Craigslist ad for freelance gig from hell
February 17th, 2008
Who would answer this (sadly, quite real) Craiglist ad? WHO?
I need a ghost writer, someone to help me finish some stories and make them presentable to be published, I can’t pay for the time and effort, but an willing to give credit where credit is due. I currently have 5 stories, and you can choose which one(s) you want to work on. These are typed out COPIES, I have the originals and will keep them, looking for someone that will not tamper with the original idea, but add to the story to make publishable. I have all the ideas, just no time or patients for details, but it’s all in my head. Please let me know if your interested.
In other words, “Hi, I want to be a published writer, but I don’t want to write. Or learn how to spell. But trust me, I have the chops. It’s all in my head. I just don’t have time to type, or use my brain, or open a dictionary. And you should help me. For free. Because I said so.”
What this person doesn’t realize is that if a writer needs to do a couple freebies to beef up her skimpy portfolio, she’s going to write and publish her own dang articles (say for a cool indie women’s mag, or the newsletter of the women’s shelter down the street), not waste her time with this nonsense. Ads like this do a huge disservice to paid ghostwriting gigs offered by credible authors, business executives, and book publishers.
Promise me you will never answer such an ad. I’d sooner advise you to answer a listing on Craig’s like this.
(This rant made possible by my dear friend Diane, who sent me the CL ad in question.)
Entry Filed under: Coffee break, Overworked and underpaid, This freelance life
7 Comments Add your own
1. Dan | February 18th, 2008 at 12:23 am
My favorite line: “It’ll be great exposure for you!”
Right. Because nothing is more valuable than being associated with some no-name cheapskate begging for freebies on Craigslist.
It’s one thing to volunteer your skills for a worthy cause, but I am really disgusted by the number of people who want to use my creative services for free in order to make money for them.
2. Mir | February 18th, 2008 at 8:01 am
You DO read the Craigslist Curmudgeon, right? All of the most ridiculous, demeaning jobs for writers you could ever want, right there in one place.
3. Michelle Goodman | February 18th, 2008 at 8:34 am
oooh! i do now. i knew such ads were a dime a dozen (er, make that $.00 a dozen). i’ve even had clients, interview subjects for newspaper/magazine articles, and all sorts of people in my everyday life ask me to “ghostwrite” their novels/memoirs (usually for free). but to have a blog devoted to outing such “assery” is divine. thanks, mir.
4. Star | February 18th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Craigslist Curmudgeon is great. We post a Wrong of the Week on Writer’s Catablog. http://writerscatablog.com. Come visit.
Cheers,
Star Lawrence
Our spokesdog Scribbles also blogs.
http:/www./scribblesthedog.wordpress.com
We tried to stop him, but he is–in truth–poorly trained.
5. Michelle Goodman | February 18th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Star, I love your site(s) and have sent to a couple writer pals! FUN! Thanks for getting in touch.
6. Diae Gordon | April 27th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
What do you bet that somebody responded to this ad? And you get what you pay for! My fave part is saying he doesn’t have the “patients” to finish.
7. The Anti 9-to-5 Guide &ra&hellip | April 6th, 2009 at 10:53 am
[...] yourself. “Not writers, web designers, and software programmers.” But I beg to differ. (Seen Craigslist lately? Or those useless “paid in promotion” — aka, PIE — [...]
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