I’m a New Writer and I Just Learned a Valuable Lesson

Know your worth, set your rate, and take your power back

I am very new to the world of freelance writing. I have been writing as a career for 1 month and twenty-one days. In that time period, I have published 44 articles on Medium. I love writing with every fiber of my being. It has given me a reason to smile, cured my insomnia, and brought me extra income.

When I re-read my past articles, I feel very proud. I finally found a career I enjoy and even if doesn’t pay the bills now, I know it will eventually.

Unfortunately, something happened this morning that had me doubting my writing skills. My first experience with a client on Upwork almost completely shattered my newfound confidence as a writer.

Don’t worry, I wasn’t scammed or harassed. I was only completely undervalued as a writer. This may sound dramatic but I felt as if this “client” didn’t look at me as a human being, let alone a serious writer. I realized that some people can be very parasitic when it comes to hiring freelance writers.

I signed up for Upwork this past weekend. I heard it can be quite rewarding. I had read about other writers getting long-term clients on there and gaining lots of experience. I was amazed by the alluring headlines for job postings promising great work experiences.

I signed up for an account eagerly and found a job posting that I thought sounded very suitable for a beginner like myself. Since the job posting said they required the qualified candidate to research information and write their articles, I made a bid on a 500-word piece of $38.00. Since Upwork charges a processing fee of 20%, this made my complete wage to be $30.40 per 500 words written. It was also a long-term position, which is an exciting opportunity for any freelance writer.

I sent a proposal to the client, with a cover letter that took me over an hour to get just right. I carefully selected my best pieces and made sure my proposal was perfect before I pressed the submit button. Afterward, I eagerly told my husband about the job posting and he advised me to be careful and not to get my hopes up. He is fully supportive of my writing but worried about me being taken advantage of.

Unfortunately, my hopes were not only up, but sky-high. I checked my phone when my daughter woke up at 3 a.m. and I had a message from the client! I excitedly opened the email and my heart dropped. The client said that since I didn’t have any contracts (prior jobs) with Upwork, I can consider this opportunity “a great launching pad”. They were willing to pay me $2.50 for every 500 words I wrote.

Now, I may be new to writing but I am not naive. I know that I will not be paid the big bucks right away unless I have a stroke of genius or luck. However, if I accepted their “offer” of $2.50 per 500 words, that would mean that I would have 20% taken from that wage by Upwork for a processing fee. Which means I would be making $2.00 per 500 words. If I wrote a 500-word piece, I would make 0.004 cents per word. Not even a cent per word.

I won’t lie to you, initially, I considered it (in my defense, I was sleep-deprived). Then I did the math and a lot of research and realized that this offer was ludicrous. I also watched a few videos of fellow freelance writers reviewing Upwork and realized I needed to delete my account ASAP.

As the successful freelance writer Jordan Makelle said in her video “Upwork Exposed! If You’re Freelance Writing, GET OFF UPWORK. Here’s why”: “Upwork is the dollar store of the freelance writing world!”.

She is not wrong.

When people are bidding for jobs, clients are going to pick the lowest bidder. Understandably, people need to work and will fight to place the lowest bid just to get the job. This results in a lot of people working for pennies.

I felt very upset all day today. The sleep-deprivation combined with the fact that I sent my most prized articles to this person, only to have him determine that I was worth 0.004 cents a word was a depressing thought.

Until I realized that I am worth more. I may be a new writer but my work is good. I think I have something special like everyone else here on Medium, trying to make it in this uncertain occupation.

I wrote the client back in a polite tone and told him I was respectfully declining his offer. I was tempted to write something sarcastic as a reply, but that's not my style. He may be merely trying to get through the day as well, who knows?

Today, I did something I haven't done so far in my new career. I officially set my rate as a new writer: 10 cents per word. No hesitation, no indecisiveness. I took my power back.

The best thing about my situation is that I was in the position to turn this offer down. The worst thing about this situation is that someone is in such a bad place financially that they can’t afford to turn this offer down. Now I realize how lucky I am.

Like many writers, when I craft a story, everything I have inside me goes into its’ creation. The idea of someone putting their heart in soul into their writing, only to be rewarded with wages this low makes me sick to my stomach.

I wrote this piece for the new writers, the seasoned writers that have been told they were only worth pennies a word when they are worth much more, and those poor souls who are making 0.004 cents a word and accepting it happily.

You are worth much more than that. We are worth more than we think.

Amy Cottreau is a freelance writer who hails from a small city in Atlantic Canada. She enjoys interacting with fellow writers, dreaming of ideas for her next article, and researching myriad topics.