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Earlier this week, I asked freelance writers on Twitter to tell me what jobs they turn down. Their responses provide a clear picture of the types of projects any smart freelance writer should avoid. Here are selection of those responses, in the words of the writers who shared them:
What warning sign will lead you to turn down a freelance writing job? Share yours in the comments.
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Comments
09.21.09
These are good suggestions- I can't think of any additional ones that don't fall under this umbrella. A lot of people tend to think writing is "easy" and that they can get away with paying writers nothing or next to it.
09.21.09
I'm sorry if I'm a bit off topic but I have a question as I may have to hire a writter for a job and I don't want to screw him/her.
I see a lot of answers about money.
In France, the average price is 60-70€ (84-98 USD) for ~1500 characters.
What this make you think ? It's a good price ? It's really too low ?
If I want to ask her/him to interview someone, how much do you think it's a good price ?
Thanks per advance and if the light off topic bothers, do not hesitate to mention it, I'll ask somewhere else, no worries !
Eric
09.21.09
@Vanessa, Payment is definitely a major issue for freelance writers. The fact that so many people think that they can pay next to nothing for a writer makes it so hard to sort through all the chaff and find worthwhile gigs.
@Eric, In my experience, length is only one aspect of the pricing decision. Depending on the length of the interview and the amount of research necessary beyond the interview, most of the freelancers I work with would probably ask for a a little higher of a price. However, where your writer is based can affect the price he or she asks significantly.
09.21.09
Thanks for your answers.
I was planned to pay (of course) every expenses such as moving somewhere, have to eat somewhere and such.
From what I can think of is : "side expenses" and the lenght of the interview. As I want to hire a "specialist" of my industry, I don't think the research time should be too huge and I know what I want in the interview. I think that I'll give some questions that I want in the interview and let her/him do the rest as she/he wants.
I plan to work from time to time with a freelance writter and I want to establish a trust-based relationship with her/him. Not to mention that I want quality too and I don't think that you can have real quality when you screw people around. I want the exclusive rights on the work she/he'll provide for me too and I think that's something that I'll have to pay.
In fact, I begin to think that it'll be really expensive ! =)
Do you think that I ask too much ? I'm really don't know anything about what a freelance writter can do and how it works.
I don't really know. I've got the feeling that I'm asking to a freelance writter to do a "journalist specialist permanent contrat" job. Of course, I cannot hire one for a permanent contrat.
Are you familiar with all that ?
09.22.09
@Eric, The project you're describing is definitely one that a freelance writer would be interested in. You're correct in thinking that you'll need to pay for exclusive rights on the particular project. One option that you may find useful is to put together a project description and then ask freelance writers to submit estimates on the project, along with samples of their work — you'll be able to see the quality of their work and find an equitable price.
09.22.09
Thanks a lot for your answers and your time. It's really helping me out to understand how a freelance writter works. I tried to do it myself and did two interviews and some brief news but as I said, I want quality and I'm not a writter. =)
I apologize again for the off topic questions.
Eric
10.02.09
@Eric In my experience, in English-speaking countries (I've worked in Australia, the UK and the US), the payment rate is per word rather than per character. I have no idea how many words 1500 characters is, so I can't tell you much about the rate.
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