After almost 3 years working on my MFA, I now have the bandwidth to start freelancing again. I got an interesting assignment in last Friday, and got an email on Monday morning asking for an update on how the job, due next Friday, is going. When I was writing and reviewing full time, I would immediately respond with a conciliatory email and daily progress updates. Now, I think, oooh, this is a poorly paid review job and a secondary job writing update emails? I’ll finish this one but that’s enough from this guy.
The assignment is already so far below minimum wage or reasonable compensation, it’s almost embarrassing to talk about. (It’s also not one of the reviews I’ve linked here, or will link, because it will be published under a generic Staff byline. See previous re: the last 3 years in grad school, and restarting my freelance work.)
But it’s only because I have my main income from not-freelancing that I can say, no thanks, actually, I’m not gonna write additional progress updates in hopes of being such a great freelancer that I can land another underpaid assignment. Without the regular salary from teaching, I’d be accepting $10 assignments and apologizing for not having them done way before the deadline. I’m finally in a position to negotiate, and most importantly, to walk away.
Also I have an MFA now, but that hasn’t had any effects yet.
