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The elephant in the room of the current tatterpig discourse is the concept that "finding work is also work."
Let me explain. But, first, let me say that *of course* paying more is desirable. Obviously. Like, nobody's actually arguing that, are we?
No. So anyway,
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Let me explain. But, first, let me say that *of course* paying more is desirable. Obviously. Like, nobody's actually arguing that, are we?
No. So anyway,
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If I work for a company that pays me $.05 a word, but that company consistently provides me work in the multiple thousands of words that I don't have to spend hours chasing, and then I spend hours/days/weeks chasing $.10 a word where the max assignment is 1k-2K words...
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... which situation actually pays me more for the TOTAL WORK I am doing?
Like, we talk about how workers should be paid for their total work time including commute (and they should), right?
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Like, we talk about how workers should be paid for their total work time including commute (and they should), right?
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So why are we not putting in to the convo how much time people have to spend chasing $.10+/word? How the amount of words matters as much as the rate?
If what you're offering is $.10/word for 1K words, that $100 is not a living wage. It's not a reliable freelance income.
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If what you're offering is $.10/word for 1K words, that $100 is not a living wage. It's not a reliable freelance income.
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It is, instead, 'mad money'. A small tattoo, ordering dinner for my family.
And here's the thing: for individual freelancers, saying 'you're a bootlicker if you accept less than $.10' is not only fucking hilarious, but... really weird, you know?
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And here's the thing: for individual freelancers, saying 'you're a bootlicker if you accept less than $.10' is not only fucking hilarious, but... really weird, you know?
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As a freelancer, you have to make the decision for yourself and for your family: where do I want to put my energy?
Do I want to put it into chasing multiple small assignments with a higher per-word count? Do I want to put it into writing more words at a lower per-word count? 6/
Do I want to put it into chasing multiple small assignments with a higher per-word count? Do I want to put it into writing more words at a lower per-word count? 6/
How does that equation change when you're getting a steady feed from a couple companies that pay lower rates but you don't have to work at chasing the work itself, just show up, do good work, & get invited to new projects?
There isn't a right answer. (No, there isn't.)
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There isn't a right answer. (No, there isn't.)
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There's really just 'what's right for you.'
No one's out here fucking busting unions (we'd want a guild anyway, y'all) or buying their third yacht off of RPG money, so let's just throw all that nonsense out the window & when we have these discussions, have them realistically. 8/
No one's out here fucking busting unions (we'd want a guild anyway, y'all) or buying their third yacht off of RPG money, so let's just throw all that nonsense out the window & when we have these discussions, have them realistically. 8/
Maybe this is just me, because I grew up with a dad who was a freelance journalist, but like, hustling for work IS WORK, and if we're having this conversation, we have to really be honest about the amount of work that finding work _is_.
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And nobody seems to be talking about how much work it is to find enough $100 1K-word assignments to live on. Never mind the amount of research you have to do for a $100 1K word assignment vs a 5000 word $250 assignment.
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You do the same amount of research, basically. You do the same amount of prep work.
Again, _I think people should be paid more._ But I think we're not talking about what REALLY goes into any of these assignments, and while I don't think people are TRYING to be dishonest...
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Again, _I think people should be paid more._ But I think we're not talking about what REALLY goes into any of these assignments, and while I don't think people are TRYING to be dishonest...
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... I think maybe some of us aren't really being honest with ourselves.
Mind you, I think that part of the problem with the RPG industry is that people merchandise for _shit._ There's so much money left on the table by basically every company I know.
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Mind you, I think that part of the problem with the RPG industry is that people merchandise for _shit._ There's so much money left on the table by basically every company I know.
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Redbubble is not going to finance you paying your writers better. It won't. Sorry.
There are resources for putting out quality, cost-efficient, per-order pieces of merch which have much higher profit margins, but companies aren't looking at that.
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There are resources for putting out quality, cost-efficient, per-order pieces of merch which have much higher profit margins, but companies aren't looking at that.
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And hey, if you want to find out how to do effective and good-profit-margin merchadising? You can email me.
But yeah, until RPGs fill out their offerings, and aren't offering just books or PDFs at the thinnest of margins, it's always gonna be a choice:
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But yeah, until RPGs fill out their offerings, and aren't offering just books or PDFs at the thinnest of margins, it's always gonna be a choice:
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Are you offering more words at a lower rate, but putting out a chunkier product that people will pay more for, or are you offering fewer words at a higher rate? And what will freelancers accept as the amount of unpaid work they have to put in to finding a million tiny gigs? 15/
Right now, ALL of my current projects are each paying me over $500/gig, and I didn't have to run across the earth to find them. I'm not a 20 year vet, either. I've only been doing this professionally for like ... 3, 4 years.
I put in for indie gigs, too, and I do 'em. But.
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I put in for indie gigs, too, and I do 'em. But.
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Hell yes, I work for OPP. I do work I'm proud of for good chunks of money per gig, and since I turn in good work every time, they keep hiring me.
(Look at the people consistently railing against any particular company, and you'll find people who shat the bed and got fired.)
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(Look at the people consistently railing against any particular company, and you'll find people who shat the bed and got fired.)
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OPP has raised pay since I've worked for them, worked with me on moving to other lines so I can expand my portfolio, helped develop me as a writer and a professional freelancer, helped me move to editing and develop as an editor.
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And every project I get, unless I specifically say I want less, I get $500+, and since I haven't shat the bed, I get continually invited to new projects.
So, you know. That's the choice you make, I guess. One, the other, or some mix of both.
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So, you know. That's the choice you make, I guess. One, the other, or some mix of both.
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Anyway, the idea that small RPG companies (and companies like OPP and GR and so on are like, 3, 4 people at most) are sitting on piles of cash and making freelancers dance for their bourgeois entertainment is laughable...
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...and we need to actually talk about the fact that getting work is work, and your crisp hundo isn't a living wage either, bro.
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