Getting paid to write

So, I'm reading this book The Well-Fed Writer by Peter Bowerman. He wrote it nine years ago, and at that time the going rate for a copywriter was $65 - $75 an hour, and this rate was for a freelancer with no overhead; agencies and designers that hired writers charged their customers even more.

A few weeks ago, I answered an ad for a copywriter; the pay? Well, there was no hourly rate, but they offered a flat rate of $5 for 3000 words. Now, I type about 50 words a minute, so it would take me one hour to type 3000 words. That does not include any time for conceptualization or research. That is less than minimum wage, and it's depressing because someone said yes to that job. It wasn't me.

Even more depressing is that people are lining up to apply for jobs like these. So, what do I do? I write for free. I hang out here on my blog, sharing my wisdom with all of you, and I'm grateful that you don't seem to mind when I miss a day. But, I suppose if you were paying me, then you would probably mind too. I also write to sell my own stuff, like when I listed my NOOK for sale. And, every now and then, I take on a paying job, but not at $5 an hour!

I would not be considered a Well-Fed Writer. My writing skills do not pay the bills; my husband gets that honor. But, I don't try very hard... I'm unreliable - see how my daily tips don't really come every day? You can make money writing, and lots of people do. That $65-$75 range may be a little out of sight since the onset of blog mania and plenty of people out there selling their wares for a pittance. But, I would venture to say that the writers who take a job for $5 an hour or less aren't very good writers. If they were, they would know that they could charge more and get it.

So, I'm a little bitter when I see my skills sold for so little. My Daily Tip for today goes out to all my Professional Writer friends. It's simple. If you are good, you can make money doing what you love to do. So, don't sell yourself short. Let cheap customers pay for bad writing. When they are ready for something good, they should know they'll have to pay for it.