Things that can wreck a career come in all shapes and sizes, and one of them is underestimating your own worth. The quickest way to fail is not to believe in yourself. (I know, I promised an article on targeted marketing this time. Well, something happened on my last trip that got a bee in my bonnet, so I'm giving you this one first. You guys always forgive me, admit it. LOL)
Despising small beginnings is also a career wrecker. Over 18 years ago when I first started to write web content for living, someone told me that I was “devaluing” my work. The reason for this was that I started out through a content mill and got all of seven dollars for my first article, which was on Barbados. For those of you who are unfamiliar with content mills, that’s simply a slang term for a broker who connects writers with clients. Unfortunately, some hire essentially anyone, regardless of their skill level, especially back in the day when spinning articles was considered acceptable. (Just think of Ezines before and after the transformation.)
Some content mills, on the other hand, have criteria that keeps everyone out except the best of the best. (Good for them.) I eventually found those too. In fact, I’m still with one of them, even though the rest of my portfolio is now clients I acquired on my own with no middleman. The broker I started out with that paid me seven dollars for my first article is about 17 years in the rearview mirror now, but… it was a starting point. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, today they would only pay about $15 for that same article. It’s still a starting point for someone. Now, no one would touch my work for that. I average about $70 an article. But then again, it’s 2022, not 2004. I SHOULD be making a lot more or I took a terrible turn in my career.
However, when I got that first seven dollars, I think I did eight laps around the house. It was exciting. I actually sold an article. The person who said I was devaluing my work was wrong. Look at me today. You have to start somewhere, though.
Image by Niek Verlaan
If you’re wondering what the point of all this is, I ran into that person about a week ago during my travels. She self-published a book almost 6 years ago and when I looked it up I wanted to cry. You guessed it. No traction. Zip. Nothing. I immediately bought it and read it and gave her a review, for what it was worth. At the very least it probably made her feel good. But it won't help her lagging numbers in the long run.
Well, self-publishing is tough, but you can be successful at it if you’re willing to spend the time and money to do so. I did. There’s no doubt in my mind that this person could have done that too. The book was good! She made a huge mistake, though. She didn’t focus on selling her books, she gave them away. The irony of it hit me. This is the person who told me I was devaluing my work to start at entry-level with an honest job. (And no...I did NOT bring that up to her.) But sadly, she ended up being the one who devalued her work. From her lips to my ears, over the course of nearly 6 years she gave away 175 copies of her book and wondered why it wasn't doing better. It literally made me queasy.
That tactic does NOT propel you to success, my friends. I’m not sure what advice she got or from who, but that’s a good way to ruin your career. I’ve heard some horrible advice with regard to article writing, too, when I was coming up through the ranks. One company said, “Find websites on the topics you want to write about, write a great article, and send it to the website owner for free use. If they use it and get good comments on it, they could end up being a long term client.”
No they won’t. Because you just devalued your work. Clients know that writers who have something to bring to the table don’t give their work away for free. They don’t have to. Desperate writers do that. And naturally, people equate desperate with not much talent. I sang for a living for 11 years at one point in my life too, and I sang for free once a year at a benefit. The rest of the time I got paid. And I got paid a lot more the 11th year than I did the first. THAT’S how it’s supposed to work in any business you’re in. But I didn’t run around singing for everyone for free because once they heard what a great voice I had they would offer to pay me money. It doesn’t work that way in any business is the point I’m making.
The same goes for writing. I am absolutely aghast at the sheer number of authors who self publish or are published through a small press and then IMMEDIATELY begin to devalue their work by sending free copies of their book hither and yon to anyone and everyone in order to get a review. Or sometimes just to get it in someone’s hands. The thinking is, the person will like the book so much that they’ll run around telling everyone about it. The reality is, they probably won’t even read it. People smell the desperate aroma from a mile away and it stinks.
Not to talk out of both sides of my mouth, but I recently donated my book, Hot Winter Sun ,for a raffle at a big book signing event in Florida. All the authors were asked to do so. Well, you’d look rather petty and self-important if you refused. That’s kind of like singing at the benefit once a year. Free has its place, but in very small doses.
In fact, at that very event, there was an author going around handing out her book to everyone for free, including other authors. I haven’t even opened it yet. Not deliberately. But when it feels like you’re being solicited, you experience a subconscious aversion to whatever you’re being handed. Naturally, you don’t want to get pretentious either, and price your book out of the market. After all, you’re not Tom Clancy yet. But don’t give it away either. There’s a big difference.
Never send a subtle message that your work is not worth anything. Don’t have a beggarly mentality. I knew my work was good and I acted accordingly. I can count on a few fingers the number of books I’ve given away. And I’ve done far better than most unknown authors in a very short length of time. Don’t laugh, but sometimes I look at my track record just to give myself a shot in the arm. Why not? You only live once. You need to do that too. It's a great natural high to acknowledge your own success. (And have the proof to back it up.)
Anyway, the moral here is that small beginnings are nothing to be ashamed of, such as the seven dollar article. The real insult to your work isn’t taking an honest job at the entry level, it’s acting like your book or article has so little value that it’s not even worth a price tag. Never do that. You’re better than that. Write on!