Comments on: This Writing Job, Not That Writing Job

By: Lori Widmer

Lori Widmer — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 18:07:30 +0000

Devon, you're so right about resenting the time and effort if the pay isn't on par with the workload.

That's what concerns me most about setting those goals. If you don't build a solid plan to get you there, you lose sight of the things that are important to you--your integrity, ethics, and your respect for yourself and the work you do.

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 15:56:08 +0000

Figure how much time it will take you to work on, research, interview, polish the piece. If the payment doesn't fit that, you'll start to resent the time and effort and the quality drops off. Also, make sure the "when" is stipulated in the payment. Have either a fixed weekly or monthly date for a regular gig or that it's paid X amount of days after posting. Random payments don't work -- you can't budget properly.

A colleague set the $100K for the year goal a few years ago and turned into a different person -- not one I could like or respect. Didn't give a damn about the ethics of a gig as long as it paid a lot and got her closer to the goal. Screwed over everyone in her circle if it meant she got a gig over someone else.

She didn't meet the goal AND she lost her support system, because she put numbers ahead of quality and integrity.

By: Lori Widmer

Lori Widmer — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 19:54:50 +0000

Anne, that is a client to keep, for sure.

The jobs do change. As long as the clients understand that it means more work and are willing to compensate you for it, why not?

By: Anne Wayman

Anne Wayman — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:12:03 +0000

And writing jobs change… just had a conversation with a client whose changing the way the work is done… will involve phone conferences, and maybe more research – but, and this is the kind of client we all want – they are well aware this will take me more time so at least half the discussion is how to increase my comp – If they weren't willing to increase my comp I'd drop 'em.

By: Lori Widmer

Lori Widmer — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 16:56:04 +0000

Glad you like them, Gabriella. I like putting them together. And I love your theme — a great way to determine if you're about to get a raw deal. 🙂

I came to these posts because of an experience of my own. I had worked for two different publications, and by chance their checks came in the same week. As I was signing them for deposit, I really looked at them. One was for half the amount of the other, but the work was nearly double. That was my lightbulb moment. 🙂

By: Gabriella F

Gabriella F — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 16:30:38 +0000

These "take this job, not that" posts are great, Lori. They're real, and they get the message across so well.

As for jobs I didn't take, I've had potential clients also offer me the "pay based on clicks" rate. Sorry, the how-many-clicks measure is only partly within my control, and I won't let my income be dependent on others' skill in marketing copy.

My overall theme: If the pay is too fungible and the process for arriving at the amount is subject to others' performance, I'm out.

By: Lori Widmer

Lori Widmer — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 14:10:31 +0000

Great suggestion. Cathy, I've had jobs morph like that, too. Suddenly, the easy job becomes too time-consuming for the price, as you said.

By: Cathy Miller

Cathy Miller — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 13:23:30 +0000

Interesting timing. Just yesterday I responded to an ad for blogging in my niche. I never respond to ads, but the compensation, while not great, wasn't too bad for what I figured would be 1- 1 1/2 hours of work max.

You had to complete a profile and then read the company's guidelines for the post. Then the layers began.

- higher word count than advertised
- responsibility for finding images for post
- responsible for developing the niche-specific topics & pitching the idea for review
- PayPal payment meant there would be a deduction for their transaction fee

None of the above is unreasonable, provided you have the compensation to cover the added time & expense. The not great compensation got worse. I did not accept the terms.

So, one suggestion I have is make sure you understand all that is expected for the fee. What individually seems like small chunks of time can quickly add up and make good compensation turn into not so good.