Wow. Funny how one week you’re enjoying a quiet week and the next you’re swimming in deadlines. In the past day, I’ve gotten two large projects to go with the two smaller ones I had already.
Feast and famine is a cycle we freelance writers know all too well. Luckily for me, the famine cycle is usually just a slow period between impending projects.
A writer friend sent along what has to be the most ridiculous job offer I’ve ever seen. She received a request by this company to join her LinkedIn Group, which she deleted. But not before copying it and sending it to me.
Time for another edition of This Job, Not That Job. The following is not a job listing, but is paraphrased from their website.
X Content (Name omitted to avoid giving them any publicity) is a content-ordering service that allows customers to order articles, blog posts, web content, product descriptions, technical writing, you name it. Customers choose their category, then select their “level” of content.
- Basic — charging $o.014 per word. Content written in English and is suitable for article marketing sites with no quality requirements. (my emphasis, but their words)
- Great — charging $0.02 per word
- Ace — charging $0.03 per word
- Expert — charging $0.06 per word
Okay, before you get too upset about the prices, remember — this is what they’re charging customers. Here’s their pitch for writers:
If you want to join our team of highly skilled writers, you are more than welcome to do so. We need writers who are focused on specific topics and are well versed in them.
If this sounds like you, send your application to become a writer for X Content using the link below. We will guide you through the process of becoming an excellent writer, and you will earn a 40-70% commission on all your submitted articles.
Be sure to attach your resumé, previous work samples, and ID or passport. Indicate the industry in which you have extensive experience. We will contact you in a few days after reviewing your application. Thank you!
Writers will earn a 40-70% commission on all their submitted articles.
So. Forty percent of one-and-a-half cents is….
Just. Stop.
We don’t even need to go into the absolute ridiculousness of the call for “highly skilled” writers or the passport bullshit. The pay is offensive. Let’s not even go into how “basic” writing offers “no quality.”
They just insulted you three or four times over. Underpay you, require you to be “highly skilled” and prove you’re a US citizen, have extensive experience, and then give you a percentage of a penny. A fucking penny, people.
Instead, try something like this:
The Sun is a reader-supported ad-free magazine. We’ve been described in many ways: celebratory, fierce, unflinching, thoughtful, truthful, dark, darkly funny, tender. Contributors tell us that after their work reaches more than 70,000 engaged Sun readers, they often hear from old friends and new admirers.
What We Pay: Nonfiction- $300 to $2,000; Fiction- $300 to $2,000; Poetry- $100 to $250
Beats those damn penny percentages, doesn’t it?
Writers, what’s the worst you’ve seen?
Have you ever channeled your outrage at low-paying jobs into better-paying jobs?
2 responses to “This Job, Not That Job”
All I can think is: Could someone be doing a sociological survey to see how desperate (or dumb) writers can be?
Or maybe they’re tasing how cheap and stupid businesses can be — seriously do they think paying the “great,” “ace,” or even “expert” rates will result in anything better than they could get from blindfolding themselves and pounding random keys on a keyboard?
Because surely no one is gullible enough to want to work for (or use) a company with such low standards.
I would love to think you’re right that no one is that desperate, but something tells me someone thought “Hey, it sounds great!”
It’s great for one person — the one running the company. I’ll send you the link privately. It’s truly astounding.