Real Lives...

Love them or loathe them, the majority of newspapers and magazines rely heavily on real life stories nowadays. No longer reserved for the tabloids, real life stories are found in almost every printed publication, from the broadsheets, specialist titles, the weeklies and glossy monthlies. Why? Because real life stories attract readers and readers attract good sales figures.
Our thirst for looking through a window into other people's lives is at an all time high. You only have to read the viewing schedules in the TV mags to get an idea of what the general public are watching. Whether it's Big Brother, BGT, The Biggest Loser or the Apprentice, the premise is the same - we all love to observe others. Sometimes we empathise with the people on our screens, other times we laugh at them. Often we watch because it  makes us feel better about ourselves and our own lives.
And magazines/newspapers are no different. Editors know we devour these stories, which is why it is big business in the media.
I subscribe to a press agency that supplies details of editors looking for real life stories on a daily basis. Publications range from titles such as Love It! to the Guardian. Whether it's a request for stories about women who have had bottom implants or stories about drug legalisation in the UK, they are all desperate for real life experiences and stories.
So, what does this mean for the freelance writer?
It means that if you can learn to spot a good story, as a freelancer you will never be out of work ever again. If you have good interviewing skills and can empathise with people from all walks of life, you can earn a fortune from writing for the real life market.
I have sold several real life stories for people over the years and have met some really lovely people in the process. Stories can come from all sorts of places. You could overhear a conversation at the supermarket checkout or at the school gates about someone who lost ten stone by eating nothing but carrots. One of your work colleagues might mention that her sister is taking her own son to court because he borrowed her car without asking permission. You might discover that your lovely elderly neighbour is a serial bigamist or that the butch lorry driver who lives down the road, is a big kid at heart and saves up every year to go to Disneyworld.
Even if you tend to specialise in subjects such as health, you will, with a bit of investigation, soon discover that there are people all happy to discuss their personal stories with you, in return for publicity, notoriety or payment.
Talking of payment: if you find someone who wants to sell their story, and find an editor interested, it usually works like this: You stay in contact with the person wishing to sell their story, you interview them and agree a fee with your editor. Depending on how topical or big the story is, will depend on the fee the editor is willing to pay. If you have an interview with someone who has already been mentioned the press, or is famous or even infamous, then the fee can easily run into the thousands. For smaller stories, such as health, affairs of the heart, or lottery/competition wins, fees start at a few hundred pounds for the interviewee and the same for the writer. Sometimes the publication will ask the freelancer to sort out paying the interviewee, but more often than not the commissioning editor will arrange to pay the interviewee themselves and pay you your fee as usual.
We all have experiences and stories that we can share, and whilst it may be tempting to sell your own life story to a magazine or newspaper, I would advise against it. Yes, you could make a fortune selling that story about the time you caught your partner in bed with the milkman, but whilst you might make a few hundred pounds, it won't do much for your reputation as a freelance writer. As a rule you can only generally sell a real life story once. Better to be the one selling other people's stories for them, than get your own skeletons out of the closet for all the world to see.