Readers Respond: How Much Would You Write For?

February 07, 2007

Readers Respond: How Much Would You Write For?
printable version

Last week, I wrote about the growing controversy over crappy writing jobs that pay only a buck or two per article. I also published an email I'd received that complained about a job I ran that paid $9/hour. I then wrote, "Is $9/hour low-ball pay or is that a home-based wage you would accept? What do you estimate you are you currently earning per hour on your writing jobs?"

Below are your comments. We could not publish all of them, but we published a LOT! We have removed identifying information from those who were kind enough to share their rates/annual income with the rest of us.

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Thanks to winning an honorable mention in your 24-Hour Contest a few years back and selecting The Well Fed Writer as my prize, I am today a full-time freelance writer. Admittedly, my husband's business makes a lot more than mine at the moment and without him, I might not be making it, but my goal for this year is $40,000 and I think it is attainable if I can just keep myself on task....anyway.

By virtue of the fact that I'm no longer moonlighting as a freelancer (which I only did for a very short time) and this is now my only source of income, I don't accept jobs at less than $35 an hour. I have a few clients who got in early on for whom I write on a per-word basis. One pays me $50 for a 500 word article and another pays me $70 for between 350 and 450 words. One of these, I got through craigslist and the other I found using the Portland Business Journal's Book of Lists, a trick I learned from The Well Fed Writer. I live about 4 hours south of Portland in Oregon.

Also have one client that pays me $1500 dollars per month for unlimited writing and design work. So far this comes out to no less than $45 an hour. If it ever drops below $35 per hour for the time I'm giving them, I will look to renegotiate or discontinue that contract

So I guess the shorter answer would be, no, I wouldn't work for $9 per hour. I agree with you though. It depends on the person's geographical location and situation. I really don't think anyone can fault you for listing what's out there and letting writers choose for themselves. It's still worlds better than the idiotic "per-click" pay at which I scoff and bite my thumb.

My writing is good enough to command high pay and no client have ever blinked at $35 an hour. In a few years, I may begin charging $45. If I lived in NY or CA, I would charge $65.

Writers have only themselves to thank or blame for whatever pay level they choose.

my thoughts,
-Juliet

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Many years ago when I started full time freelancing there were a variety of print publications admonishing all home-based business people to make sure they know what they were doing, not only with dollars and cents.

What they all emphasized was to know how much it cost you to "open your doors" in the morning. What are rent, utility and overhead costs? What about equipment? Accountant? Attorney? All that good stuff that creative people don't want to think about. Including paying taxes.

As a result, if $9 an hour in your area will help you stay above the poverty level, then accept it. If you live in a major city and $9 will not help you pay your monthly utility bill, then seek the higher price.

And, keep in mind that longevity in the field should pay a higher premium. A potential client once told me he'd pay me what I was worth, and I told him I didn't work that cheap. (Not true.)

Marv G.

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Hi -

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your article. While I understand your stance concerning $9/hour being an acceptable wage in certain parts of the country, I tend to believe that it is still far too low for a quality writer. Professionalism and excellence deserve to be paid well regardless of where in the country they are found. That said, I recognize that wages in certain areas of the country will naturally be higher/lower than in others. But I believe this should be within reason. ( e.g. a doctor's visit in New York may cost more than a doctor's visit in Utah, but even there I doubt a doctor would charge only $9 -- although I admit I have not researched this).

As a personal example, I recently left my job to pursue freelance writing full-time. I live in North Jersey in the NY/NJ marketplace. Yet, in our high-tech age, I am competing with writers from all over the country. My standard hourly rate is $55. Have I ever compromised on this rate? Sure, I recognize that certain circumstances call for flexibility. But I also find that for a quality writer, people will pay.

Just as I compete nationally, writers in lower cost-of-living areas also compete nationally. If we send a message that "you can get a good writer for $2 an article" (although I recognize that your article did not advocate this), then a) it becomes more difficult for writers like me to compete, and b) it denigrates writing as a profession.

I think of it this way: anyone can get a minimum wage job (and I speak from experience - my first job in high school was "would you like fries with that"). But a truly professional writer is an artist at his or her craft and deserves to be paid as such.

Thanks & best,

Gina D.

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If a company wants to pay $9/hour, then that is not a job I want. I'm a senior level copywriter who will take a minimum amount per hour ($65), and if a job doesn't meet my requirements then it seems like a job better suited for a junior writer. I also find that low paying jobs are the ones I used to take when I started out 11 years ago and I'm sure a beginning writer will appreciate any opportunity to build their portfolio/book, even at $9/hour. Writing wages are like gas prices, it fluctuates with the market and from city to city.

Name not published on request.

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I agree that although $9 an hour isn't a high number, it's a lot more than local jobs (here) pay. Minimum wage in TX is low, too, and I know people who are raising families on that amount, or trying to.

Sure, I'd work for $9 an hour if I could do it here at home, working on something I thought was interesting. I've taken so called "editorial" jobs for large companies and made less than that.

And as for those writers who sub out the work for a pittance---whattabuncha scumbags!

Bobbi C.

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Though I am lucky enough to get a high rate for my writing (and plenty of work at that rate), I applaud Angela for the great work she does in culling all the crazy job listings out there (in addition to everything else she does). It’s true that at this point in my career, I would not take $9/hour for a writing job, but as a fledgling writer? Of course! Two years ago during the bust? Most definitely. Let’s remember this: writing is a luxury job. Yes, it is difficult, but it is a far better (spiritually et al) way to earn a living than many alternatives. We all know that sometimes there’s a payoff (taking a lower rate to supplement other work, to write in a new territory, to work with a specific company) that is more than money.

Angela posting a job for $9/hour does not denigrate anyone. It actually illustrates that there are lots of ways to earn money by writing, for people at all different levels. We only denigrate ourselves by arguing about such things.

Robin K.

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I think $9/hour is way, way too low for writing, anywhere in the U.S., home-based or not.

I don't accept any writing or editorial work for less than double that, and I live in an area with a depressed economy and work out of my home. That hourly rate is what I'd get as a retail clerk or shelf restocker here - with benefits, if the job was full time. When I take low-rate jobs, it is because there's a secondary advantage to the opportunity. As a relative newbie, I need to build my credentials just like everyone else and will sometimes compromise toward that goal. But I know that I need much, much more, and that top tier writers make ten times that rate or higher. And deserve it, for good writing is a high-level skill that deserves a professional wage.

Unfortunately, as the base rate continues to sink - in part because of reasons you cite - then it approaches impossibility for writers and editors to survive as professional service providers, even in low-wage districts working at home.

-Carolyn

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Dear Angela - In answer to your question: "Is $9 an hour an acceptable wage for writing?" I guess it depends on what kind of writers YOU wish to appeal to.

I am not a highly paid professional writer, my family and I lead a fairly modest lifestyle. Still, my husband and I support ourselves and our two children solely on the income we make writing. This means we do not accept jobs that pay less than $20 an hour -- and in many cases we earn much more.

This may not be a PC thing to say, but writers willing to take less drive down wages for the entire industry.

Having said that, I recognize writing is an extremely tough business to break into and a few clips are worth more than their weight in gold. But writers who continually accept low wages for good, professional work over months and years aren't helping anybody - including themselves.

Just my two cents,

Maryanne

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I just read the article on hourly wages for home based writers. My reaction is mixed.

Angela’s response that $9 per hour for a home-based business is acceptable for people living in an economically depressed area may be true to some extent. But, I don’t think it is relevant.

I live in an area similar to Angela’s – New Brunswick, Canada. My area an Maine are comparable in life style, income levels, etc. And yes, here, too, $9 an hour is much better than minimum wage.

That said, however, when an editor hires me to write for them, they are paying for my knowledge, education, research capabilities, interviewing skills and writing prowess. Where I live while providing these things is irrelevant. Why would I accept less for my work than someone in a large metropolitan area would accept?

Personally, I aim to generate $40 - $50 per hour in gross revenue. So, when I’m offered 20¢ per word for an article, I quickly do the math to determine the total dollar value of the article, and allot my time accordingly. So, a 1000 word article would be worth $200 which translates into 4-5 hours effort. I’ve become adept at getting my research done, article drafted, edited and re-written, and submitted, with invoice, within that time frame.

If that article is complex and will require more research, more difficult interviews, etc., then I renegotiate the fee with the editor – to whom I’ve explained my rationale.

Now, in fairness, I don’t work 40 hours a week. I have chosen a different work:life balance. But, by using this system I have established a reasonable (in my opinion) value for my work and refuse to accept less. If $9 an hour is enough then I’ll go work at the local coffee shop or call centre for those wages – where I won’t be using my education and other skills.

I am a well educated professional and have grown tired of being treated like a kitchen table amateur. If you want professional results, you have to pay professional fees. Would anyone expect a doctor in a rural location to accept $9 an hour just because that’s not bad for the area? I don’t think so.

Regards,

Ceci

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In response to Angela's question about writing for $9 per hour, prompted by the furious reader who thought that was way too low, I agree with Angela's response entirely. I too live in an area where many people would be very happy to earn $9 per hour, especially if it will give them a start in the writing world and clips to show around. Living standards differ around the country, and not everyone lives in New York City or San Francisco.

As for my personal statistics, I am primarily a freelance copy editor and charge a starting rate of $20 per hour for editing, although some of my clients (most of them in NYC) pay more. Two years ago I was referred to a part-time freelance gig writing publicity for a local enterprise, which pays $50 per hour. My jaw dropped onto the telephone when I heard that--more than twice my editing rate--and I have been pleased by it so far. It's a very nice supplement to my editing practice. (Perhaps I am too easily pleased?) In casual research, I've found this to be a fairly typical rate, although high-powered clients in high-rent areas pay more, of course.

I'll be interested in the survey results.

Best regards,
Anna

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In answer to Angela's question, I personally think $9 per hour is way too low for writing work. If someone is a good writer, he or she can command much more than $9, and taking such a low wage only denigrates our profession. It leads people to believe that writing is easy and not a true skill – in essence, that anyone can do it as long as they have the time. I don't get "out of bed" for less than $50 per hour, and I usually make more than that, whether it's via hourly rate or project rate. I receive these rates from people all over the world, so it isn't about location or the size of the company. It isn't a matter of whether $9 goes far in one part of the country as compared to another. If you're working for a local small merchant, and you want to do them a favor, perhaps you'd take the $9. But if you're truly a good and reliable writer, there's no reason why you should have to take $9 or even $25 per hour. I have also "fixed" the atrocious writing of those who produce $2-$5 articles. The clients who are capable of recognizing poor writing suddenly realize they have received only what they paid for. I firmly believe that all writers need to stand up for our profession and demand the wages we deserve. Only then will people understand the value of a good writer and offer rates that recognize the talent writing requires. And don't even get me started on the horrific contract provisions that I can't believe most writers accept!

Sincerely,

Melanie

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As Angela mentioned, a lot of people are happy to work for $9 an hour or less, including people who are retired, who don't depend on writing as their main source of income, or who have a book or service to promote. (The promotion or link is worth more than the pay.) Also, there are millions of Americans and Canadians living overseas--some in countries with super-low cost of living--who can work a few hours at $9 and easily cover the day's expenses.

One thing always lost in these rants is, where is the money to pay those writers coming from? Those of us who publish on the web and know the economics can tell you that ad revenues are nowhere close to what they are in the print world except for the top-tier sites. So unless you are writing for a top-tier site, you can't expect top or even middle-tier pay. The publisher is running a business and he/she is paying you what the market will bear. Many of the most successful web sites exist solely on "user-generated content" and those people are being paid zilch. If amateurs are willing to write for free, good luck trying to charge a premium unless you can make somebody more money.

Writing is not rocket science. You don't need an advance degree, almost anyone who got good grades in school can do a passable job at it, and there are no barriers to entry. That's the reality until you've proven you're worth more than the average and can get it.

Tim Leffel
author, Make Your Travel Dollars Worth a Fortune
Blog: http://travel.booklocker.com/

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Yes, it waters down the market. Yes, it cheapens the value of a professional's work. Yes, it bites.

A lot of folks who want writers or editors, but are on a tight budget wouldn't hire a writer at all if they couldn't afford a cheap one.

They say you get what you pay for, but that isn't always the case. Because the market is so crowded folks who want writers can get one for next to nothing. And some of those writers are great ones, others are hacks.

I still bid on jobs. I have a resume that justifies a higher rate. Hey, if they can get a cheaper writer, I guess that's fine.

It's going to happen. It's competition. It's The American Way.

I guess we should stop whining.

I have until now.

Sincerely,

Ed E.

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While I'll admit it does sound low, it isn't the lowest I've seen. The turnaround time, scope of the project, and what you start with all play a part - down and dirty with lots of time and real potential for added work might be worth it, while from-scratch, endless revisions and a ridiculously tight deadline would most definitely not be.

I agree with Angela that where you live, the fact that it's home based and in the writing field all play a part. I'd certainly consider it and I've been freelancing exclusively for 7 years now.

In fact, though I'm ashamed to admit it, I'm sure that $9 might beat the hourly rate I've ended up with on some projects. My determination to deliver quality work, and my reputation with a potential client means more to me than any hourly rate.

Those bottom-feeders do serious freelance writers no service, but then those who employ them end up getting what they pay for. I earn a respectable living cleaning up those messes.

Thanks for sharing,
Sue

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Here is my take on it. I have not done work for $9 an hour in four or five years. Right now I work as a full time writer and, based on my estimates, I average between $20 and $25 an hour presently. Even when I worked for a temp as a writer, I made $21 an hour.

I guess it depends on where you live and the cost of living at that location. As you said, there are some areas where the cost of living is cheap and $9 an hour will give you enough to make a decent living. So it depends on the location and the economy.

For myself though, I would not take $9 an hour. It is below what I believe I am worth.

Harry

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I live in San Francisco, where I can make significantly more than $9 per hour babysitting a neighbor's cat -- and the minimum wage is $9.15. So, I would not write for that amount. I think there's a problem with $9 per hour writing jobs, even in low-wage parts of the country. Writing isn't brain surgery, but it is skilled work. Brain surgeons, bus drivers, and secretaries makes less in Benoit, MS, than in Manhattan, I imagine. None of them make minimum wage. Writing does not belong in the category of minimum wage jobs.

Barbara

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When I am negotiating with employers and they ask how much I charge I am up to $15/$20 depending on the type of job. However, I would take a $9/hour job, again depending on the type of job. I factor other things in, such as if I need a clip in a new category of magazine or am trying to break into a new type of writing and need an example to help me get the better paying jobs. I'd like to work for only $20/hour but the fact is sometimes I just need quick money--to buy a new washing machine or a prom dress for my daughter. $8-$9 is probably the lowest I would go however.

Jodi

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I would jump for joy getting $9 per hour for writing at home!!! The writing I have done (for a national magazine/website) has been for free and my local arts newspaper only ran 2 of my stories for a grand total of $200. Trust me, it took way longer to do for what I was paid.

Thanks!
Tony

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Hi Angela! Warm hugs to you and your family!

I wanted to respond to your question in the latest blog about $9 an hour being low-ball wages.

I have to agree that for me, that would be an insultingly low wage.
While on staff at a local paper, I started out making $11 an hour, which was considered awful wages 10 years ago, but I managed to make $14 by the time I left, and now, several years later, I won't work for less than $17 an hour, and I always give prospective employers the range of $17-25 per hour, which is the going rate for experienced reporters/writers in my area. Local recruiters who want writers for tech and marketing companies in Western Washington have a range of $20-35 an hour (and they charge $10 an hour above that to make their money. Many companies are happy to pay that amount, too) and that's often for telecommute jobs.

Generally, I get a flat rate when I work for local newspapers and magazines, anywhere from $100-500 per article, depending on the venue (magazines pay more than newspapers) and the complexity of the article (how much research it requires, how many interviews, etc). Last year I did a book research project that paid $2K, but required three weeks of solid research, writing and interviews.

Perhaps it is because it is expensive to live in the Seattle area, or because there are larger, well-financed companies here (Microsoft being only one of them) but I know of many writers who would be insulted to be offered less than 10 bucks an hour to write. Our minimum wage out here is close to $8 an hour, though, so that might be why.

Thanks for letting me have my say.

Could you withhold my name if you publish this letter, please?

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I am a freelance writer in Harker Heights, Texas. You can publish my name in you use any part of my response.

While I agree that $9.00 an hour is not the worst pay in the world, it certainly seems below scale for even the most beginning writer. I have done some writing for free or almost free to build up my portfolio, but in doing so I think I hurt the writing profession as a whole, "giving" away my writing because I was a "novice." Well, no more. I have a B.A. in Journalism from Michigan State University, and it wasn't a cheap education......so why would I write for cheap?

That being said, I am all about the negotiation: if a writer responded to that ad and the employer wanted to use them bad enough, they can cough up more cash. I think $15.00 an hour should be a minimum....I have done business writing where I'm paid $60.00 an hour!!!

Writing is hard work, it is a talent, and we need to not minimize it by accepting low pay.

Jen

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As rightly pointed out, it depends from region to region, city to city and country to country. In my part of the woods, $9/hour is extremely good compensation. My earnings per hour hardly exceeds $5. An ideal compensation per month would be around $700-800 in my country and of course, with a scope of periodic enhancement. I agree with the complaint about too many low paying jobs and too many writers fighting for even such jobs. Of course, if you don't get decent money for the creative writing, it tends to act as a demoralizing factor in your writing pursuits.

Thanks and best regards,
R.

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I would probably pay less for a plumber or auto mechanic if I lived somewhere where $9/hour is OK for a writer...but I don't live there. As long as the equity of a writer's (or any professional's) pay scale is measured by what the minimum wage is in a specific locality, writer's will rarely raise their income to a "livable" scale. A pay scale of $9/hour for 40 hours may not seem so unreasonable, but what writer can write for 40 hours a week let alone find someone who will pay them for 40 hours of writing in a week.

I've worked as a writer in the high tech field for over 20 years. I'm seeing many, many college-educated professionals losing their jobs because the cost of living (and pay scale) is lower in Bangalore or Manila or Singapore. (That may not be too bad for us writers since that has opened up an entirely new field of repairing the work of writer's who have English as a second language.) But it isn't very encouraging to know that after seeing us struggle as professional writers, our children may choose to follow a vocation since their income will be much higher because that's what the traffic will bear.

Isn't it about time that writers promote the value of our profession by encouraging (or even demanding) an honest day's pay for an honest (writer's) day's work and not accepting anything less than that?

Lee

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While I understand both points of view listed in your article regarding wage earnings of writers, and even err on the side of Angela's POV in that the fee must be taken into consideration relative to the geography and cost of living in a writer's specific city, I would add this: it seems that the $9/hour fee in question is, in my opinion, a bit low based on the fact that most home-based freelance writers (regardless of location) incur various expenses that are obviously not paid for by the publisher/client (read: taxes, insurance, supplies, and various other sundry items that go into a home-based business). Ergo, I believe that in order to cover said expenses AND make a profit, the per-hour fee would and should be higher in order to make it profitable for the writer. Conversely, the publisher theoretically should be able to offer a slightly higher wage to the writer as they are not paying any overhead, supplies, taxes, insurance, etc. I think overall the writer needs to consider whether or not the fee is worth the time and/or exposure/clip(s) that they will get in return for their work. I have, at times, taken jobs that paid poorly, simply for credit's sake. Again, this is just one writer's humble opinion based on experience. Thanks for opening this up.

Best,
Cindy

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Keep running those $9 per hour legit. writing ads. Those of us in rural areas have a hard enough time finding any sort of writing work, and, as in your area, $9 goes a long way out here in Nebraska...

Sandy

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Working from home is seen by many as "easy" and the convenience of
having a home office seen as such a benefit that employers and clients
see fit to pay a lower rate or wage than they might pay an in-house
worker.

Nine dollars an hour may be fairly good pay in lower income cities or
states, but writers can not just look at the hourly wage; by the time
we factor in the cost of office supplies, telephone calls, postage and
mailing, printing, computers and office furniture, that nine dollar
wage doesn't look so nice anymore.

A writer who works for a dollar or two an hour is *paying* a company to
work for them, rather than the other way around. It is that company
who saves on providing equipment and supplies, not to mention
insurance and benefits. And still they pay an embarrassing rate (which
some try to say is "competitive" -- yeah, only if you're competing
with 5th graders for the job.)

It is the writer who accepts a rate of pennies, a dollar, a few
dollars who brings down the entire market value of our work. They are
so eager to work "for clips" or "opportunities" that they don't see
they're being scammed! This is no better than ye olde poetry contest
sites who offer to publish any poem and then sell you a book. I have
seen the joy in the eyes of folks who "never thought they'd be
published" and see it as such an honor instead of a grave insult.

Accepting a low rate also devalues your work. Is your work only good
enough for a dollar or two? Is your skill level worth only $9 an hour?
For that rate I would expect quite a few grammatical and spelling
errors which the client really shouldn't complain about because you
get what you pay for. But no, clients have pages and pages of
guidelines, rules, do's and don't's and at the very bottom they
"regret that they can not pay at this time."

Do you ask a plumber to come fix your drain and tell him or her that
gee, you just can't pay them but they better do a perfect job?

We need to bust this myth that working from home is something to be
blindly grateful for. It's still business. We don't work from home for
"fun" any more than we work outside the home for "kicks." We work to
make money. The companies and clients understand this. I wish more
writers did.

Sincerely,
B.

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Intriguing article. I work at home, doing medical transcription and I am paid on a production basis. This means, the more I type, the more I make. An average 8-hour day for me is about 1000 lines (which comes out to about $80 per day; $400 a week; so about $1600 a month (but again, I am on a tiered level of pay and this is only an average)). So writing for $9/hour (depending on how long the job takes and if it is a full-time or part-time job, yeah, I probably would take a freelance position doing this. There are a lot of dependents in this type of work too. You have to consider your actual research time, your typing time, et cetera. So if you are billing by the hour and are keeping accurate records, this is decent pay for a decent job. (You have to actually treat this like a job you punch a clock for to keep the records as accurate as possible.)

I too am like Angela and live in area where the cost of living is pretty low and so $9/hour wages would be welcomed around here for any type of job. Our gas prices (as of three days ago) are down to $1.69 a gallon and I'm pretty sure food is on a comparable basis for the rest of the country (of course big cities can't be included since the cost of living is out-of-this-world - lol). I think minimum wage is $5.75 but haven't held a minimum wage job in 20 something years, so haven't even kept up with what wages are now. But I know that no one likes working for minimum wage. Anyway, again, intriguing article.

E.E.

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I think that it's very hard for writers to agree upon what "fair" pricing is, because there are so many variables. You mentioned a geographic variable; $9 gets you a lot more in northern Michigan where I live than in California, for example. There's also the experience variable. When I first began selling my essays and articles, I was so happy and proud that I think I would have PAID to see them in print! Now that I'm a seasoned writer, I've increased my fees and I set yearly goals for higher paying jobs.

There is also the "how fast you work" variable. I generally charge per word or per project, but how fast I can complete the project determines how well it is paid. I've had magazine assignments that paid $300 for a 1000 word article; if I can interview people, do the research, write and edit that article in 3 hours, I make $100 an hour, which is great! But if (as more often happens) it takes me 15 hours to do all the work to create a polished article, I've reduced my salary to $20/hr--much different indeed.

I also consider what benefit there is for me to do an article at a lower pay rate than I would normally accept. If it is a new type of writing for me (such as travel rather than health) or a new publication that I would like to include in my clip file--I'm likely to do the work for less than I'd normally agree to. I've also done work for non-profit or charity type organizations for a nominal fee, because that's my contribution to society.

So, my vote would be to keep listing the $9/hour jobs. We can all agree that a $5-$10 fee for a 1500 word article is ludicrous, but there are simply too many variables involved to decide that $9/hour is too little pay to list a job.

Linda

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I wrote to Angela years ago and said the same thing: Why do you post jobs offering such insulting rates? I still ask that question. Accepting such rates makes a statement that you, and legions of other writers, can be had for cheap. When you are good at your craft (and you should keep honing your skills so that you can justify higher rates), you don't give it away depending on shifting standards of living based on the area where you reside--especially given the broad reach afforded by the Internet: a top-notch professional asks for what she is worth in the national and international marketplace. "We're not in Kansas anymore."

Similarly, married women should not lower their rates based on their being supported by their husband and regard their income from writing as a way to make a little pocket change. It may work for her but it is grossly unfair to a self-supporting writer who (rightly) charges six or seven times as much. And how many newbie writers make writing their 40-hour/week job? And, do they understand that 40 to 50 percent of their income needs to be reserved to cover their self-employment benefits (taxes, sick leave, vacation, etc.)? In other words, that $9/hour comes down to $4.50. As individuals, writers who are not business-smart will get taken advantage of; in the larger community of writers they bring down the profession. Then there is the "I would do it for free, I love it so much" attitude. Does a doctor charge less because he loves what he does?

Rise up and wise up, I say: you're worth it.

Laurel

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Is $9/hour low-ball pay or is that a home-based wage you would accept? What do you estimate you are you currently earning per hour on your writing jobs? What are you really earning and how much would you like to earn?

For me, $9/hour is low-ball pay and I would never routinely accept writing jobs at that rate. Here's why:

When I left my full time salaried job for full time freelancing, I needed to quickly replace my income dollar for dollar. There is no way I could do that earning $9 per hour. To replace my old salary, I estimated that I needed to earn $50-$100 per hour based on 15-20 billable hours per week (this translates to 30-40 hours of actual work per week for me). After my first full year of freelance writing, I have met my initial goal of replacing my salaried income -- and in most cases, I have received my $50-$100 per hour rate. (Exceptions to this have been creative writing assignments that I have completed during traditional non-work hours like evenings or weekends.)

Most of the work that I do is corporate marketing writing (press releases, Web site copy, case studies, ghostwritten articles), which appears to be some of the highest-paying freelance writing work out there. My experience has allowed me to create a niche in the construction software market and I believe this also helps me command a higher rate for my services.

Back to your original question: I do believe that the $9/hour rate is a relative number based on a writer's expenses and experience. I live in a suburb of Seattle where the median price for a home is in the $450K range. I also have four (expensive) children to help support. A low-ball rate would not begin to cover my monthly expenses, even if I could work 24/7! Plus, I have nearly 15 years of marketing writing experience and, because of this, I'm just not willing to sell (out) my services for $9/hour.

Patty

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Is $9 reasonable or laughable? Angela, you were right to point out the difference in living expenses in various parts of the country. To my mind, it also makes a difference where you are in your writing career. At this point, unless the subject was too good to resist, I would not write for $9/hr. But for someone starting out, earning perhaps $.10 per inch for a local news column or $50 for a fully researched and reported story (as I did to begin with, not that many years ago), $9 wouldn't be out of the question. It would be a way to build clips and gain experience.

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You need also to consider that for a self-employed writer there is a self-employment tax of about 14 percent (last time I checked) PLUS regular taxes and other expenses of running a home office.

Even if this particular $9/hour job was for a full-time employee (was it?), some of the other really low-paying writing jobs on all writing sites, including yours, should not be called jobs. They are "gigs," which, in my opinion, is a code word for "cheap labor."

People just starting out might want to go to those sites, but for the rest of us it is really irritating to see $.05/word or $25/article (or less) for non-fiction work by professional writers - regardless of the geographic location.

Susan

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As Writers Weekly may be seen by people of all ages and levels in all parts of the country and the world, and as some of those people could well be interested in a job paying $9 per hour (which equals 7 1/2 cents every 30 seconds, which means that if a Tootsie Roll costs .75 cents, you can earn a Tootsie Roll in just over ten 30 second periods) it follows that there's nothing objectionable about including a $9 per hr job on Writers Weekly.

I do think, however, that people should understand that writing, real writing, is not a "per hour" job.

There might be certain per hour jobs that involve some sort of putting one word after another that could in some sense be referred to as "writing."

Yet building a writing career in which one is not a hack or a corporate flunky or an ink-stained wretch involves accumulating by-lines.

And those per hour jobs, well, they just very rarely involve by-lines along with the Tootsie Rolls you get from being on their payrolls.

A writer who knows about poker but has never been paid to write on the subject, for example, would be better off getting something (outstanding) on defending the blinds from a steal-raise published at a very modest rate, to serve as a springboard for writing for Card Player magazine ($$$), than she, he or it would be working for Tootsie Rolls. Hopefully you understand, even though I said "he, she, or it" that I'm not talking about the Dustin Hoffman movie with Tootsie's Rolls-Royce.

Also, writing is intellectual (meaning, your brains have more to do with it than your fingers, (hopefully) even though nobody ever saw brains typing). A writer involved in researching an article could take a break, go for a spa treatment, and think of the perfect phrasing for two paragraphs while receiving a lomi-lomi massage. They could be two paragraphs over which an editor goes berserk with joy. Should the writer count his time on the lomi-lomi massage table when figuring out how much he earned per hour while working on the piece? Could a Ph.D. thesis be written computing how much Tolstoy earned per hour in the course of his career?

The bottom line is that money is not the only thing, but it's way ahead of whatever comes second. Artists have starved in garretts because of that. If somebody needs a $9 per hour job "faute de mieux" (for want of anything better) then hells bells, they should take it (and move to something better at the first opportunity). Nobody should forget that Mark Twain did not get poor off his writing.

There you have my two cents on the subject of "'Nein' to $9?"

Sincerely,

Scott Rose

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Hello,

I decided a while ago that I would not work for less than $40 an hour. I edit mostly, and this work takes quite a bit of skill. I have a master's degree in English, and I am close to finishing my PhD. I also teach English. I have prepared myself well for the job that my clients ask me to do, and this preparation is worth at least $40 an hour.

I haven't hired a subcontractor yet, but I have considered offering $15 as a start if I needed help. I do think that $9 an hour is a very low ball figure for a writer who can do a competent job. However, I see Angela's point as well. I wouldn't criticize Angela for posting the job, but I would never apply for it or pass it on to a friend.

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In 2006, I averaged $700 per week in freelance wages. In my neck of the woods, that’s a darn good wage for a freelance writer –near the top of the heap. But to get there, I’m working about 60 hours per week, which means I’m earning $11.67 per hour.

Sure, I want to earn more. My intermediate goal is $50,000 per year or about $1,000 per week.

Do I scoff at $9 per hour? Hardly. I’m a realist and I know for a lot of freelancers that will help put food on the table.

Dave

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I live and work in a large metropolitan area, my rates are $60/hour for proofreading/copyediting and between $75-$125/hour for writing, depending on the client and the job. While I could not afford to work for $9 an hour (that would yield me about $4.50/hour after taxes and before expenses!), I could see that to someone who is just starting out, or who is trying to supplement income from another job, or a pension, etc., it might be OK. So no, I don't think it is insulting to anyone. Honest work is honest work. And we all had to start somewhere.

Gail
(whose first job paid 35 cents an hour!)

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I agree that $9/hour would be a fair fee for beginning writers or for writers whose cost of living is low. It's the .05/word and .10/word fees that drive me crazy. That is never enough to cover the time spent researching, writing and editing an article. It's insulting.

Shelley

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First, I'll answer your question: Yes, I agree with your reasons for
posting the $9.00/hour job. Minimum wage in this part of the country is
$5.25/hour, and choices of jobs for that wage are waitressing or working
as a sales clerk. I assume that your objecting reader is an accomplished
author, and demands a wage that reflects his or her expertise. I believe
that you get what you pay for, and $9 per hour will not buy the services
of Hemmingway or Carl Sagan.

When I decided to make freelance writing my career focus, I was eager to
build my portfolio and accepted many low-paying jobs. One of my first
clients advertised for "affordable writing" for his website, and paid me
$10.00 per 500-word article -- which is $0.02/word.

These articles were for marketing purposes, with instructions to aim for a
specific keyword density. I would review the product being marketed, and
write the articles based on what I learned. As you would expect, the first
few articles took some time, approximately 2 to 3 hours each. As I became
more familiar with the topic, I could write an article in an hour or less.

Each project for this client consisted of a batch of 10 articles per topic
for a price of $100, and I made about $7 per hour. This sounds like a poor
arrangement, but I was writing, (which I LOVE!) building a portfolio, and
gaining experience. So it was worth it to me to be able to work from home,
do something I love, and choose the jobs I wanted to work on.

I finished a job last month that required interviewing elderly family
members and writing the family history. I charged $35 for each one-hour
interview, and $70 for each write-up, which took 4 to 5 hours. ($17.50/hr)

For now, I can be home with my kids and that suits me. I have a B.S.
degree, and my ultimate goal is to break into technical writing which will
pay $35 to $70 per hour. Many of these positions can be arranged for
telecommuting, but most employers want the writer to be on-site part of the
time, for consultation and interviews.

My apologies for rambling; thanks for the opportunity to speak out on this
sensitive issue.

Thanks for listening,

Trish

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I generally use $15/hour as a standard when choosing jobs. Of course, though, I've had times when a flat-fee job was more work than I expected, and brought my hourly wage down to some pretty pathetic levels.

Although I definitely get involved in the wage debate, I think some people are going a little overboard. One and two dollar articles are certainly worth making a stink about, but $9/hour isn't bad. Not great, but not bad. It's probably the absolute minimum I would work for, and only in a pinch, as I do live in an area that has a more expensive cost of living. However, it's well over our minimum wage here, so $9/hour writing jobs make better fillers than working part-time retail jobs.

On the other hand, though, when I have a full workload, and I can afford to be more discriminating, you better believe that I pass up those $9/hour jobs for better-paying ones!

Sincerely,
Katharine

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Hello, Thanks for your weekly mailings. I really enjoy reading them.

Please continue to post the $9 per hour jobs! Each person should be able to decide for him or her self whether this is degrading or not.

In my lifetime, I have worked jobs that paid many times that, However, I now work for much less than that for the freedom of being at home, working on my own schedule, and doing what I love.

There is also something to be said for steady work. Many writers, including myself, have to go out and sell ourselves each time we want to have an article published. This takes time! If you have a regular job paying $9 per hour, that's probably equivalent to the one-time writing jobs that pay twice that and force you to go out hunting again.

Donna

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I think the writer who chastised you over the $9.00 per hour writing job listing needs to broaden her perspective. There are many college students, working mothers and other writers who would welcome an extra $1440.00 per month. Most writers I’ve met also work multiple job assign. They don’t count on just one job assignment for their total income.

Patrick

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Here's my take on it. I don't know if it's suitable for your analysis or not, but...

At my last full-time job as a reporter/editor for a local newspaper, I earned $9/hour. That was almost five years ago. I thought it was low then, and it most certainly is low now. But it was better than unemployment or not working at all.

Besides, I really enjoyed the job. Too bad my boss didn't like me as much as I liked him.

Kathy

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Nine dollars an hour isn't so bad if you don't have to leave the house, dress-up, put on make-up or spend money on gas other transportation, lunch or what-have-you. It isn't bad if research is minimal involving no trips to the library or elsewhere, long distance phone calls, postage, etc. Nor is it bad if you live where the cost of living is low and free-lance opportunities are few and far between or if you are a beginner. Even a $9 check can boost one's ego and serve as a motivator of bigger and better future checks.

I'm sure many free-lancers, even successful ones, work for $9 a hour if they really kept track of their time.

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First, thank for a great service. I find your weekly email incredibly helpful and informative. I just wanted to share my two cents about $9/hour jobs.
I live abroad where the minimum wage is even lower than it is in the States, but I would also never consider such a job. I've worked hard to build up credits and have published several hundred article in the last few years. My going rate for private jobs is $25/hour and more. Of course, some of my Old Faithful kind of jobs do end up yielding less cash, but I try not to work for under $20/hour. My dream is to be making three times that in less than a decade.

I can't condemn your listing a low-paying job, because for some people it may be a boon, but I do feel that the fact that so many writer work for so little is only hurting the rest of us trying to earn a decent living.

Thanks again for a great resource.

All the best,
G. B.

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I agree completely with the writer's irritation with writersweekly for the very low-paying jobs that are posted on the site. I have felt this way for a very long time. Most people can't live on $9 an hour even if that is on the high end in some parts of the country. I just winced at an ad on the site for college writers that paid about 5-15cents a word. I have found even a much higher wage is tough. The National Writers Union -- back in the 60s -- supported the rate of $1 a word. That's what they considered a minimum for writers to be able to have a decent living. In sum, although I like the forum for other reasons I do believe that it contributes a great deal to the problem of writers not being able to make a decent wage. If these low-paying ads were the exception that would be something else, but they seem to be the rule.

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I think it is perfectly acceptable to post low-paying writing opportunities. There’s no way one writer ca be offended on behalf of the entire writing community. As Angela said in her response, the circumstances of the individual writer determines what is or isn’t a viable opportunity.

I live in New York City so I surely couldn’t survive on $9 an hour. But because I’m not a full-time freelancer, I would certainly pursue an opportunity such as this, which could provide a decent secondary income. Right now I write for Associated Content and get paid about $8 -$10 per article (about 500 words). It’s not much, but I don’t mind because now I’m being paid for articles that I used to write for free on my blogs.

All this to say, please keep those “low-paying” writing opportunities coming!

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I would have no problems with a job that paid $9.00 per hour if I were in a low income area. Unfortunately here in Calgary, Alberta, to work the drive through window at the local fast food joint, it would pay about $14 per hour.

But I have no issues with Angela running job ads for $9/hr. It's an acceptable wage in many areas.

Heather

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I'm a New York/New Jersey area freelance writer and yes, $9 doesn't buy much here. But if a job feeds my soul---if it's for a nonprofit or even a for-profit that has a job involving animal welfare or environmental issues, I don't always worry about the compensation if I can fit--even squeeze--it into my schedule. I write books, and so short, fun assignments are a great break. For example, I've been writing environmental articles twice monthly for a nonprofit for more than a year; the pay is very low, but the satisfaction it brings me is priceless.

Deborah

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I have no idea what my rate per hour works out to be, though I'm pretty sure it's well over $9/hr. I finally chose to retire from my retail job in a Lands' End clothing store, and -- having reached the grand old age of 62 -- took retirement. The writing of freelance articles for trade publications is about as easy as falling off a log, since I've done it for a lot of years... the interviewing, the research, the writing, and even the digging for accompanying photography (or taking my own). I do two or more articles per month, keeping an eye on not earning more than the amount Social Security allows us retired folk. The money isn't my major concern, especially since my wife has a good-paying job at a law firm. We're managing pretty well. Frankly, I don't know what I'd do with out the writing gig. But my retail job paid right around that $9 mark, and included putting up with some fairly difficult customers....

Now it's just me and the cats during the day.

Best regards,
Ron

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In response to your query, how much do we work for -- my hourly rate is $65 per hour and my per-word rate is at least $1.

High end? I hardly live a upscale life, and can't imagine surviving on much lower rates. And I certainly work full-time, and then some. I might have lost some jobs because people didn't want to pay my rate, but not many.

I have been freelancing for 15 years. Much of what I do is government contracting -- a market that I had no idea existed when I left my job as a newspaper reporter to strike out on my own. Not exactly creative writing, but work that uses the skills I've developed through the years.

A lot of people who consider themselves professional writers have other means of support, e.g., spouses, pensions, etc., and can afford to accept what would be unacceptable to me and others who actually support themselves through writing (and editing). I do feel that rates like 10 cents (or lower!) per word or an hourly rate less than $10 are insulting to the profession. I am appalled at some of the offers I see in the ads you run.

When people offer me what I feel is an insulting rate I tell them, "you get what you pay for." I never hear from them again, but I really didn't expect to anyway.

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Hello,

I work for $20 - 25/ hour on grant writing, editing, and technical writing. I think $9 is low but if it were a good clip or interesting topic that didn't preclude higher paying work for me, I'd take it.

I live in central Mass.

Michele

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As of January 16 I'm a full time freelancer. Fortunately I've been writing
about technology for seven years, so I have a reputation and there are many
potential customers.

Even with my flat rates, I'm getting about $50 per hour, which is my billing
rate. Sometimes I receive $0.75 per word. Those amounts are low, but I'm
starting. I won't write for less, unless I'm donating my talent to a charity.

Next year my rates will double.

Thank you,

David

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I took a look at that ad and worked out that it was offering $9/hour, too. Not a job for me - but that's OK. It might work out well for someone else, so no harm in running it.

I offer commercial writing and editing services. I charge $60/hour. If a job is a flat rate or for the very occasional client (like my previous employer who was offering me steady hours), I'll work for a bit less. But I don't like to. This means I don't pursue a lot of writing work that interests me -- I was writing a blog for $50 a week until the company decided to stop paying its bloggers. I used to freelance for $30 per article (but often would wait for the rush-jobs that paid double and were often easy and fun to write). I don't do that kind of work anymore because I can only work part-time (well, I guess I'm only willing to get babysitting part-time so I can still spend time with my son) and I need to make a certain minimum amount per hour to make that happen on a freelance, self-employed basis. For the most part, I enjoy the writing work I do. I also offer graphic design and website consulting services as well.

My first job in journalism paid $18,000 a year -- $8.65/hour with no paid vacation in the first year. No overtime, either. I loved that job.

Hope that helps answer Angela's question. :)

S.

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Angela,

I enjoyed reading your comments on how much would you write for. My first writing was a free article for my local paper that caused them to give me a subscription to the weekly paper. That article led to another. After the second article, the paper told me that if I would continue writing for them, they would pay me $20.00 per article or an average of .04 cents per word (articles run approximately 500 words).

What I began to realize is that even when I didn't get "paid" very much, I continued to develop a portfolio. My portfolio opened the door for me to eventually write for some 10 area papers with the $20.00 entry-fee before the fee was changed to $50.00 apiece for 3 magazine articles at roughly .033 cents a word. Did I turn it down because it was .01 cent less? Duh.I also have 13 sources to write for in the future.

After realizing that at 53 years old, I needed to return to school and major in mass communication/journalism, I worked for my college paper as a sports editor that pays minimum wage, but gives me tax-free 26 hrs per week while still writing for the local paper.

When ever I travel with ball teams, my gas is paid, my accommodations are taken care of, and with my college press pass, I am able to go to many venues free of charge.I recently attended a NASCAR event and was able to interview Don Garlitz, father of drag racing, to write a story for my school paper and the three-day ticket was paid for, some $60-$70.

An interesting off-shoot of my writing has been in the photography that goes along with them. I picked up $100 for 5 family photos at a birthday party for an eighty year old friend who made good subject material for a $20 article as well.

In addition, after graduation, many journalism majors are required to serve internships in the real world to be tried out in local situations. With my $20 per article as a newby, I started my real work clock counting so that at graduation, I will conceivably have 4 years of work experience, in addition to my college training. What's that worth? Oh yeah, because I received so little on my dinky writing job, I qualified for all the need-based grant money required to cover college expense.

This summer I'm going to travel with our college jazz band to cover the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. And to think it started with a free article.

Thanks for the work you do. I think the $9.00 an hour job is just fine.

Bruce

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I agree with your response, depending on where you live, $9 an hour could be a good wage.

I try to keep my minimum wage at $15 an hour and prefer $20, however, this is based on my experience and resume. I earned less starting out as with any job. I do consider writing for less if it's a new field or market but even then, try not to go less than $10. I've also found a way to earn more and that's writing for overseas markets, particularly the UK market, because if they pay 20 GBP that's $39.

So often with writing it's a per word payment and this can be positive or negative. I think you have to really consider how long it takes to write something (i.e. hourly wage) rather than look at the per word payment. I once wrote a 150 word piece for $.50 a word, it seemed like an easy $75 and was a market I wanted to break into; in the end, I earned about $2 an hour because of my initial problem of having too much information for the word count and then the editors asked for a re-write. The editors were really happy with the results and invited me to send other queries but I've yet to do so because I haven't come across an idea that makes it worth my time.

I have found that working with the same editors over time, while the per word or per project fee remains the same, my hourly wage increases because I know what they expect and it takes me less time to write the piece.

Hope I haven't been too long-winded.

Regards,
Barbara

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I wouldn't accept it myself, but I wouldn't complain about your
listing the job either.

Dan

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$9 per assignment would be ludicrous, but in central Maine $9 per hour is not too shabby!

That's my view in a nutshell.

Sherry Grunder
aka groovyoldlady

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I suppose it depends upon what they expect for their nine dollars. If they need expertise, or expect too many words a minute, then it's too low.

I suppose it also depends upon how they are to work for. If they're not willing to accept that something took two hours to get right, then it's too low.

I suppose it also depends upon how much money is involved. That is, what do they make? Is it a charitable organization? A politically active organization? Do they get to keep all the rights to your work?

There are many factors that I would consider before taking any job. I do editing for Justice Denied for nothing, though if I found out that the main guy at the organization made a ton of money, I would stop doing that, I suppose, no matter how much I believe in the cause.

I didn't see the original ad, and you didn't provide a link to it, but there's my two sense.

Oh, and, you definitely should post the job at that rate, we can all make our own choices. If, however, you were posting those idiot ones for bloggers, then I would say you've sold us out. : )

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In my opinion, each writer has to determine how much is enough. This could be a different number at different stages in a career. Plus, there may be other benefits to the writer that are non-monetary.

I don't feel anyone can put a set limit on what is too low. Some writers would be grateful to receive any money for their work, while others expect too much. A happy median is when the writer feels they are being paid what they are worth, and the editor or magazine is getting what they paid for.

Shaunna

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Writing is an interesting industry, we are supposed to have unions which all demand much higher pay, and yet some consider $9 an hour a good wage? I refuse to work for less than $100 an hour. I am an extremely talented, highly experienced professional that has written several books who has a tremendous amount of education and contacts, so why would I work for less than my equals in other industries? I am really tired of ghostwriters especially, accepting two thousand dollar contracts which are worth twenty thousand, just because of the misconception that writer's make less than others and two thousand dollars is a lot of money. Compared to working at a gas station, well of course, but comparing freelance writers to professions such as these is just insulting. And it makes things far worse, you are advertising to a large portion of freelance writers just to let them know that you don't think they're worth more than $9 an hour. And then you pat yourself on the back for not putting up the really bad prices? You are so, so wrong on this.

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Hi there. I have seen and participated in many arguments about "bottom feeders," pubs that offer little or no pay, and the writers who accept such jobs. My opinion may not be popular, but here it is:

You get what you pay for.

As a professional writer and editor with years of experience under my belt, I would not accept a job that paid as low as $9 per hour. I don't need to. However, I am not offended, as some seem to be, that such jobs exist, nor am I offended that pubs like Writers Weekly advertise them. The fact is that everyone needs to start somewhere, and those with zero experience can and should take these low-paying jobs, if only for as long as they need to to build their resumes in order to get better paying jobs. Another fact: not all writers are full-time or even professional, and shouldn't be. There are people out there who are not very talented and who don't care--they are writing as a hobby, because they love it, because they have something to say, because they are bored and figure why not make a little extra and get an ego boost with every byline. Let them take the low paying jobs, let them agree to write for a byline and free copy. I did it when I started out, and I encourage others to do the same. I think it's bullsh*t that this hurts the industry or even makes it harder for professionals to earn a living. Did you think you were going to earn a living writing for Joe One-Shot Start-Up? It isn't TIME magazine offering $9 per hour.

At the end of the day, the publications that want better quality content KNOW they will have to pay for it, and they DO--in the meantime, they may be startups or just businessmen who don't care about the quality for whatever reason, and they are getting what they pay (or don't!) for.

-Ally

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Nine dollars per hour is great if you're flipping burgers. If you want a solid professional with experience, background, insight and ability, you should be willing to pay professional wages.

Personally, my writing fees start at $15 per hour. And I always try to get more -- a lot more. I have 40 years experience and a passel of awards, so I believe I'm worth it. As the Bible says, "The worker is worth his wage."

Ken

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I agree that $9/hour is an acceptable home-based wage in much of the country.

But I'd hate to work for that much. I'm a financial reporter with 40 years of experience and most of my fixed price articles bring in around $40/hour -- a real bargain for an employer who would have to pay twice that and provide an office for a full-time union employee. I suppose that $40 gets much closer to $25 when I figure the basic reporting and contact making needed to get ready for the next article down the line.

Jim

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You're correct. You have to look at the big picture - geographic location, writer's individual status (full-time, semi-full time, part-time etc), type of writing involved, opportunities this may open. In light of the many low-paying writing jobs out there (and let's not even talk about the places that expect free services), I think $9/an hour is pretty good. Definitely a decent part-time salary. And not a bad full-time one, if your spouse is the primary earner or as you pointed out, the area you live has a lower cost of living.

I live near DC, so I couldn't live solely off $9 an hour. But few writers are making a liviving off one writing gig. So if that's your "foundation" and you have other gigs, it's a decent one.

When I was doing more freelance work, I tried to avoid the low end jobs. But the fact is, most writing jobs are low end! So, I didn't have a broad policy on how much I'd accept. It depended on various factors.

I wrote for my community paper, received $30 per 600 word article. That's .05 per word. But the articles were easy to write and only required a short phone interview to jump start.

For magazine writing, I was never paid less than $150 per 600-800 words, roughly .25 per word. And I considered those gigs "high end." If not because of the pay, the exposure, as they were national mags.

I've never written an article where I received $1.00 per word or even close.

Every writer must have their financial threshold. And it will differ for us all, which is probably why the industry is able to get away with such huge ranges in prices.

While I would never write for .01 per word, the reality is, now that I'm writing novels I've realized that once broken down into a per word basis, the average hovers between .12 and .20 cents.

When I first submitted my novel it was 65K. But my publisher decided they wanted it up to 100K. Based on my advance, I went from making about .20 per word when the novel was shorter to .12 per word once it was lengthened. And this doesn't even account for the number of edits required. Yet, I had no complaints (the lump sum may have helped!).

We all aspire to $1+ per/word country. Until we reach it, I believe resources like yours helps us scrape through the muck to legit opportunities. All any writer can ask for is a resource that scours the land for outlets that respect our craft by offering reasonable wages.

-Paula

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...real and alive concern for me.

I love your site and find the info very, very useful and very much agree with most of what you say and publish. I especially like what you say to defend not writing for free...however.........

( This email is really long, I'm sorry