Why I Work With Other Writers
The other day I was having an online chat with a friend. I was telling her about some of the problems I had had with some writers. She asked me whether working with a team of writers was really what I wanted to do. That made me examine my reasons for doing it, and at the end of that chat I came out of it with renewed commitment to team building. I want to share my reasons with you.
1. Teaching
One of the reasons I started working with writers is because I have enjoyed helping them or mentoring them through my blogs, sites and chats. I didn't start out knowing this was what I would do, but a few of my friends have said how helpful this was. It's always nice to feel appreciated and my reward is seeing other people succeed. Helping someone to reach their potential is one of the best things about teaching - and I get a real kick from it.
2. Income
I'm not entirely altruistic. Working with other writers means that instead of turning away work when I am busy, I can pass it on to someone else and take a small commission. The writer gets most of the money, as she (they are all women at the moment) is the person who is doing most of the work. The commission covers the time I spend sourcing and bidding for jobs, responding to emails and checking the work to make sure it meets the brief. This gives me a boost in income and gives someone else a helping hand, which means we both win.
3. Giving Back
All through my writing career, there have been people who have taken a chance on me and given me the chance to try something new. I believe in paying it forward, so if I can now do the same for other writers, I think it's the right thing to do. Some writers need the chance to develop some skills and as long as they are willing to learn and can meet deadlines I am willing to let them try new things. It's giving something back to the writing community - and I think it's the right thing to do.
By and large, I'm happy with how it's going. I have met some wonderful writers and made some good friends - who could ask for more?
2 comments:
I'm sure it must be a huge transition to go from writing 100% for your clients to giving someone else the work. I'm sure there are frustrations with people not understanding the directions, missing the mark completely or taking an approach other than what you would have taken.
I, personally, find delegation to be tricky and would find it much easier if I could find clones of myself, lol.
I hope this turns out to be a rewarding experience for you and maybe your business will grow enough where you can eventually hire a few editors/supervisors that manage the day to day dealings with the writers and you can reap the rewards of growing the business without the day-to-day headaches in high quantities.
Cheers,
Dana
Yes, you're right, Dana. It's a big move, which has mostly gone well. I was thinking about people who could deputise for me earlier - it's always good to have a backup. The headaches are already receding - I'm committed to this venture and I'm sure I'll learn a lot from it :)
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