Writers are everywhere yet most people know nothing about them. When they hear the word “writer,” they picture an eccentric person in front of a typewriter or they picture a journalist in a newsroom.
There are a number of misperceptions out there about
writers. In my more than a decade of experience in the writing field I’ve no doubt heard most of them. It’s time to set the record straight.
Here are the most common misperceptions about writers and the reality.
Myth: All writers are rich.
Truth: Unless a freelance writer is a household name, odds are the writer is not rich. According to Deborah Ng of Freelance Writing Jobs, the average freelance writer earns somewhere between $12,000-$24,000 a year. The 1997 edition of The Writer’s Market listed the average freelance writer’s salary as $14,000 annually. As you can see, not much has changed in the last 16 years.
Why have salaries stayed so stagnant? Part of the reason is content mills and job bidding sites. Why should a client pay a freelance writer a livable wage if the writer is willing to accept $1 for 500 words, 50 cents an hour or a penny per page view? And legitimate publications don’t pay much better: five to ten cents a word if you’re lucky.
Novelists don’t make much more. With so many people self-publishing in recent years, writers are lucky to even make a sale, and with many eBooks selling for 99 cents, writers should consider themselves lucky to make $12,000 a year.
Magazine writers and newspaper reporters don’t fare much better. Their average salaries are in the $20,000-$60,000 range depending on the market.
Myth: Writing is not a real job.
Truth: Anyone who has ever tried his or her hand at freelance writing, painting, music or any other artistic pursuit has no doubt heard this one. The argument here is that because writing involves creativity it’s not a real job. And, let’s face it, fiction writing especially involves a lot of day dreaming before ideas are committed to paper.
But the truth is freelance writing involves a great deal of work. Freelance writers must not only be talented, but they also must be willing to learn the business side of writing –learn about magazine submissions, query letters, literary agents – and they must be incredibly self-motivated and persistent. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, freelance writers must be willing to spend six to eight hours plus a day in front of a computer writing, editing, sending out submissions/queries, doing research and finding new clients.
Myth: Writers who work from home have a lot of free time.
Truth: This myth is true of many people who work at home and freelance writers are no exception. Freelance writing is a solitude pursuit. The majority of a writer’s time is dedicated to things he or she will never be paid for, things I listed in the previous myth.
A freelance writer who has a lot of free time either is underemployed or considers writing a hobby.
Myth: Masterpieces flying out a writer’s head.
Truth: This myth is intertwined with the last two. People who have never attempted to write before are under the assumption that great articles and manuscripts simply happen, all the writer has to do is put pen to paper and start typing.
Does this ever happen? Not in the real world. Writers, especially novelists, must write and rewrite their work to get it in sellable shape.
Myth: Good writing is easy.
Truth: Anyone who can spell can write. Clear, concise, effective writing is another story. This is why novelists need copy editors and why businesses need the services of professional writers to write their web copy and blogs.
If you are in the market for a talented writer, please contact me today.
There are a number of misperceptions out there about
writers. In my more than a decade of experience in the writing field I’ve no doubt heard most of them. It’s time to set the record straight.
Here are the most common misperceptions about writers and the reality.
Myth: All writers are rich.
Truth: Unless a freelance writer is a household name, odds are the writer is not rich. According to Deborah Ng of Freelance Writing Jobs, the average freelance writer earns somewhere between $12,000-$24,000 a year. The 1997 edition of The Writer’s Market listed the average freelance writer’s salary as $14,000 annually. As you can see, not much has changed in the last 16 years.
Why have salaries stayed so stagnant? Part of the reason is content mills and job bidding sites. Why should a client pay a freelance writer a livable wage if the writer is willing to accept $1 for 500 words, 50 cents an hour or a penny per page view? And legitimate publications don’t pay much better: five to ten cents a word if you’re lucky.
Novelists don’t make much more. With so many people self-publishing in recent years, writers are lucky to even make a sale, and with many eBooks selling for 99 cents, writers should consider themselves lucky to make $12,000 a year.
Magazine writers and newspaper reporters don’t fare much better. Their average salaries are in the $20,000-$60,000 range depending on the market.
Myth: Writing is not a real job.
Truth: Anyone who has ever tried his or her hand at freelance writing, painting, music or any other artistic pursuit has no doubt heard this one. The argument here is that because writing involves creativity it’s not a real job. And, let’s face it, fiction writing especially involves a lot of day dreaming before ideas are committed to paper.
But the truth is freelance writing involves a great deal of work. Freelance writers must not only be talented, but they also must be willing to learn the business side of writing –learn about magazine submissions, query letters, literary agents – and they must be incredibly self-motivated and persistent. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, freelance writers must be willing to spend six to eight hours plus a day in front of a computer writing, editing, sending out submissions/queries, doing research and finding new clients.
Myth: Writers who work from home have a lot of free time.
Truth: This myth is true of many people who work at home and freelance writers are no exception. Freelance writing is a solitude pursuit. The majority of a writer’s time is dedicated to things he or she will never be paid for, things I listed in the previous myth.
A freelance writer who has a lot of free time either is underemployed or considers writing a hobby.
Myth: Masterpieces flying out a writer’s head.
Truth: This myth is intertwined with the last two. People who have never attempted to write before are under the assumption that great articles and manuscripts simply happen, all the writer has to do is put pen to paper and start typing.
Does this ever happen? Not in the real world. Writers, especially novelists, must write and rewrite their work to get it in sellable shape.
Myth: Good writing is easy.
Truth: Anyone who can spell can write. Clear, concise, effective writing is another story. This is why novelists need copy editors and why businesses need the services of professional writers to write their web copy and blogs.
If you are in the market for a talented writer, please contact me today.
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