Curious what the life of a freelance writer in the year 2010 is like? Glamorous? Well-paid? James Rainey has a smart, penetrating and very, very true story about it in today’s L.A. Times. Here’s an excerpt:
“What’s sailing away, a decade into the 21st century, is the common conception that writing is a profession — or at least a skilled craft that should come not only with psychic rewards but with something resembling a living wage.
Freelance writing fees — beginning with the Internet but extending to newspapers and magazines — have been spiraling downward for a couple of years and reached what appears to be bottom in 2009.
The trend has gotten scant attention outside the trade. Maybe that’s because we live in a culture that holds journalists in low esteem. Or it could be because so much focus has been put on the massive cutbacks in full-time journalism jobs. An estimated 31,000 writers, editors and others have been jettisoned by newspapers in just the last two years.
Today’s reality is that much of freelancing has become all too free. Seasoned professionals have seen their income drop by 50% or more as publishers fill the Web’s seemingly limitless news hole, drawing on the ever-expanding rank of under-employed writers.”
Adam Perry 
Hi Adam:
Sad to say that I agree with James Rainey.
Sites like Sologig.com increase competition while driving down prices. Both are good things for consumers but not so good for freelancers trying to make a living.
Big sigh…
Dana (Betsy’s cousin)
As Dylan sang recently, “Life is Hard.” And, at the moment, getting more than a few cents a word is even harder.