Comments on: Is Lower Pay for Web Writing Defensible?

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:59:39 +0000

Hey Alix, I’m afraid there is no standard. Some companies pay by the word, some by the piece, and the amounts vary widely.

By: Alix

Alix — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:01:02 +0000

Hello I saw all the things you wrote and I am currently studing international marketing and I am doing a market rersearch about copywriters.
I would like to know if you could give me some information about the prices paid by the companies for an article and how does it work (For example in france they pay for a page or a word). Could you help me please? I need it just to compare with other countres in my report. Thanks a lot. Alix

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:57:17 +0000

Good point, Shannon. When I was a magazine editor I think I paid the more confident writers more, just because they thought they deserved it. Of course, they had to deliver too.

By: shannon

shannon — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:12:43 +0000

I think magazines will get what they pay for. I am not a food writer but as a contemporary (blogging) ceramicist I work in a similarly obscure, underpaid profession. When I decided to take myself seriously and become professional I realized that not many people in my field could become well-known and make a living….but a few people are famous ceramcists so I thought it might as well be me!

In creative fields, practitioners often feel that their creativity should fill their whole resume. Becoming good at pr, using the web effectively and making yourself and the services you can offer valuable is an essential part of being a writer or an artist. Most people are not naturally good a these things but artists can learn. Pr and promotional skills are like any other technical skill, when your services are valuable and your skills are high magazines will pay to get you.

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:59:00 +0000

I agree. It’s disrespectful to offer nothing.

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:00:45 +0000

That’s a great way to think about it!

By: Faith Kramer

Faith Kramer — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:41:38 +0000

When I wrote for a BBC magazine a few years ago, they paid the same, which I thought was great — my content had the same value as any other writer’s. I only came to their attention because of my blog. By the way, I really didn’t notice much of a long-lasting uptick in traffic because of the piece.

Readers want quality. They don’t care about the writer’s pedigree.

By: Nurit - 1 family. friendly. food.

Nurit - 1 family. friendly. food. — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:26:07 +0000

In short, I heard/read other people saying the comments section is like their home, as is their blog, and won’t allow any behavior or language they would not hear from a guest in their home. Simple.

By: Nurit - 1 family. friendly. food.

Nurit - 1 family. friendly. food. — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:57:16 +0000

I learn 2 things from this: 1) I don’t plan on a food writing career anymore, 2) I don’t think there is much we can do about it as long as so many bloggers accept reduced pay or no pay.

Those magazines can affort to **at least** pay a minimum fee for that free content! A $50, a $70, would be nice and more respectful.

I admire your point of view and looking forward to meeting you in Seattle!

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:13:14 +0000

Good question, Jeanne. I guess we don’t know. I’m not sure magazines are making tons of money from their websites, though. I have yet to see data on this.

I like your point about the website being part of the whole. I remember a talk by Martha Stewart, where she talked about “multiple points of entry.” Her point was to have overlapping businesses: sheets at K-Mart, website, catalog, TV show, books, etc., so that wherever a consumer wanted to come in, they would enter her web of merchandizing and move around all its parts. So magazines have cookbooks, TV shows, websites, etc. as different revenue sources. We could learn from them!