Rookie Mistakes

What’s on the iPod: Payphone by Maroon 5

Sunset in Ontario

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What a wild day yesterday turned out to be. I expected a small amount of work. Instead, I had four projects I had to start or finish. I did finish a first draft on a project, so progress was made. More of the same madness today, though hopefully not scattered among so many projects.

I was talking with another writer who couldn’t understand why some writers get stuck in what she dubbed “starving artist” mode. She had seen a few writers in a “professional” forum bemoaning the lack of opportunity in freelancing, and in one case, saying the work it would take to “make it” in freelancing would equate to long days of thankless work. Another writer was stating that “nothing” is what businesses would pay for professional blogging. We both had the same reaction:

Someone doesn’t know how to build a business.

Generalizations kind of piss me off. Yes, some writers may not be making any money at blogging. And there are probably no opportunities for a handful of writers. But is that the entire state of the profession? Hell no. That’s a disconnect between the writer and any sense of reality among the masses.

Take the blogging example. I know a few writers — myself included — who make at least $100 an hour to blog. I’ve written blogs for less, and it’s usually because back when I was doing so, I was going about it all wrong. In one case, I’d found the gig on Craig’s List. Big mistake there — never let someone else dictate what you charge. So I was doing niche blog posts for $25 each –crappy pay for specialty writing.

Then there’s the “You can’t make money at this without killing yourself” crowd. Maybe this one gets me even more because it’s clear these are people who are doing one or more things wrong. So if I were to guess, I’d say:

They aren’t marketing consistently. Hey, I’m giving them the benefit of assuming they’re marketing at all, but I suspect those who fuss about not making a decent living are marketing in a more hit-and-miss fashion than with any direction or plan.

They’re searching passively. You know there are more than a few writers who think marketing is looking on all the job boards.When you compete with thousands of writers, you lose in two ways –you don’t get to shine and you don’t call the shots on your own hourly rate.

They don’t know what they’re worth. If you knew you could be making $100 an hour, would you really take that gig that’s paying $100 for two days of writing? Of course not. Nor should you. Do the math and figure your own hourly rate, not the one the client is dictating to you.

They lack confidence. “How do I raise my rates? I’ll lose my clients!” Typical question when someone figures out the pay isn’t measuring up to their needs. If you lose a low-paying client because you’re finally charging what you’re worth, what have you lost exactly?

They like to whine. I have beaten my head against the desk a few times over people who ask for help then throw one brick wall after another in front of any suggestion that brings them out of their comfort zone. Some people really enjoy self-sabotage and all the attention that playing the victim brings. I’ll try once — if I see a brick wall, I’m done. And so are they, for that career isn’t going anywhere. And something tells me they’re perfectly fine with that.

Writers, how did you break out of your “beginner” mode and start earning? What do you think are essential criteria for making it in freelancing?