 words. The published word count was 600.
This pitch was commissioned by Yagoda. This was my first time getting a celebrity exclusive and Yagoda was a great help during the process. Ending the year by interviewing such an epic human was stellar. I learned about Scottie Pipen’s collab with Smith Teamaker while visiting the tea house in Portland, Oregon.
My portfolio can be viewed any time at LolaAnnMendez.com. In December, I had five articles published. Each image is clickable should you want to read the story. This month I debuted in Telegraph. I have upcoming pieces in new-to-me publications including the Thrillist, Wine Enthusiast, and Broccoli.
I was interviewed by Uproxx about my best travel experience of 2021. It won’t be a shock that I said Rwanda topped the list!
I always post my calls for sources on Twitter.com/LolaAnnaMendez. Newsletter subscribers get a first look at what I’m working on. PR folks and/or individual people when relevant are welcome to send pitches for the stories I’m working on currently.
So far for January, I’m not looking for sources for any articles. I’m writing the titles below, but don’t need sources.
California's Lesser-Known National Parks
Why It's Important to Visit Ethical Visit Animal Sanctuaries
Vietnamese Beer that Gives Back
Why Spirits and Wine are Becoming Massage Treatment Ingredients
Nestlé is Going More Plant-Based but it's just Greenwashing
Interview w/Brazilian Indigenous Community Women Leaders & Environmental Activists
In December I attended the Adventure Tourism Mexico conference in Chiapas, MX. It was my first time in the southern state and I had the chance to experience some of the fantastic eco-adventure opportunities in the area. I then spent a few days in Mexico City with a friend and took myself on my first hot air balloon ride over the Teotihuacan pyramids and for a full-day of Frida Kahlo touristic experiences. I ate all the vegan food and can’t wait to return to DF.
I’m in the middle of seven weeks of continuous travel and am in Uruguay with my family through the end of January. I had paid for a trip Iguazu Waterfalls next week but am thinking I made need to lose the money because of the increase of COVID-19 cases. I’m due to be in NYC at the end of January as I’m being hosted to attend my third IMM conference. In February I’ll be headed to the last continent I have yet to visit—Antarctica. Follow my adventures on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.