Freelance writing issue: If you wanted me to lie why didn’t you say so?

So here I am.  I had found a quickie book review job that I knew I could read and write about in a day.  A quick $10.

The requirement was to write an honest review and post them to the usual places and any networking sites that might be appropriate for the review.  The end goal is really to get traffic to their book and boost sales, right?  

So I read the book.  A put-downable book.  Anyone who knows me KNOWS that I cannot put down a book once I start it!  I will take it to the bathroom with me, I eat while I read, I go without sleep until I read from cover to cover.  I must get to the end.  It’s just how I’m wired.

There are exceptions to this:

1. When I am part of a critiquing group and we go chapter by chapter because we want to present our best work for publication.
2. When I’ve got my editing hat on.
3. When the book needs improvement (Note: I did not say ‘bad’ I said ‘needs improvement’).

Needless to say – I read the book: a lesbian erotic romance.  I wrote a fair but honest review and began to post as directed.  Not five minutes later I received a ‘cease and desist’ email saying they didn’t like my review.  We went back and forth with some communication and before I knew it I was being attacked.  Apparently I’m biased.  I have a thing against lesbians.  I don’t know what I’m talking about because their other paid reviewers gave them 4 or 5 stars.

In all sincerity the book did not warrant 4 stars.  I had a hard time giving it 3!  There were grammatical errors and word flow issues.  There were areas that were too abrupt in their transitions.  The sex was hot but it could have been hotter and there was a distinct lack of synonyms.  The characters could have benefited from a back story.  The author used a proverbial ten-foot stick to poke at LGBT issues like family acceptance, religion, and community but never gave us any meat on the bone.  If those issues aren’t what propel and shape your characters’ behavior and action then why the hell did you mention it in the first place?

Isn’t this all stuff their editor should have addressed PRIOR to publication?

Now I don’t have a problem with paid reviews.  You do what you have to in order to get your body of work noticed.  But if you want HONESTY then you’re going to need thicker skin when someone doesn’t think you are brilliant.  It’s going to happen!  Am I brilliant all the time?  Hell no – and I’ll be the first to admit it.

But here’s the point I’m trying to get at.  If you want honesty and don’t like what you hear then just take it, chew on it, investigate it and either work on it or dismiss it.  Don’t attack someone because you said ‘Let me have it’ then cry when you got it.

On the other hand: I’m a creative writer!  I could have lied if that is what you really wanted.  Your directive could easily have been:  For $10 read my book.  Give me 5 stars.  Stroke my ego and let the world know how brilliant my book is!  If it was worthy of 5 stars I would gladly endorse it.  If it’s crap I will post under a pen name.  Easy Peasy!

In the end I told them to keep their $10 but I am compelled to leave my review alone.

Since then they have revised their job posting to include “Do not bite the hand that feeds you.”

Amusing!

I’m not a mean person.  I am never purposefully mean!  As human nature goes, there is a huge part of me begging to be spiteful to their delicate sensibilities and post the review on my blog.  I know it would probably bother them considerably – especially in light of their (over)reaction.  Ultimately, I am a better person for stopping here.  Karma is a fickle bitch.  I just want to finish with this quote by Henri Frederic Amiel

“Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark journey with us.  Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind.”

:: Meredith steps off the soap box now ::

Hey freelance writers! What’s your worth?

As a freelancer many of us have a dilemma.  What’s our worth?

We all want to believe our writing is the best thing since sliced bread but the truth is – we all write words – but can we do it well?  Simply: no.  Everyone can sing too – but you’re not all Pavarotti, right?

I am a freelance writer on eLance – and just like anyone chasing a buck I bid on jobs.  Here is an example of an ad that absolutely drives me crazy:

• I want an excellent writer
• Research is involved
• Minimum 500-word articles
• Need 6 a day
• No more than $2 per article

Really?  I mean…  REALLY???

Let’s break that down a little bit.

6 articles a day at $2/article = $12.00

That’s a minimum of 500 words each article * 6 = 3000 words a day
– not impossible or even difficult if you’re writing on subjects you already know and love

Now factor in your TIME.

Let’s say you are putting in a minimum of one hour of research per article.  Realistically it’s 2 (or possibly 3) if you are very thorough PLUS about an hour to write and self-edit.  That’s anywhere from 2 to 4 hours per article.

Even if you are dedicating 2 hours per article times 6 = that’s 12 hours of time.

So you tell me.  Are you worth more than a dollar an hour?  I know I am!

As a client looking for quality work – what are your chances of finding a really good writer at that rate?  That’s less than what a waitress makes without tips!

I’ve been writing for a long time – from silly rhymes to academic papers and everything in between.  A dear friend summed it up well for me.  Mr. Bruce once said, “Ink is in my blood.”

It is, indeed, Mr. Bruce!  I know what I am capable of and the time frame in which I can accomplish things.

A quality writer doesn’t wake up, snap their fingers and magically become a wordsmith.  It if was that easy, everyone would be doing it!  Right?  Time, experience, and education all play a part.  Before a writer bids on a job they know their time constraints, skill level, and the approximate time it takes to properly research and write content.

Mark Twain once said: “I never write ‘metropolis’ for seven cents because I can get the same price for ‘city’. I never write ‘policeman’ because I can get the same money for ‘cop’.”

Freelancers, do your clients know what you’re worth?
Clients, if you have a quality writer at $1 an hour you’ve got a gem – but you won’t have them for long.  Chances are you hired from a word mill and the lack of quality will show.  If you have to pay someone else to fix the first edition, did you really save any money?

The difference between Rewriting & Spinning an article

If you are a client looking to update your website – or create a new one – you are going to need web content.

Let’s just say you’re a divorce lawyer and you want a website.  Great!  But how many other divorce attorneys are there that also have websites?

Hiring a freelance writer to create new and unique content is great but probably not necessary.  By finding a website that you aspire to be like, there are creative ways to mimic their site without plagiarizing them.  ps – Plagiarism is bad and can get your website or IP address banned from search engines.

Imitating a premier website is a great resource for formatting and outline ideas.  A good writer will research many comparable sites and compare the things they have in common.  They take the information and weave unique and creative content to help your site stand out.

You know that saying: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”  Okay.  But my goal as your creative writer is to blow the competition out of the water.  Just saying.

Example of a rewrite:

Original: 

“We are a full service, general practice law firm located in XXXXX.  For more than 55 years, we have been providing a broad range of high quality legal services to clients throughout the Counties of XXXX, XXX, XX and more.  Our main areas of practice include family law, matrimonial, personal injury, wills and estates, real estate, criminal, traffic, contract law and more.  Our mission is to provide honest and practical legal advice and to render top quality legal services to all of our valued clients.” *

Rewrite:

As a general practice law firm, we have been providing full legal services to our local community for over 55 years.  We handle our clients throughout XXXX, XXX, and XX counties with integrity and distinction.  Our services include family law, personal injury, wills and estates, criminal law and more.  For reliable and personal service, contact us.

*Albanese & Albanese Law Office was randomly selected during a Google search for the purpose of finding content to rewrite and present as an example.

See what I did with the rewrite?  I condensed it, cleaned it up and made it more concise, and inserted a call to order.

Article Spinning

Article Spinning is comparable to rewriting with a lot more work.  Generally speaking, only a company who writes for several websites will request a spun article.  They have a “base” article and want four or more versions of it.  The base article requires proper syntax so when the client takes the altered document and puts it in their spinning program the result is four “unique” articles that they can use on four different websites.

Original sentence:

When you get in trouble make sure you contact a good lawyer.

Spun sentence:

{When|If} you {get in|ever find yourself} in {trouble|deep water} {make sure you|be sure to|never hesitate to} {contact|call|get in touch with} {a good|an excellent|a professional|an ace|a good defense} {lawyer|attorney|law advisor|counselor}.

If you take the sentence with the syntax and place it in an article spinning program like EZ Article Spinner – you will see a variety of word combinations that still make sense.

All right!  Now that you know the difference, how can I help you?

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