What’s on the iPod: It Doesn’t Matter Anymore by Linda Ronstadt
Yesterday was a bit fuzzy for me. I woke up after my first good night’s sleep in over a year, but I couldn’t quite get going. I had taken a “PM” version of acetaminophen for a sinus headache and it left me groggier than usual. I felt like my eyes were crossed until about noon. Three cups of tea didn’t make a dent, but it gave me a nervous energy that didn’t quite mesh with the inability to focus my gaze. I wouldn’t recommend it.
I did put some work in on an article that’s due next week, and I did reach out to some potential clients. As I find myself in the thick of work, I like to market to make sure there’s work once I clear the desk. The goal is a steady stream, not short bursts.
I’ve been doing a lot of talking lately (online and offline) about the plight of the beginning writer. One topic that generated a lot of commentary on the 5 Buck Forum is the idea of the $100,000 career goal. See, I like that people set goals and go for them. I don’t like that some writers use that goal as a reason to hold themselves above their peers. Success, in my book, is not measured by dollar signs but by the quality of the career you’ve built. More on that $100,000 topic in another post.
What I’d much rather talk about now is the quality part of your career. We’ve all taken gigs that have turned out to be bad decisions; either the pay turned out to be too low/too little for the workload or the client experience has been pretty lousy for one reason or another. It’s happened to us all.
Ah, but how you respond to that — that’s what makes the difference.
Do you accept it and suffer along because it’s just easier? That’s because you don’t know how to see beyond what’s in front of you to what is possible, I suspect. It happens when you’re stuck in a lousy situation — that forest-for-the-trees response.
Time to resurrect my This Job Not That Job topic.
So let’s look at a recent “offer” that might appeal to someone just starting out and looking for clips:
Online Music Magazine (Ezine) would like to expand to tap into the national music scene there. Would like to find knowledgable writers of music, bloggers, music reviewers. While these positions are currently unpaid, we have a plan in place to share advertising revenue beginning in June.
If you love music, and write about music, we’d love to talk with you. Occasionally, we can get you access into concerts as a reviewer. We also get advance copies of albums pre release, such as Eminem’s and GaGa, and David Crosby’s unreleased album.
Interested? Let’s open a dialog and see if we can help each other. If you have work online as either a blogger or writer, or experience as an editor, a link to that would be helpful. Thank you. Compensation: advertising revenue sharing
The troubles begin in that first sentence — “….would like to expand to tap into the national music scene there…” Besides being horribly written, that sentence tells you everything. This is a local magazine with no connections to the rest of the country….unless they can convince enough writers to work for free. Even so, how much exposure does a magazine with what appears to be no clout inside the music industry carry? Answer: none.
Then there’s the advertising revenue: “…we have a plan in place to share advertising revenue beginning in June.”
Right. That means your earnings are tied to some stranger’s ability to market and promote and get people clicking on those ads. By the way, show of hands — how many of you currently click on advertising links at say one link per website? No? Now you see just how much money you’ll get from such a “generous” offer.
And we haven’t even unraveled the “access to concerts” bit. Sounds like someone is working as a bouncer in a club. “Occasionally” sounds like you’re sneaking in the back door.
So how would a real publication handle this? Try this one from Flaunt:
Flaunt features the bold work of emerging photographers, writers, artists and musicians. The quality of the content is mirrored in the sophisticated, interactive format of the magazine, using advanced printing techniques, fold-out articles, beautiful papers and inserts to create a visually stimulating, surprisingly readable, and intelligent book that pushes the magazine into the realm of art-object. ….Pays up to $500 for 500 to 5,000 words.
Already you’ve increased your earnings just by taking a paying job. You’re connected to people who have a proven background in the music industry, too. They’re able to pay, which suggests they can draw in advertisers and subscribers. That makes them a credible publication. Amen to that.
Writers, what jobs have you replaced with better jobs?
What advice would you give new writers on how to replace a low-paying job? What can they expect? When will they know they’re replacing a bad job with a better one?
Interesting timing. Just yesterday I responded to an ad for blogging in my niche. I never respond to ads, but the compensation, while not great, wasn't too bad for what I figured would be 1- 1 1/2 hours of work max.
You had to complete a profile and then read the company's guidelines for the post. Then the layers began.
– higher word count than advertised
– responsibility for finding images for post
– responsible for developing the niche-specific topics & pitching the idea for review
– PayPal payment meant there would be a deduction for their transaction fee
None of the above is unreasonable, provided you have the compensation to cover the added time & expense. The not great compensation got worse. I did not accept the terms.
So, one suggestion I have is make sure you understand all that is expected for the fee. What individually seems like small chunks of time can quickly add up and make good compensation turn into not so good.
Great suggestion. Cathy, I've had jobs morph like that, too. Suddenly, the easy job becomes too time-consuming for the price, as you said.
These "take this job, not that" posts are great, Lori. They're real, and they get the message across so well.
As for jobs I didn't take, I've had potential clients also offer me the "pay based on clicks" rate. Sorry, the how-many-clicks measure is only partly within my control, and I won't let my income be dependent on others' skill in marketing copy.
My overall theme: If the pay is too fungible and the process for arriving at the amount is subject to others' performance, I'm out.
Glad you like them, Gabriella. I like putting them together. And I love your theme — a great way to determine if you're about to get a raw deal. 🙂
I came to these posts because of an experience of my own. I had worked for two different publications, and by chance their checks came in the same week. As I was signing them for deposit, I really looked at them. One was for half the amount of the other, but the work was nearly double. That was my lightbulb moment. 🙂
And writing jobs change… just had a conversation with a client whose changing the way the work is done… will involve phone conferences, and maybe more research – but, and this is the kind of client we all want – they are well aware this will take me more time so at least half the discussion is how to increase my comp – If they weren't willing to increase my comp I'd drop 'em.
Anne, that is a client to keep, for sure.
The jobs do change. As long as the clients understand that it means more work and are willing to compensate you for it, why not?
Figure how much time it will take you to work on, research, interview, polish the piece. If the payment doesn't fit that, you'll start to resent the time and effort and the quality drops off. Also, make sure the "when" is stipulated in the payment. Have either a fixed weekly or monthly date for a regular gig or that it's paid X amount of days after posting. Random payments don't work — you can't budget properly.
A colleague set the $100K for the year goal a few years ago and turned into a different person — not one I could like or respect. Didn't give a damn about the ethics of a gig as long as it paid a lot and got her closer to the goal. Screwed over everyone in her circle if it meant she got a gig over someone else.
She didn't meet the goal AND she lost her support system, because she put numbers ahead of quality and integrity.
Devon, you're so right about resenting the time and effort if the pay isn't on par with the workload.
That's what concerns me most about setting those goals. If you don't build a solid plan to get you there, you lose sight of the things that are important to you–your integrity, ethics, and your respect for yourself and the work you do.