Freelance Writing Week II: Should Freelance Writers Ever Write for Free?

7 CommentsTuesday • April 21, 2009 • by michelle

Welcome to Day 2 of Freelance Writing Week II!

Yesterday’s topic, in case you missed it, was:

How Much Do Freelance Writers Make?

Now from a rather tame subject to an extremely volatile one. How volatile you ask?

Well if you’re ever at a party and want to break the ice with a freelance writer, just ask:

Should Freelance Writers Ever Write for Free?

And then stand back. Far.

Many experienced freelancers will say you should never accept non-paying or extremely low paying assignments with the reasoning that, hey, this is your *job* and no one expects the plumber to come over and fix your toilet for free! And even if freelance writing isn’t your full-time job, you should still be compensated for your services.

On the other hand, beginning freelancers, i.e., those without any clips, generally don’t see anything wrong with accepting jobs with no or low pay because hey, how else can you get started?

So who’s right?

I say they both are–at least to some extent.

Don’t Write for Free!

Generally, you should avoid writing for free as you are not only devaluing your own work (and telling potential future editors that your writing was worth nothing), but you’re also making it difficult for your fellow freelance writers to ask and receive a decent wage for their hard work.

This principle, by the way, also applies to extremely low-paying jobs ($5 or less for full-length articles is extremely low-paying in my book).

Is it *ever* OK to write for free?

I do think there are some excellent reasons to write for free, but the list is *extremely* short:

1. To Compile Clips (Maybe)

If you’re just starting out and haven’t been published anywhere, you *might* consider writing something for free just to get a clip or two under your writing belt.

But (and this is a *big* but) don’t make a habit out of it. It’s easy to get into a rut accepting non-paying or low-paying jobs, so set goals for your writing career and check in with them periodically to make sure you’re moving forward and not hovering in a bad place.

Even better than writing for others for free just for clips? Start yourself a blog and write “samples” of articles you’d like to eventually send to potential clients. It may be writing for free, but at least you’ll still own your material.

2. Charitable Organizations

If your church or local community center needs a press release, flyer, or other written materials and you’re feeling charitable, this is a great way to give back  and also hone your writing skills along the way.

Something like this may also lead to future paying work, so if you have the time and inclination, writing for free in this situation is a glaring exception to the “Don’t write for free!” rule.

3. Exposure

To be perfectly clear: I am *not* talking about all those job ads that say “We can’t afford to pay now, but you’ll get great exposure by writing for us!” Run from those. Fast. If they can’t make ad revenue to pay you, how do they possibly have enough readership to give you great exposure?!

What I mean is that if the New York Times calls you up to write an op-ed for free, you should seriously consider doing it, assuming you’ll get a byline (and preferably a link to your website!). If the publication asking for your free services is “important” enough and will, indeed, pay in exposure, it might be worth it to write for free.

If you’re a blogger, another example might be guest-posting at Darren Rowse’s Problogger; the link love and clicks over to your site alone could make your free writing worth the effort.

4. Promotion of Your Work

If you have written a book, for instance, and you can promote it by writing articles or blog posts, this is a good time to write for free–so long as you’re submitting to places who also cater to your target audience.

That’s my abbreviated opinion on the matter, but if you Google the topic, you’ll find lots more opinions, including:

• Do I Have to Write for Free to Get Started? Ask Anne, the Pro Writer at Anne Wayman’s About Freelance Writing

• Byline/Exposure/Bio in Lieu of Cash THE ULTIMATE INSULT TO WRITERS! at Angela Hoy’s Writers Weekly

• Want to Be a Travel Writer? Don’t Write for Free at Almost Fearless

Be sure to come back tomorrow for
“What’s the ‘Right’ Pay for Freelance Writing Jobs?”

If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe through an RSS feed so you don’t miss a single Freelance Writing Week II post.

Also free free to bookmark, Stumble, and share these posts with friends via email, your blog, and Twitter. The more people we have reading them, the more ideas and suggestions we can come up with in the comments. We freelance writers have to stick together!

So what do you think about freelance writers writing for free
(or clients requesting that they do)?

Freelance Writing Week II: How Much Do Freelance Writers Make?

24 CommentsMonday • April 20, 2009 • by michelle

Welcome to Freelance Writing Week II!

If you’re just joining us, be sure to go back and check out the first Freelance Writing Week during which we discussed:

• Is Freelance Writing For You?
• Freelance Writing Resources
• 5 Tips for How to Find and Develop Your Freelance Writing Niche
• How to Find Freelance Writing Jobs: Query Letters
• How to Find Freelance Writing Jobs: Job Ads and Cold Calls

All this week we’re going to talk about money. Coincidentally, the subject of the April newsletter of WOW is Money Matters so be sure to check it out for more great information on financial mistakes writers make, planning for retirement, surviving a recession as a freelance writer, and more.

First, the most important thing to remember is that freelance writing is a business, so be sure to treat it that way.

Your clients depend on you and expect you to deliver your assignments on time; you should expect to be treated fairly and paid on time as well. Just because you’re not sitting in an office doesn’t mean you’re not responsible for your work product or that a client doesn’t have to treat you with respect.

So, keeping in mind that freelance writing is a business, later in the week we’ll also talk about

• Whether you should ever write for free;
• The “right” pay for freelance writing jobs;
• How and when you can expect to be paid;
• How to tell if a freelance writing job offer is legitimate.

Today, though, I want to address something upfront. Although freelance writing has many advantages (e.g., working from home, the freedom to scheduling your own hours, choosing assignments that interest you), if you’re aiming to be a millionaire, well….

How much do freelance writers make?

Giving an “average” salary of a freelance writer is difficult, although there’s a great interview with Deb Ng of Freelance Writing Jobs at PayScale.com in which she discusses the issue. Deb quotes $1,000 to $2,000 a month as a common wage of many freelance web writers she knows; that’s about what I would think as well (keeping in mind, as Deb notes in the comments, that this interview was a few years ago so average wages may be a bit higher now).

So will I get rich freelance writing?

Um, probably not. I’m a firm believer that anything is possible, but quite simply, a freelance writer making six figures is rather rare; some freelancers are in that income bracket, but they are the exception.

Now don’t get me wrong: you can make a good living doing freelance writing and even support a family on it, but it takes a lot of work, commitment, dedication, and patience. And for many of us, the quality of life that freelance writing allows and the satisfaction of doing what we love and getting paid for it helps make up for the pay.

Can I expect that $1,000 to $2,000 a month from the get-go?

Unless you’re *extremely* fortunate, probably not. It can take years (that’s plural!) to build up to earning that amount per month depending on the kinds of credentials you have, so if you’re planning on eventually freelancing full-time, most people will recommend you keep your day job while you’re starting out and establishing contacts. Or, of course, have a generous savings account.

When I was testing the freelance waters 6 years ago, I did legal research and writing work in the meantime. I didn’t keep my day job per se, but I did continue doing similar work, only as a freelancer instead of an employee. To be clear, though, I’d *really* rather not relive those years again from a financial standpoint, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I had to support anyone in addition to myself.

I definitely would’ve had less stress had I just gotten a “regular” job and dabbled in freelancing, but for me personally, I didn’t want to waste any more time. I was ready to jump in and sink or swim. It took a while for me to swim, but overall I’m happy I did it this way.

Your road, of course, may look very different, so you’ll have to decide for yourself how to proceed.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for:

Should Freelance Writers Ever Write for Free?

If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe through an RSS feed so you don’t miss a single Freelance Writing Week II post.

Also free free to bookmark, Stumble, and share these posts with friends via email, your blog, and Twitter. The more people we have reading them, the more ideas and suggestions we can come up with in the comments. We freelance writers have to stick together!

If you have money-related freelance writing questions, please leave them in the comments!