Ages ago I wrote about the one thing I hated about Sex and the City: the ending. I won’t rehash that whole conversation, nor will I sort through posts to find a link since my little fingers are achy and blue with cold, but I will tell you that I’ve revised that opinion. I hate one more thing.
The Vogue assignment.
I’m sure other writers know exactly what I’m talking about.
$4 per word. Or was it $4.50? At such dizzy heights it’s hard to remember. Regardless, I blame Carrie. To set the record straight, $4 per word is not a going rate. In all honesty if you took a close look at some of the less well managed job boards you might discover that $4 per article is actually considered a going rate. But this isn’t nearly as depressing as what I discovered while reading Martha Gellhorn: A Life. In this amazing autobiography little Martha goes off to Europe on the eve of World War II and is offered $25 per article. Sadly a troll through the aforementioned job boards will prove that 70 years later the same rate still holds, in many cases. Ugh! At least Martha was running around glamorous pre-war Paris for that rate. Although there were the abortions and affairs and whatnot that add a few notches to the “minus” column of trying to jet back in time and pop out the time machine as MG.
Anyway, I digress. Or maybe I don’t since I seem to have no point today. I’m just putting it out there that all freelance writers are not Carrie Bradshaw, all assignments are not Vogue and I obviously need to get out a little more.
I just finished watching that Vogue episode of SATC- what a coincidence. Good luck with with seeking out freelancing opps!
Jaysus I know, the freelancing market can be slim pickings. You’ve got a fantastic portfolio built up already though, surely the only way is up? Best of luck!
Thanks guys! I should have made it more clear in the post - I would not work for the $4 “jobs” and something would have to be pretty special for $25. It’s just depressing to have to wade through so much crap so much of the time! Yvonne, keep at it!!
That’s a shocking price - keep looking I’m sure something great will pop up. I still haven’t forgiven Carrie for letting lovely Aidan go (but mainly because I loved Chris from Northern Exposure)
Ha, I just rewatched that episode for like the 10th time, and she does manage to get them up to $4.50! I know, when I saw it the first time I laughed, this time I just shook my head.
Conor - Shockingly, I also enjoy Northern Exposure! It comes on every Saturday over here. Now if they could only import China Beach and start playing reruns of Baywatch again.
Andrea - What else can you do? Not that I’ve given up my champagne wishes and caviar dreams quite yet…
Much as I love SATC, it’s a topsy turvy world! I mean, how could any of them afford THAT many cosmopolitans in swanky Manhattan bars? And Carrie and her $500 Manolos - come on, she writes a relationship column for a second-rate newspaper! In reality, she would be living with two roommates in Brooklyn!
A friend of mine writes for Martha Stewart and used to freelance for whatever magazine would take her and she actually called me laughing hysterically at the rate that Carrie gets in that episode. And everytime I see it now I wonder what the going rate actually is. Now I know!
Susan - I know. Usually I like that SATC is sort of fairytale, but that one episode gets under my skin. I guess they had to explain her Manolo habit somehow!
Liz - $4 - $25 per article is definitely the low end of the scale. Freelancing is totally different kind of work though, so a lot of times you have to judge a market on many different criteria, monetary compensation being only one of them. Sometimes it’s fun, sometime’s it frustrating!
HAPPY NEW YEAR BETH! I hope you had a wonderful holiday. I love your new blog home!!!
True, true about judging by the market (not the cover, so to speak). It also depends on how much research is required and whether you’re allowed to resell the piece. Those reprint fees can really add up, after all!