Friday’s From the Archives
Yes, this is early. Don’t get used to it. 😎
This was a industry “rant” I wrote while freelancing. It’s still true and even more true now than in 2009. There’s a lot of content mills out there who think content goes to the lowest bidder – and desperate writers do it.
—– The Rant —-
To many outside of the industry, the prevailing idea is that anyone can write. You just put words on paper. Right? Yeah. Welcome to Writer Delusion #67. This is the hardest job I’ve ever had — because of the subjectivity. Telling a story people want to read is one thing, finding someone to buy it is another. The fame, the riches? Yeah, what most people in the “real world” don’t realize is this little fact. Writers haven’t seen a “cost of living” raise since 1900. We make the same amount per word in many cases as all those wonderful writers people read in high school and college.
It’s a scary trend that’s actually getting worse. To many people, the idea is that art should be “appreciated” not paid for. We should be grateful for publication. There are exceptions. Good causes, entrepreneurial activities, but many of the ads on Craigslist and others are just trying to get something for nothing. Thinking a 500 word blog article can be written to exacting specifications in an hour or less and thus should only be paid $5-$25 per article (which comes out to less than a penny a word) is insulting in the extreme. It saddens me that writers consider the opportunities — but on the other hand, writers are people. We need to eat and pay rent just like everyone else.