Several years ago, having cornered the then-limited market for country-music journalists as a freelancer, I had come to an acceptance of the going rate for my work being rather embarrassingly low.
I’m terribly bogged down this week so I have to make this very short. Just want you to know that I did something last weekend that I swore I would never, ever, ever do. I bought…a minivan!
Each week, while looking for legitimate freelance jobs to link to in WritersWeekly, I see dozens of jobs that make me shudder. Below are examples taken from real help-wanted ads – ads that all freelancers should avoid at all costs.
Letters will return next week.
“My company is hoping to interest a new client, and we’re looking for someone to work on a proposal. Do you want to write for us?”
So I’m at a friend’s party, and I’d rather socialize than talk shop, but hey, when you say “I’m a writer” to people, they tend to talk shop whether you want to or not.
“Sure,” I reply. “Why don’t we meet up later this week to discuss fees and deadlines? I bill by the hour or by the word, depending on the project.”
Pause, then the knockout: “Sweetheart, are you expecting me to pay you?
I’m starting to write a book from my journal memoirs and it’s around 550 pages in Word. What format and font/style, etc. should I create it in so that it can more easily be published later? How do I set up a proper index?
Trade journals often compete for advertising dollars. After writing for a trade journal for a decade, I became an industry expert and quite in demand among the competitors.
But after 10 years of covering trade shows and connecting with my readers, the business relationship ended when I was asked to stop writing for another media company whose readership overlapped so slightly with that of the other company. They didn’t want to see my name in the other publication.
Zach recently moved into his own place (sniff). While shopping at a craft store over the weekend, Ali and I found some adorable (snicker), furry toy rats in the Halloween section. They looked so real! I thought one would be perfect for Zach’s new place. Heh…
In last week’s Q&A, I briefly mentioned how some so-called “literary agents” claim to have landed book contracts for their authors. But, on further study, you may discover these are actually contracts with fee-based companies…and some of those companies may be owned by the agents themselves!
Dear Angela,
I just wanted to say thank you for taking a stand against publishers who don’t pay or who pay very late. I think writers everywhere have a difficult time making money because most publishers pay so little. Then, they all make you wait three to five months for normal payment time. They then either they pay late, pay less, or they do not pay at all. They should be exposed for the way they treat writers!
Thank you for taking the time to print their complaints and writing to the publishers as well. I am sure this helps because they can’t hide their misconduct.
angdee
