Time for some frank talk – we’ve been in this business long enough to see the trends unfolding before our eyes, right? Even if you’ve been in freelancing a year, you’ve seen it. You may not recognize it yet, but you’re definitely experiencing it.
It’s the way we find our projects. For a few years now, I’ve lamented, cajoled, moaned and shouted about how project employers are requiring more of us and paying us a damn sight less than in previous years. Numerous reasons exist – and I’m not going into them here. I’ve fussed about them endlessly in previous posts. Just read backwards, please.
It used to be we could log on to Craig’s List or About Freelance Writing and find tons of work that paid decently (and Anne Wayman does an excellent job of searching for job listings for us, so kudos to her). Even the paid job sites used to do good by us. But the evolution taking place online right now is depressing, maddening, sickening and not doing anyone any good. The jobs that are there pay squat. If we secured 20 gigs a month, the pay still wouldn’t add up to enough to bring home KFC for dinner (or tofu kabobs for us vegetarians).
I talked with a writer friend yesterday who sits in his home office idle. He holds a Master’s degree, yet he’s forced to either taking lousy jobs for crap wages or not work. Employers of all shapes and sizes are downsizing the pay while upscaling the amount of work and the amount of experience needed. He’s nowhere near alone. I’ve faced it. You have, too. I defy anyone to say they’ve not had to have the “I’m worth more” talk with a potential client in the last year – nay, I’d wager even in the last month.
Part of the blame rests with us, you know. The Internet made us passive observers in our careers. We no longer marketed nor did we make cold calls. We just clicked and clicked and voila! Work appeared. Well guess what? That’s all becoming a fruitless pursuit. Time to return to our roots. We gotta start marketing again. Do you remember how?
Starting Monday, we’re going to get back to basics. With the help of some friends (possibly you?) and some of my own marketing experience, we’re going to relearn how to sell ourselves to potential clients. No more waiting in line with 1,200 other hopeful writers. We’re not going to hit the job boards. We’re going to hit the untapped markets – the ones in your neighborhood or the ones across the country (we’re not leaving the Internet totally behind). So if you have ideas or suggestions, let me know. We’re here to support each other, and that can only strengthen our profession in the long run.
Ready?
You’re absolutely right. Time to go back to the basics. Leave the jobs paying crap to the amateurs and create decently paying jobs with the companies with whom we want to work. Even though we’ve been talking about it the past few weeks, I’ve really slacked off actively jobhunting this month.
‘Tis the season to slack. 😉
That’s why I’m hoping this series will help us all get back on track, and maybe develop a more proactive approach to our careers.
Well, as you know, this is a timely topic for me since, in all likelihood, I’ll be leaving Elance behind in a few months’ time. I’m still having marginal success with Craislist and other job postings, but the constant need to hard market (I’m talking several days a week as opposed to the one I used to put in) is starting to take a toll. Looking forward to receiving (and hopefully offering) some advice.
Very important post, Lori. I’m personally going on a December Query Crusade.
My work is actually at a point of super-saturation (a double-edged sword if ever there were one), but you know how that can change in a heartbeat. And I’d like to get in a few more print pubs (or higher paying website markets.)
So ho, ho, ho, a-querying I go!
Glad to see you guys on board! Kathy, I’d love for you to contribute! Devon and Quoibler, that goes for you, as well.
Kathy, your situation and Devon’s comments last week prompted this, along with conversations with other writer friends who are seeing less “good” work and more “crud” work.
Great post! I was recently amazed to find that most of my readers write web content. There really is a lot of offline work out there if you are willing to look for it.
Aaaahhhh just in time for the end of the year (go out with a bang) or the new year (start it off right and fresh!) No matter how you look at it, I will be reading, learning and maybe even offering a suggestion or two (probably more learning and reading though!)
I visit Kathy’s blog every night and followed her link here. I’m glad I followed it, because now I will be visiting you every night too. 🙂
OK, now that I have that bit of information out of the way I’d like to let you know that I’m with you on this one. I also have an idea that I want to throw out there. You can shrug the idea off if you like, but I thought I’d run it by you since you asked. …
Those of us interested could come together and create a website. We can market together and work with clients together… Become a team of writers, so to speak. On our website, we can list the benefits of paying more for quality to potential clients. We’re all writers, so I’m sure we can create attention-grabbing content by outlining the benefits. We all have our own areas of expertise, so we would have lots to offer, and the work could be given to the writers with that expertise that wants to take on the job.
If you’re interested and want to here more as well as discuss it, contact me at info (at) mistisandefur dot com.
A writers’ consortium – I like it, Misti! Local writer friends and I have already started work toward one, so your idea is definitely a good one!
If you want to put together a little bit about how you’d form the group and send it to me, I’ll post it on your behalf!
Very good! The bad jobs should go to the bad writers (or should I have said “those writers who write poorly) while everyone else should hold up a high standard and never settle for crap work.
I tossed Guru well over a year ago and I haven’t found much stuff elsewhere. Being very visible online helps as most of my clients find me instead of me hunting them down.
Good to see you again, Matt!
I think your sentence can work both ways: If you want writers who are bad people to get the jobs, then your first alliteration works. 😉
I totally agree with this and have felt like the Ancient Mariner (26 yrs as full-time freelancer and sole support of my family) hanging on the sleeve of the Wedding Guest. Anyhow, a colleague and I are now trying to reestablish some respect for what writers bring to projects, as well as give writers a good laugh and a chance to send us money for our weird-ass merchandise. Come see The Writer’s Catablog and meet Scribbles, the Writer’s Friend. The url is http://www.writerscatablog.com.
Cheers,
Star Lawrence
Congrats on your Writer’s Perspective nod. I TOLD you I’d see your name among the 20/20 ranks soon enough!
I’m totally shocked! Maria said such nice things, and it’s so delicious to be called the “little black dress” of her blog roll. If she only knew how much I really relate to that thought…. ;))
Hi .nice blog.I need to find jobs .can anybody send links of that job websites….
Thank you…..
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