Photo: Left to Right – Manjula Martin, David Hill (NWU J-Div Co-chair), and Ari Paul (lecturer at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs) at a December 2014 NWU event.
Scratch is about the business of our craft. The readers are all types of independent writers trying to earn a living doing what we love. NWU and Scratch share a general mission around empowering writers, while holding accountable the businesses that pay us.
Who Pays Writers, Scratch’s non-profit project, compiles data on pay rates and other economic issues directly from working freelancers—the NWU’s target audience.
Tips for Writers
1. Use Who Pays Writers – report your rates so other writers can have better information about payment: whopayswriters.com
2. Always ask for more. When negotiating your rate, ask for what you want. Even just a little bit more. Nobody’s going to give you more money or better terms unless you ask.
3. Know yourself. Are you a writer who has another job and just writes sometimes for ‘fun’? Do you have other people who rely on you for financial support? Do you do well with multiple clients and constant hustle, or do you prefer the security of a steady paycheck? Are you an extrovert or an introvert? An expert or a generalist? All these things matter to your career. Know your preferences and limits, and plan your career in a way that will play to your strengths but still challenge you.
4. Talk to each other “IRL.” The internet is great, but real power comes from people talking with each other and sharing their experiences, then building on those experiences and relationships to take action.
5. Read. Go beyond your own echo chamber. Read critically and enthusiastically. Read everything, everyone, always.
NWU is the sole provider of IFJ Press Passes to freelance journalists in the U.S.