10 Reasons Why Old School Freelance Writers (Including Me) Need to Lighten Up & Stop Whining
September 8, 2009 by Deb Ng
Filed under Freelance Writing
Deb’s note: This is response to a couple of blog posts I’ve come across in the past couple of weeks putting down certain content sites – and the writers who work for them. While I get where they’re coming from, I don’t believe we need to resort to insulting the writers who write for these sites. Old schoolers (including me) need to lighten up and accept the change.
I admit it. I get a little cranky sometimes. I hate seeing publishers take advantage of writers. I dislike the pennies per page view and fifty cents per article tradition. You may even be tired of seeing me complain about this all the time. I don’t deny going off on companies that treat WAHMs in an unfair manner or lower their rates on a regular basis, and I’ll probably continue to do so. However, while I know there are going to be poor opportunities for writers, I also know where to draw the line and end the whining. We can go on about low paying content until the cows come home, but it won’t change two very important truths:
- There will always be writers who accept low paying jobs, thus there will always be employers who pay low wages. We won’t change this – probably ever.
- Times have changed for freelance writers and we old schoolers need to stop being so crotchety and accept things for what they are.
Now before I go on, understand this: I’m not saying freelancers should accept dollar gigs. I’m just saying those of us who got our start in traditional media need to calm down and look at the situation for what it is. This may not make me popular among the traditional media crowd, but I’m just going to come out and say it: Lighten up. Times have changed and you need to get over it. Here’s why:
- The web is a different place. There’s a different type of reading going on. Web writers are going for the quick fixes and the short attention spans. Most people doing a web search want to get their information and move on. They don’t want to read an encyclopedia or medical journal. They want simple text, bullet points, sub heads and quick content. They want to scan, not read. Web searchers don’t want rocket science. They know where to go for the cerebral stuff and it’s not Google during their 15 minute coffee break. Web Writers aren’t necessarily interviewing experts or searching back issues, they’re using search engines and rewriting what they’re finding. That’s not necessarily worth five hundred bucks.
- There are different advertisers on the web. Web advertisers don’t pay the hundreds of thousands of dollars print advertisers have come to expect. Some huge websites like CNN or Perez Hilton do get high advertising dollars but this isn’t true of the average blog or website. It would be silly to compare this blog network’s revenue to Writer’s Digest. I simply don’t have their numbers and my advertisers don’t have their budget. However, as I bring in revenue my writers are paid a little more. This happens with many other content sites as well.
- People are writing for different reasons: Most of us write for the love, yes, but make no mistake: even those who love writing do so to earn money. The thing is, many of today’s web writers aren’t writing for the byline. They’re writing to work at home. They’re writing to supplement an income. They’re writing because it keep them busy in between tending to babies or driving to soccer games. They’re not interested in being copywriters or journalists. They enjoy writing for the web. Those who want higher paying clients or aspire to do a different type of writing will move on and do so, the rest are content to continue writing content. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this and old school writers need to stop convincing them otherwise.
- Web writers save money and can price their services a little lower: Web writers don’t have to commute nor do they have spend money on lunches, coffee, stockings, shoes or dressy clothes. They don’t travel for their jobs. They don’t need to take sources to lunch or buy business suits. For many, the savings makes up for the lower pay.
- Magazines & newspapers are low payers too: As a newspaper columnist I earned $25 per column. I also had a couple of pieces published in magazines paying less than $50. Not too many old schoolers are discouraging low paying newspaper or magazine gigs, is it because print is supposed to be more prestigious? It’s certainly more work.
- Freedom of Choice: Most writers know their options but prefer to stick with their comfort zone. As experienced writers we can educate against scammers and extremely low paying opportunities but in the end the choice of what to write, who to write for and how much to accept is all up to the writer. To be blunt, it’s none of our business.
- Instant gratification - I’m the first to admit instant gratification has made us lazy. However, many writers enjoy seeing their articles published right away with immediate payment in electronic accounts. They don’t want to query . They don’t want to attend meetings. They don’t want to schmooze on the phone or go to networking events. They’re happy sitting at their laptops and writing for content sites and earning a regular check.
- We can present options in a way that doesn’t demean or insult: We’re older and perhaps more experienced so we must know best, right? Not true. We know what we know. It has nothing to do with our age or what we have done before. As mentioned above, the rules regarding web writing are a lot different than print or corporate writing. If we disagree with the way a content site does business we should be able to present our side of the story in a way that enlightens rather than insults. To consider prolific web writers without talent or intelligence, makes the oldschooler look cranky and bitter. Why would anyone consider such angry advice? We should work on presenting ideas to all types of freelance writers instead of putting down certain writers for the life they choose.
- Sometimes we have to look beyond pay to see a good opportunity: Does the gig provide us the opportunity to work at home? Does it pay the bills? Does it allow us the flexibility needed to stay at home with our kids and take them to all their events and meetings? Can we take a vacation any time we like? Do we have the ability to drop everything and rush a sick relative to the hospital? Can we work from the coffee shop or beach house? Sometimes perks don’t come in a paycheck. Sometimes it’s worth it to lower our wages a little bit for happiness and peace of mind.
- It’s a different economy – People will do what they have to do to survive. We don’t have to like it, but we can respect their reasons and their willingness to do honest work to put food on their tables and keep a roof over their heads.
Does this mean I’m going to shut up and stop discouraging writers from working for certain sites or putting out two dollar blog posts? Not likely. While I understand the times are changing, I can still smell a crappy gig. I would be remiss if I didn’t warn freelance writers against a bad opportunity. However, I learned a long time ago web and print markets aren’t the same thing. To attack the credibility of freelancers who write for these sites or complain about every content site that comes along only makes us look old, cranky and out of touch. Besides, it won’t change a thing.
I like to think I’m open to change and new ideas. I’ve been writing for the web for at least a decade now, and I have seen rates go up and down. I’ve seen rules change and an influx of a different kind of writer. While I’ve made it my calling to share ideas and steer new writers in a positive direction, I also hope I’ve embraced the change some of my crotchety fellow old-schoolers are reluctant to consider.
We don’t have to like change. We don’t have to accept the jobs we don’t like. We don’t even have to like other writers accepting the jobs we don’t like. But damn it, we don’t have to be so cranky about it either. Lighten up and stop whining. Turn that negative energy into something positive. If you do, you’ll find more folks are willing to listen.
I think point number #10 sums it nicely. What works for me might not work for you and what works for you, might not work for me.
But in the end, we are all just trying to put food on the table – honestly and via hard work. Plus you’re right the economy has very much changed.
We are living in the freelancer economy. I read an article not too long ago on how more people today have multiple freelance gigs, versus say 10 or even 5 years ago. It’s a smaller more fragmented economy.
Thanxs for the article, Deb!!!
Here. Here. I think that if you are writing for a living, you are lucky. Period. Every time I pay all my bills and have extra left over, I get a little smirk on my face. That’s because I know so many people who just have a “job” in this economy or can’t even get paying work at all. I know someone with a college degree and ten years of experiences who makes $7.33/hr. And she feels lucky to be able to go to work in the morning because she knows people with no jobs at all. I love what I do and that I can live on it. So, while $15 an hour isn’t as exciting as $50 an hour, I’ll take it, love it and look for higher paying work while I cash my checks.
Thank you for saying this. There is a line that can be drawn between modest pay and insultingly low pay. I work the “modest” jobs because they are steady and give me the time to pursue my larger goals. I ran across one of those insulting blog posts recently and I did not appreciate the condescending attitude. My writing success may not match someone else’s idea, but I can do the math. I made ZERO dollars during February doing everything “right.” Then I had a few good months, and then I found a few web writing jobs. Now all of my months are at the very least “good” with some of them being “great.”
The quick work that I do does not prevent me from getting better work, it allows me to afford the luxury of time that so many old-school projects require. My highest prestige, and price per word articles, took five months to go from query to paycheck. That includes my oh-so-spectacular February.
Thank you Deb for holding the line against the $1 articles, as well as for respecting the $15 article writers.
You’re right, Deb, times have changed — radically.
The big print publishers I’ve worked for over the years — sometimes for ridiculously high rates — are barely surviving. I’m talking about Time Inc., The New York Times, and Scholastic Publishing. The editors I worked for are being laid off. The publications are going you-know-where (online, or down the flusher).
Meanwhile, websites are paying. Web 2.0 and SEO experience is considered a major skill.
I’m not saying you can make a full time living writing for Examiner. But I just paid for all my son’s homeschool supplies with my Examiner earnings (through Ebay and PayPal) — which is not all bad.
Cheers,
Lisa
I think it really depends on your version of what a crappy gig is. I know that in prior posts you’ve mentioned (I think it was you, but I could be wrong) not writing for LifeTips any longer because of their pay–but they pay .05 or more per word for their tips, which is a lot more than the average pay for a Demand Studios how-to article (which average about .035 per word).
There is a place for sites like Demand Studios (I’ll tell you that any time I want to go shopping at Old Navy
), but when I know writers who write 30 or more of these articles every week to survive, I think it’s important to let them know there is another way. I can write 30 articles a month and still make more than they make–and there’s really nothing that special about me that they don’t have too. Why wouldn’t I want to empower them to make more? That does go for print workers too, although I think some blogs are geared toward a web writing audience primarily, so maybe they don’t go there. As for putting writers down, it just depends on how you look at it. I can’t speak for anyone else (obviously) but I’m sure some would think that, when I compare working exclusively for residual sites or low-paying content sites as pricing yourself like a certain type of streetwalker they may see that as an insult. Really, it’s meant as an analogy to serve as a wake up call, but I’m not the thought police so everyone has to decide for themselves whether or not that’s a personal insult 
Also, as to your first point, it’s not easy to write for the web. I’m not saying you think this, but I can read your first point as though you are saying, “Oh, you just mash the keys and make it simple” obviously, I know you aren’t saying this, but it reads that way to me. You know as well as other writers do that simplifying complex topics while staying accurate and entertaining is NOT easy. DS has some complex financial and other topics that they want created exactly the way you explain in number 1. In reality, it would be easier to write it out as an encyclopedic entry because there is a train of logic to follow that lists out caveats, exceptions, if/then’s, etc. When you try to write simply and still insert this quality information in such a way that a person drinking that first cup of coffee can get it, it is challenging. And if you do it well, you deserve a lot more than $15.
No matter what you reasons are, there is no reason why you can’t make more money than you do at DS or any other content sites (unless you aren’t able to meet deadlines consistently or something) so if you choose not to, then you choose not to. But that everyone should just lighten up and walk on eggshells around you (the figurative you) is ridiculous. We can’t all run around trying to keep every blogger who criticizes something we’ve chosen to do quiet. Think about the current health care debate. No matter what side you’re on, chances are you don’t agree with the side you are not on. Should they realize they’ve crossed a line for you and stop whining? Of course not. They should do what bloggers are supposed to do (voice opinion and not spread lies). You can debate with them, make your point, dissent, or you can stop visiting their blogs.
Thanks, Yo.
Of course I feel writers should know their options, that’s not my point. I discuss the various available opportunities and ways to land higher paying clients every day. My point is, things have changed drastically for freelance writers. We can still offer alternatives, but to insult writers and their choices isn’t going to solve anything. It’s a different world now.
In regard to LifeTips, I expressed my disappointed with their 101 Tips books in which writers wrote the books for free in hopes of earning $2 per book. Most writers I know never earned anything more than the $2 per book their family members spent. I worked for LifeTips for some time and they paid me well. I don’t know how much things have changed for them in the years since I left.
There’s nothing wrong with empowering writers to earn more, I will always encourage others to seek higher paying opportunities. To call them names or go on angry diatribes because of the choices they make doesn’t help anyone.
I understand where you are coming from, but stylistically disagree (I don’t even know if that’s a real term, but I think you know what I’m sayin’). But, keep on keepin’ on–it takes all styles to make the blogging world go ’round
Rock on…
Yo, you lost all credibility when you began looking for free writers for your blog.
Yo Prinzel, pay the writer.
Hey,
I like being crochety
Thus your reputation for being FWJ’s resident crankypants.
In point number five, you say: “Not too many old schoolers are discouraging low paying newspaper or magazine gigs …”
Not true. The so-called old-schoolers (you refer to them as old school; I refer to them as true professionals with real skills and training) DO discourage writing for slave wages regardless of the venue.
Some, Dawn, not all. Many old-schoolers are against the idea of the content site more than they’re opposed to the pay. However, I must also note that most content writers are also true professionals with real skills and training.
You just wrote the obituary of the business, in my opinion.
Thank you for your opinion, Star. As always, I disagree, but thanks for weighing in.
No, at the root of the problem is the pay. If Demand paid a decent wage, most of the so-called “old schoolers” wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. In fact, some of us might even work for them.
And sorry — but I cannot agree that folks who write for Demand are true professionals with real skills and training. Some of them are probably really great writers, but that does not make them professional writers. If they were indeed business-savvy pros, they would know that Demand is taking advantage of them. You’ve certainly heard how profitable the company is? So sad. And for the new freelancers out there — please know that you don’t have to take this mistreatment just because you need clips and experience. There are sooo many other options. For real. Demand is a scam.
Dawn, while Demand is a wonderful place for beginners to get their start, did you know there are plenty of experienced writers? Authors, journalists, professional copywriters and more use Demand to supplement their income. Are they without talent as well? Without knowing the individual writer, you can’t make assumptions about skill, training or professionalism. You don’t have to like or approve of Demand but to insult the people who write for Demand without knowing anything about them or their background is just wrong. You can’t say they’re untrained or lack the talent unless you’ve read all their work. Given Demand’s strict hiring policy I can say, without hesitation, this isn’t the case at all.
It is impossible, absolutely impossible, to write QUALITY articles and make a decent wage under the parameters set by Demand. Maybe people are making 2K-5K per month, but they are either churning out junk or copying text from other places or something else equally questionable. Even a decent 300-word story requires research, interviews, editing, fact-checking. That cannot be done in one hours time.
The really sad part about Demand is their relationship with Livestrong. And the fact that writers are encouraging other writers to go the Demand route, when they could do sooo much better.
Dawn, I disagree. I can write a terrific short piece about topics I know intimately in half an hour. No research, no interviews. That’s because I KNOW the topic — and I’m a pro in the field.
Want to know about grant writing? Hands-on science education? Autism? I’m your gal. I can write you a “how to build a vinegar-and-baking-soda volcano and 15 minutes, and it will be great. I can provide you with an “elements of a grant proposal” piece in the same amount of time.
Of course, if you want me to write about a topic that is new to me, and include quotes from top people in the field, you’re asking for something completely different. In that case it could easily take me 8 hours. But that’s not what Demand is looking for. They want how-to’s, lists, and the like.
Lisa
Point taken, Lisa.
Deb,
I must be “old school,” because I’m not even sure what that neologism means. Low pay is not simply an issue between a writer and a business. Businesses are required to pay minimum wage, which varies by state in the U.S. Piece work does not exempt an employer (of employees or contractors) from minimum wage. The gigs you are defending are illegal.
I’m not sure I understand, John. Even at $15 per hour, that’s way above minimum wage in most states. How is it illegal?
Well said! I am in the same boat/demographic as you are, Deb, and we all do need to recognize times have changed. I applaud you for stating this and saying it so well!
Writing as a whole has changed, creating more opportunities and more competition. Which is okay. When it comes down to it, in the long term, talent, skill and a good work ethic are still rewarded.
Deb,
You write the most amusing posts. You are encouraging people in a race to the bottom, while professional writers are urging them to strive for the top.
I have to laugh about your assertions about writing for the web. Three of the last four articles I’ve written are for the web. All pay between 50 cents and $1 a word. Not a post. A word.
I’m so tired of hearing people trying to tell us “old-schoolers” things have changed. Oh yeah? Then why am I still get assignments that pay hundreds and thousands of dollars? Why am I editing books for major international organizations?
If someone was foolish enough to buy into the things you write, they would be led to believe all that is out there are venues like Demand Studios, Helium.com and Examiner.com. That’s not the case. But if that is the land you and other “writers” want to play in, that’s where you will always stay, while the rest of us will continue in our much more lucrative ventures.
Hi SCL. No, that’s not what I’m doing at all. If you’ve been visiting this blog for a while you’ll know that the one thing I have always been about is encouraging writers to continue to explore higher paying opportunities. However, I’m not going to pretend I’m ignorant to the fact that content sites exist. What I try to do is to explore the different content site opportunities and help writers figure out the lame deals vs the good opportunities.
Thank you for stopping by and offering your thoughts.
I wanted to voice my support, Deb. I see you taking a hit on certain blogs from freelance writers who don’t agree with your decision to partner with a content site.
First, I want to offer you kudos for keeping it real. Those of us who have been with you since your Write for Cash days know you have been using these sites for years.
Second, I want to thank you for your transperancy. You don’t accept money from Demand and pretend not to. You are vocal about your affiliation and you have my respect. Places like ProBlogger and Media Bistro also receive money from Demand but I don’t see the same indignation.
Third, I want to thank you for not getting all outraged and acting as if web content sites are the root of all evil. You worked for many years for web content sites and to all of a sudden express outrage them would be hypocritical on your part. If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s people who wrote for these places and now that they have no use for them consider them to be the worst thing for freelance writers. Your partnership with Demand Studios makes sense to those of us who have been with you since day one.
I imagine it takes a lot of money to keep a resource like FWJ going. I’m assuming you pay host fees, technical fees and your writers. To not accept sponsorships wouldn’t make good business sense. I attended a Media Bistro event in NYC recently and Demand Studio was the sponsor. Everything at that conference was Demand this and demand that. Demand Studio was pimped front and center by Media Bistro. I don’t see anyone kicking up a big fuss or threatening to boycott Media Bistro. I don’t see anyone calling Media Bistro names or questioning their credibility.
I also know you don’t expect writers to work for content sites forever. Thanks to you, I started with Write for Cash and LoveToKnow and took my experience to a higher level. I used the tips from your blog to land higher jobs. I won’t turn my back on content sites because I may need them again some day.
Thank you, Deb. Thank you for your honesty and guidance all these years.
Thank you, Karen.
On a marginally related note — what, exactly, is the difference between –
1. content for a “content site” (Helium, Examiner, Suite 101)
2. content for site like About.com which pays differently/expects more
3. content for a corporate site (marketing material etc for the web)
4. content in the form of articles for a news/feature site (CNN.com)
5. content in the form of a personal blog that’s monetized (eg Deb’s blog here)
6. plain ordinary writing of whatever sort that winds up on the web
7. writing for big sites like Huffington Post
Are these all “content?” And can the term “content” refer to what’s in a book, magazine or newspaper — or is it a web-only term?
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Sorry for the late response – I wasn’t around over the weekend.
Some sites like Suite101, b5Media, About.com and Examiner are the equivelent of a blog or online column. Users are chosen for their expertise in a particular topic and they write about that topic as often as directed (in their contract) and receive either a flat fee or residual payments based on traffic.
For sites like Wisegeek, Demand Studios and LoveToKnow, writers choose from a pool of available titles and write articles around those titles based on the website’s guidelines. They’re generally paid per post.
Corporate sites hire writers to create content for two reasons – the first is to bring in search engine traffic and the second is to create interest in their product or brand.
For a site like CNN, they hire journalists much in the same way a newspaper hires journalists.
I hope that helps?
Deb
Thanks, Deb — I kinda knew the type of material included in each sort of site, but was wondering whether “web content” is a catch-all phrase meaning “words included on any website under any circumstances” while “content site” means something entirely different.
While the payment is different, I don’t personally see a huge difference between, say, my work for Tonic.com (I’m paid a monthly fee to blog regularly about science topics) and my work for Examiner.com (I’m paid a residual fee to blog about education) and my work for About.com (I’m paid a flat fee plus incentive to write and blog about autism).
In all three cases I’m writing “content” on a regular basis for a site that collects blogs/articles, uses SEO/web 2.0 as a marketing tool, and pays me as a freelancer. My guess is that, on an hourly basis, Tonic.com is the best fee — yet About.com is by far the best exposure, and Examiner.com offers the most writerly freedom.
Meanwhile, I’m negotiating with a corporate client who’s interested in having me write a blog on green issues to help position her business as “green.” I’ll probably be paid a per-blog-post fee in that case. Her site isn’t a “content site,” but won’t I be writing “web content?”
You see so many ads asking for “web content;” just trying to wrap my brain around what that really means!
Lisa
I guess I’m a hybrid of an old-schooler and a (hmmm, what would the term be? a new-schooler?) and (okay, why not) a new-schooler. I was a professional journalist for years, but I’ve also done some writing for the Web, too.
I say, do whatever works for you, as long as it does work for you. Personally, I am more gratified and typically better paid (although not always) for writing traditional by-lined articles for various publications. Is that all that I do? No. Am I open to new things? Sure. But part of why I became a writer to begin with is so that I could tell other people’s stories. Yeah, yeah, it’s sappy, I know. I just find a lot more personal satisfaction in writing that allows me to do that, so that’s what I seek out. But I am not going to criticize someone who finds that writing short SEO articles for, say, Demand Studios or some other client, works out best for them. After all, I wouldn’t want that person to tell me that I shouldn’t pursue what I want to do, would I?
Hi Jennifer, I like to think of myself as a hybrid as well. I’ve dabbled in both and, compared to many members of this community, I’m pretty darn old.
Thanks for stopping by and offering your comments.
Something I’d like to add since writing this post and reading other blogs posts (in response) from all over the web is that I’m not saying everyone now has to write for content sites or this is your only choice. I’m not saying we should all start accepting lower pay. I’m not saying it’s and “old school vs new school situation”. I’m simply saying that content sites are here to stay. We can fight them, or we can find ways to make the most of them, and find the best opportunities. These opportunities aren’t for everyone and I’m not saying they are. However, I would be doing a disservice to the FWJ community if I wasn’t honest about the types of writing many of them choose to take on.
My recommendation has always been to use content sites as a springboard to better opportunities, or to use them to supplement the income. I don’t think it’s my way or the highway and I don’t think everyone needs to suck it up and write for content sites. I don’t even think writers should write for content sites forever.
My point is to have an open mind and realize times have changed. When I started in publishing (20 years ago, heh) there was outrage over the writers who wrote for free or a byline to gain experience. I make the same comparisons to content sites today.
Anyway, I don’t know what else I can say about this that hasn’t already been said. Use content sites, don’t use them, it’s all about choices. Do what’s best for you.
Great article! Points 9 and 10 hit home for me. I work from home at my kitchen table, with a view of the lake we live on. I write in a field I truly love, enjoy, and know with over 15 years of experience in the field, a B.S. degree and graduate coursework. Yes, I am a pro in my field. To have this opportunity is incredible to me. That’s not to say that I won’t strive for higher goals. I certainly am doing so. However, a regular check to pay the bills in the meantime so I can work from the lake office, is worth my time.