Comments on: 10 Warning Words and Phrases in Online Job Postings for Writers – A Guest Article

By: Valerie

Valerie — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 18:19:46 +0000

Also on the ” Writters wantd” alert, I might add, whoever posted that might not be based in the U.S. but they might be from some other country overseas, fishing for whatever kind of writer they could get. Translated, that means there might be major cultural differences, and language barrier issues, which makes true communication between writer and client (which should be a two-way street) difficult. So the possibility of a misundertanding, which means the writer might not get paid for their work, is real.

By: Misti

Misti — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:34:07 +0000

I’m actually more leery of any request for 100% original samples than any ambiguity in what the client wants. I’ve gotten a few clients who only had vague ideas, and I helped them articulate that into something solid that we could agree on.

I hammer out all the details I can beforehand, then send a sample early on in the work to make sure we’re understanding things the same way. So far, it’s worked out.

By: Anne

Anne — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:01:03 +0000

Feeling worthy, or learning to, is a great skill.

By: Alia Curtis

Alia Curtis — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:50:17 +0000

Great article. I had to find out the hard way, but a hard lesson is a lifelong tutor. Writers can feel uncertain especially after a few rejections or not enough work and what we all need to remember is that we worked and studied hard to achieve our expertise and we should always feel good about ourselves and charge what we are worth. Predators will always prey on insecurities, so go with the flow when things are rough, and know that you are good at what you do everyday. If you practice feeling worthy you will be appreciated as well as compensated.

By: jorgekafkazar

jorgekafkazar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:28:16 +0000

Right, Ron. I turned down a business plan writing gig at a fairly non-mediocre pay rate. It was obvious the business was döömed from just the draft material. It would have been a heavy-weight rewrite. Not my idea of fun, and I sure wouldn't have put my own money into the business. There were some other flags, too. The original draft contained a disclaimer by whoever created it. Obviously, they were not thrilled about the project, either, and I had suspicions that they hadn't been paid. But No. 5. (Writters wantd!) I'm not so sure about. If the client could write, he'd be doing the project him/herself, ja? And just because they can't write, doesn't mean they don't know that there is such a thing as good writing, and value it. I can't paint, but I appreciate Delacroix & al. .-= jorgekafkazar´s last blog ..Tenirax, Ch V =-.

By: Ron Lewis

Ron Lewis — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:54:40 +0000

All great points, Jonathan. I would only add that while you are correct almost all the time concerning numbers 1 (small project) and 6 (excellent writers), I don’t necessarily dismiss those out-of-hand. Sometimes the rest of the ad will provide details that confirm those statements as accurate and well intended.

I’d also repeat a warning from an earlier comment on this site to avoid employers with flaky business models. Helping some con artist sell bogus diet pills or a “laws of attraction” book, for example, may earn you a few dollars, but you’ll repay that money in bad karma at some point.

By: Recommended Reading for Writers: Linkety-Link List — February 24, 2009 — Inkthinker

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:29:52 +0000

[...] 10 Warning Words and Phrases in Online Job Postings for Writers [...]

By: Jacqueline Seewald

Jacqueline Seewald — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:25:38 +0000

This is an excellent article! You are telling the truth here. So many newer writers are naive. This will prove helpful.

By: Writing On Spec

Writing On Spec — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:46:13 +0000

[...] the ads if the advertiser is legitimate or not. Jonathan Cohen gave us some good hints in his 10 Warning Words and Phrases in Online Job Postings for Writers, but there are those iffy situations. Some are obvious potential problems, like the ads that say [...]

By: Liza R

Liza R — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:07:57 +0000

Excellent article! It's precisely for these reasons that I've become so wary of freelance writing ads on Craigslist. I just don't have the patience to wade through all of the questionable postings. Liza R’s last blog post..Brought to you by the letter “F”