Comments on: Writers Worth: The Cost of Laziness

By: Paula Hendrickson

Paula Hendrickson — Thu, 12 May 2016 22:04:31 +0000

Upsie-Daisy thing. Love it!

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Wed, 11 May 2016 20:04:05 +0000

Needing to keep a roof over my head is a great motivator.

I was never a fan of Elance or Odesk, so I'll past on this Upsie-Daisy thing.

If clients want to pay me via credit card, they can do so via PayPal. Works just fine.

By: Paula Hendrickson

Paula Hendrickson — Fri, 06 May 2016 16:06:34 +0000

Good thing I hadn't just taken a sip of tea when I read that, Yolander!

(And no, I won't ask. I might wonder, but won't ask.)

By: Yolander Prinzel

Yolander Prinzel — Thu, 05 May 2016 21:34:15 +0000

Exposure CAN pay the bills when there's a webcam involved. DON'T ASK ME HOW I KNOW THIS.

By: Paula Hendrickson

Paula Hendrickson — Tue, 03 May 2016 22:54:03 +0000

Yes, Jenn, there are other, better, kinds of middle men — I work for some of them, too. But those are usually more lucrative connections you have to unearth yourself, not the feeding-frenzy middlemen that tend to appeal to less pro-active writers.

By: Jennifer Mattern

Jennifer Mattern — Tue, 03 May 2016 22:21:36 +0000

Good points here Paula.

Upwork is just one of many race-to-the-bottom "marketplaces" around these days. It's sad really. There are writers who that's fine for. But it's not a smart option for most pros.

I wouldn't dismiss all "middlemen" though. There are some middlemen options that are quite lucrative. But that generally involves partnering with or sub-contracting through a firm (marketing, PR, SEO, advertising, design, etc.). You're still independent, and the middleman client is your direct client in many cases (the only way I take them on -- they're paying me up front, then worrying about getting paid by their own clients however they see fit). But that's a far cry from things like Upwork and the mills, and it never involves spec work. I agree, that kind of setup reeks of "writing contest" to me.

By: Paula Hendrickson

Paula Hendrickson — Tue, 03 May 2016 21:26:45 +0000

Anne and Ashley, you might not believe this, but a couple years ago I met another writer at a friend's garage sale. She was PROUD of the fact that she didn't "take money" for her "art." (She was writing a column and occasional articles, not fiction.) I answered her by saying something like, "I glad people value my writing enough to pay me. Doing what you love is a nice way to pay the bills."

By: Ashley Festa

Ashley Festa — Tue, 03 May 2016 20:26:52 +0000

What a great post, Paula, and it rings true at every point. When I first started freelancing, I was lured into the extremely low-paying websites because I had no clue how to go about finding good clients. And just as you suggest, thanks to Lori's blog (and the writers who frequent this blog!) I was able to build a business instead of just working for a quick, measly buck (emphasis on measly).

By: Paula Hendrickson

Paula Hendrickson — Tue, 03 May 2016 17:38:52 +0000

Exactly, Sharon! I get why some publications like contributor networks to generate cheap content for their websites, but how many well-paying clients are really going to work through bidding sites?

By: Anne Wayman

Anne Wayman — Tue, 03 May 2016 16:12:31 +0000

ah, yes, the race to the bottom… thanks Paula and Lori.