freelance writing: how much of a test for a job would be considered actual work done for free?
I'm a freelance writer. Sometimes people ask me to write samples as a test. I notice that sometimes the test itself takes too long and makes me suspicious. I've had a lot of disappointing engagements. What things should I look for to avoid such a situation?
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/24704. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
1 answer
Freelance writing, as a career, is enormously oversubscribed. At the bottom of the market there are far too many writers chasing far too little work, and therefore prices are rock bottom and market conditions greatly favor the client.
At the same time, most freelance writers absolutely and irredeemably suck. Even the ones that can actually craft readable sentences don't really understand that writing is about something much more difficult and complicated than this: that figuring out what to say and how to say it to produce a specific commercial effect is difficult and demanding work. Most prospective clients understand that they want the writing they contract for to deliver specific commercial effects, but have no idea how to measure this or how to hire for it. Many have had multiple disappointing experiences with freelance writers who were cheap but sucked. No wonder they want to test writers, even thought they usually don't know how to do it effectively.
If you want to make a career as a freelance writer, therefore, you need to find a way to set yourself apart from the madding crowd of freelancers. That means, first, that you have to get good at the stuff that actually matters: commercial effect. Second, it means that you have to figure out how to convince potential clients that you have those skills.
But then, once you have those skills, you will be able to use them to convince people you have them. That is, after all, writing with a commercial effect. And at the point, you will actually be able to make a living.
0 comment threads
0 comment threads