by Leo Wiles
06 April 2016
Hi Rachel and Leo. I just joined up, thanks for your newsletters and the blog. I have a question for you. I’ve just been offered a gig writing 1000 words for the shockingly low sum of $200. Should I be hiring a hitman or burying my self respect and just doing it? Is this what the industry’s come to? S
Yes and no. There are still good editors and clients out there who pay well and recognise our worth. But in a flooded market, there aren’t enough to go around and budgets are being slashed and hence, we’re seeing a lot more of the kind of jobs you’re being offered. And, while I would love to order a hit on every low paying scumbag out there I’m afraid gigs would be few and far between.
The industry’s in transition and the digital side of things is paying notoriously low. Which is why I have made my peace and cancelled the horse head. Instead, I’ve made a conscious decision on how I will view this new state of affairs and a new way to proceed.
Controversial as it may sound, I think there’s no point looking back to the glory days of $1 a word. What we need to do, as suggested in previous blog posts including this one by freelancer Nigel Bowen, is to instead focus on your hourly rate. The point being, if you can knock out 1000 words in 3 hours (which is doable for a fast, efficient writer), then that works out at nearly $70 an hour. Which feels a lot better than accepting a job at 20 cents a word!
Of course, the caveat here is if it’s a straightforward piece. If they want multiple interviews on top of that (which require prep and transcribing) and LOTS of research to boot, they need to stick their $200 commission where the sun don’t shine.
How do you calculate your worth? Do you think word rates are dead?
