Writers Worth Two: Are You A Flasher?

Even though I'm writing this before I head out, I know by now we'll be in the car driving toward the Canadian Rockies. The plan is to stay in Jasper, AB for a few days, then down near Banff and Lake Louise before hightailing it back to Seattle for our flight home. I promise to bore you with the sights and tales when I return.

What a great two weeks it has been! And what a great way to round out this week's posts - Devon Ellington takes on the "exposure" scenario in one of the funniest ways possible. If you don't know Devon, you've not been paying attention. She's one of the most prolific writers I know, holding what seems like a gazillion pen names and working in more genres than I have shoes, and I have a lot of shoes. She makes hard work look easy, but this woman devotes a ton of time to her craft, and it shows.

Thank you, Devon. The celebration would not have been complete without your words of wisdom! I appreciate your friendship and support. Big virtual hugs. :)

You’re Not a Flasher, Are You?

By Devon Ellington

  

Before you wonder why I asked you about your personal life, think a moment:  How often have you been offered “exposure” in lieu of money for your writing?

Cultures leave unwanted babies out  in the wild for exposure, and it’s not because they treasure them. 

Flashers need exposure.  Film needs exposure. We need cash, the same way the plumber and the doctor and the accountant need it.  “Exposure” doesn’t pay the bills.  Nor does “pay per click after 500 clicks”.  You expect me to put my time and effort into writing a good piece?  I need to know what you’re paying.  Up front.  Not maybe-someday, depending on the leg work I do to drive traffic to YOUR site.  This is my business, not my hobby.  This is how I pay the bills.  If you’re not going to participate in a fair exchange for time and skill spent, I will work with someone who will. 

No one is going to respect your worth until you do.  If you believe that you are only worth $1 an article instead of $1 word, no one else has the reason to believe you are worth more, either.  This is not a business that rewards false modesty.  If you’ve bothered to learn the craft and added that special magic called “talent” - -you’re worth a living wage.

Everyone thinks they can write.  How many people have you met who claim they’d write a book “if they had the time”?  Some of them might start one, someday.  Then, lo and behold, when they discover there’s actually work involved, they stop.  Most people think “anyone” can write a newsletter or a brochure.  Then why aren’t they writing the materials for their own business, if it’s so easy.  Time?  If it “only takes a few minutes”, they can forego a few minutes of Angry Birds and do it.  But they don’t -- because they can’t.  No matter how they justify it to themselves, it’s not about time.  It’s about skill.

Well-written materials connect the consumer to the business.  The writing makes the consumer feel he matters -- matters beyond simply opening his wallet, but that his needs and his interests matter to the business.  If I have a choice between a business that knows my name and greets me with a smile when I come in, and one where the employee is far too busy on his cell phone to bother with me, which do you think I will patronize?  The one that makes me feel welcome.

Good writing makes the reader feel welcome.

It’s a skill.  It deserves fair compensation.  Not mere exposure.

 Devon Ellington publishes under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction.  Her romantic suspense novel ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT (as Annabel Aidan) was named   a “hot book for cold Cape Cod nights”.  HEX BREAKER will release shortly from Solstice Publishing.  Her plays are produced in New York, London, Edinburgh, and Australia.  She’s published over 200 articles and short stories in a variety of publications, and writes newsletters, event scripts, press releases, speeches, and more for business clients all over the world.  She teaches writing to individuals, groups, and businesses throughout the country, both online and in person.  Visit her website www.devonellingtonwork.com and her blog on the writing life, Ink in My Coffee:  http://devonellington.wordpress.com.

Writers Worth Two: Freelance Writer's Dictionary

Welcome to Day Nine of the Fifth Writers Worth movement! Today's our last day in Vancouver, and my last chance to check in, assuming I'm able to wrestle the laptop from my husband (he may need it for the conference) and secure decent WiFi.

Know what the best part of asking you to share your thoughts on what worth means to you and your business? It's knowing that people like Cathy Miller will come up with something fantastic to share. Cathy is what I call quiet genius -- she's unassuming in her personality, yet her words are packed with wisdom and been-there-done-that experience. She's one of my favorite people I've never met, and I'm thrilled to have her guest posting. You will be, too. Her posts are always worth remembering.

She's done it again. Cathy's post is one we need to print out and nail to our walls above the work space.

Thank you, Cathy. Love!

The Freelance Writer's Dictionary Worth Reading


By Cathy Miller

You may have freelanced for years. Or felt pushed there when you could not find work. Or you could have slammed the phone down on a room full of executives and quit your day job on the spot.

Yes, that last crazed scenario describes my entrance into freelancing. I wasn't particularly proud of the loss of control, but it did signal that I waited too long to start my freelance writing business. Why do we do that? Why do we put our dreams on hold?

We let others define what makes us worthwhile. I know I did.

· I charged less than my writing was worth

· I did work from my corporate days I did not like

· I got talked into exchanging work for referrals (that never happened)

Why would a reasonably intelligent, professional writer sell herself short like that? Because we think we are not worthy to follow our dreams. We need to be more practical. Well, how practical is it to let others define what we should and should not do?

It's time we created our own freelance writers' dictionary.


Worth it From A to Z

• A - Attitude - Adopt the attitude that you are worth it - however you define that.
• B - Bold - Be bold and believe in yourself – two Bs for the price of one.
• C - Confidence - Confidence in your writing and your business is your calling card to success.
• D - Deserving - You are deserving of praise.
• E - Escape - Escape the limits you put on yourself.
• F - Freedom - You have the freedom to go after your dream and make it real.
• G - Gift - Your writing is a gift - be thankful.
• H - Honorable - Your profession is an honorable one where you belong.
• I - Inspiring - You have the power to inspire and influence others.
• J - Justified - Your belief in yourself is justified.
• K - Knowledge - The knowledge you share is priceless.
• L - Limitless - You have limitless opportunities to shape your future.
• M - Merit - Belief in yourself has enormous merits.
• N - Noteworthy - Believe what you have to say is noteworthy.
• O - Open - Open yourself to the possibilities.
• P - Praiseworthy - When you feel worthy, praise will follow.
• Q - Quiet - Quiet the doubt and use the silence for bigger dreams.
• R - Reflections - Reflections are the building blocks of creativity.
• S - Sacred - Self-worth is a sacred right.
• T - Trust - Trust in yourself and others will do the same.
• U - Ultimate - Success is the ultimate reward for believing in yourself.
• V-Vision – Open your eyes to the vision of your success.
• W - Worthy - Tape the word worthy to your dreams and awaken your soul.
• X - Xanadu - Create your own Xanadu of success.
• Y - You - You are the builder of dreams - make it happen.
• Z - Zeal - Finish each day with zeal for who you are.

The author of this quote is unknown, but it nails the sentiment.

"If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price."

Write your own destiny.

================

Cathy has a business writing blog at Simply stated business, a health care blog at Simply stated health care and her personal bog, millercathy: A Baby Boomer's Second Life.

Writers Worth Two: What You Don't Deserve

I'm still in Vancouver, one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. I'm still hit-and-miss with the WiFi, I imagine (writing this ahead of time), but the Writers Worth continues on in earnest!

Another day, another fantastic post! Again, many thanks to all who contributed their thoughts and experiences. You've helped writers in ways you couldn't possibly imagine.

Today's arse-kicking comes from Peter Bowerman, the Well-Fed Writer guru and coach whose every word I'd follow if I were you (and I do sort of resemble you all, don't I?). And an arse-kicking it is! Peter felt a bit hesitant when he sent it over, thinking it was too blunt. In my mind, there's no such thing as too blunt when you're telling someone something they need to hear in order to better their career. I love what Peter's said here; it's common sense applied liberally. No matter which side of the low-paying fence you're on, he has a wake-up call for you.

Thank you, Peter. I love what you've written. Amazing insight.

Why Writers Don’t “Deserve” to Make More than $5 to $10 an Article…

By Peter Bowerman

Question: Do you consider yourself to be a smart shopper? When buying something big or small – flat-screen TV or a loaf of bread – do you try to get the best price (i.e., watching the sales in the case of the TV or clipping a coupon for the bread)? If you’re like most people, of course you do, right? Okay, file that away for a moment…

Over the past few years, I’ve seen any number of articles and blog posts attacking people who posted ridiculously low-paying writing gigs on online job sites. Yet, as I read these pieces, and the ensuing comments, I’ve been a bit troubled – and perplexed – by the stance taken by some. No, these pathetically low-paying job listings aren’t a positive thing, but they don’t happen in a vacuum. The target of the anger and frustration (i.e., those listing these sorry offers) was the wrong one.

One commenter (Mike) hit the nail on the head when he said, “If you don’t like the terms, then don’t apply – simple. You see these ads over and over for one reason and one reason only – they work. I don’t like them either, but I simply ignore them. No amount of complaining is going to stop them.” But alas, his voice of reason has been all but buried under a mountain of righteous, if misplaced, indignation. How dare they? How can a writer make a living? Who do they think they are?

It all smacks of victimhood. In blaming the job posters themselves, who are highly unlikely to change their tune any time soon (and we’ll get to why in a moment), you give up control of your financial future and put it in their hands. Imploring them to change their evil ways assumes writers play no part in this unfolding drama. Wrong.

Say you were looking for writers to crank out some writing (whether for a content mill or even any one-off project someone needs to have written). And say you didn’t know what to offer said writers. What next? You’d go to some job sites and see, 1) what your fellow posters were offering, and 2) more importantly, what writers were accepting. And when you see listings offering $5 or 10 an article and a long scrolling list of writers responding with various and sundry versions of “Me! Pick Me! I’ll do it for that! I’ll do it for less!” well, you’ve got your answer.

If that same poster went to a bunch of sites, and found nothing but writers saying, in essence, “I won’t write your 500-word, keyword-rich article for anything less than $250,” again, he’d know the going rate. And in that case, think he’d dare post a job offering $5 or $10 for that same article? Not bloody likely. The cyber-hills would echo with laughter.

Of course, that $250 response is a fantasy; it’ll never happen on job sites like these. When supply (writers) outstrips demand (jobs), the reality of competition driving rates down to nothing is as predictable as the sunrise. Econ 101.

But, let’s use the argument many make: that this is even driving down rates respectable entities are willing to pay. Maybe, but here’s what’ll happen. All excited that now they can get the writing that used to cost them a LOT more done for peanuts, they hire some of these writers. And soon discover they can’t cut it. If you pay a bargain-basement writer, and then have to hire another writer to redo what they couldn’t do, it’s no bargain.

One comment read: “This vile writing segment gives professional writing a bad name.” Why should it give professional writing a bad name? Does McDonald's give the Four Seasons (or substitute any top-tier restaurant here) a bad name? Does the No-Tell Motel give Marriott a bad name? Within many industries, there are different levels of practitioners, serving different client segments and for different rates. If it’s not your segment and not where you make your money, then what do you care what they do?

So, let me address a writer outraged by the folks placing these listings. I realize there are more issues than just price, but that seems to be the biggie, so I’ll focus on that. So, you believe you deserve to be paid more than $5-10 an article, right? Okay, fine. Question: Why do you think that? As I see it, and correct me if I’m wrong, there are only two possible answers to this question and only one with real-world validity:

1) Writers deserve to be paid a fair wage, and $5 - $10 isn’t a fair wage.

2) I deserve to be paid more because my skills are worth more than $5 or $10 an article.

#1? Sorry to say, but no writer deserves to be paid any more than the going market rate for a particular skill set, and that rate is determined by a back-and-forth process between buyers and sellers over time. Pretty much like anything else that’s bought and sold on the open market – anywhere, any time, any place.

And the key here is “a particular skill set.” Which leads to #2: that your skills are worth more than $5 or $10 an article. Well, in the case of those running content mills, they only need a certain level of writing – and no better. And guess what? Thousands upon thousands of writers have the skills to write at that modest level.

Translation? That level of writing has been “commoditized.” Think gasoline. Or milk. Or sirloin steak in the supermarket. There’s so much supply, and so little difference between one brand or another, so assuming it’s not some special variety (organic milk, grass-fed beef, etc.), prices will all be about the same. Same with this level of writing. 

That being the case, if those job listers have literally hundreds of writers lining up to bid on their projects at those rates, then why on earth would they need to pay any more than that? They don’t. And they won’t.

And please don’t say, “Because it’s the right thing to do.” That sounds really nice, and warm and fuzzy and all, but you don’t really believe that. Not if you indeed agreed earlier that you were a smart shopper. With rare exceptions, you won’t pay any more for something you want than you have to, and will often take time to ferret out a lower price on a particular item. Why should you expect different behavior from these job listers?

Here’s a serviceable analogy: McDonald's, again. Okay, so McDonald’s pays burger-flippers, say, eight bucks an hour. And given the relatively low complexity of that task, there are tons of folks out there who can do an admirable job at it. Now, clearly hypothetically, let’s say a world-class chef strolls into McD’s one day and says, “I’d a like a job flipping burgers, but given my formidable culinary skills, I deserve to make $80 an hour, not eight.”

To which, the hiring manager at McD’s is likely to reply: “Well, Chef Pascal or Luigi, I’m sure your skills are amazing, but the fact is, I only need $8/hour-burger-flipping skills. I’m happy to have you – geez, times must be tough, huh? – and I’m really sorry about this, but I can only pay you eight an hour.”

Same thing here. Content mill operators don’t need anything more than $5-10/article-writing skills. So, if you think you’re a world-class chef of writing, or at least a mid-talent short-order cook of writing, then stop applying at the McD’s of writing outlets, and instead go where the work pays far better, so your skills will, deservedly, be rewarded commensurately (like the commercial field, for starters).

And as many have accurately pointed out in their comments, those higher paying gigs are almost never advertised or posted online. You have to dig them out, which is why they pay far better. And those freelancers making the highest wages out there are usually those with a special skill or niche. In another words, there are far fewer writers out there with comparable skills. Just like our world-class chef.

If you decide not to bother seeking out better work (and it’s tough to retool your business, no question), thanks to inertia, uncertainty about next steps, or, let’s say it, laziness, that’s perfectly okay. But then stop complaining that these evil job listers won’t recognize and appropriately reward your stellar wordsmithing skills – skills which, like that McD’s hiring manager, they’re happy to have (heck, why not?) but don’t need, and hence, will be unwilling to pay for.

Oh, and as for other crazy conditions some of these listers ask for (e.g., free samples, on on-call 24/7, etc.) can you blame them? Given that writers, in droves, have already established their willingness – heck, eagerness – to be abused financially, it’s only natural to assume they’ll happily prostrate themselves again and again.

Not, that’s not exactly enlightened behavior on their part, but they’re simply reacting to the prevailing reality. In other words, in this scenario – no one abuses you. You allow yourself to be abused. And frankly, the sooner you realize and internalize that, the sooner you’ll be making the money you feel you truly “deserve” to make.

Yes, I know there’s been “rate fallout” in better-paying segments of writing, but I hear daily from writers having great years, some their best ever, and getting rates well above $100 an hour (and even more getting $75+). Not trying to be snarky, but if you want to believe the whole industry is in the toilet, it’s your right to do so, but it’s not the truth.

Adjusting my helmet, and settling into my freshly dug bunker, I await the inevitable “incoming”… ;)          

*******************

Love to write, but hate to starve? Check out the free report “Why Commercial Writing?” at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/, home of the award-winning Well-Fed Writer titles by Peter Bowerman, on lucrative ($50-125/hour) commercial freelancing. He chronicled his self-publishing success (a full-time living since 2001) in the award-winning 2007 release, The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living. http://www.wellfedsp.com/. A popular speaker on writing and publishing, he is a professional coach for commercial freelancing and self-publishing ventures. 

Writers Worth Two: Confidence

Yes, it's another day of Writers Worth celebration! Thanks again to all who contributed. To those of us reading, we appreciate the words of wisdom. And if you're new to the blog, you're seeing some great stuff from some impressive people.

I'm still lurking, but not for much longer. We'll be in the wilds of the Rockies by Friday, and completely disconnected (I hope). Nothing says "vacation" like a technology-free week!

Today Kimberly Ben, our Avid Writer blogger, shows us not only that we have confidence inside us, but how to show that to the client world. Kim is someone whose blog has morphed into this amazing gem of a place filled with fantastic advice and great insight. And that I think she's one of the nicest people on the planet is gravy. You'll love her. I do! And bookmark her site. You'll be glad you did.

Kim, thank you. Teaching confidence is tough, but if anyone can, you can!

Flexing Your Confidence Muscle

by Kimberly Ben

Having the guts to try your hand at earning a living as a freelance writer doesn’t mean you come automatically equipped with confidence in your ability. Some writers can command respect as highly qualified professionals from the gate, while the rest of us awkwardly fumble our way through those first client interactions and projects. We second guess our skill, qualifications, rates and whether or not we can really hold our own against so many other freelancers out there competing for the same jobs.

With confidence, you believe in your ability to provide clients with the best value, service and solutions. Thankfully confidence is something you can work on and build over time.  Here are some suggestions to help speed the process along:

1.       Get a Few Jobs Under Your Belt

One of the best ways to overcome nervousness, doubts about your writing skills and the ability to make a living as a freelancer, is to secure a few projects. The first step can be the toughest, so successfully completing writing projects can motivate you to keep going.

2.       Focus Your Business On What You Already Know

One of the best ways to set yourself apart from the competition is to focus on a specific niche or specialty. For example, someone with an extensive career background as a paralegal has instant credibility as a legal writer that writers who classify themselves as generalists may not have. They understand legal terminology, culture, etc. The same   goes for an IT specialist looking to break into writing technical manuals

3.       Keep Learning

Knowledge is power. Books/ebooks, blogs, websites, free and paid courses and webinars are just a few ways to stay on top of emerging trends in freelancing and specialized niches/industries. There are several free resources available, but understand that you’ll need to continuously hone your craft to remain competitive. Think of continuing education as an investment.

4.      Charge What Your Work Is Worth

Rates can be a source of contention among writers, but it’s so important to charge what you’re worth. First, when you set your rates too low, you spend more time   working hard to earn what you need. Also, charging very low rates can cause a potential client may question the quality of services you provide.

5.       Network with Other Freelancers

When you work for yourself, it’s important to have a network of support you can turn to for encouragement, professional feedback, mentoring/guidance and general camaraderie. You can begin building valuable relationships with other writers by commenting regularly on their blogs, interacting on writer and professional association forums and social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+). You can get to know writers who have already established themselves as successful freelance writers and gain valuable direction from those relationships.

6.       Work on Projects and with Clients You Like

Happy freelance writers make a habit of working with clients on projects they enjoy. It keeps them passionate about what they do, and ensures that they produce a top notch project. Some freelance writers feel like they absolutely must take on any and every project that comes their way. This is a mistake because working on projects you don’t enjoy can le ad to unnecessary stress and anxiety. When you enjoy what you do, your confidence grows naturally.

7.       Ask for Testimonials

Compliments can work wonders to affirm your ability to build a successful freelance business and increase confidence. When you complete a project, ask the client for feedback. If it’s positive, request a testimonial.  Keep a list of client testimonials handy for pending marketing collateral and for whenever you’re having a bad day and doubt starts creeping in. It really helps to read all the nice things clients have to say about your work.

Kimberly Ben is a versatile freelance writer with over 10 years’ experience in business communications and B2B content marketing strategies. She blogs about her own freelance writing misadventures journey at Avid Writer.

Writers Worth Two: Finding Niches

Welcome to Week Two of Writers Worth, er.... Weeks!


I'm not here. If I'm online, I'm lurking from a WiFi spot in Vancouver. That doesn't mean the fun has to stop.  I know you'll make each guest poster feel welcome and engage them in conversation. And thank you in advance.

Thanks also to Allena Tapia of About's Freelance Writing. Allena has been a source of information and of friendship for some time. I'm grateful that she answered the call for guest posts because her advice is spot on! If you've ever said, "But what do I write about? I don't have any experience!" listen up. You're about to have that question answered.

Thank you, Allena!

Boost Your Worth By Finding Your Niche

by Allena Tapia

When I teach classes about freelance writing at my local community college, I tell my students that every single one of them has a niche. And, without fail, I always have a student stay after to argue the point:

"But I'm just a secretary."

"But I've been a mother and housewife for the last ten years."

"But I just graduated from college."

And, despite the fact that I'm anticipating an ice cold Strongbow at home, I always manage to muster the patience from deep down inside of me to walk these students through their life decisions, extracurricular activities, and interests. Without fail, we always find something that 

1) Elicits great passion from the student, or

2) They know an awful lot about.

And I'm willing to do this and go there for one reason, and one reason only: I believe your niche is your secret to writing success.

So, my Writer's Worth Week advice is to mine that niche! Find it, name it, and mine the heck out of it. And I say this for several reasons:

1) Writing can be soul-crushing, both when you start out, and at odd times along the way (example: burn out). Writing within your expertise tempers this a bit.

2) There are a whole lotta people out there who can string sentences together. You need something more than that.

3) Research is a time-killer, and often contributes to the low wages of newbies. Working within your niche saves time, and drives up your hourly rate.

Finding your niche is as easy as walking yourself through your employment, hobbies, and hot-button issues. What do you write about when you're not paid to write? What do you read? What news stories are you sharing on Facebook or Google+? What do you do at your day job? 

I was once a secretary who answered phones for my state department of agriculture. I would tell people how many feet deep that had to bury their dead horse (not kidding), and how often their chickens should be tested for pullorum (it's a disease). Being able to interpret verbose state laws garnered me work with a crop pesticide company in my first year of freelance writing. 

I once counseled a student who has worked at the JC Penney jewelry counter since she was 17. She wanted to edit and proofread, but insisted she had no experience to even begin selling herself. When I walked her through her job duties, she mentioned the fact that she has to match the manifests and packing slips on over 500 diamonds per week. This was the exact kind of detail work that landed her a job proofreading a 20,000 line Excel spreadsheet for a tech manufacturer later that year.

Now, if you follow me at all, either at About.com (http://www.freelancewrite.about.com), Twitter (@allenat), or via my personal blog (http://www.gardenwallpublications.com/blog), you know that I no longer write about chicken diseases or dead horses. Naming and marketing your niche doesn't  limit you at all! It's simply a stepping stone to a better wage. It's one of the first steps in establishing your true worth as a writer.

How about you? What's your niche? Have a funny niche story to share? Leave it in the comments below. 

Writers Worth Week: Deciding Your Own Worth

It's been a great week of sharing worth and inspiring others. Don't forget there's more next week!

Today's post comes from someone I've admired and watched for some time. I was fortunate enough to connect to Sharon Hurley Hall via Google+. In fact, I'd say becoming friends with Sharon was the best benefit I've ever received from Google+. Her blog is outstanding, as those of you who read it well know.

I'm thrilled to have today's post come from Sharon, who talks about how she learned to accept her worth long before she started freelancing.



What are You Worth? You Decide!
by Sharon Hurley Hall


Before you can accept your worth as a writer, you first have to accept your worth as a person. That's something only you can decide. I learned that the hard way while going through one of the toughest periods of my life - confronting racism when I was far away from home.

In my very early 20s I spent a year living in the South of France and for the first time I came face to face with people who made judgments about me based on something I had no control over - the color of my skin. Some were subtle about it; others were obvious.

I won't go into detail on all the many experiences of that year, but suffice it to say it was tough. In deciding how I was going to deal with the issue I could have turned the hatred back on the haters. But I didn't. Instead, I chose to shine a light on the ignorance and dispel some of the misconceptions.

I could also have allowed the haters' view of me to define how I saw myself. But I didn't. Even back then I knew my own value as a pretty decent human being - and I wasn't prepared to let anyone convince me otherwise, even if they didn't agree.

The thing is, you don't have to believe about yourself what others believe about you. You're better than that.

A Writer with Attitude
Bringing it back to the writing life, that attitude has carried through.

• When I decided to go freelance, there were both supporters and detractors. I basked in the support and ignored the detractors - I knew that I could make a success of what I was doing.
• When I got my first gig for a paltry sum, I never NEVER thought that all I was worth was 1c a word. I gave the same value that I give all my clients. They soon learned to value me as well, and that was reflected in earnings.
• When clients disagreed with my approach, I explained where I was coming from and why what I was doing made sense.
• When people looked at my photo online and made a snap decision that I wasn't the right person for them, I said 'their loss' and moved on.

Beyond Rejection
At no time did I allow rejection or ignorance to define my opinion of myself.
So my lesson is: it's not only about where you are now, it's about having a plan for where you are going. It's about knowing that you have the writing ability. It's about trading up whenever you can till you get to where you are comfy. And it's about continuing to do this throughout your life while remaining happy with what you have achieved so far.

Sharon Hurley Hall has been a professional writer for more than 20 years. She is passionate about helping other writers succeed through her Get Paid to Write Online blog.

Writers Worth Week: More Than You Realize

I love it when a writer takes a personal experience and turns it into a teaching moment. Paula Hendrickson,

whose comments and interactions with others have endeared her to the writing community, shows us through her own frustration how she defines her own worth even as she's being challenged on that thought. Paula, I hope by the time this hits the bandwidth you will have cleared up the mess and the client will be a distant memory in the making.

Many thanks for your words of wisdom, Paula. I appreciate it!

Writers Are Worth More Than We Realize

By Paula Hendrickson

What’s wrong with this picture: It’s May, and a slow-paying client still owes me for work I did in February and another client won’t pay for my April work until late May, yet I have to pay the local handyman for his labor the same day he does it, and the guy who mows my lawn expects to be paid by the time he’s packed his mower back into his truck.

What do the handyman and lawn guy know that professional writers don’t know?

They know what they’re worth.

Think about it. How many other professions routinely wait two, three or more months to be paid for their services?

Sure, some clients pay 2-4 weeks after invoice, but too many clients try to stretch payments out. When I agreed to work for the slow-payer, I understood his terms weren’t what I was used to. Most magazines pay a within a month of acceptance, some pay immediately upon publication. This guy stipulated 30 days after publication. (He tried to make it sound like a good deal by saying he paid whichever was more - the assigned rate or based on the published word count.) His terms break down to about 60 days after acceptance. Fine. Whatever. That’s okay as long as I know when I’ll be paid.

Apparently the slow payer can’t count.  It is now 40 days after publication and I’m still unpaid. He’s pulled this before, so I wasn’t surprised. I sent a polite note, saying I assumed payment was already on its way, and asking him to confirm that the check has been mailed so we can avoid the whole Past Due Notice and requisite late fee.  He hasn’t bothered to reply (or even acknowledge the invoice I sent him a month ago). I’m done being polite.

As professionals, we can’t afford to be polite when it comes to collecting outstanding invoices. Whether you charge $50 or $5,000 per article, if a client fails to fulfill his or her contractual obligations – and in the case of the slow payer, meet his own terms – in a timely manner, it’s up to us to demand payment.

Be cordial but firm.  Something that’s worked for me is offering to set up a payment plan. The client may take offense, but if they’re not paying their bills on time, do they really expect you to believe their business is doing well?

If that fails, politely remind them of the terms they agreed to and give them a week to pay up. If the week passes with no payment, send a Past Due Notice clearly stating a late fee will be assessed if the invoice isn’t paid immediately. In full.

On rare occasions, they’ll still stall. No matter what excuses they offer – illness in the family, their own clients haven’t paid them, slow ad sales – make it clear that their cash flow issues are not your problem; you’re not in business to subsidize their company. Set a deadline and make it clear you will resort to alternate means of collection if necessary. Let them wonder if that means you’re turning things over to a collection agency, an attorney, or your burly uncle with his very hungry Rottweiler.

When clients realize you’re not a pushover, they should move you up on their priority list.  

While some clients really are short of cash, the dirty little secret is some of the slowest payers have the funds to pay you, but stashed them in a 90-day CD or  another account to earn a little interest before paying their debts. If you make it clear it could cost more for them to delay payment than they’ll make with a short-term investment, you’ve increased your odds of being paid on time.

Writing is just a small part of our job. Setting rates and negotiating terms help determine our worth, but holding clients responsible for meeting their obligations is how we reinforce our true value. If we all insist on being paid a fair amount in a timely manner, sooner or later writers will be recognized as the valued professionals we are.

What are some successful methods you've used to collect outstanding invoices?

Paula Hendrickson is a regular contributor to several national consumer and trade publications, ranging from EMMY MAGAZINE and VARIETY to AMERICAN BUNGALOW and PRODUCE BUSINESS, and blogs about her creative endeavors at www.createfromscratch.wordpress.com