As this awful year draws to a welcome close and we dread the continuation of societal madness in the coming year, I’m trying to distance myself from the craziness, take a deep breath, and find my center again. It’s not an easy process and I’ve get to achieve that simple goal. Remember, simple doesn’t equate to easy.

In November, I found myself preoccupied with memories of my father who died in November 2019. I started watching sappy Hallmark movies. I’m still watching sappy Hallmark movies. My brain’s beginning to rot. Last night I made hot chocolate, which goes perfectly with sappy Hallmark movies and my dad’s Hallmark tee shirt (which I wasn’t wearing).

Last weekend, I tidied the upstairs in preparation for a Christmas visit from my older son and his German Shepherd. Yes, folks, we have a “grandpuppy” named Moose. Moose is five months old and weighs 60 pounds. He’s gonna be a big one! I haven’t seen the elder son since July when we visited my mother for her 80th birthday.

Unfortunately, the military put the kibosh on travel (due to COVID), so our younger son cannot visit. That means I likely won’t see him until July 2021, when his term of service concludes, which will make 19 months since last seeing him. 

I miss my boys.

I’ve finished Christmas shopping and will be spending the weekend boxing and wrapping gifts for shipment on Monday. My husband, who’s in the know, says that the USPS has been understaffed due to COVID during this busiest time of year, which is resulting in delays for deliveries. Fingers (and toes and stars and eyes, too) are crossed in hope that the packages we ship will arrive on time.

The latest addition to our family, a kitten named Wolf, has lost his fear of people and become a household terror. Nothing is safe from this black tornado of feline defiance and destruction. This poses problems for holiday decorating, especially since most of my decorative items are fragile. Cross your fingers, the ornaments hung in the windows haven’t yet attracted his interest. However, the tree … oh, the tree.

This year, we’re going with an artificial tree. I don’t like artificial trees, but sometimes pragmatism wins. It’s a skinny tree, so we can cut down on the amount of ornaments. However, my Christmas tree ornaments are either glass (fragile) or handmade (fragile)–not good choices with kitties that like to swat, bat, and play with shiny, dangling things.

So, I got creative. With a quick trip to Dollar General to purchase some white garland, wide gold mesh ribbon, and a handful of cheap ornaments (not glass), I had a good start to decorating the tree. I found some leftover ribbons (white, silver, and blue) and stings of shiny plastic beads (Mardi Gras beads, basically), I decorated the tree. It’s not perfect. It’s certainly not classy or elegant. But I tell myself that it’s festive–and that’s the best we’re going to get this Christmas.

As for writing … I’m still not producing anything. The hiatus continues. Work remains slow and spotty; however, I’m deeply grateful for the clients I do have. I dread a second imposition of lockdowns which I am convinced will prove disastrous for the entire nation, not just my business. Regardless, I hope you’ve enjoyed the increased frequency in the Books of the Month offers to read my work for free. That will end as 2020 concludes. 

For those who read or who have read my books, please leave reviews–even if you didn’t like them and especially if you did. Indie authors really need support right now.

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In my eternal quest for new projects and clients, I came across two opportunities last week that appeared promising. The first was right up my alley, ghostwriting a fantasy romance novel. Then came the details. The second was for a “position” as a freelance editor for a company that offers ghostwriting and manuscript editing services. Then came the details.

First, the fantasy romance novel. Here are the parameters: 90,000 words delivered in 30 days. The posted budget is $40, although the buyer does request bidders insert what they’d really charge. There are several issues with the solicitation, not the least of which is delivering 90,000 words within 30 days. December has 23 weekdays. If I worked on nothing but that project, I’d expect to put in 12 hours and 45 minutes every weekday on it. For $40. I can’t think of anyone who would do that. I’d rather give my work away for free … oh, wait, I’ve done that. (If you’ve been paying attention to this blog and taking advantage of the Book of the Month promotions, then you know this.)

Anyway, I responded to the post in the (faint) hope that the buyer could be educated. That seldom works. Usually, I get no response whatsoever. Occasionally, I get a rude reply basically stating that my rates are unseemly and exorbitant–no one’s worth that much! Regardless, I stated in my bid that the project would take several months to complete and I entered my fee, considerably more than $40.

Let’s not forget to mention that the platform on which this magnificent project was posted skims 20% of vendor earnings and then charges another $1 to transfer earned funds to the vendor’s bank account. Therefore, the oh-so-generous, posted fee of $40 would net the vendor $31 before taxes.

Second, the editing gig (see image below). A platform which shall remain unnamed but isn’t Fiverr, Guru, or Upwork, offers ghostwriting and manuscript editing services. That’s their specialty. They pay freelance contractors a flat rate of $5 per 1,000 words to edit (and $15 per 1,000 words to write). Well, in comparison with the above gig, that doesn’t seem so bad, does it?

There is no standard average for editing speed, but the unofficial rule of thumb is 1,500 words per hour. Some editors are faster, some slower. The quality of the manuscript affects speed a great deal. Some documents need more intensive editing which takes longer; some need less intensive editing which takes less time. Let’s assume a 20,000-word novella lands on my desk. Without even looking at the quality of the written material, I calculate an initial estimate that this project will take around 13 hours and 20 minutes for which I would be paid $100 or, roughly, $7.50 per hour.

Now look at the scope of work under “Fiction Copyeditor tasks.” That’s a lot of skill and expertise to expect for 25 cents more per hour than federal minimum wage ($7.25/hour). If fast food workers can demand and get twice that for the work they do, then why should a skilled professional accept less?

When someone wants to hire a ghostwriter or editor, there’s often an element of sticker shock that accompanies the fees quoted. Of course, the buyer wants to pay as little as possible. Of course, the vendor wants to earn as much as possible. There’s a happy medium where both compromise. That’s where I set my rates. I won’t get rich on those rates, but they establish me as a professional who commands professional rates.

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