Let's chat.
How to reach out:
Before reaching out, check out the FAQs below to double check that your reason for reaching out hasn't already been addressed. I am a disabled, one-person team. So the best thing you can do is be patient, and if I say no or don't get back to you, it's nothing personal. I just have to choose how I spend my time quite carefully to get anything done.
Where are you located?
I grew up in Toronto, Canada, but I am currently dividing up my life between Marrakech (Morocco) and Toronto. The Morocco time zone is the easiest to work around for clients based in the UK & Central Europe since it alternates between GMT +1, the GMT time zone, and two hours behind England, depending on the time of year. However, I still do some writing & editing work for North American (American and Canadian) publications and organisations, and I normally work around that by reaching North American clients at the end of my day, and the beginning of their day. Whenever I am in Toronto, I am in the Eastern time zone (EST: GMT+5).
WhAT ARE THE BEST TIMES TO REACH YOU?
Boundaries & work/ life balance are a sacred principle for me and I take my work hours and rest hours very seriously. I answer emails and do client work Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM GMT time, but sometimes I break my own rule to answer emails of North American clients. Although I only break my own rules when making sure we're on the same page about something by the time I go to sleep is the core objective. Due to the nature of my lifestyle, I do remote work from other countries sometimes. When that adjusts my time zone over the short term, anyone I am working with at that point in time will be notified.
How much notice do I need to get started on a project?
Currently, I require at least 48 hours notice for all meeting and press bookings due to the fact I am a one person team and I happen to be disabled, always have multiple freelance projects in progress, participate in a few disability activism groups, and write books as well. Thanks in advance for your patience!
What is your average rate?
I typically charge an average rate of between $250-500 per article, blog post, etc. It's a range rather than a flat rate because every project varies in complexity, amount of research required, etc. However, because there are so many amazing indie publications out there that I am often honoured to write for I do make occasional exceptions for small indie publications that are only able to pay a lower rate. If you have any objection to the rate, think of it this way: you're not my only client or project. So this allows me to give your project the attention and quality it deserves.
Do you do speaking engagements, podcast guest appearances, or other press engagements?
Yes, and as an author and freelancer, I am always open to being pitched on new opportunities to do so. If you are organising an event, check out my speaking page for more information. If it's a press engagement, take a moment to give my press page a browse. Keep in mind I have a few conditions to saying yes:
1) You are providing a safe, comfortable environment and are willing to work around a few reasonable environmental adjustments that I will specifically intended for my neurodivergent way of thinking.
2) Your target audience are anyone who sees the value + importance of learning from neurodivergent lived experiences.
3) Personal preferences, which are a mixture of taste and how you have talked about or included disabled people in your events and activities in the past.
4) Time and capacity: sometimes I am just too busy to say yes, and am best to approach at some other point in time.
1) You are providing a safe, comfortable environment and are willing to work around a few reasonable environmental adjustments that I will specifically intended for my neurodivergent way of thinking.
2) Your target audience are anyone who sees the value + importance of learning from neurodivergent lived experiences.
3) Personal preferences, which are a mixture of taste and how you have talked about or included disabled people in your events and activities in the past.
4) Time and capacity: sometimes I am just too busy to say yes, and am best to approach at some other point in time.
Am I hiring or outsourcing any aspect of my business?
No, and that is not realistic for me at this point in time. If I am ever able to do, I will advertise what I need on social media.
Do I offer ad space on any platform?
No. Anything I endorsed publicly is something I feel is in the best interests of my audience, or something offered by either a friend from the advocacy community or a freelance client that I genuinely believe in.
AS A NEURODIVERGENT PERSON, WHAT REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS DO YOu requre?
I get sensory overload sometimes from trying to process too much in one day and that can mess with my energy, focus, and ability to do my work to the best of my ability. So patience is for sure at the top of the list. Some days I may be able to respond back to you right away, and some days I might need an extra day or two to respond to whatever you need. If you need anything urgently, explicitly communicate your deadline not by vague statements like "ASAP" or "end of day", but by saying a specific day and time you need an answer (E.G: Monday at 7PM). That way, I know to raise you to the very top of my priority list based on how much time I need to respond within your ideal timeframe instead of working on something else.
Other than that, written instructions stick much better than oral instructions. So anything written and visually oriented will help me learn what you need and when. I also like being given lots of time and space to work independently rather than having to answer a lot of questions on Zoom and other similar platforms, which can be a sensory overload trigger.
Other than that, written instructions stick much better than oral instructions. So anything written and visually oriented will help me learn what you need and when. I also like being given lots of time and space to work independently rather than having to answer a lot of questions on Zoom and other similar platforms, which can be a sensory overload trigger.
I want to interview you as a source for an article and/ or for academic purposes? Is that okay?
I am a freelancer and author. So I am always thinking practically about what will allow me to reach the right audiences, and help people trying to improve upon subjects I am passionate about. If you're a disabled writer, or someone genuinely trying to improve the lives of disabled people you care about, I am often pretty open to talking to you, especially if you're including neurodivergence in the conversation. Although in recent years, because I am disabled and the workload is growing, I do have to say no sometimes for mental health preservation reasons. Be really clear and upfront with me about your deadlines, and I'll decide from there if it's something I can help you with.
I want to pick your brain about the following. Will you do that?
Since I am a freelancer, I put paid work, my advocacy and charity work, and media opportunities that make strategic sense first. So often the answer is no unless you're referred to me by someone I trust. Even then I can't promise that I will say yes.
Will you write an endorsement for my book or freelance service?
If I genuinely believe in what you're doing, and I have some level of exposure to your work, I will do this. If not, I will politely decline. If you want my endorsement follow me online, and start engaging with work and social media posts I put out there. Everything I choose to endorse is based on trust built over time, and personal preferences.
I want to quote something you wrote in something I am working on (E.G: a book or written resource, audio recording, etc.) Can I do that?
Fair use regulations say that a few sentences of my book are fine, but anything that is a substantial portion of the quoted material requires permission. To request permission to publish parts of my book elsewhere, disclose your content usage on PLS clear, or reach out to the following email to request and submit a permissions form: pubrelease@hbgusa.com.
If you plan to quote a substantial portion of my book on another platform, be prepared to pay a copyright fee, which will vary based on usage. I get a portion of copyright fees through a program called Author's Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCs). So if you're disgruntled about paying, keep in mind what your money is actually going towards.
If it's an article or some other project I did that's not my book, it also depends. American publications have very strict rules about copyright. So if it's an American company or publication, contact someone on the masthead or someone who is actively involved in producing content to make sure you're following the rules regarding quoting published material on another platform properly. Any other context, keep in mind that a short, few sentences to a paragraph passage is often fine. Just don't take what I said out of context and use it for something completely different than many of the values I present online, please and thank you. Also, reference the original source, and mention that it's me who said it to keep things fair and honest.
If you plan to quote a substantial portion of my book on another platform, be prepared to pay a copyright fee, which will vary based on usage. I get a portion of copyright fees through a program called Author's Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCs). So if you're disgruntled about paying, keep in mind what your money is actually going towards.
If it's an article or some other project I did that's not my book, it also depends. American publications have very strict rules about copyright. So if it's an American company or publication, contact someone on the masthead or someone who is actively involved in producing content to make sure you're following the rules regarding quoting published material on another platform properly. Any other context, keep in mind that a short, few sentences to a paragraph passage is often fine. Just don't take what I said out of context and use it for something completely different than many of the values I present online, please and thank you. Also, reference the original source, and mention that it's me who said it to keep things fair and honest.