X Writing Site is Not As Helpful as It Should Be
Let’s think about that for a moment. A writing website, some writing website is not as helpful as it should be. Can you think of any writing websites that fall under that category? It’s a writing website, but it’s not as helpful as you’d want it to be or as any writer would want it to be? I can think of over a dozen by name. Even this writing and author website is probably not as helpful as it should be, even though it pretty much takes you through the entire process from concept to book publication, if you read enough of the articles.
A Writing Website Is Not As Helpful as It Could Be
I actually read that sentence in a different article, and it was referring to the IAPWE. That stands for the International Association of Professional Writers and Editors. It’s been brought to my attention that the IAPWE might be a scam. There’s actually an article out there that outright calls it a scam. The rest are on the fence. It’s supposed to help writers, editors and authors by providing them with resources, even legitimate writing jobs. I started stumbling across this stuff after one of my freelance buddies linked me to an article that outright calls it a scam. I couldn’t read that one because it’s behind a login wall, and since it’s behind a login wall, we have to pour a heavy dose of salt on it. Nevermind the fact that I don’t need any more logins.
Is IAPWE any good?
I don’t know. Freelancing and novel writing are two totally different things. When you write a novel, you don’t expressly expect to get paid. When you freelance, you do expressly expect to get paid for all the articles you write. It the 10+ years I’ve been freelancing, I’ve been paid for 96 to 99 percent of everything. In general, I don’t get paid for 2 articles a year, and all that means is that either the article was outside of my scope and I didn’t realize it, or the client was a Grade A jackass. For me, it’s usually the fact that I accidentally took an article from a client that’s a Grade A jackass, and rather than deal with their bullshittery, I chose to drop it and forego getting paid.
IAPWE’s submission guideline is closer to those that you would see on an agent’s or publisher’s website, instead of a freelancing website. Let’s take a look at the big one.
Under no circumstances is the IAPWE under any obligation to accept or approve any content submitted for consideration by freelancers.
Oooohhhkay, you’ve probably seen this before. It’s on just about every agent and publisher’s website in existence in some form or another. You don’t really see it on freelancing websites. Of course, the client has the right to not accept the work, but most sites require the client to ask for at least 1 revision, explain why they didn’t accept it, or reject it and pay for it anyway. This company is offering none of the above. In fact, it goes on to say that you may not even hear anything back regarding the content. Hmmmm……
They also go on to say that if they didn’t approve it and didn’t pay for it, it’s still the author’s/writer’s content. Okay. They also have a 10-day approval window. So, the maximum number of articles you could write for these guys in any given month is 3. That’s about $200 a month, if they accept and pay for everything.
That right there is going to give any and all experienced freelancers pause. We’re used to writing the article and getting paid for it, or at least, hearing back. Their excuse for not doing so also doesn’t hold water. They say their editors don’t have time. I work with editors all the time whose sole job is to make sure the freelancing content is correct and/or ask for revisions. There are literally people out there where that’s their entire job – to work with freelance writers. So, I don’t know what these guys are doing. It really sounds to me like they don’t understand freelance writing or that side of the business.
Is IAPWE a Scam?
Like another article said – It’s not a known scam. It is awfully red-flaggy, and they’re not running the freelance side of their business correctly. In short, it’s not as good as it could be, and if you plan of signing up for a membership, I’d only do the free one. If you plan to apply to work for them, go into it with open eyes. You may not get paid for your work, and you may not hear back. This isn’t something that is to be expected on the freelancing side.
Edit - It's a Bait and Switch When You Sign Up for the Membership
In order to be a freelancer with IAPWE, you have to fill out information on their site and freelancer. They give you the option of signing up for a FREE account, which I did. I was not billed. However, I was routed to Paypal to confirm the membership.... Interesting. Not unheard of on lesser systems. Sometimes they do route for a 0.00 charge. I finally got ahold of that article that says it's a scam, and I read it. Thanks to my friends. The original writer got billed 4.99 for her free membership. This triggered me to log into the AIPWE website and check my membership. Sure enough, it was not the free membership I signed up for, but the professional membership, which is 4.99. I immediately canceled my account with IAPWE, and I canceled the subscription via Paypal. Man, that's really really sneaky. I guess I have to say - avoid it. It's not legit. They're going to pull a bait and switch with the membership and charge you anyway. I was just lucky that I caught it within 3 days. I will not be moving forward with them.
