When Does A Freelance Writing Offer Or Promotion Become Something That Has A Detrimental Effect On Your Career?

By Dan Smith

I had today’s post written and ready to publish, but earlier in the week something happened which made me put my original post back a week and write this post instead.

Recently, a writer friend contacted me asking if I would be interested in any 500 word pieces on a range of different topics, up to around 100 pieces. I’ve known the guy for quite a while now, although he’s only a relatively new writer.

For these pieces, he was asking for $20 each. This is well below the rate I’ve paid for work from him in the past, but as he happily approached me with this offer, I wasn’t overly concerned at the fact that the rate was low.

Sure, I’d never willingly ask a writer — or in fact anyone else — to produce work for me at a price that I knew was well below their standard rate, but I trust the writer and assume he knows what’s doing in most respects.

I didn’t need all of the 100 articles, so I got in touch with a few writers and colleagues to ask if they would be interested in taking him up on the offer. Some people said yes, others said no.

Later that day, I mentioned it on Twitter. A few people got in touch wanting more details and Carol Tice replied to the tweet saying that she believed the rate was particularly low — something that I do agree with.

I explained that although the rate was low, the guy was offering the articles at a reduced price that was — in my eyes — too good to turn down, using the phrase “I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth”.

Carol replied that from her view, she didn’t think $20 a piece was a gift.

Now, before we go any further, I just want to make it completely clear that I respect Carol as a writer immensely and this isn’t in any way, shape or form an argument, but simply my thoughts on the topic after what Carol said.

On one hand, charging $20 a piece isn’t a great price. I’ve talked about this before, albeit on the lower price of $10 a piece, but the same principle applies — many writers often see $50 a piece as an absolute bare minimum that they could deliver a piece of work for.

Furthermore, as I said above, I wouldn’t expect a writer to create a piece for me at $20 a piece if I was to approach them and I know other writers wouldn’t expect me to create pieces at $20 each either.

On the other hand, however, this guy was offering these pieces at a reduced price for what I can only assume was to raise the awareness of him as a writer. There’s no doubt that the price was great for buyers and although it’s not fantastic for him, he must have done his calculations to know that he could afford to deliver the work at that price.

Although I can see the point that the writer should be charging more per piece, but if this is a promotional offer and he can get 100 articles at $20 a piece after only what was initially one e-mail, that’s $2,000 he may not have otherwise had.

In my eyes, it’s no different to when I walk into the supermarket and see a new bottle of wine on offer at £5 when it should be £10. I’ll buy it and if I like it, I’ll go back and buy it again, whether it’s still on offer or not. If I don’t like it, I won’t buy it again, irrelevant of the price.

I can see the point that I believe Carol — and no doubt many other writers — makes and that if you’re charging a low price for your work, you’re going to always be expected to deliver work at that price, but if everyone is aware it’s an offer or promotion, would this still happen?

I’ve offered similar things in the past, asking regular clients if they’d like additional work carried out on top of their standard project for a reduced price — mainly maintain that positive working relationship — and I can’t think of an instance where it’s had a negative effect.

Really interested in knowing what others think on this. There are plenty more experienced writers than me out there and this could be something that I’ll happily admit I was taking the wrong view on :)

Image: mediaboytodd (Flickr)