Jena Ball's Storefront

Words Work: A working wordmsmith's take on the writing life

• A Writer's Rant

  2006 Nov 06

  I can't help myself. The compulsion to open e-mails is like the unbearable urge to scratch a bad case of poison ivy. Eventually, inevitably, I succumb.
  
  These are not ordinary e-mails mind you. They are messages sent to me by job boards, recruiters, and misinformed friends who believe I am desperate for work. They are e-mails advertising openings for writers, and they make me cringe.
  
  Take this one, for example. The sender wants journalists to research and write 650-word articles on a variety of topics having to do with shutters, gutters, and pipes. After a long-winded spiel (full of misspellings I might add) telling prospective employees that they must be diligent, extremely prolific (100 articles a month), and passionate about the subject matter (oh yes, I can really see myself panting with passion over house shutters), we are told that the employer is willing to pay a whole $8.00 per article! Wowee zowee! I could hardly wait to sign up!
  
  Or how about the companies that would like me to know least eight to ten sophisticated programs in addition to having eight to ten years of professional writing experience? The wish list from a recent recruiter included: Word, RoboHelp, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, DreamWeaver, Flash, HTML, Visio, SQL, MS-SQL or Oracle database systems and Crystal Reports. What do these companies think writers are doing all day? Do they honestly believe we have time to be studying complex graphic design and page layout programs?
  
  But the ones that bother me even more are the postings that advertise "good benefits" and "competitive salaries" which amount to barely minimum wage. Go to the Web sites of these same companies and see what they are paying their sales staff and managers. The success of these employees depends directly upon the clarity, creativity, and skill of their writers. Without the words that appear on their packages, the text that appears in the their sales letters, brochures, direct mail pieces and press releases, and lures users to Web sites; without the instructions that tell customers how to use their products, nothing would get done. Business would grind to a halt. And yet these same writers make a third of what the sales and management people make, sometimes less.
  
  It embarrasses me to say that as a country and a culture we treat writers as lackeys and second-class citizens. With a few exceptions most employers seem to think good writers should want to work for little pay just for the honor of seeing our names in print.
  
  I am a good writer. I don't work for less than $1.00 per word or $50.00 an hour, and I'm thinking of raising my rates. I am also a writing coach and champion of my profession. I know how hard it is to produce good solid text, never mind persuasive copy that can convince someone to invest money in a product or service. I know how much research and time goes into producing a 650-word piece, and it’s worth much MUCH more than $8.00.
  
  And so, despite the fact that I’m liable to get cranky, I can't resist reading those e-mails and doing my best to disabuse their senders of their notion that all writers can be bought for nothing. I grumble and rant and send my own e-mails to all my students and writing friends reminding them to value themselves and their work. Remember who you are, I urge them. Remember that what you do matters and take pride in turning out writing that sings. Charge what you're worth!
  
  Good writers should be cultivated and appreciated like good wine. The really gifted ones – the Steinbecks and Dillards, and Bellows – should be treasured, studied, and paid handsomely for the insights and beauty they give us all. End of Rant.