Writing Samples: A Calculated Risk

Research shows that the average writer takes approximately three hours and 20 minutes to craft 1,000 words of polished content. At an average professional wage of $35 to $65 per hour, writing works out to $115 to $214.50 for an article of that length or $1.15 to $2.145 per word. For clients, that gets expensive quickly.

Understandably, clients who anticipate such expenses want assurance that they're hiring the right writer, a writer with the skills and comprehension necessary to produce the top notch content they want. To that end, many request writing samples.

The request presents a conundrum for the writer. Writers (or should) have writing samples to present to potential clients. These samples may be short stories, excerpts of longer works, published articles, or other business-oriented documents for which those clients have given the writer permission to use as project examples. Samples show the breadth and depth of your work, your niche topics and expertise. Those other clients may be queasy about the publication or sharing of their work; however, it's only fair. They wanted to see writing samples which required the writer to use previous projects, so they should not begrudge the writer the use of content created for them for the same purpose.

However, such already existing writing samples do not satisfy the potential client's need to see how the writer would treat his or her project. The client then requests a custom sample. That presents a problem for the writer. Especially in a budding transaction between strangers, the writer fears that the potential client might use the writer's work without compensating the writer for the effort. However, the writer also does not wish to turn down a lucrative project.

Facing stiff competition, writers must decide for themselves what they'll do. For a large project, such as ghostwriting a book or adapting a screenplay to a novel, I will take a calculated risk in offering to write--at no charge--up to 500 words to give the client a taste of how I'll treat his or her project and the quality of content he or she may expect. The donation of about 200 minutes of free work serves as an audition. If hired, I incorporate the "trial sized" sample of writing into the fee. If I'm not hired, then I'm out time, effort, and money.

For a different kind of gig, such as blog writing, a newsletter, or a white paper, I will direct the client once again to the writing samples already posted on my website. The range of samples posted there should be adequate to serve as a gauge of my skills and the diversity of my project experience.

(By the way, the same goes for editing.)

Each freelance writer must make his or her own choice. Some absolutely do not offer custom samples for free, but charge a nominal fee. Others will produce pages of content for free because they're new to the business, hungry for work, or lacking in skill. I discourage writers from such desperation because they devalue the work we do. If a client, can obtain fabulous content at no cost, then why should he or she pay for it? If a writer produces pages of poorly written content, then the effort goes to waste because the client will not choose that writer.

Find the happy medium.

Every word counts.

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