How Much is My Worth as a Writer? Annual Patreon Plea

Friends, family, and colleagues,

Here is the link to my patreon (of which you can back out at any time) which gives you access to my unpublished articles and a limited amount of free service and consultation on writing or promotion, but there’s one more important reason.

Allow me to explain some numbers of mine in 2021 (I have not yet calculated the 2022 numbers yet):

$3,558.27-Amount directly paid this year for my writing including 2 humor articles, 10 radio interview write-ups, and 27 articles OR $5,853.10 expected to be paid for 29 articles written during this calendar year within 14 different publications.

The difference between the 2 numbers is arbitrary and while some might view it as progress, it’s important to note progress is never assured in freelance writing. In late 2018, three of my outlets went out of business. My status at two newspapers this year dropped significantly when two editors, who valued me highly, left their positions. I also had to risk burning my bridge with one outlet when I made a stand to demand payment (fortunately, I survived).

Now keep in mind, the value of my work isn’t determined so much by my asking price or by the worth of my work by any industry standard. There is hardly any when one paper will pay me $350 for 500 words and another might pay me $75 for 850 words. Instead, how much I make is simply determined by whatever a newspaper can afford in an industry that continues to…