lwidmer | Words on the Page

Idea File: Finding Freelance Writing Ideas in Conversation

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You’ve heard this starting out, I’d bet: Ideas are all around you. And I’d bet you wanted to scream every time you heard it, too. How ironic that the one piece of advice that made me want to scream “You don’t get it!” when I was first starting out is exactly the advice I needed…

How to Keep the Freelance Writing Checks Rolling In

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Anyone who’s close to me knows I spent about a month waiting for an overdue check recently. Normally, I wouldn’t notice because other checks would be rolling in, but naturally, it was tax time. The time when checks go missing right when you need them most. My mom always asks “Did you get any money…

Reality Check: Are You Freelance Writing Material?

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Yesterday, my workday looked like this: I revised a client article most of the morning. Due date — as soon as possible. Simultaneously, I was dealing with phone calls and texts from family members about our summer place. There’d been flooding. Apparently, I’m the designated calm voice in a sea (pun not intended) of anxiety…

Stolen Work: Theft in Freelancing

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Last week we talked about when your ideas are stolen. It’s a tricky topic, as ideas are not copyrightable, but there are some instance in which you, freelance writer, might have some legal ground to stand on. With your writing, however, you have plenty of ammunition. In fact, here’s your guide to what’s protected: Copyright…

Your Freelance Writing Ideas, Stolen

Posted on by lwidmer

I’ve been at this writing-for-a-living thing for a few decades, so when I hear someone complain that their ideas were stolen, I think back to the first Journalism course I took, which taught me this: Ideas cannot be copyrighted. There’s a reason for that. If they could be copyrighted, there would be just one book…

This Job, Not That Job: Part-time job, Full-time headache

Posted on by lwidmer

Yes, it’s clearly spring, for the lousy job listings are piling up like a line of cars following behind a cow. A really slow cow. Really slow. And the posts are getting weirder. What I’m seeing lately are postings that mask the true intentions of not the poster, but the job itself. Here’s an example that…

Freelance Files: Protecting Your Billable Hours

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A while ago, I was working on a project with a client’s client, and it was clear there was going to be an issue. The client was nice enough. He knew what he wanted, and I was able to interpret that into a good first draft. But there was a massive disconnect from that point…

Idea File: Finding Freelance Writing Ideas in the News

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Today I’m finishing up an article whose topic came straight from the news. Think headline-grabbing, celebrity-steeped scandalous news that’s been overplayed by every major (and minor) news organization. And yet, my article only mentions that original scandal. That scandal, that news, served as a catalyst for my piece, which touches on the scandal so lightly,…

Freelance Idea File: Ideas for Attracting Clients

Posted on by lwidmer

How many times have you heard (or asked) this question: Where do I find clients? Today, we’re going to answer it. If I had a quarter for every time I’ve fielded that question (and asked it myself — we’re all beginners at some point), I’d not have to write for a living. It’s a legitimate…

Guest Post: When Clients Try to Set Your Freelance Writing Worth

Posted on by lwidmer

I love Mika Doyle. Mika is one of those beginning freelance writers who is carving out a career, but doing it the right way. I’ve watched her from the sidelines as she’s built her freelance foundation, and it’s exciting to watch. Mind you, she’s gone through the same tough cycles and struggles like we all…

Paula Hendrickson

It never fails to shock me just how little some people value what writers and editors – and consultants – bring to the table. I’m glad you stood your ground, Mika.

I also noticed that they’re willing to pay you more, per hour, for phone calls than for doing the actual work. Seriously? That doesn’t even make sense. It should be the exact opposite.

One thing is obvious: their lag time in responding means they’re fishing around for other writers who might agree to those rates. If they do, they’ll soon realize the old adage is true: you get what you pay for.

1. Mika E Doyle
  
  I’ve noticed more and more clients have been telling me “we pay other writers xyz…,” so we’re not paying that rate, which is making it harder and harder for me to get paid what I’m worth. I keep having to walk away from jobs because other writers are willing to take lower pay. I wish more writers would stand their ground and demand better pay.
2. Paula Hendrickson
  
  Very true, but those clients are probably the same ones who five years ago thought content mills were a good and “affordable” way of doing business. As bad as the rates this client offered, at least they weren’t mill rates. It will take a while for the mill mentality to lift. Graphic designers went through a similar thing when everyone thought desktop publishing was better than paying skilled designers. Sometimes there’s a steeper learning curve.
  
  The more writers like you who challenge low rates like those, the sooner they’ll learn.
lwidmer

Mika, thank you again. Great post!

What strikes me in all this is that list — “Here’s what you’re charging/being paid” — with absolutely no input from you. It’s presumptuous at best (they could be really new at this) and insulting at worst (you are NOT an employee).

It’s okay for them to ask YOU for this list, but it’s pretty awful for them to send it to you without you requesting it. I mean, would you send that same kind of list of charges to a kitchen remodeler? Would you expect the roofing company to abide by your itemized list of supply charges and worse, what you’ll pay them to do each little thing?

You said this to Paula: “I’ve noticed more and more clients have been telling me “we pay other writers xyz…,” so we’re not paying that rate, which is making it harder and harder for me to get paid what I’m worth. ”

Fish in a different pond. These are bottom-feeders. Aim higher. If you’re finding them on job lists, that’s feeding into their thinking that they call ALL the shots, including payment. If you’re being referred, lose that referral! Go for a company you’ve looked into that seems to understand that good things come with a price tag.

1. Mika Doyle
  
  These are all companies that have approached me or I’ve aimed for. I don’t do job listings for that very reason. I’m fishing in the ponds I want but aren’t catching the the big fish.
Anne Wayman

Yes, fish in a different pond, as Lori suggested. I also would point out that you didn’t follow your first instinct to dump them… I probably would have also given them another ‘chance’ but I can’t, come to think of it, think of a time when ignoring my intuition paid off. Glad they didn’t snare you… none of us need clients like that.!

1. Mika Doyle
  
  This felt very much like an abusive relationship does. I got the confusing back and forth of the abuse with the flattery and flowers that made me feel comfortable enough to keep moving forward.
2. Paula Hendrickson
  
  What an apt comparison! (You might want to do a blog post about that, too.)
Gina

Pardon my confusion. Were you doing only proofreading? I didn’t see a quote for writing. Not sure if I missed anything. Since I don’t know your standard rates, I’m not sure what you consider minimum wage. Being the slowest writer in the West, I’d be happy at $20+ per hour. But please don’t think I’m minimizing your worth. Just trying to make sense of what I charge.

1. lwidmer
  
  Hi Gina! I can’t speak for what Mika’s project scope was, but I felt the rate they quoted was far too low. I’m seeing this:
  
  They’re assuming the $25/hour for proofing (which in my opinion is too low) is all she’s doing while at the same time noting they’ll need phone calls, article reviews ….
  
  For me, the larger issue is the way they took it upon themselves to set her rates for her. Who does that? If I had a house painter, for example, I would never start the conversation by telling that painter what he or she is going to charge me. Nor should any client dictate our rates to us.
  
  Plus, this is a marketing firm. They’re easily making $250/hr. or better for their own work. And they should know better than to dictate what their contractors will pay.
2. Gina
  
  Thank you. I see what you’re saying — but anymore how do we know the level of experience of the client rep doing the negotiating? There is so much turnover and chaos anymore it seems everywhere. I do realize writers are vastly underrated, so I’m not being entirely naive. But could it be the person doing the negotiating was inexperienced? Just a thought. Believe me, I’m on the writers’ side.
3. lwidmer
  
  That’s an interesting question, Gina.
  
  I don’t think it matters one iota to us whether that person negotiating has experience or not. Our rate is our rate. Yes, there are clients who need to come up to speed with how to work with freelancers, and this could be the case here.
  
  Still, there comes a point when it passes beyond inexperience and straight to insult. This is an established company, I assume. I also assume they set their own rates. To set the rates of another professional, to me, is crossing the line. Even if that client had said they’d pay Mika $3,000 a month, that’s not for them to say. It’s for them to say “What’s your rate?” and to negotiate from that point.
  
  Oh, I know you’re on the writer’s side! No worries there. Thanks for your questions.
4. Mika Doyle
  
  Hi, Gina,
  
  This estimate was for content consulting services, so I’m actually surprised the client threw in proofing. The client wanted to tap into my expertise to strengthen their content strategy, so they wanted me to review their current content plan and offer my recommendations for whether they were on the right track and if/how they should improve their strategy. Why that included proofing, I really don’t know. And as Lori noted, any agency would charge anywhere from $125 to upwards of $250/hour for that kind of service.
Sharon Hurley Hall

You’re better off without them, Mika, though I do hope you get paid what you’re owed. I sometimes have that experience (never hearing from them after I tell them what my writing is worth). There are some who want to argue, but it’s very liberating to say no to lowball offers. 😀 Good for you for standing your ground!

KO

I needed this today. In the industry I work in (educational assessment) the client actually does typically set the rates, I think because they often have large teams of writers working on a project. Just this past week I had not one but two potential clients get in touch with me to discuss a project. They both seemed dodgy about the rates, which is always a bad sign. In the end one finally gave me a rate sheet offering rates one-half to one-quarter of what I usually charge, but AFTER I’d spent a couple of hours on the phone and reviewing materials. The other stated a rate that at first glance seemed fair, but then proceeded to tell me about the very involved pitching/revising/review process. Two dead ends in a week! Thank god for good relationships with ongoing clients!! I always feel a bit bad bringing financial up first thing, but I’m reassured other writers feel it makes a lot of sense.

I follow another site that posts stories about difficult clients, but they are mostly from designers, computer tech people. One posted about how he fixed someone’s computer in a short time and charged more than $100. The customer was furious because it only took him a few minutes, but the expert (correctly) pointed out that it would have taken the customer forever to try to do it on his own. I think there are definitely some parallels with the writing world. Freelancers don’t get to become experts in a specific area over night, so the client should recognize they are paying you for not just the time it takes to do a task, but the work that went into learning how to do it efficiently. Hopefully that makes sense.

Great post!

1. lwidmer
  
  A customer was furious to be charged over $100 for something that would have taken them all day if not longer? That’s a foolish customer. The value is often in the skills and speed of the specialist, I say.
  
  I’ve had similar dead ends, KO. I try to limit the calls to an hour tops, but it doesn’t always work that way. On a project long ago, I remember one guy who was a talker — he would not stop even when I was clearly trying to get off the phone. So the next time we talked, I told him we had exactly 10 minutes before my next call. He said “That’s not enough time!”
  
  But guess who was off the phone in under eight minutes? Funny how those parameters made him stick to the damn point.
2. Mika Doyle
  
  I’m so glad to hear this was helpful, Ko. And I agree; just like any other field, writers don’t become experts overnight, and they deserve to be compensated for their expertise just like people from any other industry.
Cathy Miller

Way to stand up for yourself, Mika. Even with 30+ years experience in my niche, it took me years to get comfortable saying no. It is so liberating to walk away from the low-ballers (or projects I simply don’t want to take on).

I’m with Anne. Every time I go against my gut, it backfires. Paula’s right, there are so many who do not get the value an experienced writer or editor brings to a project. I cringe every time I see a promotion of bidding sites.

1. KO
  
  Us writers must have good intuition! I feel the same about trusting my gut. Even if there is nothing specific I can pinpoint sometimes I just get an off feeling about a client or a project, and each time I’ve proceeded the results haven’t been good…
2. Mika Doyle
  
  Thanks, Cathy. Lori’s Writer’s Worth content has been instrumental in teaching me how to stand up for myself as a writer.
3. lwidmer
  
  And here you are inspiring others yourself, Mika. 🙂