Words are Expensive

I don’t always write for the money. Truth is this blog costs me for the hosting and for the spam prevention. I don’t make enough from ad revenue, my shops at CafePress and Zazzle, or even from my tip jar to consider this profitable.

You have the power to change that, I’m just saying.

I, on the other hand, have the power to decide for whom I work. Or do not.

Seriously, some of the ads I see on writing forums are hard to believe.

You offer $1 for 500 words and ask for “serious bids only?”

And then there are sites like Huffington Post that don’t pay their writers. That’s why I refuse to read them.

I’m not making that up.

Read here:

And HuffPo is apparently proud of this.

This is why serious writers struggle. I’ve written for other sites that pay for hits or that pay pennies on the dollar. But these days I’m a lot more selective about sites that I will write for, or groups that I’ll do free work for.

Don’t get me wrong. This is not about volunteering.

Volunteering is a worthwhile endeavor. Find a cause or organization in which you believe and volunteer to make things better. And, in some cases, I’ll use my writing and design skills to do that.

I’m all about making this world a better place by offering my time and talents.

But when you claim thousands of readers and thousands if not millions of dollars in advertising revenue and then you ask me to write for the “exposure.”

[middle school “expose this” comment redacted]

The problem is that there are writers who will write for free. That’s a shame. Sure, sometimes you need to get your start and build a portfolio.

Just be careful, and don’t give away your talents for free.

On a completely different side note, I’m binge watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Did you ever notice that anytime someone is told they have to leave the person in charge nods to the security guard and then the guard comes and gives the same knowing look to those being evicted? Watch for it. It’s the same universal nod whether it’s on earth or Deep Space Nine…just an observation.

Consider that a bonus. It was free.

And, this is also for free.

Today’s Grammar Lesson: Learning the Voices

Active voice: I love your blog

Passive voice: Your blog is loved

Passive-aggressive voice: I love how you have time to write a blog

__________________________________________