Good morning! This is the inaugural post for AFW’s revamped freelance writing jobs and blogging jobs. Expect these to come out every Tuesday and to be fairly comprehensive. I will try to encapsulate a wide range of jobs so if you don’t see something you like this week, check back next week.
The gigs
- Feature article/book reviews - This freelance writing job offers $100 for articles and $50 for book reviews. The subject matter is gay/lesbian history, culture, and politics, so it’s best to browse the site and get a feel for their review first before applying. To apply, simply submit an article to them–articles have a minimum of 1,500 words and reviews 600.
- Articles/book reviews/PR/commentary – This freelance writing job offers $150 for articles and $50 for book reviews. The subject matter is information technology service management, so it helps to have a strong background in IT, although arguably you may be able to write product reviews and press releases without as much experience. To apply, they require that you put together an outline for an article. Read the entire posting for more details!
- Scriptwriter/copywriter – This freelance writer job pays from $1,000 to $5,000 per script. They are looking for a writer who can take technical information and make it presentable. A background in writing scripts is immensely helpful if not required. To apply, you need to submit a resume, samples incorporating strong story elements about taking business communications to a personal level, and wage expectations. Requires free registration. This job is open only to residents of southern California, as you’ll need to attend occasional client meetings (writing can be done from home).
- AFW writer Jenn Mattern is looking for a freelance writer on blogger relations/PR for a one-off post for a new public relations writing blog. For tone, think edgy. The topic is “Guaranteed Ways to Piss Off Bloggers with Your Press Release.” The writer must have three years’ experience in the PR industry (preferably with some direct blogger relations experience). Pay is $75 an article at around 350 – 5oo words and should be scannable (such as list form). To apply, email jenn@allfreelancewriting.com with a 3 – 5 sentence pitch demonstrating tone and style noted above. Longer pitches will not be considered. Get to the point. Applications will be accepted through the 30th, with a writer chosen as of December 1st.
Job tip of the week - I enjoy turning my favorite things into freelance writing jobs. I have pitched myself as a writer to restaurants, shops, and other local businesses, but I’ve also pitched myself to websites and blogs I enjoy. Someone has to create that content, right? Although this method might seem to have a high rejection rate, it isn’t any worse than applying for a posted freelance writing gig. Surprise yourself and put together a proposal for either a local business or favorite website and see what sort of response you get. If you don’t get any, send a polite followup. You would be even more surprised to see how many initial proposals get lost or ignored.
Worst gig of the week - I’m looking for a long term writer. Writer will be writing topics on “wedding related topics”, “twilight (the movie)” & “Christmas related topics”. Article is minimum of 550 words. I will need between 5-9 articles a day everyday. I’m going to be paying around $3-$4 an article depending on experience. Now, I started the budget at $36 for couple days worth of articles. Looking for someone ASAP, who can start immediately. Writer must have taken the article writing, creative writing and technical writing and blogging tests. Writer will also be responsible for answering Yahoo answers to promote my products and website.
Why is this freelance writing gig so terrible? Aside from the ridiculously low pay and high output, writing for this guy is not going to be very satisfying. He’s trying to crank junk SEO content, unless you happen to know a Twilight fan out there who’s getting married on Christmas. What makes it the worst, however, is that it’s on oDesk, where you work for a client for an hourly rate–and they have a program that you download and agree to let monitor your usage. If you’re a fast writer, you just got hosed!
If you’d like to look through longer aggregated lists of freelance writing jobs to help you save time in your job search, All Freelance Writing recommends Anne Wayman’s freelance writing jobs at AboutFreelanceWriting.com.
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Thanks Clint!
Odesk is definitely one of my biggest pet peeves. Might be fine for those outside the U.S. but here it starts to cross a pretty serious line between what clients can and cannot do versus employers. If someone wants to control where, when, how, etc. you do your work, then they’re crossing into employer territory (which means they have different legal requirements, taxes they have to pay instead of it all being on the freelancer, etc.). As per info directly from the IRS, “If an evaluation system measures the details of how the work is performed, then these factors would point to an employee.” When it comes to contractors, evaluation is based on the end result; not the process. They also cross the line in letting clients require that the software be used before hiring someone, as they’re exercising control over the tools to be used (another signal that they’re crossing into employee territory and not technically hiring contractors / freelancers).
While it’s bad enough that the buyers there use it, it’s far worse imo that a site like Odesk is supporting this behavior on a large scale. Their system really pushes it, and until that changes they’ll never be supported here. Given that they’re based in the U.S. I’m really not sure how they haven’t been stopped from pursuing this practice yet. I also love how in their manifesto they act like they’re in a position to determine what rights providers and buyers have, even if they could be contrary to actual rights. Newsflash folks: when you take on greater risks and increased taxes by becoming a freelancer (and clients take on a decrease in cost, overhead, etc. as a perk of working with you instead of actual employees), you do have specific rights. Read up on them (and not through Odesk).
That particular job is hilarious though. Not only do they expect a lot writing-wise for very little pay, but then they also expect you to take tests and continue to promote their site for them (for no added pay of course). Absolutely insane.
Great start Clint. Are you in touch with these publishers at all?
Thanks Anne! For this round of job posting, no, except that Jenn Mattern woman. In the future, I do expect to have more contact with them. It’s a ball that I’ve set rolling that should yield some great results in the future.
I did mean to mention in the post (and forgot, of course) that if anyone applies for these jobs and finds them to be bunk or far lower than advertised to let me know, and I’ll take them down or put them on a list to avoid. I do not like to repeat mistakes because there’s far too many out there I haven’t made yet.
Great new job posting. oDesk blows–all those bid sites are a rush to the bottom. Why do writers do this to themselves? And then, as we know, this slops onto the rest of us with low rates and high expectations of huge amts of crap cranking. Speaking of–my kid was being terrorized by wasps on our pond and went to a DOZEN sites trying to get anti-wasp advice, which is apparently produced by people who have never seen a wasp, built a wasp trap, used an exterminator, or anything–just pulling stuff out of their rear, undoubtedly for $3.
Clint – OMG, you know her? She’s such a bitch! :P
Anne – As we go along and the new series becomes a bit more established, one of the goals is to work more directly with hiring companies / individuals. With strict minimum pay limits, there aren’t going to be many advertised gigs that specifically mention pay rates (this happens all the time in the webmaster market for example, where buyers don’t want to be hit with a swarm of offers from unqualified writers just because they’re paying more than $5). We’re taking steps to turn AFW into a more direct market link between higher paying clients and professional writers who value their time by working to pull in unique ads from those who want more specialized reach, while combining that with new features on the writer side in the New Year. It’s going to be a gradual process over the next several months.
@Star – The bid sites themselves aren’t a rush to the bottom. Remember, you only bid as low as you choose to. The site are nothing but platforms, and as with all platforms it’s all in how you use them. While I find Odesk disgusting for the very specific reason mentioned above, that doesn’t translate to all bidding sites. They can be used effectively. The keys are generally being willing to stand your ground by bidding your regular rates and using them as a supplemental job source rather than a primary one (although I’m sure there are some exceptions). As with any kind of job application or negotiation, it’s up the writer to prove their work is actually worth what they’re charging rather than simply lowering rates, thinking it’s the only way to compete. Are the bulk of the gigs garbage there? Sure. Some are complete jokes. But the same can be said of any forum, classified site, etc. That doesn’t mean there aren’t gems there if you go about looking for them in the right ways.
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