Writers Worth | Words on the Page

Writers Worth: An Interview with Sharon Hurley Hall

Posted on May 18, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

I remember the day I finally connected with Sharon Hurley Hall — it was on Twitter, and I had to suppress my gushing (I don’t think I was too successful). I’d been noticing Sharon for a while as she and I hung out in the same writer circles. She intrigued me. Moreover, I wanted to…

Writers Worth: Redefining Professional Boundaries

Posted on May 17, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

One of the first people to visit this blog — in fact, the first person ever to comment, was Devon Ellington. Devon is an exceptional writer, a master of multiple genres, and a true friend. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Devon on more than one occasion, and it’s always like a meeting of kindred…

Writers Worth: Getting Down to Business

Posted on May 16, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

You know those people you want to get to know, but don’t really know how to go about it without looking like a stalker? That’s how I was with Elizabeth Xu (pronounced “shoe” — another reason I had to know her). As I was working out how I’d sidle up to her and befriend her…

Writers Worth: An Interview with Laura Spencer

Posted on May 15, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

There are some people who just show up in your life one day, and Laura Spencer is one of those people. As you know from Laura’s guest post on May 5th, she is owner of WritingThoughts.com and a veteran freelancer. Laura has been helping freelance writers for years, and her advice comes from a strong background…

Writers Worth: Meet Jennifer Mattern

Posted on May 14, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

No matter who you are, you’ve heard of Jenn Mattern. Jenn is one of the top voices in freelance writing today. Her knowledge is unmatched, as is her All Indie Writers website, a gorge-fest of free resources for writers of all stripes. I’m proud to call her a friend. Jenn is a no-BS personality. She’ll…

Writers Worth: Your Freelance Work-Life Balance

Posted on May 13, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

New writers, listen up — Ashley Festa is a writer you should be paying attention to. In just a few short years, Ashley has graduated from college, gotten married, had children, and built a freelance writing business. She’s that kind of motivated. I’ve had the pleasure of watching Ashley’s career in freelance writing grow. She’s…

Writers Worth: What Technical Writers Are Worth

Posted on May 12, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

Let me tell you about Dana Ford. Dana, or as he’s known by his Twitter handle “techrat_77”, is one of those people who appears one day and before you know it, he’s your friend. I’m talking a real friend. When my dad’s health took a turn for the worse, Dana was right there on Twitter,…

Writers Worth: Prince’s Influence on Freelance Writing

Posted on May 11, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

When I opened Sara Hodon’s email, I was happy to see a great post. I knew it would be great, but what I didn’t know was how great the angle she took was. Sara’s ability to reach into a current event and distill what it means to her has resulted in a damn good post…

Writers Worth: Meet Sara Hodon

Posted on May 10, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

It’s funny how you meet people by chance. Sara Hodon is one of those people. Sara got in touch with me last month regarding an article she’s writing — she needed some input. She’s smart, articulate, and a good freelance writer. That’s when the light bulb went off for me — what a great opportunity…

Writers Worth: An Interview with Paula Hendrickson

Posted on May 9, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

If you’ve been around this blog for any length of time, you know Paula Hendrickson. Paula is a veteran writer with some serious street credibility — she’s certainly the only writer I know who’s interviewed Oprah. But beyond that, Paula is a fantastic writer and an intuitive business pro. She showed up here on the…

Sharon Hurley Hall

May 9, 2016

Great advice, Paula. I remember the days of SASEs, even though I wasn't freelancing then. It's certainly a lot easier to send queries by email. 🙂

Lori

May 9, 2016

I remember those days too, Sharon! I remember too many trips to the post office for the right stamps for those bulky envelopes. It was certainly a bit more work that way!

Yolander Prinzel

May 9, 2016

"Don’t work for low-paying clients. But if you must, then make them work for you. Get a decent clip and use it to break into a better market. Rinse and repeat until you’re writing for the markets you want to write for."

This is the essence of advice that is black, white and has shades of gray. Nuance that's sadly missing from many writing advice blogs.

Cathy Miller

May 9, 2016

I'm with you, Yo. That's some of the best advice I've read on the subject of low-paying clients. Sometimes you do what you have to do but use that as a stepping stone to a better path.

This is why we love you, Paula. ☺

Paula Hendrickson

May 9, 2016

First: Did I say, "Have shrunken?" I must have answered the questions at the ends of a long day!

Ah, the SASE. Those suckers were expensive too. Only about 15% of them ever found their ways back to me. You know when I stopped sending SASEs? When a new-ish editor called to assign something after receiving my query and said,"What's the self-addressed stamped envelope for?" (Sadly, that was one of the publications that folded in 2002.)

Thanks Yo and Cathy. One thing I probably should have added there is that writers need to crunch the numbers to see if a gig really pays as well or poorly as it seems. Two recent examples:

Last fall I wrote a 1,000-word story at $1.20/word. Sounds great until you realize that due to an unfocused editor providing and okaying sources can also turn around and deem those very sources unsuitable and insist on new sources and a massive revision. Suddenly that pay is more like 60¢/word. Seven months later, I still haven't been paid, but was told two weeks ago they'll "fast track" the payment. In a time machine?

Another client asked me to write short, quick blog posts at a low rate I'm unused to. But he supplies the research—sometimes he even writes a sample post and just wants me to clean it up, make it more engaging, and get it to the length he wants. Once I get in the swing, each of these on-going posts should take less than an hour, meaning my hourly rate for the posts will match, if not exceed, the hourly breakdown of that one-off $1.20/word article.

I'm no mathematician, but even I can see which is a better investment of my time.

Lori Widmer

May 9, 2016

Yo, I just talked with a college class a few weeks ago, and the thing I stressed was to work cheaply once, then move on. Don't camp out with a publication or a client because you have the work. The pay has to match your needs at some point.

Paula, that client has been a real trip. Let us know when that check finally arrives — I'd be eager to see how fast their fast track actually is.

Anne Wayman

May 9, 2016

Love the story of you finally getting a hand delivered check… a real message there re persistence.

Ashley Festa

May 9, 2016

Paula – I love your comment about figuring out the actual rate versus what it looks like on paper. I have a few clients like that, and I end up making good money from those assignments. I've also had a few clients that paid a lot, but the work was much, much more than it was worth. I don't work with that client anymore 😉 And you're exactly right when you say good riddance to clients who think writing is easy and is only "worth" so much.

Lori Widmer

May 9, 2016

Same here, Ashley. I had one client who paid $1/word. However, six revisions in, not only was it no longer my article, but it was also no longer worth it.

Paula Hendrickson

May 9, 2016

Persistence is key, isn't it Anne?

Ain't it the truth, Ashley? Too many so-called experts say NEVER write for less than a certain amount per word, but if there's no legwork, minimal research, and (best of all) no transcribing it might be worth the time.

Six revisions, Lori? Suddenly having to write one revision doesn't sound too bad! After a certain point it must feel demoralizing.

Lori Widmer

May 10, 2016

Paula, it felt like it wasn't my voice anymore. That's bad editing right there. Worse, the revisions were starting to get repetitive — "where's this item" when it was crossed out in previous revisions, or "we need to say this" when that was said, and struck out, a paragraph before.

That's someone who isn't sure of themselves and is making it tougher than it needs to be.

Paula Hendrickson

May 10, 2016

I had that happen with a one-off client a few years back. The Track Changes feature showed two editors were "editing" at the same time, one removing something the other wanted added, that sort of thing. Ugh.

I much prefer this kind of experience: Yesterday afternoon I wrote an article and turned it in. The editor's reaction? She loved it. Barely changed much at all, just cleaned it up and it's online now. Which reminds me – I need to send the invoice!

Devo

May 11, 2016

Waving at Paula, one of my favorite people!

Charlyne

May 12, 2016

Paula always hits it out of the ballpark. She is not only one of my best friends, Paula is an excellent source of information about freelance writing. I enjoyed reading her interview and know that honesty is one of her many attributes. If she says it believe it . It is coming from her experience which is vast when talking freelance writing.

Lori Widmer

May 12, 2016

Devo, she's one of my favorite people, too. 🙂

Charlyne, she doesn't know how fabulous she is, either. I've certainly learned from her.

Paula Hendrickson

May 12, 2016

Aw shucks, I'm blushing now, guys.