Extremely low paying freelance writing jobs are out and a new team of freelance writers are in at freelance writing blog, All Freelance Writing (http://AllFreelanceWriting.com).
All Freelance Writing used to compile lists of advertised freelance writing jobs from third party sites to save freelance writers time in searching each of them independently. As of this week, those lists will cease to exist. Freelance writing jobs won’t be completely cut from the blog. Clint Osterholz, one of the new All Freelance Writing contributing bloggers, will hand-pick some of the highest paying advertised freelance writing jobs each week. They will be posted each Tuesday (starting November 24th) in addition to highlighting types of freelance writing job ads to be wary of and a weekly tip for finding higher paying freelance writing gigs.
"What started out as a tool to save freelance writers time turned into little more than an enabler, and that’s not what All Freelance Writing is about" said Jennifer Mattern. "The blog has always been focused on those freelance writers who want to improve their careers and grow their income. Instead of saving time so writers could spend more of it on networking, building a writer platform, and other marketing efforts the freelance writing jobs listed were indirectly encouraging writers to stay in the low paying markets by making it an even easier option. All Freelance Writing began to waste time rather than save it. There is nothing wrong with writers continuing to look for lower paying work as long as it meets their own needs. We just aren’t going to actively support those job listings anymore, as they don’t apply to the audience we target. That sort of hypocrisy isn’t acceptable, it was an unfortunate mistake, and it stops now while we go back to focusing on those writers looking to move up"
The new weekly freelance writing jobs (http://allfreelancewriting.com/freelancewriting/freelance-writing-jobs/) will be intentionally limited to the best advertised that week. "Most high paying freelance writing jobs are never publicly advertised as the gigs are landed through private referrals and direct pitching" said Mattern. "Clint will be scouring for the best that are, for example with a bare minimum pay rate of $50 per Web article. We know that is still a very low rate for many freelance writers, but the line had to be drawn somewhere and it’s a significant step up for writers currently signing over all rights to basic Web content for $20 or less. Other types of freelance writing work, such as more in-depth magazine features, will not be included at such a low per-article rate"
Osterholz is one of several new bloggers with All Freelance Writing contributing monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly series. The new series range from posts for WAHMs and monthly do-it-yourself projects for freelance writers to humorous looks at freelance writing issues from Osterholz and freelance finance advice. One new team member will even personally test traditional online freelance marketplaces to share first-hand experiences and honest assessments of marketplaces and resulting jobs, as many freelance writers turn to these outlets to find writing gigs.
"While we can’t force companies to advertise higher paying writing jobs, we will stop supporting those who expect a lot from writers while offering very little in return" said Mattern. "When there aren’t higher paying gigs advertised during a week, Clint will supplement with writer’s markets that readers can pitch instead. While $50 might be a bare minimum, we don’t expect to advertise many freelance writing jobs at that low of a level. When it makes more sense to focus on markets, we will. We feel it’s a step in the right direction, and will be adding new features and tools to the site over the next several months to improve things even more"
All Freelance Writing is working to build an even better resource for freelance writers looking to improve their careers. A new collection of free online tools has been launched, starting with two free word count trackers (http://allfreelancewriting.com/2009/10/29/writers-resources/2-free-word-count-trackers-for-writers/). A freelance writing rate calculator, based on a previous post, will soon be released. Plans for the New Year include a more interactive marketplace / referral service for freelance writers looking to get out of the low paying freelance writing job rut and a comprehensive industry survey and report.
About All Freelance Writing
All Freelance Writing is a freelance writing blog run by freelance business writer and former public relations consultant, Jennifer Mattern. The blog was originally launched as a collaborative blog called Six Figure Writers (SFW) in 2006 and became AllFreelanceWriting.comin August of 2007 when the SFW blog was merged with Mattern’s freelance writing jobs blog. The blog now consists of a team of freelance writers covering business-related topics for freelancers such as finding higher paying freelance writing jobs, marketing tips for freelance writers, experiments in freelance writing, writer’s markets, free tools, and more. Mattern also blogs about freelance writing issues at QueryFreeFreelancer.com, is the author of the Web Writer’s Guide e-book series, and is a co-founder of Freelance Theater.
For more information about All Freelance Writing, the new contributors, or the new features on freelance writing jobs please visit AllFreelanceWriting.com.
