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Terpgirl,
You sound like one classy person to work for in terms of the guidance and advice you provide. I guess some of us never realize how lucky we are to find a mentor and some of us obviously do not have a lot of ambition or just can't be bothered to do a little work.
I totally agree with you that nobody needs to kill themselves for $2.00. I know that there are more than enough sites out there that are willing to pay even $10.00. As I said, I'd rather do it for free than to do it for $2.00. I don't think that the business owner would go much past $2.00 anyway. Why would he if he has a stable of writers who can produce enough material to keep him in business for a long time? As a writer, it's just not worth it.
posted by
word.smith
on October 6, 2005 at 6:20 PM
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MayB spoke to this in her current post, but boy you hit some serious nerves
with me.
I've been at both ends of the spectrum...editor and writer. I've had that newspaper that couldn't pay much. When I say that, I mean about $50 for an article in a monthly newspaper. I rewrote the contracts to the publisher's annoyance to make sure the writer would retain all rights to the article. I work with each writer over and over and over, going through Writer's Market, giving concrete examples of where that same article could go or be spun off. Not once in 10 years did one do it. I have never figured that out. I would have killed for someone to do that for me.
To make up for the pay, I make sure that I gave my writers restaurant reviews (free dinners), dinner theatre reviews...and cruise travel reviews. They'd get a free trip. They all told me not a single editor had ever done that for that. I don't know how to say it any better than, "That sucks." If you value the person and his work, you will share the perks. Most of my writers were nearing retirement, or retired daily reporters, so that night out was a big thing, and they couldn't afford it.
On the other end, when I was starting out, I had tons of clips starting from high school. In college, I wrote for free for a year for a weekly. I never met the editor. I came up with an article, wrote it, and slipped it under the door for the editor at night. It served its purpose. I needed those types of clips.
No one needs any clip at $2. A potential client for the writer would look at that market and know it was bush league and give it no respect anyway. You've defeated your purpose.
The whole thing angers me.
posted by
terpgirl30
on October 6, 2005 at 4:33 PM
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That's right Dreyma,
And you'd have to have lots of free time to spend knocking away your keyboard. 
posted by
word.smith
on October 6, 2005 at 11:35 AM
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John,
I hate to tell you, and let me hasten to say I could be mistaken, but you did it in your post too....
you stared at it in disbelieve...I'm thinking you're right about needing that pointed stick.
Otherwise, I'm sending Ell a message to send you to bed early tonight.
posted by
word.smith
on October 6, 2005 at 11:33 AM
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Self respect! Apparently, these people do not expect their writers to have any. I am a fledgling writer and would be happy to write practice articles for very little until I build my credentials, but there is a line for sure... $2 wouldn't even pay for the electricity to power my computer for the time it would take to write that many articles!
posted by
Dreyma
on October 6, 2005 at 11:27 AM
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word
I just noticed I wrote 'believe' instead of 'belief,' when I commented - sorrreeee. What I need to do is hire a cheering squad with a big sharp pointed stick. Thank you word.smith.
posted by
johnmacnab
on October 6, 2005 at 9:30 AM
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John,
I feel a post coming on from your comment. I may quote you. The strange thing is, I think I do have some talent, but that thinking is reinforced every time I write something and I am told that it is good work. That might be the difference, but I don't understand why, because in my opinion you do what you do so well! You may need to hire a cheering squad to get you to believe in what you do actually possess - talent!
posted by
word.smith
on October 6, 2005 at 6:00 AM
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word
Hmmm. What I think, word.smith, is that you have the courage of your convictions and a believe in your talent, which is something I have always lacked.
posted by
johnmacnab
on October 5, 2005 at 7:58 PM
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Hem, thanks for stopping in.
posted by
word.smith
on October 5, 2005 at 7:39 PM
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ginnie has a point,
but May B's is better. Hemlocker
posted by
Hemlocker
on October 5, 2005 at 3:04 PM
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MayB,
Yes, I do know where you stand on this and I respect and value your point of view. I believe I am in the same corner. What you've said is exactly what I don't want for myself - to be consigned to writing for $5 and $10 for the rest of my useful writing life. Then, as you point out I mightn't be able to get even that if people are out there churning out stuff for slave wages. 
posted by
word.smith
on October 5, 2005 at 2:19 PM
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Word.smith, you know my views on this as I've posted about it before now.
It's all very well to get a few work samples in print but people have to be careful of being trapped in that cycle of low-paying work. This $2.00 an article gig is plainly absurd. Writers don't do themselves and their colleagues any favors by accepting these conditions. I think that an aspiring writer might be better placed putting something in for free to a respected publication then they will have something of real value to add to the portfolio
posted by
Azur
on October 5, 2005 at 2:06 PM
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Genius, I was thinking
while I wrote the post that if I considered writing for that site, I'd have to give up my life to do it. To churn out so many articles - and you have to request a minimum of 2 articles each time you complete a set - I wouldn't have time to do anything else.
posted by
word.smith
on October 5, 2005 at 1:55 PM
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Freelancing
Often those low to nonpaying jobs are meant to be tryouts for bigger jobs. One of the other things about these freelancing sites is that they'll often rate a worker. Buyers get away with charging $2 an article because there are freelancers looking to raise their rating or make a name for themselves.
posted by
_the_staggering_genius_
on October 5, 2005 at 12:00 PM
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Nuwriter, thanks I'll check out that link.
posted by
word.smith
on October 5, 2005 at 11:57 AM
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Ginnie,
Seriously, I'd rather give away my writing than sell if for $2.00. I understand that writing for free is where many writers get their start and that those clips are great for adding to our resumes. That said, the only way I'd do it now is for a web page that gets a gazillion hits and where there may be a chance of my writing catching the eye of an editor. 
posted by
word.smith
on October 5, 2005 at 11:57 AM
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Have u ever tried www.monster.com , they are a great source for all kinds of Jobs.
posted by
nuwriter
on October 5, 2005 at 10:29 AM
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There are differing views around this...
...for someone who has never been published, writing for free might give them the clips needed to show the paying guys that they can write. When people send articles to publications that don't pay it doesn't mean they use them all...they still pick the best ones so you can be assured that your writing 'won out' over others. I've had a few articles published in non-paying places..in fact that's what started me writing seriously. A few months ago I received a calendar in the mail and my article was the feature of Septembers glossy page. I had sent it in over 2 years ago and totally forgotten about it. They didn't pay me but it still felt good to see it in print. I got a letter yesterday from a magazine who would like to publish an article that I've already had published (with pay) in 10 other magazines. This publication does not pay but I will release it to them anyway. All that said I wouldn't submit now to non-paying places but I'm happy that I can add these previously non-paying sources to my resume list!
posted by
ginnieb
on October 5, 2005 at 7:43 AM
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John,
For the mercenary minded among us - chief among which I count myself - this is an insult! an outrage! This is what makes us all so wonderfully different. I don't know whether I'd write if there wasn't an audience. I started writing again because of the 
I really don't honestly know if I'd write if I didn't have the thought of making money at the back of my mind. I guess this qualifies for me as one of those things that make you go hmmm.
posted by
word.smith
on October 5, 2005 at 5:12 AM
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MW, It does seem a little ridiculous
when you stop to thing about it.
posted by
word.smith
on October 5, 2005 at 5:09 AM
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word
The thing is, word.smith; I didn't start writing to get paid for it. It was an itch that needed scratching. I would still write even if I didn't get any money from it - what am I saying? I do that now.
posted by
johnmacnab
on October 5, 2005 at 4:45 AM
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I can't imagine putting in all that work
for 2.00
posted by
Bel_
on October 4, 2005 at 9:17 PM
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Good point, Tissi,
posted by
word.smith
on October 4, 2005 at 8:07 PM
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word
I agree. it's all about self respect. If you don't think your "stuff" is worth more than $2 no one else will either
nice post
posted by
TissiBlake
on October 4, 2005 at 8:05 PM
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