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Writing Commissions Update
5 months ago
After research and introspection, I'm sorry I won't be doing any writing commissions at this time. This is for a couple reasons.
First, amid a job search that seems to crash and burn at every corner I turn, I don't think I currently have the discipline and concentration to turn out writing of the quality my commissioners would deserve.
Second, even though I desperately need an inflow of income very soon, the numbers just don't seem to be there. As a professional writer and researcher with 30 years of experience, my minimum rate comes out to $100 per thousand words. That translates to $500 for a short story of 5,000 words, which I consider a decent length in which a good story can be told. (My maximum professional rate is around $250 per thousand words; I rarely charge that much to my professional clients unless the work is of deep complexity.)
While my professional minimum might seem a little steep at the get-go, let's say I write a 5,000 word short story, without fail, once a week for an entire year. That's a creative output of 260,000 words, impressive by any measurement, and it adds up to a gross annual income of $26,000. After tax, Social Security, and other freelance deductions, that's a take-home total of $17,400--not even McDonald's money.
Another strike against me is the concept of supply and demand. I was told a few years ago that I wasn't "good enough or known enough" to command that kind of money in the furry economy. (I had gone into my research hoping to charge $150 per thousand words, or $750 for a 5,000-word short story; an amount I now know no one in furry would pay me.) When I researched what other furry writers are charging for commissions, it averaged out to be about $200 for a 5,000-word story; one-third of my absolute professional minimum. What's more is I very seriously doubt my writing would generate enough interest to keep me busy all year long.
I apologize to the few folks this may disappoint. I may consider offering flat-color image coloring commissions in the near future; I'm not sure yet. So stay tuned.
First, amid a job search that seems to crash and burn at every corner I turn, I don't think I currently have the discipline and concentration to turn out writing of the quality my commissioners would deserve.
Second, even though I desperately need an inflow of income very soon, the numbers just don't seem to be there. As a professional writer and researcher with 30 years of experience, my minimum rate comes out to $100 per thousand words. That translates to $500 for a short story of 5,000 words, which I consider a decent length in which a good story can be told. (My maximum professional rate is around $250 per thousand words; I rarely charge that much to my professional clients unless the work is of deep complexity.)
While my professional minimum might seem a little steep at the get-go, let's say I write a 5,000 word short story, without fail, once a week for an entire year. That's a creative output of 260,000 words, impressive by any measurement, and it adds up to a gross annual income of $26,000. After tax, Social Security, and other freelance deductions, that's a take-home total of $17,400--not even McDonald's money.
Another strike against me is the concept of supply and demand. I was told a few years ago that I wasn't "good enough or known enough" to command that kind of money in the furry economy. (I had gone into my research hoping to charge $150 per thousand words, or $750 for a 5,000-word short story; an amount I now know no one in furry would pay me.) When I researched what other furry writers are charging for commissions, it averaged out to be about $200 for a 5,000-word story; one-third of my absolute professional minimum. What's more is I very seriously doubt my writing would generate enough interest to keep me busy all year long.
I apologize to the few folks this may disappoint. I may consider offering flat-color image coloring commissions in the near future; I'm not sure yet. So stay tuned.
Let
~let
My personal sympathies to you, Lou. Writing honestly feels less and less appreciated as a craft these days and it's sad to see. As someone who loves to writes stories and read genuine work done by fellow writers rather than soulless slop produced by ChatGPT, it breaks my heart.
