With the current petrol prices at over N170 per liter, and prepaid electricity tariffs pegged at over N60 per kilowatt, it is fair to say that running any electricity-dependent business in Nigeria isn't cheap!

Freelance writing is one of such electricity-dependent businesses, as your phone or laptop needs to be charged in order for you to write content.

With the high cost of petrol and electricity in mind, would you say it is fair to receive N2 to N5 per word as payment for writing gigs?

Besides electricity costs, let's not forget that writing is a skill which needs to be fairly compensated for. What about the time, creativity, originality, and energy you invested into crafting these writings?

Is such a low pay-rate good enough?

To make matters worse, many clients insist that they pay you after you have delivered the service. And in some cases, many abscond with your money.

Oh, and how can we forget the 1,000 word MS-Word document they send to you that's filled with all sorts of instructions that only a robot can remember!

E.g Use this link 3 times between here and here, use this anchor and let it flow naturally where and where, do not write in Bleep, do not speak in bla bla bla, and so on and so forth, you must have Grammarly Premium, you must use copyscape, you must know this and that, and you must not hee hee ha ha hoo hoo!

Being specific about how an article should be is very good, I support that. But is N2 to N5 per word fair compensation for all this trouble?

It certainly isn't.

That being said, I wonder why many writers on Nairaland still accept N2 to N5 per word for writing gigs?

Is it that they don't know they can earn much better for their hard and honest work?

I won't lie, I've been there before. During the early stages of my writing career, I used to take N1 per word, then I later moved up to N2, then N5.

The more I demanded of myself, and the more I appreciated my skill, the higher I charged. Many of my clients left me because I began charging high, and I started calling out their B.S for paying me so low yet bossing me around like a slave.

I've quarreled with many and left them. Some have even called me all sorts of names, thinking I would die of hunger since we were no longer working together.

Far from it, as I have discovered the secret to really earning good money from your writings, and I am now raking in as much as N30,000 for a 1,000 word article.

I am also currently on several retainers from news and media companies that pay me handsomely every week and month.

All this wouldn't have happened for me if I didn't realize that my skills were worth more than a N2 to N5 per word pay-rate.

In fact, I feel cheated anytime I remember writing for such peanuts once upon a time.

You too can earn better with your writing skills, but you need to be brave enough to reject peanuts, even if you're hungry!

It won't be easy at the beginning, but it'll be worth it at the end. Find another hustle if need be while you build your brand as a professional writer.

Don't let a client think he or she is doing you a favor with their N2 per word offers. On the contrary, you are the one doing them favors, because they need those articles more than you need their N2!

In conclusion, I'd summarize by saying - Find your favorite niche, establish yourself as an expert in that niche, and find high net-worth individuals and businesses that need your writing skills in that very niche.

It worked for me, and it can work for you.

Good luck guys!

Bros, if you are genuinely concerned about helping we, the struggling writers, give us links and practical advice on how to land the big paying jobs.

It's not nice to brag about your achievements and demand condescendingly that we stop accepting what is available to us while waiting for the big-paying jobs.

If you want to help, show us the way. If you can't, then enjoy your megabucks and allow us to keep collecting our 1 naira jobs in peace. Abeg.

Curtisaxel10:
Bros, if you are genuinely concerned about helping we, the struggling writers, give us links and practical advice on how to land the big paying jobs.

It's not nice to brag about your achievements and demand condescendingly that we stop accepting what is available to us while waiting for the big-paying jobs.

If you want to help, show us the way. If you can't, then enjoy your megabucks and allow us to keep collecting our 1 naira jobs in peace. Abeg.

Wow!

First of all, I'm not bragging about my achievements, not even close. I'm only trying to encourage writers on this platform.

Secondly, show me where I "demanded condescendingly" that you should STOP collecting N2 to N5 per word as pay. Read my post again, I only asked "why".

Lastly, I gave a short tip on how you can earn bigger - Which is to find a niche you love, establish your self as an expert in that niche, and find high net-worth individuals and businesses who need written content in that very niche. Isn't that practical advice?

And bro, if you find my post offensive, then that's just sad. Please forgive me for trying to encourage freelance writers to earn more.

If you're at peace with the N1 per word you're collecting, then kudos to you!

amechispeaks:


Wow!

First of all, I'm not bragging about my achievements, not even close. I'm only trying to encourage writers on this platform.

Secondly, show me where I "demanded condescendingly" that you should STOP collecting N2 to N5 per word as pay. Read my post again, I only asked "why".

Lastly, I gave a short tip on how you can earn bigger - Which is to find a niche you love, establish your self as an expert in that niche, and find high net-worth individuals and businesses who need written content in that very niche. Isn't that practical advice?

And bro, if you find my post offensive, then that's just sad. Please forgive me for trying to encourage freelance writers to earn more.

If you're at peace with the N1 per word you're collecting, then kudos to you!

"Find a niche you love, establish your self as an expert in that niche, and find high net-worth individuals and businesses who need written content in that very niche".

You consider this to be practical advice? You think there is any writer out there that doesn't know this already? Lol.

You probably have more experience and contacts than the average writer out there. This gives you the privilege of having enough job offers to select from and reject as you please. Not everybody has that privilege.

For new writers who are struggling to get any jobs at all, it is totally foolhardy to reject jobs just because the jobs do not fall into their "niche” or the pay is not up to what they wish for.

This "advice and encouragement" of yours is no different from a rich man asking a poor man why he, the poor man, settles for eating food from a cheap roadside restaurant without meat and fine wine.

Your message certainly is highly condescending to say the least. You may not have intended it to be, but it certainly comes off that way.

Curtisaxel10:



"Find a niche you love, establish your self as an expert in that niche, and find high net-worth individuals and businesses who need written content in that very niche".

You consider this to be practical advice? You think there is any writer out there that doesn't know this already? Lol.

You probably have more experience and contacts than the average writer out there. This gives you the privilege of having enough job offers to select from and reject as you please. Not everybody has that privilege.

For new writers who are struggling to get any jobs at all, it is totally foolhardy to reject jobs just because the jobs do not fall into their "niche” or the pay is not up to what they wish for.

This "advice and encouragement" of yours is no different from a rich man asking a poor man why he, the poor man, settles for eating food from a cheap roadside restaurant without meat and fine wine.

Your message certainly is highly condescending to say the least. You may not have intended it to be, but it certainly comes off that way.

Did you say I'm privileged? I'm not sir. I worked extremely hard on my skills as a writer and on my networking.

All the same, I sincerely wish every writer on this platform the very best.

Thanks sir.

I like some parts of your piece and don't quite agree with the other parts.

While writers shouldn't settle for 2-5 naira per word gigs, totally refusing to write at those rates for the main time will be counterproductive.

First, you won't be able to build your portfolio and horn your skills. Again, you will simply go hungry.

There are always the days of humble beginnings. Like you even testified, you once wrote a N1 article at some point.

So maybe you can just stick to encouraging us writers not to be complacent and dwell on N2-5 articles. Not like we're not aspiring for the bigger pay, but there's time for everything.

SuperDann1:
I like some parts of your piece and don't quite agree with the other parts.

While writers shouldn't settle for 2-5 naira per word gigs, totally refusing to write at those rates for the main time will be counterproductive.

First, you won't be able to build your portfolio and horn your skills. Again, you will simply go hungry.

There are always the days of humble beginnings. Like you even testified, you once wrote a N1 article at some point.

So maybe you can just stick to encouraging us writers not to be complacent and dwell on N2-5 articles. Not like we're not aspiring for the bigger pay, but there's time for everything.

Well said.

Good afternoon. My name is Tolu. I understand that you do not have any openings at the moment. However, you can contact me on WhatsApp (08060096342) if or when you need an expert content writer.

Upon request, I can provide a link to some of my beautifully crafted content over the years across various niches like cannabis and health, cryptocurrency and NFTs, Vintage goods, and many others.

I look forward to hearing from you. I can't wait to churn out captivating and easy-to-understand content for you.

PS: I have a premium Grammarly and copyscape account.