by Candidate #4

FWJ readers, you’re all in for quite a treat because today is my lucky day! After my recent lobotomy I decided that writing for a lot of moola is overrated, and I just found a client that completely agrees with me! I thought it would take months to track someone down who thought it was OK to pay writers next to nothing, but you’d never believe it—instead, I had my pick of the litter!

Because I am just beside myself with excitement about this recent deal, I’m sharing my contract with all of you so that we can celebrate together! I’m still pinching myself after landing this absolutely unbelievable deal. Word for word, here it is:

WORK-FOR-HIRE SERVICE AGREEMENT

Between Candidate #4 (who will hereafter be referred to as “Contractor”)
and 2Good2BTrue Media

2Good2BTrue Media requires that Contractor perform the following services: write 500 articles per day, seven (7) days per week, 365 days per year. Each article will adhere to the following stipulations:
• must be rehashed content that is disguised as something new and original,
• must be a minimum of 1000 words,
• must be something no one really wants to read,
• must be fully researched with expert backup sources.

In return for services rendered, 2Good2BTrue Media will provide Contractor with the following:
• Ten (10) dollars per day (0.02 dollars per article), payable as found in spare change discovered in 2Good2BTrue Media’s couch cushions.

In addition, 2Good2BTrue Media will provide Contractor with the following upon Contractor’s immediate request:
• health, dental, vision, flood, disaster, car, homeowner’s, and mental health insurance,
• the ability to travel back in time at will to complete irrational deadlines,
• Dilly Bars when seasonally applicable.

Rush Fee. If at any time 2Good2BTrue Media makes a special request for the services designated above in five (5) minutes or sooner, Contractor agrees to complete the services in exchange for the normal ten (10) dollars plus the following compensation:
• psychic ninja powers.

This contract between Contractor and 2Good2BTrue Media is legally binding and may not be canceled for any reason. Contractor is legally obligated to perform the services designated above for 2Good2BTrue Media until moment of Contractor’s death and continuing into Contractor’s afterlife (if Contractor believes in that sort of thing). If Contractor is Hindu or Buddhist, contract will be binding infinitely throughout all of Contractor’s future lives.

Writer needed for SEO articles and website content. Pay is negotiable based on experience, etc. Writing content will be for a wide range of topics. Currently, deadlines are very short and strict, I’m doing the best I can to change that though. I’m interested in long-term relationships. If you are interested, please send samples to: myseowriter(at)gmail.com. You may also visit: www.myseowriter.com to learn more about the business. Thank you for your time.

by Deborah Ng

Whether or not to write for free has been coming up a lot lately. I generally don’t agree with writing for free, though different writers have different experiences and reasons for doing this. There were a couple of times I did write without charging my client.

The Times I Wrote for Free

The first time was after writing copy for a brochure for a Habitat for Humanity event. The event sponsors had every intention of paying me but after writing about all the people and businesses who donated their time for such a worthy cause, I couldn’t in good conscience accept. Besides, the referrals from this type of gig are worth their weight in gold. (more…)

by Jodee Redmond

I’ve been posting lots of jobs for technical writers lately and I must admit that I didn’t really know a lot about what the job entails. One of our readers, Ugur Akinci, has been kind enough to agree to let me interview him about this very topic. Dr. Akinci is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and Brown University, where he earned a Master’s Degree and Ph.D. in Sociology.

He worked as a reporter for a daily newspaper from 1994-1998. He has 20 years of experience as a writer, the last 10 as a technical writer working for Fortune 500 corporations like ADP, Honeywell, Fannie Mae, and as a copywriter for his private clients. Dr. Akinci recently took time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions about the field of technical writing.

(more…)

(and other tales of stinky freelancing gigs)

by Candidate #12

Once upon a time, a young farmwoman ventured out after dark to check on livestock about to give birth. Hour after hour she trudged out to the barns and was often followed by an assortment of dogs and barn cats. On about her third trip for the night, she didn’t even bother turning on the porch light. As she was coming out of the barn, she saw the shadowy outline of a small black and white puffball drinking from a pan near the door.

“Why, hello kitty,” she said. She approached the tiny critter to give it an ear scratch, and lo and behold, she realized it was a baby skunk!

(more…)

Good morning FWJ Friends! Since we’re late this morning, I’ll skip the list review and just post these.

Leads…

• National Mobile Tour Emcee/Blogger for National Brand - August-November 2008
• Freelance Feature Writer @ The Tribeca Trib - New York
• Freelance Writers @ Stuart News - Stuart, FL
• Proofreader for Long Term Assignment - On Site - Bloomington, Indiana
• Proofreader/Editorial Coordinator at Publishing Giant - New York - On Site ($20 per hour)
• Press Release Writer - Work from Hom
• SEO Specialist - Paid Internship - San Diego ($10 per hour)
• Political Writers/Journalists/Reporters - Part Time - Washington, D.C.
• Speechwriter for Korean Ambassador - Washington, D.C. Applicants - Work from Home ($2,800-$3,000 per month) (more…)

by Jodee Redmond

Good morning FWJ Friends,

Sometimes technology really isn’t my friend, and today is one of them. I did find leads and get them ready and when I decided to preview the post before publishing it, well, let’s just say the leads were like magic…they disappeared!

A few choice words later, I’m going to find them again and I will post them a little later on for you.

Thank you for your patience.

by Deborah Ng

I know you like to discuss rates because that’s what we writers like to do. We like to get the best rates for our work. We also like to help others understand that $10 is perhaps a little on the low side and they can do better.

Now in some parts of the world, and even this country, $10 for 30 minutes or even an hour’s worth of work is a decent rate. Not all agree. I do like to offer something for all writers, however. If the job boards were filled with $50 and $100 jobs, that’s what you’d see here. Jodee and I tossed around the idea of raising the minimum to $20 gigs but the pickings would be very scarce and I’d lose more than half my traffic for those seeking $10 to $20 jobs. It’s not up to me to decide what someone else should be paid.

With that said, I don’t mind taking part in discussions offering guidance and helping new writers to find their worth. (more…)

By Candidate #7

When I search for gigs online I look for verbal gems, phrases in the help wanted ads that set the tone for my day or for the week.

Like my birthday horoscope, I want a reading that is more than the sum of its parts. A phrase with secret, double meanings that I can repeat to my sister when she calls, or print out and hang above my computer to remind me of exactly what it is I do all day. Today this request: “Button pushers need not apply.” added an extra bit of sparkle to my day.

(more…)

We are seeking professional writers in major international markets to provide content for innovative news web site and daily newsletters for the hotel industry. Deadline oriented freelancers should respond. Pay is negotiable–we are looking to establish long-term relationships with our correspondents. Please send contact information, resume and relevant clips to Stacey Higgins, stacey(at)smithtravelresearch.com.