Words on the Page

The Writer and the Raise

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: The Graveyard Near the House by The Airborne Toxic Event Good day yesterday. I finished an editing job and started two articles. These are ones with short deadlines, so I made sure to get those going first. Today I’ll arrange interviews for the next two articles. Hopefully one client will soon…

Monthly Assessment: May 2012

Posted on by lwidmer

What I’m reading: Mosquitoes by William Faulkner What’s on the iPod: Hypocritical Kiss by Jack White Wow. Back one day and I’m overwhelmed with work. Yes, a ton of it. When I left, I had three projects on hold. Now I’m back, I have five articles and two of those projects left to finish. And…

Head in the Clouds

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Somebody That I Used to Know by Walk Off the Earth (originally by Gotye) Hi. Miss me? I missed all of you. I just went nearly a week without any Internet connection and while it’s sad not being connected to the world, it’s the most refreshing, freeing feeling. If you haven’t…

Scope Creep

Posted on by lwidmer

I’m still somewhere deep in the Canadian Rockies and probably without an Internet connection. I can tell you from experience that I love being disconnected. It’s absolutely refreshing. Still, after about two weeks, I’ll be getting that “missing mouse” twitch from computer withdrawal. I’m leaving this for you to contemplate until I can get myself back…

Bending Rules and Delivering Service

Posted on by lwidmer

Wasn’t that a great Writers Worth celebration? I still have some posts, but I’m not around to get them up for you, so we’ll wait until I return. I’m still out of the office, but I couldn’t leave you without something to read, now could I? Thanks to my shoe-shopping habit, I had plenty of…

Writers Worth Three: Hobbyists Need Not Apply

Posted on by lwidmer

Three weeks of Writers Worth posts — can you believe it? Thanks to everyone who posted and those whose posts are in transit. You have helped make this a fantastic movement of learning and sharing and encouragement (and butt kicking — can’t forget that!). May what you’ve written and commented inspire another writer to change…

Writers Worth Three: The Three T’s

Posted on by lwidmer

What’s this? A third week of Writers Worth? Darn skippy! It’s thanks to all of you that we can continue helping our own improve how they handle business and how they view their own value. So thank you to everyone whose posts are appearing here and everyone whose comments add to the experience. Let me…

Writers Worth Two: Are You A Flasher?

Posted on by lwidmer

Even though I’m writing this before I head out, I know by now we’ll be in the car driving toward the Canadian Rockies. The plan is to stay in Jasper, AB for a few days, then down near Banff and Lake Louise before hightailing it back to Seattle for our flight home. I promise to…

Writers Worth Two: Freelance Writer’s Dictionary

Posted on by lwidmer

Welcome to Day Nine of the Fifth Writers Worth movement! Today’s our last day in Vancouver, and my last chance to check in, assuming I’m able to wrestle the laptop from my husband (he may need it for the conference) and secure decent WiFi. Know what the best part of asking you to share your…

Writers Worth Two: What You Don’t Deserve

Posted on by lwidmer

I’m still in Vancouver, one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. I’m still hit-and-miss with the WiFi, I imagine (writing this ahead of time), but the Writers Worth continues on in earnest! Another day, another fantastic post! Again, many thanks to all who contributed their thoughts and experiences. You’ve helped writers in ways…

Jodi

No bomb-tossing here. You're right. Mercedes doesn't worry about Hyundai, and Burberry doesn't care what Target does.

In fact, I just read that Burberry's is expanding. Ignore the cheap markets and focus on the ones that understand the value of better skills and better results, and are ready to pay for it.

Those Burberry raincoats cost a lot, but they last a long time (I've had mine for over 20 years).

Peter Bowerman

Thanks Jodi,

Exactly. Figure out what markets your skills (skills not everyone else has!) would be a match for and approach them.

And know that those writers making $75, $100, $125 an hour aren't spending one nanosecond thinking about the markets paying $5 an article. Might as well be happening in another solar system for all it affects them.

PB

Sharon Hurley Hall

Nothing like a good butt-kicking to start the day right, Peter. 🙂 I like your emphasis on working hard to showcase your skills and find better paying work – it's the old 'how many years does it take to become an overnight success?' thing.

Kimberly Ben

Straight, no chaser – sometimes that's how the truth has to be delivered to be properly received. When I first started out I didn't understand this. I spent a lot of time responding to ads. There was this missing puzzle piece – how were some writers finding these higher paying jobs? Where were they being advertised? Of course, as you so bluntly point out, they're not.

Cathy Miller

I knew I was brilliant when I started following you from the start of my freelance career. Peter. 😉 LOL!

I love this. When I moved into freelancing and owning my own business in 2008, I had never heard of content mills. I even applied to Demand Studio. But, when i got all the information and saw what they were all about, I simply declined to take part.

It was very early in my new business and I had not caught up with the content mill furor. I was frankly shocked at all the passion around this. Maybe it's an age thing, but I didn't think it was worth the energy.

I've learned tons since starting this journey. The successes AND failures are my own. I prefer to spend positive energy on continuing to grow and learn.

Yuwanda Black

As Kimberly above said, "Straight, no chaser."

This is the way good advice should be given. Those who want to hear it, believe it and act on it will take it for what it's worth (a lot!) and move on.

Others will whine.

Bottom line is, your freelance career is just that — YOUR career. Take charge of it and stop blaming others for YOUR decisions.

Well said Peter; very well said 🙂

Peter Bowerman

Thanks to all – Sharon, Kimberly, Cathi and Yuwanda – for weighing in!

Glad to hear the message resonated.

Of course, as someone who's been operating in the commercial writing realm since 1994, and who started on Day One waaaay back, charging $50 an hour, this all seems second nature to me… 😉

But, I understand that if you start as a writer in the content mills (or similarly poorly-paid writing), and that's your only definition of "freelance writing," then you could understandably get sucked into that world, thinking it's the one that exists.

And as Cathy said (good to hear from you! And thanks for the kind words…), because she knew of a different freelancing reality when she started out, the content-mill scenario just didn't feel right.

And yes, as Sharon's and Yuwanda's comments underscore, this ain't easy stuff. There are no shortcuts. And you need to take responsibility for where you are.

You absolutely CAN make a very good living as a writer, but if it were as easy as pursuing this type of client or that one to make a ton of money, everyone would have figured it out by now, and no one would be making ANY money.

Understand this perverse-sounding reality: the fact that it takes a LOT of hard work to get established is proof that it's a real opportunity. If it were easy, it wouldn't be real… 😉

PB

Wade Finnegan

Un-freaking believable Peter Bowerman! You have the audacity to tell me that I have to search out clients who appreciate my talents and marketing my services is more than answering an add on craigslist? Who the hell do you think you are?

Tongue in cheek of course. Isn't this true of every service industry? There are high-end clients and low-end clients and part of our job is to find them. If you don't like your situation then change. It sounds so simple, but it's so true. We're in charge of our careers. Thanks for a great post.

danr62@yahoo.com

Thanks Peter!

It's so true! Why worry about what everyone else is doing? There are a lot more ways to compete on just on price point alone. Stop worrying about the poor rates and go find the better ones.

Lori

Love it, Peter! I found a Wi-Fi connection just to thank you again for your post. Thanks again for your well- received words of wisdom.

Devon Ellington

Like I always say, if you don't respect yourself and your work, you don't give anyone else a reason to do so, either. Simply ignore the crap jobs, go after the ones that are a better fit — financially and creatively. These job posters aren't going to stop because they have no reason to stop, anymore than certain politicians and special interests are going to stop trying to take us back into the dark ages, and all for the same reason: Personal profit.

As always, thanks.

Meryl K. Evans

Peter, you always know how to make a point beautifully. I just saw Seth Godin's post which echoes what Peter said: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/05/the-tyranny-of-low-price.html

Peter Bowerman

Thanks Wade, Dan, Lori, Devon and Meryl, for the newest comments!

Glad it resonated – though it sounds, with this crowd, I'm largely preaching to the choir! 😉

It's really true with anything in life: people will respond to "how you're being" in a given situation, if you catch my drift.

Go in timid, and with hat in hand, and, you send a subtle but clear signal that they can take advantage of you, and they will, even if it's unconscious.

Go in confident, certain in who you are and what you're offering, and you send an entirely different message.

In either case, people will (often unconsciously) treat you how you broadcast you SHOULD be treated. In any interaction with another human being, there's an exchange of energy, and what you put out will absolutely determine what you get back.

I've shared this link before, and some of you may have already heard it, but I make a point of listening everyone month or so, just to remind myself (yes, I need reminding, too!).

Classic stuff. And a warning: "Profanity Alert." But we're all big kids – I think we can handle it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5IV23g-fE

Katherine Andes

That was brilliant, Peter! I will never ever complain about content mill writers again. I loved the McDonalds / 4 Seasons analogy too. Of course! Why didn't I think of that? I'm so glad I'm not a burger flipper.

Mark Milan

When I started out I charged $10 per 500 words. I became comfortable charging that rate, and remember feeling like I must improve before I could charge more. Even though clients were always enthusiastic about my writing, I wondered whether I was worth more.

For me, even the baby step from $10 to $15 felt like a big deal.

When I eventually gained the balls to ask for a little more, I continued to win jobs like I always had. It was somewhat of a revelation.

It seems I needed to freelance for peanuts for several months before I learned this ridiculously simple lesson: if you don't ask for more, you won't get more.

I should probably be asking for more even now, but it's easy to get comfortable at a rate you know people will accept.

Melzetta "Mele" Williams

Awesome, Peter! The trouble with blaming others for your poor situation is that you have to wait for THEM to change before things get better for YOU.

So, as you said, we may have to work harder, and dig deeper for those high-paying gigs.

TJ

Excellent long form piece of price discovery. It's true of Odesk, Blogmutt and other crowd source services – the real winners of heavy competition.

Internationally, $5/hr can be a decent income in poor countries. English is the most spoken 2nd language; it's a natural progression as Internet resources related to virtual work that US based writers will get kicked in the arse…

Kevin Casey

It's amazing how little I think about content mills these days, since I started chasing my own clients – clients who allow me to make $500 a day on a regular basis. The facts of life for writers:

1. The highest paying writing jobs are not advertised – you have to seek clients out proactively.

2. There is no magic writing site that will make you big bucks.

3. If you're writing for less than 20 cents a word you might as well flip burgers for a living instead.

4. There is much less competition for the big money at the top. I've talked to million-dollar businesses that can't find a decent copywriter. Maybe that's because all the decent writers are wasting their time on bidding sites….

5. Writers who complain that that aren't enough decent-paying jobs out there are looking in the wrong place. Target businesses directly – by phone, email, personal networking, whatever. It works. I went from zero clients to $7500 a month in 5 months by doing nothing more than that – plus delivering quality work.

6. Never, ever, ever sell your writing services by price. Sell by unique value.

7. There's never been a better time to be a freelance writer than right now. I write about 8 months a year and travel/explore wilderness rivers/play digital nomad the rest of the year. Copywriting has given me a great lifestyle – I'm loving it!

Thanks for the post, Peter. Really enjoyed your book, too. One of the best BS-free writing resources out there.

Cheers,
Kevin Casey

http://www.kevincaseycopywriter.com

Lori Widmer

Kevin, excellent points all the way! Content mills are an absolute disaster for writers thinking it's the only way to find work. It takes time, effort, and more effort.

I love point #6 — there is never a reason to sell by price. Never.

Donna

Wow- this philosophy can be applied to just about everything in life!

1. Lori Widmer
  
  Right? It fits so many situations.
Lisa Hopwood

This is a great article, and the relevancy hasn’t changed for 2022. Facing a gap year in employment during COVID, I turned to the Upwork and Fivver work exchange sites…rough crowd. I quickly realized two things. One, I didn’t like being in the ‘dregs’ of professional writing, and two, my academic writing skill-set wasn’t going to get me writing jobs I did want. I turned to online MFA programs, which led to reading this article for my Business of Writing course. I couldn’t have worded my feelings of 2020’s experience as well as Peter at the time, but I’ve grown since then and so has my Writer’s Worth.

1. lwidmer
  
  “I’ve grown since then and so has my Writer’s Worth.”
  
  That’s a great accomplishment, Lisa. I hope you take a moment to celebrate that you saw the situation and realized it wasn’t what you wanted. Too many writers get stuck in the fight for projects. You knew you wanted more and made what I suspect is a great decision.
  
  Good luck, and please stick around. We’re here to support you.
Why Writers Don’t “Deserve” to Make More than $5 to $10 an Article… - The Well-Fed Writer

[…] judging from the comments it elicited in its original appearance, it apparently did strike a positive chord with many […]

Well-Funded Freelance Clients | Well-Fed Writer

[…] I think I did a decent job of attacking this victim mentality in a recent guest post I did (on Lori Widmer’s Words on the Page blog), entitled, “Why Writers Don’t ‘Deserve’ to Make More than $5 to $10 an Article.” […]