What’s on the iPod: American Slang by The Gaslight Anthem
My favorite Screw You! writer Kathy Kehrli alerted me to a new comment on her January post regarding her Demand Studios experience. I had to laugh out loud – the poster likened professional writing behavior with “prostitution” going as far as calling Kathy’s clientele that of a “high class escort” (minus the hyphen, mind you) and his/her own clients doing business with a “streetwalker.” Yep, I laughed. Loud and hard. And then I commented right back.
I know I should let it go, but it never ceases to amaze me how many times professional writers are given a hard time for putting extra effort into creating a viable business model. In this case, the “high roller freelancers” (again with the lack of proper hyphenation) are busy “prostituting” to publications. The argument this time isn’t all that original – the “writer” claims there’s a formula and just by using that formula, he/she can make a whopping $18 an hour. Mind you, if there were faster Internet connections where this person lived, that could be as much as $25 an hour.
I laugh because even we high-priced “hookas” can get more than that using a similar formulaic approach. Once you’ve written for a magazine one time, you know that audience, that editor, and that preferred method of working. Their system – their formula – is opened up to you. You can now work with these people again and make oodles more money than someone writing for $18 an hour.
Moreover, the person said “This is just something to get me by for another year. It is not a career.” Then why compare apples to oranges? You’ve just equated your “getting by” with our careers, and you’ve done so with disdain and a nose in the air. Hey, here’s the thing – I advocate for career writers to do better by themselves. I don’t approve of career writers getting locked into content-mill jobs because then they are, as you say, just getting by. They’re not growing a business. That’s why we professional writers – sorry, we high-priced escorts – get so vocal about it. We know other writers can, and should, do better. If you want to get by in that way, go for it. If you want to build a career, rethink it and do better by yourself.
And does this poster take into consideration all expenses? Health care? How about taxes? What about FICA and local wage tax? And is there any 401(k) saving going on? I don’t care where you live in the US – you’re paying taxes no matter how much you deny you are (unless you’re cheating the government, which is just oh-so-smart, right?).
The poster signed off in this manner – “If they are making fifty to one hundred dollars an hour, it is amazing that they find the time to post weekly criticisms of ‘content mill’ sites.” That should be a no-brainer. We’re making enough money per hour so as not to kill ourselves to meet some impossible quota just to get by. I have just as much time to post as the person getting paid peanuts for their work – maybe more so. The criticisms are exactly that – about the jobs and the sites. It’s not personal. If you make it personal, that’s in your head alone. I don’t agree with anyone’s decision to work for these places. I think it’s selling oneself short and doing oneself a great disservice. And it’s putting a roadblock up in front of one’s own progress – not mine. I make different choices. I choose to put a little more effort into developing a business based on proactive marketing and securing clients who are serious about hiring and paying for professional services.
If that makes me a prostitute, then give me a red light and a feather for my hat, thank you.
22 responses to “Just Call Me “Hooka””
I've said it before and I'll say it again, aimed at that poster — if the poster was skilled enough, talented enough, and motivated enough to be paid a good wage for the work, the poster would be doing just that. However, since the skills, talent, and motivation are lacking, the poster's getting whatever comes easiest.
More high paying jobs for the rest of us. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
People who write for these sites aren't that good. Period. I've read a lot of their crap during this debate. Not one of them (whose work I've read to date) could cut it working for our clientele.
PS I used to live in Times Square before it was Disney-fied. I had a lot of hookers as neighbors, and a tranny even made me a tuna casserole when my little cat Maude died.
Not one of them needed to work for the pittance that these content mills pay. And that was fifteen years ago.
Streetwalkers earn better money than content mill writers. Next time someone's tempted to write for one, they should think of that.
Amen, Devon. That's exactly true. Even streetwalkers are better paid. That poster should be so lucky.
And the lack of proper hyphenation points to the skills that are missing. Hey, normally I let mistakes in blog posts go because we're doing stream-of-consciousness writing, but when your argument is how you're better than other writers and think your content-mill job rocks, you'd better be on your game.
hahahahaha Lori, yes, indeed, you do need a feather for your hat because you are WORKIN' it girl! 😉
Kidding aside, I do feel bad for these writers because they could do so much better with a little direction. But I know how hard it is to get started, so I certainly won't say it's easy, but it's DOABLE. My biggest problem is like you said – his nose in the air, looking down on established, successful writers. And for what reason? He's jealous that the business model works? Just sad.
I laughed. I knew you would too. What I found most interesting were three things:
1. As is typical with content mill supporters, the poster used an alias with a profile link that was "unavailable." Um, yeah, standing up for something anonymously is really standing up for it, isn't it?
2. The poster chose my (now old) post to take a jab at someone else who (apparently) is not a fan of DS. Naming names on someone else's blog is so not cool in my book.
3. If you admit that DS is helping you "scrape by," how exactly is that shedding a positive light on the company? Methinks the poster may have been blinded by the glow of the red light district with that comment. Probably where the hooker analogy came in. And with a business approach like that, s/he is likely going to be "in the red" for a long time to come.
The loudest arguments come from the ones who are most insecure. I'm rather stunned by the guy (it has to be a guy, I've never known a woman who'd play the "prostitute" card – unless she was on Springer).
~~LO-riiii, you don't have to wear that dress tonight! ~~
HA! The verification word for my last comment was "brothol" !!!
I am still chuckling over the "give a yak a bath." Well done, Lori! 😀
How timely. I just watched The Girlfriend Experience last night and was thinking how glad I am not have my income depend on someone else's whim. The prostitute analogy worked for me as an office worker: pretending to be interested in the boring stories of all the guys that came by my cubicle, the forced smiling and corporate clothes … It was a performance for money for sure.
When I hear from people like this commenter, what stands out is the lack of empowerment. This person hasn't learned his own worth yet and he'll never go anywhere until he does. And it's too bad, because his attitude is stopping him from learning from writers who could provide a little mentoring.
Are you sure that feather is for your hat, Lori?
I ran into another extreme recently: an older woman who scoffed at the notion of accepting payment for her writing. She writes a weekly political column for a paper that's even smaller than the one that runs my column. I think most of her "real writers write for the joy of it" comments weren't commenting on my earning a living by writing as much as defending her inability to do so. (A lifelong friend of hers said the woman and her husband are indigent.)
She asked what I was paid for my column. I told her, admitting it was really low pay, but I'm not obligated to it – I can skip a week or two if I can't justify spending the time on it. I also said I don't put a lot of time into the columns. She said she spends the better part of a day writing her unpaid column.
When she started in with, "Well, I don't write for the money…" argument, I said – without shame – that I have to write for money in order to pay my bills, and am lucky that I love what I do. What really got her attention was when I explained how the newspaper is making money off her skills. Once she understood that she's being used to line someone else's pockets, I saw a spark in her eye.
No one else will value you or your work if you don't value it yourself.
The saddest part? She's a pretty good writer.
Ashley, you've done a great job understanding your own worth and not settling for this low-paying crud. Jealousy? I think more insecurity about the choice he/she made.
Kathy, your points are all fantastic. What I don't understand the loyalty to a business model that makes the company rich and deceives/underpays the workers. All I can figure is it's standing up for one's decision, which is noble, but it doesn't allow for a really frank view of one's choice from an earnings perspective.
Joseph's channeling Sting… ;)) I think Blogger knows, Joseph! LOL
Cathy, don't laugh until you've tried. Muhahaha!
Real writers write for the joy of it? Is she nuts? Of course we write for joy, but it would be like expecting a contractor to build a house because he loves doing it – not for money. I'm glad you set her straight. And I'm very glad she's decided she's worth it.
Valerie, exactly. Lack of empowerment. This person's comments scream of "I don't think I can do better, so I'll stay in this comfy place for a while and squeak by." The things we could do if we'd just try, right?
The whole thing with such adamant responses from content-mill writers is that I think they have the impression we who do this "the hard way" are looking down on them. And here's the thing – we're looking down on them STAYING in these awful situations. We wouldn't give one damn if they didn't have the talent and ability to do better. And hey, as Devon's said before, some of them don't.
My goal here has always been to cajole, beg, and browbeat people into understanding their value as skilled writers. Taking a job – and staying in a job – that devalues your talents is not a writing job. It's serfdom.
If you're getting the red light and the feather, you should go all out and get the fishnet stockings too. And, I hate to say this, but you should also go shopping for new shoes as well. I know that it will kill you to do so, but it just might be necessary. You need to represent us the right way, you know.
Isn't it amazing how some people try to defend their support of these sites with the 'Easy way to make money' argument? That, coupled with the 'I don't have to do much work' statements only supports the fact that they just don't want to market themselves. I have a lot of respect for someone who can just be honest instead of trying some of the tired old arguments that we've heard time and time again. No job is that easy to do while you sit back and hardly lift a finger. At least no job that you make the money they state they make.
I could go on and on about this, but I'm just too tired. Kudos to Kathy for holding her own while being blessed with some of the most interesting comments on that post. Especially the ones that apparently didn't read the post through.
"Real writers write for the joy of it?" Oh, lordy.
I interviewed a very successful professional speaker for a magazine article last week, and we got on the topic of "selling out." I couldn't work his quote into the article, so I'll share it here: "When I was a comedian and talk show host, and went over to game shows, I had compatriots that said that was selling out. Well, then you won't be competing against me. I have a family to support, and I'll have more exposure, and I'll rise above the format. It worked out exactly that way. It wasn't selling out at all, it was staying employed. Why would you let your 'art' override reality?"
I write because it's what I'm good at, but to me the business part of it–including getting paid well–is where the joy is found. The browbeating will continue until business acumen improves!
Wendy, I know. Shoes are DEFINITELY in order. 🙂
I look at phrases like "easy money" and "getting by" as lazy statements. If you're into easy, get a 9-to-5 and let someone else sweat the marketing. If you're getting by, then you're not really doing your best or being very successful, are you?
Jake, we'll always be browbeating to get them to understand. 🙂 You said it best – the joy is indeed found in doing something you're good at and earning a respectable living at it.
Love that quote, Jake.
You write so good, my big big honey
LOL Michael, I laughed so hard I spit out my tea. I suppose that's our "payment" for being good writing pimps, eh? 🙂
It sounds great that you get paid that much. But where in the hell do you find jobs from?
I went to a writer's conference and learned tons.
I then searched Craigslist like one of the successful authors suggested- all I found were scams.
While I'm enjoying writing articles for A.C. and Examiner,
can you suggest a job board that has legitimate jobs?
(the pay from A.C. and examiner doesn't pay the rent)
Thank you very much,
Jennie
Cynical Musings of a Military Wife
Hi Jennie! Glad you commented.
Yes, try Media Bistro. Don't expect huge amounts of job postings, and do expect to still see some pretty lousy jobs, but the caliber is a little better.
I'm going to suggest something completely different – you already write articles. Why not write for legitimate magazines? Yes, you'll have to put time into learning how to query and actually researching some publications (not that tough, really), but it pays off exponentially.
I have lots of posts here on how to both market yourself and write queries (use the search box at the top or the Labels to the left to find them). And ask questions! Happy to answer what I can.
Just wanted to say that Craig's List, as you've found out, is loaded with garbage. Yes, you can find work there, but that means weeding through plenty of lousy offers. I rarely go there. In fact, my entire approach is different. I don't respond to ads – I go out and find the clients myself. Like I said, start with approaching magazines. I think you'll find that your $10 articles soon turn into $400 articles (or better) that look MUCH better in your portfolio.