What's a Writer Worth? A Lot

There's been a lot of discussion around the blogs about how much to charge clients during a recession and how to compete with writers who are charging pennies a word for their work.

Okay. Let's take this one point at a time.

First, the recession. It's affecting everyone, and everyone includes us. Yes, we're part of the economy, too. Does this mean we should work for slave wages? Does it mean we should give away our services? Does it mean that we should be bidding against ourselves for work? I say the answer is--absolutely not.

Think of how other businesses are handling this. Writers don't usually hand out gift certificates or coupons, but maybe it's something to think about. A kind of good will gesture--one that doesn't devalue our work, but offers a one-time deal.

I donated a gift certificate to write marketing materials at a reduced fee to a Chamber of Commerce fundraiser last month--a B-to-B function, attended by people who might need my services. Will it result in business? I don't know yet. But I'm interested to see if it does.

Otherwise, frankly, I think you should set a fair rate (both to yourself and the client--what's "fair" is a subject for another post) and stick to it. Even though some other writers will work for a fraction of that amount. Which leads me to the next point.

Price competition. If we were talking apples or oranges or gasoline, then I'd be worried. But writing is a skill. And each writer is skilled in different ways. When you hire a writer, you're not buying a commodity--you're buying a specialized service.

Your writing has value. Depending on the kind of writing you do, that value can translate into more readers or advertising for a publication, more customers for a business or more support for a non-profit. It's value that can be measured in dollars and cents. And I'd argue these things are as important--if not more so--during recessions as they are during boom times.

I'm not saying you shouldn't try to work within different people's budgets. Don't try to sell clients a Cadillac writing job if all they can afford is a Yugo. But make it clear that your client will get what they pay for and have a bottom line price in mind below which you won't go. Some writers even set a minimum fee per job. Not a bad idea, actually. Some of us simply don't want to sell Yugos.

Finally, you run a business and if you aren't paid enough for your work, you will run either yourself or your business into the ground handling too many low-ball projects, when you could be using that time to find better-paying ones. And, if it's your business that suffers, I wouldn't count on a congressional bailout.