The WMF Archives

By Angela Atkinson

As freelance writers, we gotta stick together. In that spirit, I thought I'd discuss writing scams and rip-offs today. Whether you write for content sites or you're a well-respected novelist, it's important to be educated and knowledgeable about the business. Knowing what to watch for can help you to avoid falling into the clutches of common literary thieves.

And, while there are thousands of articles out there in Internet land about this very subject, I thought I'd offer a little down-to-earth advice, based on both research and personal experiences.

Get Them Before They Get You

We all know the old saying, "if it's too good to be true, it probably is." It's no different in the writing world. Often, companies who want fresh and original content (i.e. they don't want the free crap they can download from certain sites), they will approach a freelancer. So far, so good, right?

Sure, and that's bread and butter for many freelancers--but be careful. Often, scammers will ask you to provide a large number of articles for a small price, promising that they'll provide more and higher paying jobs later.

For example, one friend of mine mentioned that a private client asked for 100 articles in two days. The client offered my friend six hundred bucks.

She, being desperate for cash, took the gig. With help from two other writers, she completed the first 50 articles on day one and asked for half of her payment. The client refused, outright, and told her she would be paid in full when the final article was submitted.

Since she was so far into the project, she went for it. She and the other writers finished the work and she asked for her payment.

After playing email tag for awhile and getting the run-around, she was finally informed that another writer on the project had 29 articles unfinished, and he told her that unless she could finish the additional articles, (which would give her an additional $180.00), she would be paid nothing.

She did the additional work and requested payment again, only to be told that the project had been canceled. The client kept her articles and she received no payment. This, my friends, is what I call a scam.

Pay Me and I'll Pay You

If you have to pay to be published on a website or otherwise, you cannot, in most cases, consider it a legitimate gig. And, on a related note, a legitimate agent or agency will not charge you up front to represent you--that's not how they make their money. Instead, they'll collect their fee as a percentage of the money you bring in.

We'll Pay You When...

Many online content sites have certain payment limits. For example, one of the sites I write for has a limit of $25.00. So, if a writer makes less than $25.00, the company withholds payment until the writer reaches that threshold.

In many cases, this is a completely legitimate attempt the company makes to save a few cents here and there--but in some cases, the limits are unreasonable. One site, for example, offers writers two bucks per article but has a payment limit of $200. So, you have to write 100 accepted articles before you receive any payment whatsoever. My feeling is that these sites are a waste of time.

What Fine Print?

Certain content sites, especially certain ghostwriting sites, require you to sign all kinds of forms, filled with legalese. If you find yourself involved with one of these sites, read the forms very, very carefully. Often, you will find a lot of nastiness in the fine print. Don't get yourself into trouble--do the legwork or don't write for the site.

A friend of mine recently wrote an article for one such site, and the editors told her it'd been flagged for plagiarism. The article was not in fact plagairized, but they rejected it and told my friend they couldn't use it. As a result, my friend placed the article with another site, only to be fired by the ghostwriting site for violating her contract. Apparently, the fine print stated that even if they rejected an article, she could not print it elsewhere--or something of that nature.

(On a side note: They later threatened to sue her for writing a review about the site, trying to warn other writers. Again, the contract she signed stated somewhere in the fine print that she could not discuss her employment with the site for one year after being terminated.)

Low or No-Pay Sites

Low and no-pay sites are considered "scammy" by some freelancers--but the fact of the matter is, the ones which are "up front" and tell you what to expect (honestly) are not technically scams. If you choose to write for such a site, you go into it knowing you're probably not going to get rich. As far as I'm concerned, while these sites may milk decent writers for all they're worth and publish anyone who can put their fingers (or nose, toes or earlobes) on a keyboard, they're not scams. They're just what they are--low and no-pay.

What Can I DO?

Now, understand, I'm not trying to scare you. It's not so bad out there in the freelance world, as long as you don't jump on every boat that floats your way. One great way to figure out which jobs are legit and which aren't is a simple Google search. Check out the company--find out what other writers are saying about them. Get into writing forums and groups--and hey, I'm more than happy to check them out for you. Just shoot me an email at angela@angelaatkinson.com and I'll get the scoop for you. Your writing contemporaries are going to be your best bet.

So what's the bottom line? Do your homework, kids. If you are offered a writing job and you aren't one hundred percent sure that it's legitimate, take a little time to find out--BEFORE you get involved with the project. Save yourself the time and headache.

To our readers:
Do you know of writing jobs, content sites or other venues that are scams, rip-offs or otherwise? Share them here or send me an email at angela@angelaatkinson.com. Help Writing Mommies help other freelancers!


Other Helpful Resources:
Freelance Daily: Scams, Warnings, Deadbeats
Writer Beware

Scams, Rip-offs and Other Loathsome Stuff