Re: The Lone Writer

["Stephen Arrants" <stephen -dot- arrants -at- attbi -dot- com>]

From: "DaveC" <peninsula -at- covad -dot- net> writes:
> I've been offered sole-writership at a web-based software startup
> company. They're offering $35/hour for full writer responsibilities
> to develop an on-line help/faq/instruction guide.

That's a typical rate these days.  The 90s are OVER.

> My "old" rate was twice this rate, and I'm feeling a bit of
> resentment toward the management (funding is from a $300M individual)
> that can't cut loose with a reasonable rate ($50?) for this local
> economy (San Francisco bay area). The friend who got me the interview
> says that they have a few other candidates lined up who are willing
> to take the work at this wage. True? No way of knowing.

Yeah, there are plenty who will work for $35/hour.  There are plenty who
will work for $15/hour.  And in the current economy in the Bay Area, you are
part of a market that includes folks like me with 16 years of tech writing
experience, folks with MORE experience and skills, and those who moved to
technical writing with no skills or experience--but can talk a good talk.

In the go-go days of the 90s I was asking for and getting $70-$80/hour for
writing.  Those days are gone, they're dead, they're over.  $35/hour is more
than you'll get from Unemployment, after all.  Remember, you're in a free
market. An employer isn't going to base your pay on what you used to get,
but on what they can  get away with.

> Work aplenty, if I choose to take it, but while the permanents are
> offered potentially lucrative stock packages, contractors aren't
> offered this consideration.

I don't think stock options should be a consideration these days.  Even
established companies aren't having a great time in the market.  Options
won't pay the rent. Options won't mean the difference if you can't pay your
bills.

> I'm leaning more toward passing this by. There's nothing worse than
> knowing that you're being taking advantage of by clients and working
> among them.

If you pass this by, can you survive on savings and UI?  Do you REALLY think
there are more jobs available?  Being taken advantage by a client may feel
bad, but (speaking from experience) waiting for the UI check and looking for
work--that may not exist anymore-- is lots worse.

Take the job.  Show them that they made a good choice.  Provide more value
than they thought they'd get.  Do an absolutely BRILLIANT job and make
yourself invaluable to them.  If you're really angry about the rate, try and
structure the job so that there's a review in three months or so.  Do such a
good job that at the end of that period there is ample evidence that the
work is getting done, you're doing more than they'd hoped, and that it will
cost them more to replace you than give you a raise.

Look -- I don't like lower rates either.  *I* feel cheated sometimes and *I*
feel devalued.  But the weekly check from the agency --even if it is less
than half what I used to make--pays the bills.  Pride is cold comfort in the
end.

steve arrants




^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A new book on Single Sourcing has been released by William Andrew
Publishing: _Single Sourcing: Building Modular Documentation_
is now available at: http://www.williamandrew.com/titles/1491.html.

Help Authoring Seminar 2003, coming soon to a city near you! Attend this
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