Today's question comes from a friend at my Facebook (not the one where I have arguments with my family and gossip with my girlfriends, the one where I friend my clients and contractors and try to appear normal).

Today I made a couple of medium-ish payments via PayPal. Generally, when you send money via PayPal, someone has to pay a percentage to the PP company. Jessica asked how contractors and writers handle the fees, as they could get exorbitant on large payments. She wondered who paid the fees- do I pay extra, or do my contractors not seem to mind?

Generally my US- based workers don't mind, and most see it as a cost of doing business and will write off the fee. When the payment is REALLY high, though, most prefer a paper check, as obviously the fee balloons accordingly.

On the receiving end, I will personally accept PayPal if the fee will come out to under about $30. For me, the cost equals out with the pain-in-the-you-know-what that paper checks can be. I spend about half hour of time dealing with paper checks, from opening them, noting them in a spreadsheet, signing them, and then taking them to the bank- my least favorite part. Then, I have to wait for them to clear. Which annoys me. Alot. Because I despise my bank.

With PayPal, the records are kept for me, and I don't have to  leave my house. Which works well when you're still in your pajamas. (Ok, all pun aside, I just hate using my time to wait in line at the bank to deposit a piece of paper! And I hate disruptions to my routines.)

However, my translators are mostly international. And they tend to despise PayPal and the fees. Often, they can't connect their banks to PP the way that you and I can. They sometimes have to go to retail or office outlets to claim PayPal monies (think Western Union). In addition, the $20 in American money is often a much larger amount, comparably, in their economy.

For those translators/contractors who come through for me, meet my deadlines, and give me quality translation, I work with them to find a happy alternative. There are several systems similar to PP that are available in Latin America. I used to pay via Western Union, which is a serious, serious pain designed to drive any sane person to the point of Selma & Louise, but I'd do it again for the right contractor.

Great question Jessica!

Do you have a question for me? Leave it in the comments.

As promised on Monday, I will be answering a question per day in honor of Writer's Worth Week.

Today's questions comes from Sammi:

"Where is the MONEY in freelance writing? What kind of clients/kind of writing offers a livable wage?"

What a great question for Writer's Worth Week. We all know you're not going to get your worth if you're knocking on doors in the wrong neighborhood. So where are the right neighborhoods?

For me, the best kinds of clients are:

• Local/state nonprofits
• Regional magazines (that I got in on at the ground floor start up)
• Education entities that need lesson plans, web content, and so on (virtual schools, colleges, for profit colleges)

(So, if you have read any of this blog or guest blogs I've contributed, you'll notice that my best clients are those that are in my niche area.)

For me, the best kinds of writing are:

• Media pieces (an ongoing need)
• Lesson plans/educational content
• Any content that presents an ongoing, steady opportunity and paycheck

(Basically, this boils down to any KIND of writing that is an ongoing need. That's because those are the clients that pay the bills! They pay regularly, so you know your heat won't be turned off while waiting months for a payment. They always have another piece that needs to be written. I will always seek out long term, ongoing types of writing relationships over one-off projects.)

Ok, that's me. How about in general? Where is the writing money at?

Clients that are known to pay well:

• Businesses with copywriting/ad needs
• Larger glossy magazines
• Government contracts

Types of writing that are known to pay well:

• Copy, copy, copy (for-profit business copy!)
• Solid magazine journalism (not fluff)
• Ghostwriting for established publishers

Did I miss something? Where would YOU say the money is in this field?

Would you like to submit the Question of the (Thurs)day? Leave a comment below.

As promised yesterday, I'm answering one question per day during Writer's Worth Week. My theory is that, if you have the knowledge about this career that you need, if you have the access to a professional that's "been there, done that," if you have a resource to go to when you have those pesky questions or are standing at a crossroads, you'll be more likely to understand and build your worth as a writer.

So let's get to it.

A couple days ago, reader Christine asked why I thought over 14 magazine weren't interested in her pitch for a really unique article.

There are a couple of reasons that this pitch may not be working, Christine. Getting an article placed in a magazine is a tidy little formula of  {great story + great pitch + correct magazine}. Any one of these three factors might be off.

Story:

Perhaps your story is not as interesting as we both think. Or, perhaps this particular topic has been overdone and had its heyday. This is really an easy problem to solve by massaging the story. Consider finding a new tack, or connecting the story to a recent news item or event in the cultural milieu. However, I tend to think that every story has some home.

More information on stories:

Easy Ways to Generate Story Ideas

How Long Does It Take You To Write An Article?

Pitch:

If the problem is in your pitch, it's likely that you simply need some guidelines and practice. Editors like pitches to follow a general format- this shows them that you're not a newb off the street with a lightning-rod idea but no know-how to get it on paper. It shows them that, instead, you know this industry (as evidenced by submitting a standard query letter with all the parts she needs to make her decision). In the pitch, you should have shook out your general idea into a nuanced tack with a specific approach. You should have also demonstrated your writing prowess. (However, I'm not talking about purple prose here. Demonstrate that you can write efficiently, and have enough of a grasp of grammar that she's not going to spend three hours editing your piece).

More about pitch/query letters:

Magazine Queries That Get Accepted

Sample Query Letter

Correct Publication

Now, when I say "correct," I'm talking fit. Your idea must fit their magazine. If you ever approach a magazine thinking "this isn't like anything they've ever done, but it will wow their readers, so hopefully they'll see the genius in it," then you must reconsider. The magazine doesn't change to fit your idea. Your idea must find the magazine that fits it. In addition, your idea and pitch must be tailored to their readers- think about demographics, beliefs, etc.

More information on publications:

Know Your Magazine Inside and Out

How To Write for National Magazines

Thanks for the question, Christine, and good luck!

Got a question for Writer's Worth Week? I'm answering one every day! Leave it in the comments below.

Writer's Worth Week was started five years ago by Lori Widmer, who has been a constant and vocal advocate of professional writers everywhere. It was motivated by the desire to show writers that there is NO need to accept pennies for work, and to consistently devalue this career.

My two cents about Writers Worth Week: This is a business, people. I've consistently and repeatedly shown you the innards of this career (for over 4 years now). I patiently answer questions via email and this blog. I give out free advice that many other pro writers will charge you coaching fees for. My point is that no one who reads this site should devalue this career, in any way, ever.

In honor of Writer's Worth Week, I'll be contributing a post to Lori's blog (asap, Lori, I swear), and answering a career question here every day this week and next (it's two weeks! yay!).

Got a question? Ask it here!