Self-Worth

I got offered a writing gig last week. The payout was major.

Mmm-hmm. $5.40 an hour.

Let that sink in for a second.

For comparative purposes, the minimum wage in Rhode Island is $7.40 an hour. Twelve-year-old babysitters, the kid who shovels your driveway and fast food attendants at McDonald's all make more than what I was offered. Me--a professional wordsmith with nearly twenty years of writing experience--in addition to a Newsweek by-line.

I'm not bitter.

The latest in underpaying job offers was for a website, which shall remain nameless, to write 30 hotel reviews: 25 in Providence and 5 in Newport. The write-ups, which did not require an overnight stay, would bank me $15 apiece, with an additional $75 for travel expenses.

This put the grand total of my contract at $525. Pre-taxes. Another perk of freelancing is that I'm responsible for paying my own. So once Uncle Sam gets his twenty-five percent cut off the top, the starting point for this lucrative contract rolled down to $393.

For this assignment, I calculated I'd physically have to hit the road 6 times: 5 trips to Providence and one to Newport. And, because there are not 25 hotels in Providence proper, it's a fair guess that some of the properties were in neighboring communities.

Considering all of these factors, I conservatively estimated travel time for the whole project at 7 hours. The actual reviewing/writing time per hotel? I pegged that at roughly 1.25 hours each, bringing the estimated total for the whole project to 51.5 hours.

And then I needed to consider expenses, including parking and gas, which I tallied at a minimum of $10 per local outing. The Newport trip would be a bit more: $20 gas, $10 parking, $25 lunch and $8 in tolls. The grand expense total: $113.

For those who suck at math, I arrived at the proposed hourly rate by taking the starting contract amount of $393, subtracting the expenses of $113, then dividing the remaining amount of $280 by the total hours worked, 51.5 hours. And there you have it: $5.43 per hour.

The saddest part? There's no doubt someone took this assignment after I turned it down.

And this is far from the first time I've either declined, or even lost jobs, because of rate disagreements.

I certainly didn't become a writer for the money. And trust, while I well understand the importance of generating clips for your portfolio, taking assignments at truly pathetic rates, just makes it worse for everyone. Writers, are you listening?

WE. ARE. NOT. GETTING. PAID. WHAT. WE. ARE. WORTH.  

There is this twisted perception among those in charge of editorial budgeting, that writers are not skilled professionals. That any writer will work out just fine, because, well, technically, everyone can write. Blek. I suppose if you're defining writing as the act of string words together, instead of a crafted art, that's true. But the end-product isn't going to be anywhere close to the same.

I wish that more writers would join me in standing up for ourselves and stop taking assignments that are downright insulting. Or put more plainly: Writers, how 'bout we f'n stop selling each other (and ourselves) short? Ask for what you deserve. And walk if you don't get it.

In the meantime, to all of the publications that believe price is more important than content, here's my wish for you:  I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, hope you get what you paid for.  

Top Five Things I've Learned As A Freelance Writer

I recently had dinner with a new writer pal, who is fearlessly gearing up to make that uncertain leap from a traditional 9-5 to self-employment. As I recounted my story, now thirteen years in the making, it occurred to me that perhaps I did indeed have a couple of lessons under my belt. Or, probably more accurately, that glass o' riesling was making me believe. Regardless, behold:

The Top Five Things I've Learned as a Freelance Writer:

5.  You know that beloved thing called pay day? That slice of financial heaven, that makes all of your hard work worth the effort? In the freelance world, some days, weeks or even months will pass before it appears. The reasons for this are unpredictable and varied, ranging from professional drought to working for organizations who clearly think you must be independently wealthy. Regardless, freelancing is sort of like putting your money in the stock market. You've gotta be in for the long haul for it to, literally, pay off.

4.  Eventually, the money will come. And then it will go. And come. And go. Sense a pattern? I've learned that ebb and flow is all part of the game. And you've got to be comfortable with that. Mostly. But even when the funds have temporarily halted, the fun must go on. Sure, there will be times that you're feeling far less baller than you were, say two weeks ago. That's when its back to basics: free events, half-price appetizers, clearance racks, coupons and on-line sales. The trade-off? An incredible quality of life--which truly can't be bought. And no office politics. Horray!

3.  In the end, it's still all just business. Sometimes freelance writing feels sorta like a major league baseball team. Your pitching? No doubt top-notch. You're reliable. Consistent. You've stepped up for the team in clutch situations. But if the management changes, your role is not guaranteed. In the blink of an eye, your veteran fast ball has been replaced by a rookie knuckleballer, called up from the minors. Same game. Different styles. Nothing personal.

2.  Know that while you're busting your hump every single day, there will be peeps who think that freelance is code for serial loafer. Ditch 'em. Embrace the people who support you. There's no need to explain yourself. Ever.

1.  Never give up. Be the little engine that could--with a pen. It's not called the creative PROCESS for nothin'. Stick with it. Learn from your journey. Uncover your professional strengths. Hone your voice, then make it stronger. And above everything else, write on!