Freelance Writing Scams- How to Avoid Them

As freelance writers, by definition we have to look for work. What do you do when that work turns out to be fraudulent? Ever submitted your hard work, been promised pay and then nothing happens? Or worse, you see your work on some website under some else's name? How are freelance writers to know what's a scam and what's legitimate work?

Know Your Market

If something sounds to good to be true, it usually is. The biggest thing that stands out in this would be contests. There are hordes of articles written on the subject of poetry contests and writing contests, quite a few here on AC. (Jennifer Weis, Tori, Dana Hinders) I won't belabor their point, just bear in mind that there are a few legitimate ones, but they are vastly outnumbered by scams.

There is a plethora of sites purporting to connect freelance writers with jobs. Take these jobs with a grain of salt. While some of these are legitimate, some are scams and it is very difficult to determine which is which. Many of these are also very low paying: $1.50 for a 500-word article is an example. These are not necessarily scams, but people outsourcing jobs that they have bid on and won. It is very difficult to make a living with this type of job. Don't be afraid to bid what you are worth. If you do quality work, are good with deadlines, have excellent research and writing skills then don't sell yourself short. To help avoid being scammed when winning a job bid, if possible, research the company purchasing your services. Check any feedback, complaints in forums, etc. Always verify the amount you will be paid, when you will receive payment, how you will receive payment (paypal, check, money order). Always verify turnaround time (e.g. how long you will have to wait for payment after submitting your work). Verify which rights are being purchased: if you are putting a massive amount of work into a project, selling all rights to the piece probably isn't in your best interest.

Set up your own website. Many freelance writers are creating their own websites to promote themselves. In this way you can control your options better. Post your rates and samples of your work to better inform perspective employers what they are getting. It is much more difficult to be scammed in this way as well.

Know your worth as a writer. As I stated earlier, if you have an excellent work ethic, don't miss deadlines, are professional and courteous, have a flair with words and research, you will do well not to under bid what your work is worth. Don't worry about all the people under bidding you. It's going to happen, and they will be the worse for it: as I said before, it's very difficult to make a living this way. Bid what you're worth and let your work speak for itself. Many freelance writers bid extremely low on jobs and suffer for it. Leave jobs like this to the ones who do not write well, use correct grammar and miss deadlines.

Know What You're Bidding On

Always find as much information as possible on any job you're bidding on. The information contained in the job description can be a little sketchy, so make sure you query about anything that is not clear. Freelance writers seem to be easy prey for scammers, so this is an important step. It's harder for them to back out of an agreement if they've already set terms and you have agreed on them. Make sure you find out upfront, before you perform and submit the work.

As I stated earlier, try to research the employer if possible. Look at online forums for freelance writers to see if they have any complaints against them and what these may be, blacklisted companies, type the name into Google and see what happens. Be an informed freelancer. Be professional in your dealings with companies, and expect them to do the same. Do not expect a fast turnaround, sometimes it's just not possible. You can and should expect good communication, however. If you are working for someone who cannot or will not communicate with you, consider not doing the job. It's very possibly a scam.

Research

Do your homework. The Internet can be your best friend; use it to dig up leads, and then research those leads to make sure they are legitimate. There are many forums, watchdog groups, and attempts to enforce some type of regulation on the freelance industry. While none of these will ever be entirely successful, due to the nature of the industry, the attempts are nevertheless helpful to freelance writers. If you know what you're looking for, you will find valuable information to help you avoid being scammed and make more money for your had work.

Forums can be a freelance writer's best friends. You'll find complaints about companies, tips to help you in your work, all kinds of goodies. A quick search of the web will yield quite a few results. Sign up for several different forums, as this will give you a much better selection of people to draw your information from. You'll need to sift these much like the job postings. Don't take one complaint against a company as gospel; it's possible this is just a disgruntled freelancer who overestimated the worth of their work.

Watchdog groups are beginning to make an appearance on the freelance writing scene. Once again, a quick run through Google will net you some decent results. One to check out is the National Writer's Union. They maintain a lot of valuable information on site, as well as scams to watch out for. There is a fee, but if you are going to be a freelance writer, it's good to have access to this.

When all is said and done, regardless of the regulatory attempts, freelance writing is a 'write at your own risk' business. The best thing you can do as a freelancer is to be as informed and savvy as you can be. A little effort now will pay off in the long run. Happy writing.