Man, it’s hard out here for a freelance writer. The whole ‘digital nomad’ thing is sold as freedom, and it’s honestly a great career. But it’s like any other work — there’s hustle involved. Sometimes you get emailed out of the blue and a job lands in your lap, but sometimes you have to pound the digital pavement and stir up work.
One of the downsides of freelance work is the multitude of approaches, work cultures, tools, and philosophies you have to adapt to. In a regular job you settle in, learn how things work, and go about your business. Every new freelance job is a fresh hell of platforms, tools, style guides, and personalities. And that goes for the hiring process, too; while most freelance gigs require similar things (samples, resume, etc) there’s a bit of variety in the details, which can be maddening.
One detail that crosses from maddening to infuriating is an unpaid writing test. Which I encounter far too often. And which all writers should run from, hard.
In the Words of Logan Roy, Fuck Off
On the surface a writing sample or test seems reasonable. They just want to see if you can write, if you can follow their style guide and directions, how well you comprehend instructions. Sure! I get it.
But writing a 1,000-word piece takes time and thought and research and revision. Writers should be paid for their time, and if you can’t afford to pay me for a test piece you’re telling me you don’t value my time at all. And if you can’t afford to pay for test pieces, your business model and/or your hiring process sucks, and that is not my fault.
So, my advice to all writers is: Don’t do it. Unpaid tests or samples simply underscore the idea that your time as a writer is more or less valueless. Even if you get the job, the tone has been set, and a place that wants a free piece just to get your foot in the door is probably not done nickel-and-diming you.
Plus, I consume at least $15 worth of alcohol per 1,000 words. I have to at least break even on these things.