Around here, It’s usually about demand I g lower rates. ” We don’t pay for that” ( meaning writing) is the first thing–and they were the ones who asked for the meeting knowing I write.

“Then I don’t work for you.” Has become my standard response.

“But this one time–” and then they either try to bully it for free or a fraction of my rate.

“That won’t work for me. I’m not the right fit for the project.”

Hence, the majority of my clients are remote, not local.

I do keep a list of prospects & get in touch, usually quarterly, if I think there’s genuine interest, or at the holidays. Postcards get a far higher response rate than email. Sometimes a prospect has received cards for 3-4 years before we work together. Often it’s timing. My card arrives as someone flakes on a project.

One is still promising: A few months ago q colleague retweeted an editor who was seeking writers experienced in my niche. I assumed the pay would be awful, since it’s a website, so I just shot him a quick email. He replied immediately, saying I had the exact “DNA” he was looking for. Better yet, the rates aren’t bad for a website. I asked him what types of things he was looking for, he replied and I said I’d put together a few ideas within the next week or so. I did. No reply. I waited a couple weeks, and he replied, apologizing for the delay. He loved the first two ideas enough to ask for more details. I provided those. No response. On social media I saw he was in Europe, so I waited another week or two. He replied saying he’d been off the grid. He liked the ideas, which would be for late summer/fall. Promising, but no assignments. A month ago I sent him an update. No reply. I’ll give this guy another chance or two. Maybe his budget means he has to wait to assigns things until shortly before he needs them.

The other involves a serious journalist who is launching a website. I liked her job listing because it stressed the fact that she wants people who do their own interviews and research instead of content writers who cite things they found in web searches. She replied quickly, and we scheduled a call. Great call. She’s smart, focused, and has a great vision. The pay rate isn’t too bad for light work, but it’s low when you consider how many hours each piece requires. But I liked her mission, and I said I’d like to contribute. She sent me a multi-page assignment letter/outline/instruction manual for the article. I remember telling her that I would check in on a weekly basis. Great. Fine. When I sent my first check-in—basically saying I needed her to set some parameters about which companies to include—she emailed a couple days later saying the week had gotten away from her, and asking if I had time to talk on Saturday. Um, no. I replied saying I wasn’t available until Monday. She replied saying “no problem,”and asking me to call her Wednesday or Thursday, telling me not to work on the article until we talk, adding, “Frankly, I didn’t realize you were interested in writing for us.” What? Sh’de sent me an assignment letter! I had a couple deadlines that week, and it wasn’t until 7:15pm her time on Thursday that I had time to turn around. I wasn’t going to call after hours. I emailed her Friday morning, asking if it was okay to call her sometime that day. That was a couple weeks ago and I still haven’t received a response. (But the following weekend she included me in a group email unveiling the beta site.) If simply clarifying an assignment takes this much effort, the fee offered isn’t worth the headache. I still love and appreciate the vision for what she’s doing, and I hope she succeeds. But I get the feeling she’s in over her head, and I don’t need the drama. (Also, she’s still advertising for writers, but has yet to respond to a friend of mine who applied almost a month ago – and that friend is a better match for the gig than I am. My guess is the editor might have been intimidated because my friend’s experience is a perfect fit for the job. But again, this friend only wanted to write about a topic she actually cares about to balance the dry subjects she usually covers.)

Editor #1 – I’ll follow up with again when I get some updated information for one or both of the ideas I pitched.

Editor #2 – I’m done. If the pay were enough to cover the time spent researching, I’d be more proactive in following up. But I’ve already spent several unpaid hours trying to communicate with this editor. I don’t need to waste more billable hours chasing a gig that I no longer think I want.