Angie, I think that’s a good barometer. If it’s within 20 percent of original rates – great measurement! And a very easy boundary to draw.

And they want me to fix it.

And my rate goes up.

And I get it.

Hire me the first time at my rate and you get quality — WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Hire someone at a lower rate and you get WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Re-hire me to clean up the mess you created by trying to be cheap and it’s going to cost extra.

I’ve had to turn stuff down. I do lower my rate a little if it means I get to keep my copyright. I think that’s a fair trade and it works for me.

*smiles*
Michele

There are many experienced (and panicked,)writers freshly laid off from newspapers, agencies and corporate jobs that are charging a pittance of what they should to pay the bills while they job hunt.

This in turn changes the game: because clients ARE getting decent work for chump change in many cases. I’m not saying we should feed that frenzy by contributing to it, and of course, specialized industry experience still carries clout to clients who seek it.

I’m just saying that until the economy improves – which it WILL eventually – maybe we need to find other ways to sell the value of our rates – maybe touting business stability…the fact that we’ll be there for them vs someone simply doing this until they land a job?

I’m just brainstorming here…wish I had better answers! When the economy eventually improves, many people will be back in cubicle land, and supply/demand equation may return more to our favor.

Sorry for the long post…

I know it’s kinda off point, but curious.

And I guess because I’m just fresh outta college, I haven’t been too keen on a huge salary. My focus has been experience. I’m good and I know it. And all my past employers know it too.

I’m giving myself a year to get the experience and exposure. And then… kaboom!!

We both know what’s going to happen. He’s going to get mediocre material and have to work really hard to get it where he wants–if that’s possible. At some point later in the project, he’ll wonder whether he should have upped his budget or reduced the workload a little to work with a true pro. You won’t know when that happens, but it will.

Look, I might negotiate a little, but not when the other side is at 10 percent of an already discounted price. Maybe you’ll get to 30 percent of your discounted price? Nope. I think your time is better spent beating the bushes trying to land other new clients and pitching to those who already value your skills.

By the way, I’ve been feeling fine recently with enough work for March and April, but Wednesday and Thursday I had a panic attack that maybe nothing would materialize for May.

I’ve been able to calm myself down and refocus. But I think the lesson is that we can’t keep doubting ourselves just because of the economy. We’ve run good business models for years, and they’re still good business models despite the crazy economy.

At least that’s what I’m telling myself!

Then again, we have all those writers who’d write 50 articles for $5. If we who do this for a living are measured against those who don’t value themselves, we’re all screwed.