Writers Worth Day Pledge

Today is the second annual Writers Worth Day. This online event is the brainchild of Lori Widmer, a Philadelphia-based writer and editor, who blogs at Words on the Page. The campaign is designed to promote the fair market value of writers through education, awareness, and ongoing support.

The devaluation of writing in the last ten years is appalling. Payment of a penny a word (or even less!) is worth so much incredibly less than it was when I began freelancing around 1970 when it was the standard starting rate. At that time, one cent bought a piece of bubble gum, thirty of them, a pack of cigarettes for the day. You could probably get a cup of coffee for that amount, too. Just consider the expense now for a trip to Starbucks or even the McCafe, if you please.

Low-pay--or even no pay--writing jobs are an insult. Clients who offer those jobs are guilty of abusing struggling beginners and exploiting poor populations. Writers who continue supporting such clients are just as guilty, dragging down the average pay--and value--of us all. If you persist writing for less and less, what happens to the upper end of the scale? When will you ever be able to support yourself by writing?

Take the pledge with me:

I will respect the craft of writing and neither offer nor accept work with unreasonably low compensation.

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