The Truth About Freelance Writing, Part One

There's a writers ghetto out there, and I found it.


Did you know that minimum wage in Kansas is hanging in there at $2.65 an hour? This will change, thank heavens, at the beginning of 2010, when it's brought into line with the national minimum of a bare $7.25. Still, it's not much. Here's a surprising list of ten job titles paid at or very close to minimum wage:


Emergency Medical Technician, Pharmacy Technician, Certified Nursing Assistant, Preschool Teacher, Amusement Park Ride Operator, Line Cook, Lifeguard, Nanny, Automobile Mechanic, and Tax Preparer.


Add to this startling list of talented people: Freelance Writer.


Only a small percentage of writers actually live from their writing--this I knew. But I had no idea how deeply dismal it was out there until I fell into the middle of the bidding wars.


Hundreds of article sweatshops are happy to hire writers who churn out dozens of articles a day for less than a penny a word. At these rates, 500 words will net you $3-4. Even if you can manage two of these an hour (and we won't mention quality), you're clocking in right around minimum wage.


There are faster writers in the world than me, and faster minds. There's obviously a place on the market for speedsters who can grind out enough legible words, backed up by dubious research, to make this arrangement worthwhile. Although it drives prices and quality down in the industry, it certainly works for site owners who just need enough keywords in their content to drive traffic to their online shops.


But this system is not for me. After a friendly e-mail exchange with one canvasser of articles who asked me to offer his readers a series of rapid weight-loss meal plans (to which I said I was not a nutritionist and to which he replied I didn't need to be), I hung up my bottom-of-the-barrel article-writing hat.


I'll certainly keep my eye out for good opportunities--it's a wide, wide Internet, after all. But for now I'm thanking God for the positive responses coming in from translation agencies that actually pay people for the work they do, and feeling blessed that I have this option.


I'm also sending up a prayer for all those preschool teachers and emergency medical technicians who face blatant disregard for their training and education. It's something to think about the next time your 911 call is answered in the middle of the night.