This article makes me wonder how anyone makes it as a writer. When i was going the query route, I saw more than one agency ask if we had fifty-thousand Facebook followers. Now I get it. They want almost a guarantee of sales before they look at you.
Maybe I'll go back to carrying a tote bag of my book and selling them at bus stops.
50K FB "followers" does not guarantee sales! I have quite a few friends who do make a living at various forms of writing, as do I, but it is a more than fulltime job. And when I look at what Linda has done with History of Women and her many other projects and AMAZING work, it isn't right to have so little money earned. It's wrong.
lol. God, I could not be arsed to sell books in person. But it's funny all the same. Some people who have the personality for it have done quite well with that.
When I hear about pay for writers - I'm always surprised about the people who have never heard about a couple of "institutions" that could help them. First of all, there is the Editorial Freelancers Association of New York City. It has been around since 1970, when Grove Press editors' went on strike! That's right! So they started freelancing again, and soon organized themselves into this current "institution" for ALL editorial type freelancers - all types! Yes, you pay an annual fee (I think I paid under $200 for the year for the years I was a member) but you get listings and details 5 days a week (based on your skills and special qualifications) that you create in your profile. PLUS EFA has determined what are reasonable fees for editorial work of all types. My fee was $35/hour as an editor. So one job, could pay for your entire annual fee. SERIOUSLY, Linda, check it out. One job I got was from one of the largest German companies - a music publisher. Because I also had a music degree and could understand music language (words) and musical reading itself!
Also, Jon Morrow trains writers to do content marketing, and, since he is well-recognized within the entire industry, his certificate once they pass his intense classes - speaks for itself. People make REAL money once they've done the work and earn that certificate. Thousands of dollars annually. Not like Fiverr or the other "agencies" that pay a writer $5-10 for a post. Morrow even teaches you how to find and attract clients yourself. Anyway, Passing this along. There is a LOT MORE than Medium to make money. Sure, you get to pick your own topic and all that. But that doesn't necessarily pay the bills, put food on the table. Anyway, my two cents worth.
Also, I had my own clients that I sought out. One I didn't even look for - but lasted for six years. Started at $300/month and increased to $600/month - for writing and editing, managing a large group of marketing people who sent us information placed in the publications we put out monthly. That job lasted until about a week before I flew to Cleveland for a liver transplant! How lucky is that? At that time I was also writing my own fiction - two novels and a "memoir" for my rescue kitty! When you're laid up in bed a lot - well, writing is still possible and ON THE DOCKET!!!
That's actually an excellent suggestion for anyone interested in freelance, Dana. My problem is that I'm just not. I did freelancing in the past. I am over 50 and sick of selling my life by the hour. I want to do what I want to do, you know? And that's real hard. But I will darn well figure it out because I don't really see any other options. Plus, I'm a single mom with no spouse as a backup so time is a premium already. Might write about this to let others know though, so thank you!!
I don’t want to go back to freelance either. I’m 75 years old, I’ve been through (survived) a lot of things in life - and want to stick with my fiction! Once I found it or it found me, that’s all I wanted to write. Even writing for Medium doesn’t appeal much! I wrote my own blog for my audience for a lotta years. So yeah, I was just throwing that out there. EFA was a great alternative and I met some interesting people - like the Saudi woman who started driving her own car.
I make $5-$10K a month writing for private business clients. But it is not my work, and it is not what I prefer, nor does it leave me time to do what I would prefer, which actually isn't the Medium articles I have done. At all.
I hear you, Amy. I work for private clients doing email marketing and website copy. I make a decent income but it's not what I prefer and doesn't leave much time for what I do prefer. The only difference is that I love writing the history pieces on Medium. Damn shame they don't promote them like they used to. I guess I should be writing about the world burning and people going to hell. lol
Well, my love you know that's what I write about and the bottom has fallen out of that as well - I *adore* all of the women's history and learn so much. I wanted 2 wks ago to re-do something about the research I'd done on Maria Goeppert-Mayer but it takes time to recast something one has done a couple of years ago for today's audiences. It's a long deal, a struggle, I think maybe this current problem may resolve itself ... or maybe not!
I hear you, it's a lot of work for sure. I have some older pieces that I'd done drafts for a couple years ago but wasn't happy with. Now when I look at them, they need to be entirely reworked. It's a lot and Medium doesn't promote history much. I am astounded that History of Women does so well despite that they don't favor it much.
It's getting harder all the time to make money writing, which forces writers to turn to those $10 jobs. I mean, really, what's better ..to hold out for the higher paying gigs or take smaller ones to put food on the table? I understand both sides far too well, and yet still don't have an answer.
My daughter is 30, Linda, but I was a single mom too for a long time. I look forward to reading your thoughts and will support you! You won't believe what my insane mind is thinking now ... holy !!! so much is changing ...
I'm thinking about 1) mermaids as I have an invitational anthology to do a story for - so will it be a negative mermaid tale with a depressing "all the people are doomed by climate change" bent or more positive, hopeful, and affirming tale for the mermaid who's been singing at the Tiki Bar; 2) I think I'm going to be - this is the insane part - looking into ... um ... designing and modeling fashion for 50+ (oh my god)
Anytime you say oh my god, that means DO IT. That's amazing. I used to design and create costume. Sewed costumes for the Olympic dancers years ago when they were in Canada. And I did marketing by day, and taught sewing and pattern drafting in the evenings and weekends. That's like a different life, it was so long ago. But still, it was a lot of fun. It's amazing to create something out of nothing. P.S. I also love mermaids. Would love to see that one if you do it.
Thank you for the boost, Linda - and it's so exciting and cool you did costumes, including the Olympic dancers! I just watched the most interesting documentary about something I never knew about before - the 1973 Versailles benefit fashion show at which the US designers and models smoked the traditional French designers. They had all the models in the documentary, and the majority were Black. I only was familiar with two of about ten models and I also knew little about the main designer whose work was ... well ... better and more exciting than even Halston - Stephen Burrows. I knew the clothes but knew NOTHING about him. That we can ascribe to a certain ... well at least Bill Blass wasn't putting his name on Stephen Burrows' clothes -
My payout on Medium has never been good, so it hasn't changed really. It is much harder to get followers. I concentrate on writing worthwhile copy that is lean.
I think about the time I nosedived in pay was when I decreased my output to around zero. So, I don’t know if it’s the algorithm or the fact that I’m not publishing. (P.S. let me know if you are willing to take some of my History of Yesterday stories about women. Alison at Authentic Eclectic just published one on Ada Lovelace.)
Not sure how much longer I can either, Amy. It makes me irrationally angry at them. lol. A year ago, Medium was 30% of my income. Now it barely pays the water bill. For the same views, yet. It really sucks.
Linda your history articles are so good, I think you should do a collection and publish wide as an e-book. Since you always provide your sources, you are reliable. Your article on Dickens was much better than the history I read about Dicken's relationship with his children. It puttered into insignificance.
Linda, I'm surprised you don't add freelancing to your list of things you do for $$$. I know Zulie Rane writes about this. There is nothing shameful at all about freelancing! EFA could be a great fit for you.
I wonder if commoditization happens to all professions? Aren't actors a dime a dozen, working as waiters and bellhops until they get that breakthrough audition? Don't lawyers chase ambulances waiting for that one big case that gives them the credibility as a great lawyer? Don't doctors barely cover their malpractice insurance until they get enough patients (mostly by word of mouth) that their bedside manner is great and they really help condition XYZ?
Farmers get paid a pittance as they all grow tomatoes and try to find buyers while the middlemen connecting the buyers with the growers make the mint. Is that the role of publishers to writing-to be the middlemen connecting the marketing people/reading people with the writing people? Just like a few farmers might have success if they connect with a farm to table restaurant that gets popular, some writers might go the independent publisher route or self publisher trying to fill all the roles in the transaction, but that's rare.
Just like the commercial news networks are completely beholden to the commercials that fund their operations (all TV and Newspaper sources sell their subscriber lists to advertisers (guaranteed eyeballs) ) writers, publishers and everyone in-between are beholden to the readers who are willing to pay or to click on the advertisements.
Medium was a slightly different model, readers willing to contribute $5/month to share amongst the writers they read. No advertising boost and skimming enough off the top to make it work. But just as your subscription to Time Magazine or The Washington Post isn't enough to cover their costs for reporting, editing and producing the news source, I think Medium struggles to cover costs with the $5 model.
Right? I mean -- essentially they "fixed" something that wasn't broken and broke it terribly. When anyone who can actually write gets sick of it and moves to Substack, they'll be left with the meta posts, plagiarism and stuff no one really wants to read.
Headlines are a real freaking art. The ones I hate most are the ones that withhold. Like one weird old trick. lol. But I find if I can make them a bit spicy while also informative, it seems to help. I hear you on the pride, when I see some of what gets "recommended" it ticks me off a little sometimes. lol.
This article makes me wonder how anyone makes it as a writer. When i was going the query route, I saw more than one agency ask if we had fifty-thousand Facebook followers. Now I get it. They want almost a guarantee of sales before they look at you.
Maybe I'll go back to carrying a tote bag of my book and selling them at bus stops.
Or do a Kickstarter. lol Apparently that's an option for selling books, too. I have thought about it!
50K FB "followers" does not guarantee sales! I have quite a few friends who do make a living at various forms of writing, as do I, but it is a more than fulltime job. And when I look at what Linda has done with History of Women and her many other projects and AMAZING work, it isn't right to have so little money earned. It's wrong.
It makes me real crusty, that's for sure. lol
I've found that out already. It doesn't cost a dime to follow anybody, it's just a numbers game in the end.
lol. God, I could not be arsed to sell books in person. But it's funny all the same. Some people who have the personality for it have done quite well with that.
I sold to people in my neighborhood, so I knew them a bit. I would strike up a conversation, nd then mention that I had some of my books with me.
I charged twenty bucks a piece, so I didn't have to make change, and most people have a twenty on them.
I actually did it a while ago. I has a bunch of books left over from a book fair, so I would take a few with me on my rounds ad sell a few at a time.
When I hear about pay for writers - I'm always surprised about the people who have never heard about a couple of "institutions" that could help them. First of all, there is the Editorial Freelancers Association of New York City. It has been around since 1970, when Grove Press editors' went on strike! That's right! So they started freelancing again, and soon organized themselves into this current "institution" for ALL editorial type freelancers - all types! Yes, you pay an annual fee (I think I paid under $200 for the year for the years I was a member) but you get listings and details 5 days a week (based on your skills and special qualifications) that you create in your profile. PLUS EFA has determined what are reasonable fees for editorial work of all types. My fee was $35/hour as an editor. So one job, could pay for your entire annual fee. SERIOUSLY, Linda, check it out. One job I got was from one of the largest German companies - a music publisher. Because I also had a music degree and could understand music language (words) and musical reading itself!
Also, Jon Morrow trains writers to do content marketing, and, since he is well-recognized within the entire industry, his certificate once they pass his intense classes - speaks for itself. People make REAL money once they've done the work and earn that certificate. Thousands of dollars annually. Not like Fiverr or the other "agencies" that pay a writer $5-10 for a post. Morrow even teaches you how to find and attract clients yourself. Anyway, Passing this along. There is a LOT MORE than Medium to make money. Sure, you get to pick your own topic and all that. But that doesn't necessarily pay the bills, put food on the table. Anyway, my two cents worth.
Also, I had my own clients that I sought out. One I didn't even look for - but lasted for six years. Started at $300/month and increased to $600/month - for writing and editing, managing a large group of marketing people who sent us information placed in the publications we put out monthly. That job lasted until about a week before I flew to Cleveland for a liver transplant! How lucky is that? At that time I was also writing my own fiction - two novels and a "memoir" for my rescue kitty! When you're laid up in bed a lot - well, writing is still possible and ON THE DOCKET!!!
That's actually an excellent suggestion for anyone interested in freelance, Dana. My problem is that I'm just not. I did freelancing in the past. I am over 50 and sick of selling my life by the hour. I want to do what I want to do, you know? And that's real hard. But I will darn well figure it out because I don't really see any other options. Plus, I'm a single mom with no spouse as a backup so time is a premium already. Might write about this to let others know though, so thank you!!
I don’t want to go back to freelance either. I’m 75 years old, I’ve been through (survived) a lot of things in life - and want to stick with my fiction! Once I found it or it found me, that’s all I wanted to write. Even writing for Medium doesn’t appeal much! I wrote my own blog for my audience for a lotta years. So yeah, I was just throwing that out there. EFA was a great alternative and I met some interesting people - like the Saudi woman who started driving her own car.
I make $5-$10K a month writing for private business clients. But it is not my work, and it is not what I prefer, nor does it leave me time to do what I would prefer, which actually isn't the Medium articles I have done. At all.
I hear you, Amy. I work for private clients doing email marketing and website copy. I make a decent income but it's not what I prefer and doesn't leave much time for what I do prefer. The only difference is that I love writing the history pieces on Medium. Damn shame they don't promote them like they used to. I guess I should be writing about the world burning and people going to hell. lol
Well, my love you know that's what I write about and the bottom has fallen out of that as well - I *adore* all of the women's history and learn so much. I wanted 2 wks ago to re-do something about the research I'd done on Maria Goeppert-Mayer but it takes time to recast something one has done a couple of years ago for today's audiences. It's a long deal, a struggle, I think maybe this current problem may resolve itself ... or maybe not!
I hear you, it's a lot of work for sure. I have some older pieces that I'd done drafts for a couple years ago but wasn't happy with. Now when I look at them, they need to be entirely reworked. It's a lot and Medium doesn't promote history much. I am astounded that History of Women does so well despite that they don't favor it much.
It's getting harder all the time to make money writing, which forces writers to turn to those $10 jobs. I mean, really, what's better ..to hold out for the higher paying gigs or take smaller ones to put food on the table? I understand both sides far too well, and yet still don't have an answer.
Yup, I get that. I can't take those $10 pieces because I can't make ends meet that way. But I get it for people who do. Rough out there.
My daughter is 30, Linda, but I was a single mom too for a long time. I look forward to reading your thoughts and will support you! You won't believe what my insane mind is thinking now ... holy !!! so much is changing ...
I would love to hear what your insane mind is thinking. lol. My insane mind might like it. And two brains are better than one.
I'm thinking about 1) mermaids as I have an invitational anthology to do a story for - so will it be a negative mermaid tale with a depressing "all the people are doomed by climate change" bent or more positive, hopeful, and affirming tale for the mermaid who's been singing at the Tiki Bar; 2) I think I'm going to be - this is the insane part - looking into ... um ... designing and modeling fashion for 50+ (oh my god)
Anytime you say oh my god, that means DO IT. That's amazing. I used to design and create costume. Sewed costumes for the Olympic dancers years ago when they were in Canada. And I did marketing by day, and taught sewing and pattern drafting in the evenings and weekends. That's like a different life, it was so long ago. But still, it was a lot of fun. It's amazing to create something out of nothing. P.S. I also love mermaids. Would love to see that one if you do it.
Thank you for the boost, Linda - and it's so exciting and cool you did costumes, including the Olympic dancers! I just watched the most interesting documentary about something I never knew about before - the 1973 Versailles benefit fashion show at which the US designers and models smoked the traditional French designers. They had all the models in the documentary, and the majority were Black. I only was familiar with two of about ten models and I also knew little about the main designer whose work was ... well ... better and more exciting than even Halston - Stephen Burrows. I knew the clothes but knew NOTHING about him. That we can ascribe to a certain ... well at least Bill Blass wasn't putting his name on Stephen Burrows' clothes -
My payout on Medium has never been good, so it hasn't changed really. It is much harder to get followers. I concentrate on writing worthwhile copy that is lean.
It's so helplessly broken, Margie. I can promise that getting followers doesn't improve the pay. lol
I think about the time I nosedived in pay was when I decreased my output to around zero. So, I don’t know if it’s the algorithm or the fact that I’m not publishing. (P.S. let me know if you are willing to take some of my History of Yesterday stories about women. Alison at Authentic Eclectic just published one on Ada Lovelace.)
lol. Okay, that was funny. Sending you an email about your history pieces. :)
Yes - can't keep it up any longer Linda. It's sad and depressing. I have no idea what they are doing. Ah well. Take care!!
Not sure how much longer I can either, Amy. It makes me irrationally angry at them. lol. A year ago, Medium was 30% of my income. Now it barely pays the water bill. For the same views, yet. It really sucks.
Linda your history articles are so good, I think you should do a collection and publish wide as an e-book. Since you always provide your sources, you are reliable. Your article on Dickens was much better than the history I read about Dicken's relationship with his children. It puttered into insignificance.
I'm kind of thinking of doing a separate Substack, setting it up like a magazine with different categories and adding optional sponsorship.
Linda, I'm surprised you don't add freelancing to your list of things you do for $$$. I know Zulie Rane writes about this. There is nothing shameful at all about freelancing! EFA could be a great fit for you.
LMAO. Okay, that was funny.
Great query.
I wonder if commoditization happens to all professions? Aren't actors a dime a dozen, working as waiters and bellhops until they get that breakthrough audition? Don't lawyers chase ambulances waiting for that one big case that gives them the credibility as a great lawyer? Don't doctors barely cover their malpractice insurance until they get enough patients (mostly by word of mouth) that their bedside manner is great and they really help condition XYZ?
Farmers get paid a pittance as they all grow tomatoes and try to find buyers while the middlemen connecting the buyers with the growers make the mint. Is that the role of publishers to writing-to be the middlemen connecting the marketing people/reading people with the writing people? Just like a few farmers might have success if they connect with a farm to table restaurant that gets popular, some writers might go the independent publisher route or self publisher trying to fill all the roles in the transaction, but that's rare.
Just like the commercial news networks are completely beholden to the commercials that fund their operations (all TV and Newspaper sources sell their subscriber lists to advertisers (guaranteed eyeballs) ) writers, publishers and everyone in-between are beholden to the readers who are willing to pay or to click on the advertisements.
Medium was a slightly different model, readers willing to contribute $5/month to share amongst the writers they read. No advertising boost and skimming enough off the top to make it work. But just as your subscription to Time Magazine or The Washington Post isn't enough to cover their costs for reporting, editing and producing the news source, I think Medium struggles to cover costs with the $5 model.
Right? I mean -- essentially they "fixed" something that wasn't broken and broke it terribly. When anyone who can actually write gets sick of it and moves to Substack, they'll be left with the meta posts, plagiarism and stuff no one really wants to read.
Headlines are a real freaking art. The ones I hate most are the ones that withhold. Like one weird old trick. lol. But I find if I can make them a bit spicy while also informative, it seems to help. I hear you on the pride, when I see some of what gets "recommended" it ticks me off a little sometimes. lol.