The Freelance Writers and Journalists Union (FWJU) Presents...

A New Opportunity for Freelance Writers! 

This was an idea I had close to a year ago, and as my profile has increased with my reach, I thought it would be a great idea to attempt it again.  This goes hand-in-hand with my "How I Quit My Job and Went Freelance" article posted earlier in the week. 

So, here we go.... 

Those of you who have read my post entitled "Why I Freelance" already are aware of my status as a long-time freelance author and ghostwriter.  For about 2 years now, I have had the idea to start a loosely-affiliated organization that would serve to connect freelance writers together for a variety of purposes.  Publish0x appears to be a promising platform for those of us who usually ghostwrite but would like to get their own words out there under their own names as well.  

Thus, I have decided to start the process of floating the idea for this loose association of writers, and in doing so, the Freelance Writers and Journalists Union (FWJU) has been born.  

Freelancing Is Awesome!

Why Start a Union/Federation? Why Not Just Go Solo on Upwork or Another Platform?

So, most of us who freelance as a full-time business understand exactly why I say that I will never, ever go to work for someone else again.  As a freelancer, I have the ability to hone skills that I want to further, learn new skills from an always-evolving subject pool, reject the jobs I do not want, and bid for the jobs that I want. 

Of course, we DO work for our clients, but we do not have to work for them.  We do jobs that they either cannot or will not do, and for those of us who are negotiation-savvy, have been able to turn our personal freelance enterprises into ventures that, at the very least, have allowed us to leave the corporate payroll and make our own way in the world.  

However, there are also downsides.  First, because we are not considered "employees" of the clients we work for, we are not afforded the same rights when it comes to a very large number of things.  For those of us who use freelancing platforms (like Upwork, for instance), we have to pay fees to the platform that facilitates our commerce with our clients -- specifically, with Upwork, new contracts pay 20% of their gross earnings to Upwork until $600 has been made, at which time it drops to 10%.  This is basically a second income tax, but we pay it because we understand the value of having a platform that allows us to connect with potential clients.  

Medical insurance is another issue.  In the United States, freelancers are mostly bound to the offerings of the government's Health Insurance Marketplace.   There are other options out there, for sure, but realistically speaking, it is going to cost you a LOT of money if you go somewhere besides the www.healthcare.gov. Because of this, many of us who freelance for a living go uninsured, or at the very least, woefully underinsured.  Having a specialized union or federation, such as the FWJU, can assist greatly in seeking out better plan options, simply because as a group, we will have much more power and leverage to negotiate a contract than making a futile attempt to do so on our own as individuals.  

Now, the Freelancer's Union has come a long way in helping freelancers come together in a single place and has negotiated health insurance offerings for small groups under some of the new healthcare laws and modifications to the Affordable Care Act.  I am a member of the Freelancer's Union, and I urge you all to become members.  They have a site full of content for getting started and maintaining your freelance business, explanations of how freelancers are taxes, and many other helpful resources.  

However, with the FJWU, we will make the distinction of being a federation for freelance authors, writers, journalists, and ghostwriters; versus the goal of the Freelancer's Union being to connect freelancers in all types of industry.  We feel as though having a specialized union just for writers will collectively help us all.  Here's how: 

The Benefits

1.  For Writers, By Writers.  The FWJU was founded by writers and will always focus on providing a benefit to writers.  We love words and we love turning those words into pieces that inform, tell stories, persuade, or describe.  We love our audiences and want to provide them with quality content that they can rely on.  We will always focus on writer's first.  

2.  Promotion of Member's Pieces.  One of the most powerful benefits of coming together in this manner is to promote the work of other member writers.  By building the FWJU name as a federation of the best writers out there with high standards of journalistic, we project that we will be able to get work from our members in front of and published by some of the most respected publications, websites, and other professional media.  The entire reason for our existence is to promote the work and portfolios of our member writers, in turn increasing their exposure and income, with the endgame being to give freelancers security and quality of life.  

3.  The Many versus The Few.  We understand that when we come together as an affiliated organization, we have much more bargaining power than we did on our own.  As we grow, we will negotiate benefits for our members that will include a wide range of services, products, and activities.  For instance, one of our first goals will be to arrange a "group rate" promise for mobile data so our members can save on their mobile phone bills.  Such a negotiated deal would directly translate into more dollars in our members' pockets than paying retail price.  Since we are a community of writers, we will also work to negotiate less-than-retail pricing for computers, recording devices, and other electronics that allow us to always do our best work.  Finally, we will work to negotiate good deals on apartments, travel, and more.  We will make decisions regarding which of these negotiated pricing schemes that we will aim to complete at our monthly steering committee meetings.  

4.  Say Goodbye to Writer's Block.  Ahh, the dreaded writer's block.  Those of us who have written for awhile know that this is the most income-stealing, performance-degrading parts of the writing process.  By having a community of other writers and resources available at your fingertips, you can find inspiration to continue your piece simply by reading another's post or reaching out to a writer that you particularly look up to.  Elimination of writer's block means better work, better production frequency, and eventually, more income.  

Costs

We will be initiating a tiered "dues" system that has yet to be determined, but will be completely tethered to our overhead costs, which will we also try to keep to a bare minimum.  We have no idea what these fees will be yet -- they will be determined by a committee at a later date.  Because we do not have the dues schedule in place yet, anyone who joins as a result of responding to this post will be eligible for full membership, 

Conclusion

FWJU will aim to create a platform where member writers can collaborate, consult, and access resources shared by others to help them in the completion of their contracts.  This is a brand-new organization, and those who get their foot in as we are starting up will end up being the cornerstone members of the organization.  Those who join as a response to this post will be eligible to receive free membership for the next 12 months. 

We are looking forward to adding the best and the brightest out there -- especially those who have not yet been discovered -- so that we may change the way that freelance writing is done!  

Deo Volente, 

W. Paul Alexander 

OF NOTE:  This is just an idea.  I am welcome to suggestion, comments, criticisms, etc., so long as they are constructive.  If you have ever wanted to get your writing in front of thousands of people, this may just be the vehicle to get you there.  

You can email me at [email protected] stating that you read the article on Publish0x and are interested in joining the freelance writer's project.