A Little Bit About Responsibility
I’m about to make myself unpopular again.
I’ve been following a situation with interest. A few weeks ago at a message board for Work at Home Moms, the WAHM writers became incensed after learning of a report that listed work at home moms as being the source to go to for $3 per article writing gigs. In fact, the discussion stemmed around a marketing report in which a gentleman, who paid $50 to stock his website with content , turned around and sold said website for $12,000. It may have made the WAHMs angry, but it’s the truth. I’m forever seeing content seekers throwing out insulting offers and believe me, there are plenty of takers. If WAHMs don’t want to be seen as cheap labor, they need to stop accepting these offers.
I started FWJ as a service to my fellow WAHMs because I wanted them to see they had options .Even the newest writers could find jobs paying respectable wages. The same people who complained were also taking on $2 gigs or submitting their content to mills for $3 or $4. FWJ was a way to suggest there were better alternatives. Some would agree others would politely tell me to bug off because they had to do what they needed to support their families. The same WAHMs wouldn’t work at McDonald’s for below minimum wage, yet they would accept jobs that pay $1.50 for 500 words. The problem is, when you’re churning out hundreds of articles for content mills and webmasters, you’re just mass producing. What happens to the quality of the writing? What happens to the facts? This was a few years ago, clearly the situation hasn’t changed.
Several months back I asked who bears the responsibility for poor or regurgitated content on the web. The webmaster or the writer? Today I have a different question about responsibility. Who bears the responsibility for low paying articles - the webmasters and content mill owners who pay slave wages, or the writers who accept these wages?
I used to blame the webmasters, after all, they’re the ones who don’t want to pay us what we’re worth. Now I believe the responsibility falls mostly on the writer. It’s the writer who accepts these wages. It’s the writer who just Googles and rewrites articles. It’s the writers who put articles through a spinner so they can get 30 of the same topic. As long as writers accept these wages and accept these jobs, nothing is going to change. Webmasters pay these wages because they can.
Now I’m probably going to suggest something that will anger many of my fellow WAHMs. I’m going to suggest if they’re getting a reputation for accepting low rates, they probably brought this bum rap on themselves. Though we all have to start somewhere, accepting sweatshop wages will only establish the author as someone who writes content for cheap. If you don’t want the rep, don’t accept the wage.
The WAHMs are all pledging now to "strike" and not accept $3 jobs and I admire them for it. But I also wonder if it’s a little too late. Webmasters already know they can pay these wages and there will still be plenty of takers. Besides, I submit that for every WAHM who strikes, there will be another two or three who take the gig because they don’t feel they have other options.
I don’t wish to insult my fellow WAHMs, I’m a WAHM too. I know how hard it is to do what one has to do to make ends meet. I know the feeling of desperation one gets when realizing there’s no money to pay the bills. I know what it’s like choosing something I don’t want to do over leaving my child in day care or with a baby sitter.
I also know I have the upper hand. The Internet brings many opportunities to us and we as writers hold all the cards. Those who want good writing know they have to pay for it. Let’s show them we deserve better than what they’re offering. As moms we have the most important jobs in the world, surely we’re strong enough to say no to $3 jobs!
Thanks to Courtney at Web Writing Info for bringing this situation to light.
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Monday, December 31st, 2007 at 6:47 pm under
I’m a WAHM also. I’m a business owner and recently got into freelance writing.
I do believe that part of the blame does fall on the writer if the webmaster sees a trend with a certain group regardless if it is fair, or not some will continue to prey on those who accept the cheaper pay. I won’t do it.
It’s been three weeks for myself and I’ve picked up all my jobs on my own through my main website. I marketed myself. I blogged getting into freelance writing and some of my readers/also webmasters contacted me.
They offered me very good pay. I’ve checked here but haven’t applied for anything yet. I have to say I was shocked at how low the pay was on some websites. A lot of words were requested but the pay didn’t match.
December 31st, 2007 at 7:05 pmI agree Deb. I Started writing in August of this year from a gig I got right here from your blog. Maybe that’s the reason I have never considered such low pay - because I started off with a decent offer. I am familiar with the board you are mentioning and was sad to see how the “strike” divided so many of the WAHMs. Many of the writers who were accepting the low pay were insulted when others tried to rally everyone to stop accepting such low pay. A lot of the moms complained that in order to get higher paying jobs they would have to start marketing themselves and some were not interested in doing that. Just last week another “Job poster” showed up offering $3 pay for articles just the other day and reported that he had quietly received several bids for the work he offered.
I believe that you must value your writing skill and your business. I understand the desperation of having to pay the bills, but at some point it just seems something’s got to give. I am proof that you can make more money than that starting off. I think the key is realizing this is a business and treating it as such. That means learning how to run a business which includes some form of marketing and networking. I know you have to start somewhere, but if yoou write for $3 an article that’s all it should be is a start. WAHMs work too hard not to be paid their worth, but I don’t know what it will take to convince the ones who won’t move beyond $3 articles.JMHO
December 31st, 2007 at 7:10 pmLet me see if I’m understanding this correctly. The WAHM’s on this particular board are incensed because a report singled them out as the place to go for $3 articles. So, they are threatening to strike and stop writing $3 articles? Do I have that right? If I do, then I’ll have some other comments to make.
December 31st, 2007 at 7:11 pmMy sentiments exactly — even though I’m a Dad.:)
I learned this lesson 10 years ago. I was selling ads on the side and the sales required extensive (Chicago and burbs) local traveling. As writing business started to come back from a 1995 downturn, I started losing more money (opportunity cost) from writing I couldn’t take on than the money I was earning on selling ads. So I resigned the ad-selling position, and never regretted the move.
I did take on one very low paying client for a couple of months in 2002, but even that paid more than the items you mention.
This summer was my worst in 16 years, but rather than take on such insulting (in terms of pay) work, I spent the time marketing, marketing, marketing, and came up with what now is my best paying (total amount, not hourly) client, which not only pays in the low four figures every month — but also pays five days after being invoiced. The client apologizes if I don’t have the check within 10 days.
I’ve also made inroads with other prospects, though no actual work yet.
One has to consider the opportunity cost (losely defined as opportunity lost when doing something else — accounting 102) when taking on low-paying work.
As you mentioned, there’s always McD’s, or better yet, Starbucks — which offers health benefits at 28 hours a week. If one has an infant at home, that may not be the best choice — I took on less work when my kids were younger — but the amounts you mention don’t even qualify as being insulting. Non-profits pay more — I’ve done some nonprofit newsletters and the pay was low, but not insultingly so.
December 31st, 2007 at 7:18 pmHear, hear, Deb. This has been a situation that I’ve blogged about and commented on at great length. I’ve stressed many a time that if you don’t want to be taken for a ride, don’t get onto the wagon.
What many people who take on $3 jobs fail to realize is that they are not supporting their families - they are losing income. They are passing up on better-paying jobs, they are forking out for an internet connection that costs money, they are paying taxes on their earnings… when everything is said and done and the real numbers are on the table, they have lost money.
This makes no sense to me.
Buyers who go for cheap work are not stupid, ignorant or any other name that people would label them. They are smart, savvy businessmen who see the opportunity to make money at very low cost and investment.
So I agree - webmasters are not to blame in this situation. Until the writers put their foot down and say, “No more,” and until buyers know beyond a doubt that this country or that country’s writers can’t be abused, nothing will change.
I ask: Who is to blame for the reputation that WAHMs work cheap? Certainly not the buyers.
December 31st, 2007 at 7:22 pmGreat post - I think in general the WAHM market undercuts themselves - I hear of too many moms in that situation always scraping to get by.
WAHMS need to sit down and look at the numbers in their business and be willing to say “no”.
December 31st, 2007 at 7:27 pmI agree with your theory, Deb, although I do want to point out that many of these “writing mills” get their $3 labor from overseas… particularly from countries where $3 actually buys something other than a Happy Meal. Although WAHMs need to say “no” to these low wages and establish themselves as professionals (worthy of professional pay), they are not solely to blame for the webmasters’ assumption that writing can be obtained for pennies.
December 31st, 2007 at 7:35 pm@Morgan - You’re absolutely right. And I’m not listing WAHMs as the sole reason for low paying gigs, either. My point is that if WAHMs don’t want to be seen as the “go-to” people for low paying content they need to stop accepting the offers.
December 31st, 2007 at 7:40 pmThanks Deb. This topic comes up regularly on the forums I frequent and it’s frustrating. I’ve turned down many jobs for the pittance the “editors” offer. I’ve had a few come back and act very insulted. Their problem, not mine.
I did make the mistake of taking on a textbook proofread at a very low cost - it was actually standard bottom-of-the-rung fee but very low for me. I did the work to the best of my ability but I told the project manager that I would never do that amount of work for that amount of money again.
Although they didn’t offer me more work, they did come back to me with glowing praise at how great a job I did (it was a medical text book chapter). They commented on how I picked up on a lot of things usually missed. I wrote back and bluntly told them that normally, you get what you pay for. If they were paying their proofreaders so low a fee, they weren’t going to get quality work.
You would think that would get through some heads, but it doesn’t.
oh well, we can only go on doing what we’re doing. Those of us who are worth the higher pay will get it - it just takes a bit of work to convince the buyers that they need what we sell at the price we sell it.
December 31st, 2007 at 7:45 pmI do want to add that how you handle the situation of being asked to work for next to nothing or changing a client’s views of paying more for writing is very, very important.
Writers who act lofty, make condescending comments and come off as snots because they’re being asked to work at low rates aren’t helping the situation any. I’ve seen a few of these. “That’s an insulting fee and I refuse to work at a pittance. If you want sweatshop labor, find someone else.”
Wow. The client is going to come off stinging from that slap.
Instead, try: “My rates are X dollars, and while I realize you may pay less elsewhere, by choosing my services you receive XY and Z benefits. I’d invite you to look at the suggested industry rates at writers.ca and you’ll see that my rates are very competitive but within industry standards.”
It’s a much, much better way of coming off as a professional writer worthy of higher rates.
December 31st, 2007 at 7:54 pmI’ve been following the same thread at that forum too. Personally, I do blame other writers (not WAHM but any writers who take low wages) as a major reason that we are offered such low wages. Yes, sure they note that they need to make a living but your McDonald’s scenario is right on. You could make more money almost anywhere else over taking on $3 articles.
I also get that it’s hard. I want to stay home with my son too and I do, but I won’t take slave wages to do it. I’d do something else first. Mainly because it’s obnoxious and disrespectful to writers to offer or take such low wages for work.
I wouldn’t be so sure of the situation if I hadn’t had editors and clients tell me straight up, “Why should I hire you when I have people emailing me that they’ll please, please work for free.” But sadly many clients have told me this. This begging for a shot is unnecessary and keeps wages lower than they should be.
I dislike the people offering low wage jobs sure, but more so, I highly dislike the writers who take them. I don’t care if that makes me mean or insensitive because I wasn’t born with a portfolio yet I never worked for free. Not when I first started and not since. It’s not necessary and while people have tried to change my mind (mostly with the, you have to work for free at first argument) I haven’t seen a good enough argument yet to change my mind.
Wow, that was a rant. This is my personal writing pet peeve though so…
Excellent post and a much needed topic of discussion.
December 31st, 2007 at 7:56 pmOMG - I agree with you 100% and could write on and on about this topic. I was talking to some other WAHMs in another forum and found myself getting increasingly frustrated at the responses they were posting:
* I accept these rates because I’m a hobby writer and getting paid a few pennies for a hobby is better than getting nothing at all.
* I accept these rates because I can’t compete with professional writers and I have to start somewhere.
* The only people who have a problem with these rates are professional writers who think they’re better than the rest of us just starting out.
And, so on . . .
You have no idea how wound up I’ve been getting reading all of that because, for one, it’s a bunch of hooey. Seriously, people. Attitudes, assumptions, and having the wrong beliefs about situations is bringing the industry standards down. (Like you, I think I’ll be ticking a lot of people off writing like this - but I don’t care because it’s just rediculous.)
December 31st, 2007 at 8:05 pmThanks Deb! Hail to being unpopular! I think you are right, and people who whine about “needing” $3 article jobs undermine us all. I, too, am new to freelancing, doing it fulltime since August. My first article I wrote I earned $500. That’s because I networked! Now, not every article gets that of course, and that was print rather than web which I think tends to pay higher, but still….
December 31st, 2007 at 8:22 pmAnd a warning about a job posting - “New Content Production Site” is for demand studios. I originally saw their ad on journalismjobs.com a few weeks ago. $100-$250 for content. Decent pay, so I applied. I received a response - it’s for ehow.com. $10 article for 15 articles to start! The e-mail also included a 20+ page attachment that was their stylebook. I wrote back and declined, said my rate was higher, and then I wrote to journalismjobs to complain that the ad was misleading. They never responded, and I’m sure there are many takers, but my time is way more valuable than to crank out substandard articles for that little of pay!
As someone who started her career from scratch 18 months ago, I do remember having the attitude — briefly — that I would have to take scraps if that’s what it came to. However, that attitude didn’t last long. For one thing, I found Deb’s blog. My first gig, which I landed from this blog, paid me $650 for two articles. The second turned into a regular corporate-writing gig that lasted nine months, at market rates. The third turned into a $2,000/project gig for a Web site. I jsut finished my third project for them.
I do understand someone who has NO portfolio being willing to do a few projects for free just to have something to show. However, being a declared freelance writer and getting “paid” $3 per article is … VOLUNTEER WORK. So if you’re going to do that, just tell them to skip the pay. What you’re doing is volunteering your time to put content on their site. By the way, there are some instances when that’s appropriate. Like when it’s a charity you believe in, or a friend you’re helping out. But someone who has a commercial Web site? You’re going to volunteer your time to help them make profits? I guess I’m not seeing the point of doing that. If you needed someone to paint your living room and you posted an ad on Craigslist saying you’d pay $3, do you think you’d get any responses? Of course not. So when you take $3, you’re saying that you’re worth $3. There are lots of writing clients besides Web clients, by the way. Seek out corporate work or journalism.
And I know I sound like a broken record, but before you launch a writing career, you need to develop a life purpose. Then, you only do work within that life purpose — work that has meaning to you. A funny thing happens when you take this approach: all of a sudden, you have an abundance of meaningul work. Energy attracts like energy. So when you have a passion for something, that thing has different energy beind it than some crap assignment, and it attracts better circumstances. Really! Your beliefs also play a huge role in your success. I have a firm belief that there is plenty of high-paying work available and that I always get paid quickly. Consequently, that’s what happens to me. I have never waited more than 10 days for a paycheck. Your core beliefs drive every result in your life. Many freelancers believe that freelancing is a risky business and that collections are always a problem. And, therefore, that’s exactly what they get.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:05 pmI was tired of reading the drama over at that site, so I avoid it right now. While I completely agree that every writer deserves more than $3, I find it unnerving how each side attacked the other. I don’t need any more bickering, I have 3 little kids that do that enough for me!
I started out in April with AC making $6 an article and it has gone up from there. However, I recently accepted a $3 a post job. ONLY because the posts require NO research and are actually 200 word journal posts that take me 5 minutes. If they took any longer, I would not be doing it.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:06 pmPS I did not mean that I’ve had three gigs in 18 months. I meant that I’ve landed three well-paying gigs off this blog. And by the way, I always send Deb an hour’s pay!
December 31st, 2007 at 9:07 pm@ Amy - Those types of sites tend to be very vicious. Yes. I wear armor on the few occasions I dare to cross the border into hostile territory.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:12 pmElizabeth’s and Jenn’s posts got me thinking. If one of the main reasons why WAHM take these low-paying jobs is their feeling that they can’t compete with professional writers, it doesn’t make tons of sense to take $3 an article work. I’m sure that what is being produced isn’t show stopping, especially if you’ve got a zillion of them to write.
If the issue is not having a portfolio, doesn’t it make more sense to do volunteer writing, especially for a place that you know and care about? I’d imagine that the writing would be higher quality, you’d write about something you care about, the organization is thrilled, and you have a few clips to start with!
I could never quit my day job(s) for $3 articles, but I could find time to write for organizations I care about to start building a portfolio.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:27 pmAmy U,
Whether it’s $3 or $6, how many 200-word articles (even with no thought) can you do in a day? For how many straight days? 50 $6 items is $300 a day, which might be fine, but remember that’s about $200 or less after taxes, expenses, etc. But at 3,000 words a day, how long before carpal tunnel would become an issue?
If pay has gone up and that was just for a month or so, more power to you. But one has to think long term.
For example, after graduating college, which included an internship at WGN — and I held out for one of two paid internships that were available in the area — as well as a lot of work with college media outlets, I held out for a job on a daily newspaper, rather than taking slave wages at weeklies. That meant carrying golf clubs for three months — sometimes for college students — but I did land a job at a small daily, and within six months had more than exceeded the total amount that I would have made if starting at a weekly three months earlier.
The same opportunity cost applies to these Web jobs.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:30 pmThe confidence issue is a big part of why these offers are accepted. Also, not viewing your writing as a viable business is a big problem. Heck I struggle with the confidence thing from time to time. But I know my skill has worth.
Now if writing is just a hobby for those who write for such low pay, then if they like it I love it! To each his/her own I always say. I just hate to see someone missing out on being able to see the big picture of what they can really do and command as a writer and business professional.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:51 pmI think that the biggest problem is learning the business aspect. I mean, as freelancers, our talent is our product and we need to learn to market it. I know that I’m having problems starting out, because marketing myself feels uncomfortable.
I don’t want to take sides on the argument, but I would like to suggest a solution to Deb. If you ever have some time Deb, is there a way we could have a marketing clinic? I know that there was a cover letter clinic a little while back - maybe we could switch gears?
I feel that the business side of freelancing is often forgotten, but it tends to be the hardest. We’re all proficient at writing (that’s why we’re here
), but I think some of us (myself included) could use a lesson in business.
December 31st, 2007 at 11:28 pmNew writer,
I have a different experience from many here because I didn’t go straight into freelancing — I was in traditional newspaper and magazine jobs for 15 years. So others may have better advice for beginners.
That being said, what I found invaluable were sales and success books by Zig Ziglar, Steven Covey, Tony Robbins, etc. and networking with other business owners. They weren’t writers, but all business operators have many of the same issues, though one notable exception for most of us is employees. We don’t have them.
Hope this helps, best of luck
December 31st, 2007 at 11:45 pm@ New Writer: I hate to plug an ebook at this point, but we wrote an ebook *exactly* for that type of person: the new writer who really doesn’t know much about the business part of freelancing. Check it out at Writer for the Web
The girls at Freelance Parent gave it a really nice review, so I’m not ashamed to mention it here and now. Maybe some readers can benefit from the info about getting started.
January 1st, 2008 at 12:06 amYou are so right. It is the writers who accept these worthless gigs who are allowing them to continue to exist. Logically, why would the clients offer higher pay if they could get what they wanted for less? Stop taking crummy wages and driving down the market rate, and everyone benefits.
January 1st, 2008 at 1:23 amAmen. I can’t think of anything I can add to the very complete responses here, but I will add one more voice in support of your comments, Deb.
January 1st, 2008 at 3:04 amJames, your suggestion for responding to low-paying clients was excellent. Thanks for sharing. Do you know of any sites for US writers to use?
I agree with Deb that writers have a responsibility to earn the reputation they want. However, I don’t know if I’d say they have “most” of the responsibility. It’s a morality thing. Sure, writers have taught the webmasters that they can get away with paying low wages — but I think a lot of these clients also know that it’s a ridiculously low wage.
If a dog allows you to beat it, does that justify you in continuing to do so? Of course not. I think clients have the same moral responsibility to pay fair wages, and those who don’t are [insert obscenity here].
As a side note, I came across a situation recently that angered me more than the usual low-paying client: a writer who was hiring another writer to write $3 articles, most likely subcontracting low-paying work she had accepted but couldn’t handle. If clients and writers each get 50 percent of the blame (or however else you want to divvy it up), that means this writer/client gets the full 100 percent.
As Daffy Duck would say, “Desthpicable!”
January 1st, 2008 at 6:10 amSites for writers to use? It depends what they’d use them for, so feel free to clarify
For information and resources about better business in writing, I’d suggest our own blog at Web Content Writer Tips. Deb’s own blog here is also a great resource.
For work that pays fair rates, I still recommend Elance. iFreelance comes a close second. I don’t recommend Craigslist for new writers, as it can be overwhelming to sift through the scams, but there has been luck. Offline marketing and cold calling are other ways. Visit websites and email the webmasters. Network like mad.
Join a team of writers and build up a reputation along with them - in this case, it depends whether you want better rates or fame, because you likely won’t get personal fame when you’re part of a team.
That help?
January 1st, 2008 at 7:29 amOne more comment to add:
Katharine said that many buyers know the situation and continue to pay low wages. Remember that many buyers *don’t* realize that these are low wages or that writing is a skill that requires a great deal of education, training and talent. These are the same people who hire Joe Blow to renovate their home, thinking they are getting the same quality as Home Reno Construction Pro Inc, and who are scandalized at the HRCP Inc.’s rates. Many buyers honestly *don’t* know the industry suggested rates for writing, just as many writers don’t know those same rates. It’s a two-way street.
January 1st, 2008 at 7:40 amSome people dont realize WHY people pay $3 for articles. These people aren’t companies with tons of money to pay writers; instead they’re normal people who want to build websites to make money from adsense or to flip them. And that’s why I don’t think boycotting such offers will get these same writers higher paying jobs; because these employers can’t afford to pay $10+ per article when their site may need 20 or 30 articles, or more. Instead the employers will find another way to make money; but trust me they won’t be paying you more.
January 1st, 2008 at 7:56 amJames, I meant as a justification for rates, like the writer.ca link that you mentioned in your suggested response. Not for finding good rates, but for referring potential clients to demonstrate fair market rates.
I don’t agree that clients don’t know they’re paying poor rates. When I’ve countered with my own rates (or, at times, tried to tell them their rates are too low) I’ve often gotten responses such as: “My writers work for me because they enjoy writing, not because they want to be rich.”
I think a client has to realize that their rates suck in order to make a statement like that.
January 1st, 2008 at 9:23 amKim, I don’t think that’s justification for paying low rates. If they can’t afford to pay more for articles, they should contract fewer articles, or admit that they don’t have the budget for their project.
Perhaps it’s an old argument, but if a small business owner opens their very first store, they are expected to pay full price for everything (employees, utilities, rent) from Day 1. The same should be expected of webmasters when hiring writers.
January 1st, 2008 at 9:29 am@ Kim - I’ll have to agree with Katharine. That’s a very bad practice and poor way to start a business. That’s akin to saying that someone can’t afford to open a business in the first place but does so anyways. As Katharine suggested, they should spend more on better quality to create a solid foundation for growth as opposed to stretching thin on cheap material that won’t provide the same ROI. These people want fast, easy money - they don’t care how they get it. Blasting the Internet with poor-quality articles is one of those ways.
@ Katharine - That’s interesting. I’ve never had a client tell me that. I did have a man once who said, “Do you know why I like working with you? Because you love your job. You really *love* writing, no matter what you’re writing about.” That was pretty cool.
I have had clients say, “Wow, these rates are a little out of my budget; I was expecting to pay quite a bit less.” That’s always been my opportunity to leap in with a flexible mind to see what I can do to help that client become a believer.
*That’s* being in business
January 1st, 2008 at 4:36 pmJames,
It’s been my experience that those who say they expect to pay a lot less are unlikely to become believers — they think either they can do it themselves, or they can get the same quality from a recent grad just starting out. I’ve also found it not being worth my time to “covert” them because the few that I have became slow payers or non-payers.
If you’re converting them, more power to you, but you may want to work slowly into any such relationship (take only small contracts first) so as not to run into payment issues.
January 1st, 2008 at 7:37 pm@ Phil - I’m not new to the business by any means. I know how to deal with slow-paying clients of all types. My experience with those has been very different from yours, though. The slowest payers on my end are large, lucrative companies and bigger clients with big projects. The best payers are always small businesses and single individuals.
For converting non-believers, I’ve also had a much different experience and in over three-quarters of cases, I can change a client’s mind with one small project. Perhaps it’s in the approach or the way we word our discussions.
January 1st, 2008 at 7:45 pmI’ve been trying to break into freelance writing for a while now. I confess I haven’t a clue as to what the going rate for work is. I know that my newspaper pays freelancers 15 cents per word per article, but that, apparently, is an exorbitant amount in the world of online. I’ve gotten some nibbles, though, and when I tell them my rate the buyer vanishes, never to be heard from again. Same thing with editing gigs: the buyer told me I had impressive experience and credentials, but when I gave my rate, he vanished.
I don’t know if my expectations are skewed from working in the publishing industry in which I hire freelance writers for a print publication. What is the going rate these days for writing web-only articles? Or for editing existing articles?
It’s very frustrating to get only so far, all the time. I must be doing something wrong.
January 1st, 2008 at 7:56 pm@ Gina - www.writers.ca has a great guideline for suggested industry rates for both offline and online content. These rates are comparative to U.S. markets as well (though the U.S seems to price writing a little lower).
My take on it, though, is that you have to set your rates as follows:
Firstly, so you earn a profit - figure out every penny that goes into earning income, from high-speed connection, membership fees, software down to ink and paper. Remember that you’ll pay income tax on what you earn as well.
Secondly, so you sleep well at night. Personally, I don’t feel good charging exorbitant, lofty rates. I like being fair both to myself in regards to my time, effort and skills and to the buyers.
Thirdly, so you remain somewhat competitive. If you’re the only person charging $500 for 500 words, chances are you won’t get much business. That doesn’t mean setting up bargain basement rates, either. It means finding a number that you’re comfortable with and that works for you and one that reflects your pride, confidence, self-respect and self-esteem to do the job well.
January 1st, 2008 at 8:12 pmJames,
You’re right, our experiences are different. I’ve had problems with the (very) small ones. Large ones might be slow to a point, but they spell that out in agreements. I consider slow being past due.
I didn’t think you were new, I was just sharing what’s been my experience over the last 16 years of freelancing.
January 1st, 2008 at 9:28 pmWell, I feel very good charging market rates. Don’t know if those would be considered lofty and exorbitant, as James said above. But I do know they are 35 cents an assigned word and up and $50 an hour and up. Otherwise, you are writing for less than you could make typing.
January 2nd, 2008 at 12:55 amI have been energized by reading this blog - researching my re-entry into the freelance market after 5 years - I feel strongly that writing skills deserve fees outlined on writers.ca (very helpful site) and I look forward to being part of the writing community again…
January 2nd, 2008 at 3:27 amWhat you say makes a lot of sense - we should not sell ourselves short! It may result in a slow start but in the end we will have built a respectable business that will demand higher pay.
January 2nd, 2008 at 3:42 amMy view will probably make me unpopular, too, but my feeling is that if someone is satisfied working for $3 per article, then that’s their choice. I’m not saying anyone should think they HAVE to work for $3 as a start, but I don’t take a personal issue with those who choose to work at that rate. It’s none of my business, and their income doesn’t affect me. I’m still earning decent wages, and I will continue to.
January 2nd, 2008 at 4:22 amI agree with you there, Amy. If a writer wants to write for $3 that’s certainly her prerogative, and I don’t begrudge her that. But if that’s the case she shouldn’t be offended if someone considers her a source of cheap labor.
January 2nd, 2008 at 4:37 amWhen any business owner sets their own rate - there is a range that is considered fair. As they gain knowlege and ability their rate of compensation goes up. Obviously there is no set rule to how an indepdent contractor charges (i.e. if the going rate for a plumber is $80 hour and a new guy goes in @$50 an hour - that’s his perogative - however - he’s lowered the standard and generally speaking you get what you pay for. As that new guy gains expertise - chances are he will up his rate. I do believe that a discounter -whether it be a freelance writer / box store or real estate company - affects us all.
January 2nd, 2008 at 5:16 amI agree, Deb. If that is her choice it would be silly to take offense.
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:52 amUnpopular or not, it is the truth. The market determines the price. If people are willing to accept $3 jobs, then the price for those jobs will not go up. Most article mill owners are not as concerned about quality as they are keyword rich content. If they can get that for a song and a dance, why would they pay more?
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:27 amFortunately, there are better paying gigs for those of us who want to earn a better income.
Just to follow up my post before, Im not necessarily defending their practices, the fact is you have to understand why things are the way they are. And it’s really not poor business because your articles dont need to be quality, they just need to be keyword rich. The point is to get people to come to your site and click your ads, which is all a result of SEO not he quality of content. And I hate to break it to you but it works!
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:26 am@ Kim - I’m sorry to see you feel that quality doesn’t matter at all on the Internet. It’s no wonder that my teenage daughter thinks content on the web is crap, considering people still hold dear to the idea that all that matters is clicks, ads and SEO. Who cares about the readers!
Sorry, but that’s a view I’ll never agree with. It *is* poor business to not give a damn about quality.
January 2nd, 2008 at 6:14 pmJames,
I definitely agree with you.
I was a member of a forum, briefly, where the site owner was promoting a software program that he created with a partner. The software would take your articles and generate a different article by switching information around.
I checked out his product, mainly because I couldn’t believe he was promoting it and I wasn’t impressed. The quality was poor, but he had is keywords in his mind that was all that was important. He had a lot of pages on his website, but a lot of them were crap.
After seeing his product I never went to his forum again.
I have to admit I was shocked because he was listed on one of the “top blogger” lists. Yes he does very well but I don’t think it says a lot about him looking at content he has featured on some of his websites.
I care what I put on my websites. I do fairly well with my main website without doing going overboard with keywords. Knowing that my websites are a reflection of me. I’m going to represent myself well.
January 2nd, 2008 at 7:27 pm@Jean: You’re right and that is the point. Well put!
January 2nd, 2008 at 7:56 pm@Kim: I agree with James. Whether it works or not, as a writer/businesswoman who cares about the quality of her work, I can not and will not condone poor quality. And at this point, it is a numbers game. The search engines always change, at some point keyword rich articles won’t be the key anymore, I’m betting. Just like a few years ago it was all about meta-tags. And the end result is whether or not you have customers buying your product. How many more customers would you have if your content was quality versus keyword dense poor quality nonsense?
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January 2nd, 2008 at 9:02 pmI’ve been a full-time freelance writer for more than 6 years. And, yes, I have written dirt cheap content. Why? I was in between better paying assignments and 3 $3 articles bought a package of diapers that this single mother (raising my children without paternal support or taxpayer dollars) wasn’t getting any other way. Because 10 $3 articles meant my children would be eating well for a few days.
While I do, of course, recognize the broader economic and labor issues associated with the whole cheap content matter, I also know from experience that sometimes the narrow, immediate “how am I going to feed my children right now?” personal economic situation has to take precedence.
Now, I typically make $100 plus for 500 word articles and $20 to $25 each for key word content. But have I forgotten what it is to be faced with very simple, stark choices, such as my children need diapers, need food, will I take this work that will place cash in my hand by the end of the day or hold out for the better paying assignment that will probably come tomorrow, the next day, or the day after and not diaper or feed them today? No, I have not.
I think it is all too easy for many to forget what the struggle to make it was like. I also think it is all too hard for those that have been comfortable for a while to understand the very simple stark choices that some of us have to make. After all, they don’t have to deal with basic issues of food security, so it is very easy for them to refuse to work for rates that they deem too low and condemn those that do.
Some people don’t have that luxury and, while I am aware that it can depress wages for us all — although, I don’t have a problem getting work that pays well enough for me — I cannot bring myself to criticize a woman for doing what she must to feed her children today, right now.
I find it far more effective to reach out to writers doing this work and help them up into the next level. I regularly do exactly this, using my overflow work as a means of helping a writer move forward. I regularly invest my time into using my overflow work as on the job training for a struggling writer, teaching while editing, or in teaching networking skills, or in helping them to make a few contacts for better paying work, so that they too are able to leave $3 content behind.
Best Regards…
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:05 pm@ Sharon - Once upon a time, I was *this* close to being without a penny to my name. I did what I had to make ends meet. I fully understand what you’re saying: that sometimes, there is no choice.
However, a *temporary* need to make ends meet is just that - temporary. What most of us are complaining about is that many people don’t go for temporary. They accept low wages long-term and they refuse to work at improving their rates or their work environment, or they typically refuse to see that their actions make it worse for everyone.
There is no reason for that.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:37 amI agree with Deb. One of the worst offenders is GetAFreelancer. There are the cheapest and most offensive jobs on that site. Best sites are Sologig and LinkedIn for picking up, respectively, jobs or jobs and contacts. Also, I like Facebook for job advice and camaraderie.
January 3rd, 2008 at 7:17 amThen what needs to be done instead of putting down the WAHM who takes the $3 articles (because that was me too at one point), is to teach those of us who know nothing about marketing is how to do it and how to do it without breaking what little reserve we have in the bank. That’s my goal for the year: to learn how to better market myself and get the higher paying jobs - Web or Print. I’m not a salesperson so it makes it hard to “sell” myself and I think ultimately that is what keeps many of the WAHMs from going after the bigger opportunities, we don’t know how to market. It’s sad but true.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:56 am@ Anne - Facebook is a huge time-sucker for me. Slap up a profile and watch hundreds of people you haven’t seen in ten or fifteen years suddenly fill up your Wall with the same video, send you dumb invitations to play slayer games, and all sorts of idiotic things. In fact, I regretted the wasted time so much I removed my profile. But if you’ve found a way to make it work for you, great!
@ Nikk - Buy our ebook. It contains customer service, sales, and marketing info to help you get started with better jobs.
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:54 pmI don’t think it helps to just point a finger at who is to blame. That’s one of the reasons I started TheWritingMother.com, because I wanted to help other moms grow as writers and start seeing themselves as More Than.
We have bestselling authors on our list, copywriters, poets, non fiction writers… every colour and creed.
Whenever someone steps up and says that they are writing for low pay, we surround them with encouragement to go for more. We don’t condemn them for bringing our rates down. We show them how to market themselves and ask for better rates.
One starfish at a time, my friend.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:14 pmI agree with you, Heather. We do have to offer encouragement as I’ve been doing here for three years. But sometimes I believe in tough love too.
If someone is going to complain about being seen as cheap labor, I’d like to suggest she doesn’t accept low paying gigs. It’s the only way that reputation will change.
I encourage WAHMs to find higher paying gigs, it’s why FWJ was started in the first place. This post stemmed from a thread at WAHM.com where the WAHMs were upset over being associated with cheap labor. I’m suggesting they have the power to change that. Sometimes it’s better to point out the obvious than gloss over the truth.
Thank you for comment. Please come again often. I think it’s great you offer such a useful resource to WARHMs and writers.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:47 pm@JCM - With all due respect - buying another ebook that I have no time to read or the $$ spend (hence the need to learn to market with limited funds), I don’t think that is the way for me to go. I know there are useful tools out there that I will find without making another purchase that I don’t know for sure will help me. The last time I did that, I spent (albeit low $) $5 on an ebook which contained information I already knew. So please don’t take offense if I don’t jump to buy a book that I can’t guarantee will help me. Again, please take no offense just understand if you are talking to a group of WAHMs who are trying to make every spare dime they can to provide income to the family - I don’t understand how you help by telling them to buy an ebook.
January 4th, 2008 at 9:42 am@ Nikki - Actually many of us understand the importance of investing in ourselves. A part of working for yourself involves providing yourself with the education needed to continue succeeding. Many jobs give employees the opportunity to advance their skills. Freelancers need to do this too.
There are no guarentees that anything we pay for will benefit us but if you go in receptive to the idea of learning something new, you will; even if it’s simply hearing the same old thing in a whole new way.
I believe in the give to get theory. The more you give the more you get. A $5 ebook is a bargain when I consider that I already spend thousands of dollars a year on educational tools like, books, workshops, and broadband.
If a fellow successful writer is recommending a resource then it is probably something worth looking into.
January 4th, 2008 at 7:52 pm@ Nikki - I understand your views, but Rebecca is right. Investing in bettering yourself and improving your situation is a wise investment. Yes, you do have to make good, solid investments that provide a return for your money and that do make a difference.
You mentioned you want to have better pay. Then go after it. Make wise choices (not $5 ebooks that regurgitate crap). And if you think I’m recommending something that isn’t worthy, you’re wrong. See the review of Write for the Web at eMoms.
Would you be interested in a free copy? Perhaps that will restore your faith in writers and that there is a better working environment possible - if you invest in yourself. Let me know your email and I’ll send you one. No risk.
January 5th, 2008 at 1:13 am@ James - Thanks, I really appreciate your comments and tips. I’ll definitely be checking that site out.
January 5th, 2008 at 8:50 amI’m so thankful for resources like this site because they can help beginning writers quickly see that they have the ability to earn more.
Two years ago I had no idea that my dream of becoming a writer could happen without first receiving fists full of rejection letters.
Two years ago I was tickled pink at finding out there were sources of work that would give me a chance to get paid to write. Getting .01/word for those first few months did more for my confidence, self esteem and family than I can even tell you. It changed my life.
Kudos to sites like this one and people like the people here who mentor and freely give information, leads and help to others. Because of it, I am doing much better than I was 1.5 years ago and I continue to work towards getting my rates up and getting more work I want instead of search engine fodder. I guess I’m a middle of the ladder freelancer at this point but the thing is, I won’t stop climbing the ladder. Complacency can’t be in your vocabulary in this business otherwise your health, your finances and your creativity will suffer. If I’d kept writing .01/word gigs I’d have had the life and juices sucked out of me by now.
I’m still writing for lower than I’m worth and I’m also subbing work to a handful of writers I am mentoring from my pool of not the best paying (but not $3/500 words either!)clients so that we can all better our situations and gain more experience and more knowledge.
I feel very blessed to be working in an industry that offers such mentoring and sharing so that writers can increase their rates and evolve if they choose to.
January 11th, 2008 at 6:33 am[…] many would-be writers haven’t figured out that $5 is not an acceptable pay rate. Read this, this and […]
February 17th, 2008 at 4:25 pm[…] world of freelance writers, or rather, the “writer mamas” of the world. Some women get criticized for writing articles at $5 a pop because it devalues writers who won’t work for that sort of […]
March 20th, 2008 at 6:43 am