jobs for essay writers

Writing Jobs: 21 Great Places To Find Work That Pays (2024)

Finding a writing job is tough if you don’t know where to look. Discover your best options.

Well, good news. If you want to get paid to write, you have more opportunities than ever. The days of the starving artist are over thanks to:

• Content marketing
• Copywriting
• Freelance writing online
• Self-publishing

Today you can earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month income from expressing your creative ideas, telling stories and sharing your expertise through the written word.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this article: I’ve listed 21 websites, services and platforms that offer writing jobs for all types of writers. Each section includes:

• An analysis of the website
• What kinds of jobs they offer

Keep in mind some sites offer other types of writer jobs than what I’ve included in this guide. Rates also vary widely depending on your niche, location and time of year. Writing is a diverse career that offers many different ways to earn money. Let’s get started.

Writers Work contains freelance writing opportunities for writers who want to start their career

Where Can You Find Writing Jobs That Pay?

1. problogger, 3. bloggingpro, 5. freelance writing jobs, 6. flexjobs, 7. freelance writers den, 8. freelancer, 9. craigslist, 10. constant content, 11. writers work, 12. writeraccess, 13. scripted, 14. mediabistro, 15. all freelance writing, 16. online writing jobs, 17. writerbay.com, 18. american writers and artists, inc. (awai), 19. listverse, 20. medium, 21. linkedin, salaries and rates for writers, how i earn an income from writing, what to do with your writing income, diversify your writing income, how do i turn my writing into a career, what jobs are in creative writing, is writing a good career choice, what jobs can you do as a writer, what writing jobs are in demand, what jobs require a lot of writing, what writing jobs pay the most, what jobs can you get with a ph.d. in creative writing, what are entry-level writing jobs, what 4 jobs in writing did edgar allan poe have, where can i find high-paying content-writing clients, how can i get paid for writing with no experience, what type of freelance writing pays the most, is there a high demand for writers, need help getting paid to write.

Praise be for the internet. Now you can write from anywhere and get paid for your hard work. Be it Miami, Seattle or Dublin, online writing jobs that pay well are available without any geographic restrictions. However, smart writers know where to look.

You could write for content mills–a site or service that churns out cheap articles for other websites–but those don’t pay much.

Instead, set up job alerts on popular writing sites (I’ll give you all the details below.) and stay up-to-date on the best writing gigs available.

ProBlogger is one of the best job boards for bloggers. It’s a great place to find copywriting jobs and a fantastic way to recruit freelancers.

The site includes several resources that bloggers can use to improve their blogs and attracts some of the best writers and authors from around the world.

The job boards attract some of the highest paying and some most prestigious writing opportunities and editing jobs. Many top bloggers I know advertise here looking for part-time and full-time writers.

Types of Writing Jobs Offered

• Blog post and content writers
• Copywriters
• Ghostwriters
• Editors and proofreaders
• Journalists
• Researchers
• Content marketers
• Social media managers
• SEO consultants

Similar to Upwork, the rates of ProBlogger jobs are based on the work. Determine your price ahead of time based on average time and effort needed and make that clear to the job advertiser. Note:  This job board will help you find prospects. It’s up to you to make sure they’re the right fit and meet your income requirements.

• One of the leading marketplaces for blogging jobs over the past 10 years
• No sign-up process or profile creation needed
• Job advertisers required to pay at least $70, a fee that weeds out bottom feeders
• Only five or so leads every day
• Difficult to earn full-time income right away
• Site doesn’t screen jobs

Upwork , previously known as oDesk, is a one-stop solution for all kinds of writer jobs.

BloggingPro is a free job site that classifies jobs according to type—freelance, internship, contract, part-time or temporary. Simply browse for work using these categories.

Known for freelance jobs, Upwork makes it easy and cost-effective to find, hire and work with the best professionals around the world.

Whether you are looking for creative writing jobs, greeting card writing gigs or medical writing projects, this is a good platform to start. I’ve used Upwork to source a video editor, podcast editor, designer, bookkeeper and more.

• Social media marketing
• Content writing
• Information security
• Freelance writing

Pay rates on Upwork vary, as nearly all listings in the job search are freelance. Potential workers define their payment rate (or bid) in their proposals.

Upwork charges a small fee depending on your account type. This starts at 20% for the first $500 billed and drops to 5% for lifetime billing once you exceed $10,000.

Novice freelancers might find it hard to make good money at first because of the complicated bidding system.

You’ll also need to take on some low-paying work at first until you’ve built a reputable Upwork profile.

Fortunately, you can take expert skill tests for freelancers. Once you pass the criteria, you can display it on your profile and show your expertise to clients.

• Long-term contracts
• Opportunity to earn bonuses
• Ability to build long-term relationships with clients
• Return and referral clients
• Free to join
• A lot of spam jobs
• 20% commission for the first $500 billed with a client (higher than other platforms)
• Low-paying jobs
• A lot of competition
• Takes time to build a profile that stands out on Upwork

The BloggingPro job board caters mostly to bloggers. Online freelancers can find the latest jobs offered, like blogging, content writing, creative writing, journalism or working as a content strategist. BloggingPro is a free job site that classifies jobs according to type—freelance, internship, contract, part-time or temporary. Simply browse for work using these categories.

Once you find a job you like, send an application. Most employers require a resume and previous work as a reference.

On that last point, no matter where you look for work as a writer, it’s a good idea to  start your own site  and capture client testimonials.

• Content strategy

BloggingPro recommends that employers pay a minimum of $15 per hour or 500 words; however, rates on the site vary like on most other writing job boards.

• BloggingPro job board updated daily
• Job searching done for you
• Free for job seekers
• BloggingPro charges $30 for 30 days to those looking to hire writers.
• Writer job descriptions do not indicate compensation.

4. iWriter

iWriter is an easy-to-use place to find online writing jobs.

To start, sign in and take a short writing test. Once you pass the test, you can pick articles and start writing.

As you receive positive reviews, your writer level increases and makes you more desirable to those hiring.

• Article rewrites
• Product descriptions

Writers receive 65% of the price of each article from the general writing queue. The actual dollar amounts vary based on your writer “level,” i.e., standard, premium, elite or elite plus) and the length of the article.

For example, an experienced writer can earn $80 for a 500-word article.

Writers get paid via PayPal and must have a valid PayPal account. Unfortunately, that means some additional fees and a lousy exchange rate.

Building trust by consistently delivering high-quality work will result in the highest pay on iWriter.

Job advertisers can send you special requests once you have established yourself. Moreover, writers receive 70% of the article cost for these special requests.

• Large variety of writing niches
• Freedom to choose how much you want to write each day
• Ability to earn up to $80 per 500 words once established
• Opportunity to build a client base and receive special requests
• Can write only basic articles when starting on iWriter
• Pay discussed above requires elite writer status on iWriter

Freelance Writing Jobs , also known as Freelance Writing Gigs, helps writers and authors find jobs that pay well.

The site hand-picks work from job sites, classified ads and company websites i.e. more than just   remote writing jobs . They include positions that might not directly involve writing but are still writer- and editor- related.

• Remote writing
• Short story writing
• Freelance copywriting
• Editing and proofreading
• Paid internships

The job ads on this site don’t include compensation rates. You negotiate compensation with the person/company that hires you or you learn the payment rate after they hire you.

• Jobs updated Monday through Friday
• Multiple posts about job sightings and helpful freelance writing articles
• Site doesn’t accept low-paying jobs
• Doesn’t include rates in job postings
• Job seekers limited to the jobs the blog chooses to feature

FlexJobs is a career site geared toward people looking for flexibility in a job. They focus on work-at-home, part-time and freelance jobs. FlexJobs promises that each job they list is flexible and scam-free.

• Content manager
• Managing editor
• News writer
• Technical writer

Wages vary based on word counts, kind of work, level of expertise and the advertiser. Anyone who wants a job with some flexibility such as telecommuting, freelance or flexitime jobs should use FlexJobs. If you are searching specifically for telecommuting jobs, check out Virtual Vocations .

• One of the most accredited resources for job seekers
• Scam screening
• No advertisements
• More than 50 categories and subcategories
• Offers a money-back guarantee
• A 10-year track record of providing freelance jobs
• Membership costs $14.95 per month (There are also options for yearly or 3-month memberships and coupon codes are regularly available.)
• Some writing jobs not exclusive to FlexJobs.

The Freelance Writers Den is a well-known community for part-time and full-time freelance writers. It claims more than 1,400 members and is run by well-known blogger Carol Tice, for whom I’ve written guest blog posts .

This membership-based website and community is dedicated to helping good writers make more money. You can get help from other motivated freelance writers from around the world on the Den’s 24/7 forums, saving you time and helping you achieve your  writing goals .

• Health writing
• Technical writing
• Creative writing

This website doesn’t indicate publicly the average pay you can earn. You can get paid per hour, per month or per project.

I found one listing that offered $40 per hour and another that offered up to $1,000 per month. The Den job board is known as the “junk-free job board,” in that it doesn’t accept any jobs below $50 per blog post or $100 per article.

• Provides more than 300 hours of mini-courses on different aspects of freelance writing
• Offers access to an informative forum where members can discuss boot camp material and ask for advice about freelance writing
• Includes collection of useful resources
• Features only jobs paying decent rates
• Posts one live event and one prerecorded podcast monthly that features experts discussing topics related to freelance writing
• Contains a collection of all of the Freelance Writers Den’s podcasts and webinars
• Most job ads cater to U.S. writers and authors.
• Membership in Freelance Writers Den costs $25/month.
• Membership opens twice per year rather than whenever you want. (Get on the waiting list to be notified if a seat opens up sooner.)

Freelancer is the world’s largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace, determined by the total number of jobs and users.

Freelancer is a job board that offers different types of job listings and work opportunities. If you’re a copywriter, editor, grant writer, content strategist or creative writer, you’re sure to find a suitable writing job. You can get work in three easy steps:

• Browse jobs matching your niche and skills
• Apply for the job
• Newsletters
• Grant writing
• Resume writing

You’ll define your payment rate (which is your bid) in your proposal.

• Flexible hours
• Lots of writing job offers
• Organized tech support
• Regularly refreshed writing opportunities available
• Free sign-up
• Withdrawing money takes a while (14 days to receive your payment after the withdrawal request).
• Offers are not sorted according to the area of expertise, though there is a keyword search.

There’s more to Craigslist than buying and selling. It’s also a popular place for people to find job openings at businesses in their area. It’s a good source of freelance writing and editing jobs.

If you’re searching for a more permanent writing opportunity or even a part-time job, Craigslist offers a variety of permanent positions, including staff writer, content lead and SEO specialist.

Search for writing jobs under the “Writing/Editing” category of the job listings. Unfortunately, you’ll have to browse through each city’s listings first.

• Column writing
• Magazine work
• Guest post writing

Rates vary based on jobs and employers

• Established classified ads site
• Good source of freelance jobs
• Classifieds for specific cities and metro areas
• Variety of jobs in many niches
• Employers can post jobs anonymously, so you don’t know who is hiring.
• Writing jobs are not verified.
• You need to browse each city first to look for a specific job.
• Listings are very general, meaning it takes time to find a good part time job .

Constant Content is one of the largest and most established marketplaces for ready-made content.

Essentially, this content marketing service connects top writers with large companies like Uber, Walgreens and eBay.

Constant Content helps writers and authors feature and sell their work, while editors and proofreaders on the site give detailed feedback and support to writers.

However, like many premium writing job sites, acceptance criteria are stringent.

• Freelance writing  
• Custom content writing service
• Press releases

Set your price. Their top writers earn thousands of dollars per year.

• Established platform
• Flexible schedule and workload
• Can build long-term relationships with clients
• Ability to work alone, on a team or in an expert group
• Every content writer must pass a quiz and provide a  writing sample.
• Only a fraction of applicants is accepted.
• Constant Content takes a commission from your client free.

Writers Work connects writers with companies that need an expert in the written word. It’s an all-in-one platform for landing paid writing gigs. They’ll offer career training, writing tools, an online portfolio, portfolio assessment, and more.

Writers Work positions include part-time, full-time, and contract positions that are   remote gigs or freelance projects. The site provides training through videos, courses, and live support.

Writers Work minimizes time spent searching for jobs by curating writing job listings from many sources. If you want to learn more about using this service to finding writing jobs, read our Writers Work review.

• General content
• Social media posts

Freelance writers can earn from $20-$65/hour. Payment varies depending on skill level and average time spent on each job. 

• Distraction-free text editor with readability functions
• A variety of places to pitch writing work
• Effective training videos
• Easy to navigate
• Membership requires one-time fee of $47.
• You can’t filter older opportunities.
• The goals feature needs far more options.

WriterAccess is an award-winning online marketplace connecting thousands of customers, writers, copy editors, proofreaders, and translators.

Their platform makes it easy for companies and agencies to find good writers and translators in any industry.

I often use Writer’s Access to hire other people who have a skillset like copywriting or understand a particular niche.

A platform like Writers Access is good if you have expert knowledge in specific areas like healthcare, the law, security, and so on.

To stand out on Writers Access, it’s a good idea to upload a writing sample for your profile. You may also want to identify your niche (e.g. healthcare, personal finance, etc.) and specialisms (e.g. copywriting).

Many editors and owners of popular B2B websites and blogs use Writers Access to hire writers for short-term gigs e.g. Write 1,000 words about the latest healthcare trends in XX.

If you want to stand out from the pool of writers on Writer Access, I’d recommend honing your SEO skills. The job listings are varied and even include poetry submissions.

Services include everything from public relations tasks to editing jobs.

• Whitepapers
• Translating
• Website copy

You are paid based on your rankings and ratings.

Ratings are determined by the number of stars your   writing skills earn, proficiency, and years of experience. Your star rating sets the per-word payment you’ll receive. Writers get 70% of the order price.

Ranking System

The ranking or rating system pays in accordance with ability. Currently, the levels and their minimum per-word pay are as follows:

• The most basic payment level offers 2.8 cents per word.
• The most advanced payment level offers $1.40 per word or $105 per hour.

The higher your star level, the more you’re paid for writing projects, ranging from 1.4 cents to more than 7 cents per word.

However, if you are an elite writer who is part of the Pro Marketplace tier, you negotiate a price leveraging your certifications, awards, and verified pay rates.

• Can match your writing skills and interests with brands and agencies
• A higher star rating yields a higher expected rate per word
• Most communication occurs between client and writer.
• In many cases, writers compete for articles.
• Entry-level writers rarely get to choose which articles to write.
• New writers may find the payment system complex.

Scripted is an online marketplace that connects companies with freelance writers who can fulfill different writing gigs like blogs, articles, and even bulk social media posts.

On Scripted, you write as a ghostwriter for clients who need fresh content. Your name will not be published on what you create, and all rights to the content belong to the client when they accept the article.

Scripted considers writers in the U.S. and other countries, including Canada, Australia and in Europe.

• Digital Marketing
• Consumer reports

How much you earn varies according to the type of content, article length, and topic. You can set your own prices. Some assignments pay about $20 apiece, while other writers claim they’ve earned four figures a month.

Writers are automatically paid five days after their work is accepted. They can also qualify for partial payment on any rejected assignment.

• Opportunity for clients to “favorite” your writing, which gives you first dibs on assignments from those clients
• More than 158 writing niches to choose from
• Quick payments
• Work isn’t often available.
• Writers must pass tests to gain acceptance on the site.
• Reviews are mixed

Mediabistro is a well-known freelance writing job board and career destination for savvy media professionals.

This site will be of help if you’re searching for new online writing opportunities or want to improve your skills. The job search board is primarily for finding work in media in the U.S. They also offer freelance work and remote jobs from time to time.

Mediabistro serves as a network to connect you with other media professionals.

• Graphic design
• Digital Production

Rates vary, however, these are a few of their recent writer job descriptions:

• Freelance research analyst – remote – $15–18 per hour
• Copywriters/Researchers for magazine database – $100+ per post
• Freelance Fiction Writer – $50 per 1,500 words

Note:   Premium members gain access to full-length articles that provide advice for newbie freelance writers. You’ll also learn how to make a compelling pitch and format content properly.

• Easy-to-navigate website
• Free basic offering
• Lots of opportunities to sort through. You’ll need a good idea of what you want.

All Freelance Writing has helped freelance writers build their writing careers since 2006.

It’s a job board for   novice writers  who are looking for new writing gigs.

The site displays pay rates upfront, so you know what to expect before even deciding to write a cover letter. All Freelance Writing includes a writer’s market or jobs board for print jobs and writing opportunities.

It also offers a collection of resources and tips for advancing your professional writing career . All Freelance Writing is an excellent site for mastering the business side of freelancing.

The job listings are varied and even include poetry submissions.

• Ghostwriting
• Guest posts
• Blog writing
• Web content
• Prose/Poetry
• Business writing
• Healthcare or medical writing
• Magazine writing

Rates vary. The site categorizes between low pay and pro-rate. Some of the advertised writing jobs go up to $500 or more. Here is how jobs are categorized:

• Very low: $1–35 e.g. for a 400-word blog post
• Low: $25–$50
• Semi-pro: $50–$100
• Pro: $250–$500+
• Free service for job seekers
• Includes only freelance writing jobs and rate information
• Limited number of writing jobs
• Smaller jobs board than other sites in this guide

Online Writing Jobs , previously known as QualityGal.com, is a free website for U.S. freelance writers. It offers writing opportunities for those at any skill level, including entry-level writers.

You will need to know SEO (search engine optimization) to work on this site, as the clients usually want to increase website visits.

• SEO content writers

Pay for most articles ranges between $10 and $50. Several factors can influence your remuneration, including your authority within given writing niches.

• Writers paid weekly
• Helpful resources available to writers
• Available to U.S. freelance writers only

WriterBay.com is a supplier of freelance writing jobs. They’re looking for writers who are proficient in their respective fields and who can deliver high-quality articles or papers on time.

There are 4 simple steps to join:

• Fill out the application form.
• Pass a test that will assess your grammar and formatting skills.
• Write from a brief prompt and upload a sample essay.
• Find and scan your higher education certificate for uploading to their site.

Other than writing skills and a strong desire to make money , all you need to begin working with them is an internet connection..

• Freelance writing jobs, both academic and non-academic

Though the site does not indicate specific rates, WriterBay.com lists the top ten writers’ profits for the past 30 days. At the time of this writing, the highest listing was $6,563.

• No registration fees and free lifetime membership
• Competitive rates
• Wide variety of exciting projects and assignments
• Room for personal growth
• 24/7 writer support team
• Freelance work can be demanding and often lacks a reasonable time frame.
• Writerbay.com seems to prefer writers who are always online on their system.
• Your level of education should be a bachelor’s degree or above.

American Writers and Artists, Inc. , teaches nonfiction writers how to earn thousands of dollars through copywriting (writing words that sell products or services).

This type of writing gig is quite profitable. For example, a B2B company may hire a copywriter to produce copy for a series of landing pages . Instead of getting paid per word, the copywriter may receive a commission based on the number of conversions that the landing page generates.

They’re one of the more established providers of writing training in the industry today. They also teach content marketing and direct response. One of their courses even specializes in teaching writers how to work at home and earn a living.

AWAI offers a “ten thousand” challenge that allows you to build your portfolio (and earn some decent cash) before you finish the program. I’ve taken some AWAI copywriting courses, and their materials are first-rate.

• Direct response writing
• Banner ads and text ads

Rates vary, however, AWAI provides a  free pricing guide  to the work their website offers. Here are some of the examples from the guide:

• Home Page Content: SEO and Sales-conversion Copywriting: $1,500–$3,000
• Product Page Update: SEO and Sales-conversion Copy: $50–$100 per page
• Article of 1,200–2,000 words with SEO: $250–$500
• E-book: $2,000–$7,000
• E-newsletter/E-zine: $800 – $1,500
• Lots of online writing opportunities for freelance work
• Translates to other types of writing, e.g., blogging
• AWAI requires a joining fee. Their basic copywriting programme costs $497.
• Copywriting and direct response writing require specific skills and training.
• Building a name for yourself and acquiring high-profile clients takes time.

Listverse is a popular site featuring list articles. It will pay you $100 for writing a 10-item “listicle.” Typically, you’ll need excellent English, knowledge of pop culture, and a sense of humor.

• Writing list posts or listicles

$100 per approved listicle

• Listicles are fast to write
• Relatively modest pay
• Supports only Paypal, so you’ll face fees
• They might reject your listicle

Medium places much of its content behind a paywall for premium readers. They allocate some of this fee toward paying writers who are part of the partner program based on the post’s member rating.

The Medium partner program enables any member of Medium to get paid for writing stories for members each month. I’m a member and receive more or less than one hundred dollars each month depending on what I wrote.

That doesn’t sound like much, but I don’t focus too much on this platform.

I’m also in a Medium group and members in that group receive five figures a month from writing on Medium. They usually cover topics like entrepreneurship or personal development and work from home.

You can write about whatever you like in Medium. The trick is finding an audience who will read it!

You don’t need to worry too much writing long-winded writing to get paid by Medium. The platform is less about landing a writing gig and more about attracting traffic and readers to your published articles. Because anyone can press publish.

That said, top Medium writers publish on publications. If you want to write for those, build a relationship with the editor on Medium, or look for submission guidelines.

Medium copy editors and proofreaders will work with top writers on their stories and even promote them.

• Self-help advice
• Entrepreneurship advice

Here’s an update from the Medium partner program team for June 2019:

• 55% of writers who wrote at least one story earned something.
• 7.8% of active writers made more than $100 in a month.
• $13,577.33 was the most collected by a writer for June, and $3,913.74 was the most received for a single story at the time of writing.
• Great for building a name for yourself
• Easy to use
• Contains a built-in readership
• Relatively easy to earn a modest amount each month (approximately one hundred dollars)
• Only top Medium writers earn four- or five-figures a month.
• You might not get any feedback on your work if people don’t read it.
• Medium, like any social media network, takes a few months to master.

LinkedIn is a relatively useful social media network for writers and editors looking for work.

Firstly, if you’re a freelance writer, you can reach out to your connections and pitch them relevant ideas. You’ll need a LinkedIn premium membership to get the most out of this InMail service.

Secondly, many LinkedIn users share updates when their company has a vacancy. So it’s worth checking your feeds for updates once or twice a week if you’re looking for part-time or full-time work.

Finally, reputable companies all have dedicated pages on LinkedIn. These pages feature high-quality vacancies and will appear in your feed provided you’ve set your interests accordingly. These vacancies cover a range of disciplines from copywriting to content marketing.

• High-quality writing jobs and vacancies from reputable companies.
• Competition is high.
• You will probably have to go through a standard recruitment process with an HR team or interviewer.
• Not specific to just writing

How Much Can Writers Get Paid?

Rates for writers vary depending on what you write and where you sell your work. According to the  U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics   (BLS), writers and editors in America earn up to $98,840 per year.

I asked my editor about this salary and she said it sounded too high. Salary reports for writers vary a lot. Therefore, here are five more sources that provide detailed data regarding how much writers are paid for their work.

Like most online jobs , these rates and salaries vary by time of year, location, and industry.

I’ve captured the rates at the time of writing this article (August 2019). If you’d like me to update a figure, leave a comment below.

1. Glassdoor

According to Glassdoor, freelance writers earn an average of €48,252 per year in the United States. You can earn more if you specialize in an area like copywriting or content writing. Source

2. PayScale

A freelance writer can expect to earn $21.59 per hour, excluding commissions and bonus sharing. They can also expect an average salary of $40,148 depending on their industry and experience.

My takeaway?

This industry rate is on the low-side and covers too many specialisms.

Freelance copywriters, for example, regularly earn over six figures.

(Just take any of the AWAI courses !)

You can also earn a lot more by providing additional services like SEO, consulting, or even coaching.

Alternatively, consider turning your work into a book or course that you sell for a higher price-point. Source

3. Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA)

Similar to PayScale, the EFA provides salary data for subcategories of writing.

Here is the data from their 2019 report: Source

• $40–50/hour; 20–25 cents/word
• $50–60/hour; 26–50cents/word
• $50–60/hour; 30–95cents/word
• $40–50/hour; 26–50cents/word
• $60–70/hour; 80–95cents/word
• $40–100/hour; 20cents–$2/word
• $50–60/hour; 45–55cents/word

4. The Irish Times

Much of the data provided above concerns, American writers and authors.

However, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco aren’t the only hubs for earning money as a writer. Just ask me. I’m an Irish writer!

The Irish Times  says many new authors struggle to sell more than 100 copies of their book in a single year and  earn less than $500.

However, writers can earn more money by investing in a good book  and advertising their books. Amazon pays writers as follows:

• Books sold for $2.98 or under 35% of the price
• Books sold for $2.99 to $9.99: up to 70% of the price

If a writer sells a thousand copies of a book for $9.99 in year one, they can earn up to $7,000 for one book. If a writer self-publishes multiple versions of their book (Kindle, print, large print, audio, etc.), this is achievable.

5.   The Society of Authors

In a 2015 survey of 317 writers, the Society of Authors found average earnings for British authors are £12,500, or $15,000, per year.

The report states, “This figure is just 55% of average earnings in the U.K., coming in below the minimum wage for a full-time job at £18,000 and well below the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s minimum income standard of £17,100.”

That’s a social policy research and development charity in the U.K. Source

I’ve always loved to write, so after graduation from secondary or high school, I trained as a journalist between 2000 and 2004.

I worked as a print, news, and technology journalist for Irish newspapers and radio stations. I earned an income from writing in the traditional sense—getting paid by an employer for my work.

During the recession in 2008, many freelance journalists were let go, and some prominent Irish media publications went out of business, including a few I worked for.

I worked in social care (or in a residential care facility) for a few years, and I wrote mostly fiction as a hobby. I entered my stories into writing competitions that paid winners a small amount, but I didn’t have much luck.

So while out of work, I decided to start a blog about technology, thinking I could start the Irish version of popular US technology and productivity blog Lifehacker. 

I called it WorkReadPlay, which was a terrible name for a site.

Eventually, I realized I’m more interested in topics like creativity, writing, and productivity. So in 2014, I relaunched my site as Become a Writer Today .

After I relaunched my site, I wrote articles that no one read. Wondering how I could find readers, I started reading articles and then taking courses in blogging.

I also worked with the owner of a successful site who later became a mentor, Jon Morrow of Smart Blogger. His articles and courses laid out the path to earning a living from writing online.

After I’d found some readers, I faced extra costs like website hosting and my email service provider.

Next, I wondered how I could pay for these. So I studied how other online writers earn an income from their work on my own time.

Today, I earn money from writing through self-publishing books, freelance writing and creating courses.

I also earn money as a copywriter and content marketer in the B2B industry. I spend about 10-15 hours a week on freelance writing activities.

I earn money from recommending courses, software, and services that writers on my email list find beneficial. I

In some cases, I review these services for writers, and in other cases, I simply explain how I use them in my business via a video, email, or article.

I’ve taken dozens of courses in online business, entrepreneurship, and self-publishing.

They all recommend variations of the same business model: Figure out your ideal audience, create content that helps your audience then create or recommend relevant products, services or even books.

Invest in your education as a writer.

When you start earning an income from writing, my best tip is to set aside a small amount for learning each month.

At first, that might simply be a budget for buying business books. As your income grows, set aside a larger budget for taking online writing classes or   MasterClasses online classes  that help improve your craft.

The first time I spent a thousand plus dollars on an online course, I worried that I was being scammed and giving my money to a random person on the internet.

That person later became my mentor and taught me a lot about online business, over the course of five years.

Almost every course I have taken paid dividends directly in revenue or indirectly in soft skills.

I also recommend gaining expertise in areas like content marketing and diversifying your writing skillset.

Your path to getting paid to write might look different than mine, but most successful online writers earn more by diversifying their income streams.

Most successful nonfiction authors, for example, earn more money by offering additional services like courses or consulting.

Getting paid to write is easier than ever once you figure out your niche and who your ideal reader is. Lots of new jobs come online every day for writers. The question is do you have the right skill set?

Your niche could be creative writing jobs, greeting card writing, writing jobs for beginners, targeted ads, technical writing, content marketing, or academic writing. More writing jobs are online now than ever. You just have to know where to look.

Writing Jobs FAQ

Combine your ability to write about a particular topic with a secondary skill set. For example, learning the basics of SEO means you can write articles that rank in search on Google. Companies will hire your for this combination of unique skills.

Consider studying content marketing. This type of work combines creative thinking and ideas with traditional writing and marketing. Content marketers are also in high demand as the internet thrives on content.

Writing is a fantastic career choice. Thanks to the internet, writers have more opportunities than ever today. Even if you don’t earn a full-time living from writing, the ability to think clearly by writing is a secondary skill set useful for most professions.

Traditional writing jobs include working as a journalist, magazine writer or editor. Some better options today include freelance writing, working as a digital copywriter or content marketing. Employers are looking for writers with skillsets in all of these areas as the internet thrives in content. You could also write and self-publish a book or start a blog.

Writing is a universal skill that can be useful in almost all careers. However, if you are looking for a job where writing is a central element of your daily tasks, then there are many jobs out there for you right now. They include the likes of online content, as well as technical writing jobs, not forgetting all the work currently available within both the marketing and communications industries.

If you love writing, then you should know that these are just some of the jobs that require a lot of writing: communications executive, marketing executive, technical writer, PR executive, copywriter, and researcher. 

You can make excellent money working as a content marketing manager, with the average salary of this role about $70k per year. However, if you want to become a millionaire, you may need to succeed in your creative writing pursuits and have a lot of luck too!

Your Ph.D. in Creative Writing could help you get a job as a reporter, copywriter, editor or within marketing. In fact, your PhD could help you in any job hunting scenario, as it proves that you have an ability to work independently and creatively and shows you are a hard worker. 

Entry-level writing jobs include junior copywriter, junior reporter, proofreader, and content executive. That is not an exhaustive list. New writing jobs emerge as the tools and platforms for writers evolve. For example, the title of e-commerce copywriter didn’t exist in the early 2000s.

Edgar Allan Poe was a short-story writer, a poet, a critic, and an editor. He was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts and died on October 7, 1849. Poe is famous for his macabre storytelling.  

To find high-paying content writing clients, consider utilizing freelance marketplaces (Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr), job boards, and cold-pitching to businesses in your niche. Networking at industry events and leveraging referrals from satisfied clients can also help you connect with high-paying clients. Additionally, use social media platforms to showcase your writing skills and attract potential clients.

To get paid for writing with no experience, consider writing for content mills, guest blogging for established blogs, pitching articles to websites and magazines, offering your services to local businesses and non-profits, and starting your own blog. These opportunities can help you gain experience, build a portfolio, and eventually attract paid writing gigs.

The type of freelance writing that pays the most varies depending on several factors, such as the writer’s experience, expertise, and the demand for their services. Some of the highest-paying freelance writing jobs include: 1. Copywriting for businesses 2. Technical writing for software, engineering, or medical industries 3. Grant writing for non-profit organizations 4. Ghostwriting for books, speeches, and articles 5. Content creation for high-traffic websites or blogs 6. Scriptwriting for television shows or movies.

Yes, there is a high demand for writers in various industries and sectors. With the rise of digital content, businesses and organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of quality written communication to engage their audiences, drive traffic to their websites, and promote their products or services. Here are a few reasons why there is a high demand for writers: Content Marketing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Digital Media and Publishing E-commerce and Product Descriptions Copywriting and Advertising Technical Writing Freelance Opportunities

Do you want an intensive course in non-fiction writing for fun or profit, plus the help you need to succeed as a blogger, freelance writer or non-fiction author? The Savvy Non-Fiction Writers Club will help you get paid to write fast. It’s the only resource you need if you want to become more prolific, earn more money or make an impact .

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Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

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Essay Writing Jobs

Working as an essay writer involves writing about a myriad of subjects for several clients all the time. The topics might be as many as there are subjects in any education field. Most of the essays are argumentative, which means that the writer needs to take a position on an argument. Arguments have to refute or support any given subject.

That way, writers are expected to develop an argument and support it; or refute it. A good argument is the one that shows the pros and the cons of any given subject with ease and in an articulate manner. Since essay writers are professional writers, they can write about different topics provided they be inside their areas of knowledge. A good writer sticks to what it knows and does not make things up. This might look easy, but it requires a substantial amount of research. The writer must have sufficient information about the topic and must conduct extensive research to get adequate knowledge about the subjects. This gives the writer a solid ground to support or refute the arguments presented.

Essay writing jobs require that the writer be well-versed in the English language; as well English grammar and syntax. That way, the points to discuss are represented accordingly. In some situations, the writer needs to seek advice from different people to improve the quality of the paper, by adding sources and relevant information.The writer should have enough information about the discussed topic before writing. Preparation is essential when writing because it gives the opportunity to develop ideas apparently.

An excellent essay discusses the topic in the simplest voice possible, without adding flamboyant words nor trying to sound academic. Using short sentences instead of long ones will improve the flow of the paper and make phrases stand for themselves instead of being academic-sounding gibberish. That way, the job requires writers to be concise and simple to improve the paper’s readability. That way, both instructors and clients will be pleased with the essay’s results. Also, customers give positive feedback c when they receive a high-quality project. That is advantageous to the writers in terms of having a potential client after a job well done.

Essay jobs require the author to provide three essential parts: An introduction; body, and a conclusion. An essay job should have a flow. That way, a reader can quickly make the transition between sections of the article.

An essay job should contain an introduction that provides a summary of the article. This also gives a direction for the piece, and the discussed issues in the body of the essay. The introduction also defines important words that are not explicit to prospective readers. The last sentence in the introduction contains the thesis statement; the writer’s stance and the direction the paper aims to follow. The thesis statement contains the writer’s side of the argument and the main points of the discussion.

The body paragraphs include the analysis and proof; as well as all the aspects of the essay. It should give an elaborate discussion of the issues mentioned in the introduction. The body should have a detailed description of the theme. Moreover, it should discuss all the aspects of the thesis statement. The argument should provide the points supporting and rejecting the topic of the essay.

The conclusion ends the essay with a summary of the main points that determine the validity of the thesis. Also, the thesis statement is restated at the end of the essay to ensure that the writer provides a clear explanation. An essay job should contain references and in-text citations.

The references show that sources the writer used to draw the information offered in the paper. It also means the essay is free of plagiarism. Plagiarism is the act of using information from external sources without crediting the original authors.

Acknowledgement of the sources is an ethical practice of capital importance when working as an essay writer. However, the clients determine the standards to follow when writing projects. Therefore, it is important to follow the details and instructions of the customer when writing an essay job.

The client is in charge, and its wishes should be respected when writing an essay job. Failure to follow the details the customer gives may result in the cancellation of the entire order. Customers can also send the project back for revision if they consider the writer did not follow the instructions or missed a critical point of the essay.

Register To Start Earning As A Freelance Writer!

Essay writing jobs: Become a writer with EssayHub

Advantages of partnering with EssayHub

Join the EssayHub crew and dive straight into a world without the hassle of sifting through countless platforms, hoping to find the right fit. With us, you handpick orders tailored to your expertise and timetable. Plus, no need to risk resources on a personal website.

Our platform is buzzing with students searching for the "get paid to write my essay " solution. So, why search elsewhere when you can optimize your time, boost your income, and craft essays precisely here? Welcome to the smart writer's haven.

Swift payment withdrawals

Expand your professional circle, boost your expertise, earn online by crafting essays, set your own rhythm, craft genuine content from your chosen spot, find out if you are the perfect fit.

Here are the four essential criteria we prioritize, determining if you're the perfect match to collaborate with our dynamic team.

English proficiency required

For the optimal results everyone expects, an essay writer must master all integral elements of the English language.

Recognized educational credentials

We require our essay writers to hold at least a BBA in their specialization. More credentials mean more writing opportunities.

Prompt response essential

For our online writing jobs, timely communication with customers is essential. Promptly address their questions to ensure a positive experience and uphold our service standards.

Experience matters here

For our online essay writing jobs, we recommend candidates with 2-3 years of educational writing experience. This ensures high-quality work with minimal revisions needed.

Our freelance writers saying a word!

Explore EssayHub more deeply by reading reviews of our freelance writing services and understanding why our platform stands out.

Fill out the form and provide your email if you wish to become a writer for EssayHub

Earn by writing papers for others.

In today's competitive landscape, we recognize an increasing number of talented individuals attaining higher academic credentials, potentially making them suitable candidates for our essay writing jobs. However, increasing numbers don't always translate to a consistent rise in quality. As we prioritize excellence, we urge all applicants to diligently follow our assessment process, which evaluates not only writing acumen but also efficiency. Those who navigate this process effectively will swiftly transition into our team and start their journey to get a writer career, earning remuneration for crafting papers for our esteemed clients.

Begin your journey with us by submitting a well-organized professional resume that underscores your educational qualifications. To strengthen your application, provide a concise rationale explaining why you're the right fit for our platform. Should your profile resonate with our requirements, we'll reach out to discuss the subsequent phases of our comprehensive assessment. Please note a segment of this evaluation gauges psychological well-being, given the significance of mental health in ensuring consistent quality.

Ready to become a writer with us? Proceed with the form provided below.



Embrace this golden opportunity to merge passion with profession. Don't merely write, but flourish in a role where your expertise is valued and rewarded.

Experiencing freelance writing at EssayHub: What's it like?

Dipping your toes into the world of freelance writing jobs can feel a bit overwhelming, right? Trust us, you're not alone in feeling that the industry sometimes doesn't give writers the love (or the paycheck) they truly deserve.

Here at EssayHub, we're all about empowering our freelance writers. You get to decide on your prices and choose your projects. Plus, we make sure your hard work gets rewarded properly, and, between you and me, we tend to pay a bit more generously than many other spots out there.

Why not start that dream with us?

We like to think of ourselves as a cozy little bridge connecting talented writers like you with students who need a hand. Our platform? Super user-friendly. And because we know the freelance life can have its ups and downs, we've got a dedicated manager on standby, ready to help you make the most out of every gig.

Steps to start freelance writing

Venturing into the world of freelance writing jobs can be both exciting and slightly nerve-wracking. Here's your roadmap to becoming a writer with us:

Step 1: Fill out our detailed application form. The verification process is streamlined, ensuring we collaborate with genuine talents.

Step 2: Your diploma isn't just a piece of paper. It's a testament to your dedication and hard work. Please upload it, letting us acknowledge your educational prowess.

Step 3: Demonstrate your expertise and previous successes. Send us your top-notch writing samples along with your CV. This step is crucial in proving you're a seasoned professional, ready for diverse online essay writing jobs.



Step 4: Every stellar writer has been through it - the test assignment. Embrace the challenge, showcasing your unique voice and impeccable skills.

Step 5: Last but not least, set up your payment account. With everything in place, you're ready to earn for your exceptional writing.

Ultimate Guide to Writing Your College Essay

Tips for writing an effective college essay.

College admissions essays are an important part of your college application and gives you the chance to show colleges and universities your character and experiences. This guide will give you tips to write an effective college essay.

Want free help with your college essay?

UPchieve connects you with knowledgeable and friendly college advisors—online, 24/7, and completely free. Get 1:1 help brainstorming topics, outlining your essay, revising a draft, or editing grammar.

Writing a strong college admissions essay

Learn about the elements of a solid admissions essay.

Avoiding common admissions essay mistakes

Learn some of the most common mistakes made on college essays

Brainstorming tips for your college essay

Stuck on what to write your college essay about? Here are some exercises to help you get started.

How formal should the tone of your college essay be?

Learn how formal your college essay should be and get tips on how to bring out your natural voice.

Taking your college essay to the next level

Hear an admissions expert discuss the appropriate level of depth necessary in your college essay.

Student Stories

Student Story: Admissions essay about a formative experience

Get the perspective of a current college student on how he approached the admissions essay.

Student Story: Admissions essay about personal identity

Get the perspective of a current college student on how she approached the admissions essay.

Student Story: Admissions essay about community impact

Student story: admissions essay about a past mistake, how to write a college application essay, tips for writing an effective application essay, sample college essay 1 with feedback, sample college essay 2 with feedback.

This content is licensed by Khan Academy and is available for free at www.khanacademy.org.

2024 Global Learning Challenge

Is Using an Essay Writing Service Considered Cheating?

Oliva Campbell

Our organization.

CollegeEssay.org

What is the name of your solution?

Provide a one-line summary of your solution..

Debunking Misconceptions and Embracing Academic Support

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

In what country is your solution team headquartered.

• United States

What type of organization is your solution team?

Film your elevator pitch., what specific problem are you solving.

Is Using an Essay Writing Service Considered Cheating? Debunking Misconceptions and Embracing Academic Support

In the contemporary academic landscape, the utilization of essay writing service has sparked a debate regarding its ethical implications. Some perceive it as a form of cheating, while others argue it as a legitimate means of seeking academic support. As we delve into this discussion, it's imperative to explore both perspectives and shed light on the role of essay writing services in academia.

What is your solution?

Understanding the Controversy The Ethical Dilemma

The crux of the debate lies in the ethical dilemma surrounding the use of essay writing services. Traditional notions of academic integrity emphasize the importance of individual effort and originality in scholarly pursuits. From this standpoint, outsourcing the task of essay writing may seem like circumventing academic rigor and ethical standards.

Perceived Academic Dishonesty

Critics often equate using essay writing services to academic dishonesty, arguing that it undermines the learning process and devalues the significance of genuine scholarly achievements. They view it as a shortcut to academic success, devoid of the essential elements of critical thinking, research, and academic growth.

Legitimate Academic Support

On the contrary, proponents of essay writing services advocate for a nuanced understanding of academic support. They argue that seeking assistance from professional writers does not inherently constitute cheating but rather serves as a supplementary resource to enhance learning outcomes. Best Essay writing service can provide valuable guidance, especially for students grappling with complex topics or facing time constraints.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Debunking Misconceptions Collaboration, Not Duplication

Contrary to popular belief, engaging with essay writing services does not entail passively submitting pre-written essays as one's own work. Instead, it involves collaboration between students and professional writers to develop custom essays tailored to their unique requirements. The final product reflects the student's input, understanding, and perspective, albeit with expert guidance.

Learning Opportunity

Essay writing services offer a valuable learning opportunity by providing model essays that serve as exemplars of academic writing standards. Students can analyze these essays to understand proper structuring, argumentation techniques, and citation practices, thereby honing their own writing skills. Additionally, interacting with professional writers fosters a deeper understanding of subject matter and research methodologies.

Academic Support System

Rather than undermining academic integrity, essay writing services complement existing support systems within educational institutions. They function as supplementary resources that assist students in navigating academic challenges effectively. By offering personalized assistance, these services empower students to overcome obstacles and achieve their academic goals.

Embracing Academic Support Fostering Academic Success

Ultimately, the goal of essay writing services is to facilitate academic success by providing students with the necessary tools and guidance to excel in their studies. By availing these services, students can alleviate academic pressure, meet deadlines, and improve their overall learning experience. Moreover, the support offered by essay writing services can enhance students' confidence and motivation, leading to greater academic achievements.

Ethical Considerations

While utilizing essay writing services is permissible within ethical boundaries, it's essential for students to uphold academic integrity and honesty. They should utilize these services responsibly, ensuring that the essays produced are used for reference purposes and serve as aids in their own academic endeavors. Transparency and integrity should guide students' interactions with essay writing services to maintain the ethical integrity of academic pursuits.

In conclusion, the debate surrounding the use of essay writing services underscores the complexities inherent in modern education. While some may view it as a contentious issue mired in ethical ambiguity, a nuanced perspective reveals its potential as a valuable academic support tool. By dispelling misconceptions and embracing the role of essay writing services as supplementary resources, students can leverage these services responsibly to enhance their academic journey. Ultimately, the ethical considerations lie in how students utilize these services to foster their academic growth while upholding principles of integrity and honesty in their scholarly pursuits.

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Leveraging CollegeEssay.org and MyPerfectWords.com for Optimal Results

In the quest for academic excellence and ethical scholarship, students can enhance their learning journey by leveraging reputable essay writing services such as CollegeEssay.org and MyPerfectWords.com. These platforms offer a myriad of features and benefits designed to support students in achieving their academic goals while upholding principles of integrity and honesty.

Customized Essay Writing Services

Both CollegeEssay.org and MyPerfectWords.com prioritize delivering custom-written essays tailored to each student's unique requirements. By availing of their services, students can collaborate with professional writers to develop high-quality essays that meet academic standards and reflect their individual insights and perspectives.

Expert Guidance and Support

The teams of skilled writers at CollegeEssay.org and MyPerfectWords.com possess expertise in various subjects and disciplines, ensuring that students receive expert guidance and support across a wide range of academic topics. From research and outlining to drafting and editing, these platforms offer comprehensive assistance at every stage of the writing process.

Timely Delivery and Flexible Deadlines

Meeting deadlines is paramount in academic pursuits, and both CollegeEssay.org and MyPerfectWords.com prioritize timely delivery of essays. With flexible deadlines ranging from 6 to 24 hours, students can rely on these platforms to accommodate urgent essay requests without compromising on quality or accuracy.

24/7 Customer Support

Navigating the intricacies of essay writing can be daunting, but with 24/7 customer support and their  reliable research paper writing service available at CollegeEssay.org, students can seek assistance and clarification at any time. Multilingual support teams ensure accessibility for students from diverse linguistic backgrounds, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment.

Originality and Plagiarism-Free Guarantee

Maintaining academic integrity is non-negotiable, and both CollegeEssay.org and MyPerfectWords.com uphold rigorous standards of originality and authenticity. Essays produced by these platforms undergo thorough plagiarism checks, ensuring that students receive 100% original and plagiarism-free content with every order.

Transparent Pricing and Payment Options

Affordability is a key consideration for students, and MyPerfectWords.com offer cheapest research paper writing service transparent pricing structures and flexible payment options. With prices starting at just $11/page and the option to pay 50% upfront and 50% upon completion, these platforms provide cost-effective solutions that fit students' budgets.

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• 4. Quality Education

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Revision and Refund Policies

Student satisfaction is paramount, and both CollegeEssay.org and MyPerfectWords.com offer revision and refund policies to ensure that students are fully satisfied with the essays they receive. Students can request revisions free of charge until they are completely satisfied with the final product, and a 100% money-back guarantee ensures peace of mind in case of any unforeseen issues.

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In conclusion, students seeking academic support and assistance with essay writing can benefit greatly from utilizing reputable platforms such as CollegeEssay.org and MyPerfectWords.com. With features such as customized essay writing services, expert guidance and support, timely delivery, 24/7 customer support, originality guarantees, transparent pricing, and flexible payment options, these platforms provide comprehensive solutions to students' academic needs. By leveraging the services offered by CollegeEssay.org and MyPerfectWords.com, students can enhance their academic performance, alleviate academic pressure, and foster a deeper understanding of course materials, all while upholding principles of integrity and academic honesty.

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How to Address a Resume Gap When Switching Careers

• Rebecca Knight

The do’s and don’ts of navigating a career transition that’s taking longer than you hoped.

The prospect of a new career can hold a sense of excitement. But what should you do if your job search has become a disheartening slog and the gap on your resume just seems to be growing wider by the day? What can you do to protect your mental health and rekindle your optimism for the future? In this article, the author offers practical advice  to help you navigate your career switch when you’re worried about a widening gap on your resume. 

You likely felt a surge of excitement when you made the decision to switch careers . But what should you do if your job hunt starts to become a tedious and disheartening slog — and the  gap on your resume is growing wider by the day? How can you address your extended absence from the workforce without making excuses? And how can you stay motivated and resolved in the face of setbacks?

• RK Rebecca Knight is a journalist who writes about all things related to the changing nature of careers and the workplace. Her essays and reported stories have been featured in The Boston Globe, Business Insider, The New York Times, BBC, and The Christian Science Monitor. She was shortlisted as a Reuters Institute Fellow at Oxford University in 2023. Earlier in her career, she spent a decade as an editor and reporter at the Financial Times in New York, London, and Boston.

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The Case for Marrying an Older Man

A woman’s life is all work and little rest. an age gap relationship can help..

In the summer, in the south of France, my husband and I like to play, rather badly, the lottery. We take long, scorching walks to the village — gratuitous beauty, gratuitous heat — kicking up dust and languid debates over how we’d spend such an influx. I purchase scratch-offs, jackpot tickets, scraping the former with euro coins in restaurants too fine for that. I never cash them in, nor do I check the winning numbers. For I already won something like the lotto, with its gifts and its curses, when he married me.

He is ten years older than I am. I chose him on purpose, not by chance. As far as life decisions go, on balance, I recommend it.

When I was 20 and a junior at Harvard College, a series of great ironies began to mock me. I could study all I wanted, prove myself as exceptional as I liked, and still my fiercest advantage remained so universal it deflated my other plans. My youth. The newness of my face and body. Compellingly effortless; cruelly fleeting. I shared it with the average, idle young woman shrugging down the street. The thought, when it descended on me, jolted my perspective, the way a falling leaf can make you look up: I could diligently craft an ideal existence, over years and years of sleepless nights and industry. Or I could just marry it early.

So naturally I began to lug a heavy suitcase of books each Saturday to the Harvard Business School to work on my Nabokov paper. In one cavernous, well-appointed room sat approximately 50 of the planet’s most suitable bachelors. I had high breasts, most of my eggs, plausible deniability when it came to purity, a flush ponytail, a pep in my step that had yet to run out. Apologies to Progress, but older men still desired those things.

I could not understand why my female classmates did not join me, given their intelligence. Each time I reconsidered the project, it struck me as more reasonable. Why ignore our youth when it amounted to a superpower? Why assume the burdens of womanhood, its too-quick-to-vanish upper hand, but not its brief benefits at least? Perhaps it came easier to avoid the topic wholesale than to accept that women really do have a tragically short window of power, and reason enough to take advantage of that fact while they can. As for me, I liked history, Victorian novels, knew of imminent female pitfalls from all the books I’d read: vampiric boyfriends; labor, at the office and in the hospital, expected simultaneously; a decline in status as we aged, like a looming eclipse. I’d have disliked being called calculating, but I had, like all women, a calculator in my head. I thought it silly to ignore its answers when they pointed to an unfairness for which we really ought to have been preparing.

I was competitive by nature, an English-literature student with all the corresponding major ambitions and minor prospects (Great American novel; email job). A little Bovarist , frantic for new places and ideas; to travel here, to travel there, to be in the room where things happened. I resented the callow boys in my class, who lusted after a particular, socially sanctioned type on campus: thin and sexless, emotionally detached and socially connected, the opposite of me. Restless one Saturday night, I slipped on a red dress and snuck into a graduate-school event, coiling an HDMI cord around my wrist as proof of some technical duty. I danced. I drank for free, until one of the organizers asked me to leave. I called and climbed into an Uber. Then I promptly climbed out of it. For there he was, emerging from the revolving doors. Brown eyes, curved lips, immaculate jacket. I went to him, asked him for a cigarette. A date, days later. A second one, where I discovered he was a person, potentially my favorite kind: funny, clear-eyed, brilliant, on intimate terms with the universe.

I used to love men like men love women — that is, not very well, and with a hunger driven only by my own inadequacies. Not him. In those early days, I spoke fondly of my family, stocked the fridge with his favorite pasta, folded his clothes more neatly than I ever have since. I wrote his mother a thank-you note for hosting me in his native France, something befitting a daughter-in-law. It worked; I meant it. After graduation and my fellowship at Oxford, I stayed in Europe for his career and married him at 23.

Of course I just fell in love. Romances have a setting; I had only intervened to place myself well. Mainly, I spotted the precise trouble of being a woman ahead of time, tried to surf it instead of letting it drown me on principle. I had grown bored of discussions of fair and unfair, equal or unequal , and preferred instead to consider a thing called ease.

The reception of a particular age-gap relationship depends on its obviousness. The greater and more visible the difference in years and status between a man and a woman, the more it strikes others as transactional. Transactional thinking in relationships is both as American as it gets and the least kosher subject in the American romantic lexicon. When a 50-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman walk down the street, the questions form themselves inside of you; they make you feel cynical and obscene: How good of a deal is that? Which party is getting the better one? Would I take it? He is older. Income rises with age, so we assume he has money, at least relative to her; at minimum, more connections and experience. She has supple skin. Energy. Sex. Maybe she gets a Birkin. Maybe he gets a baby long after his prime. The sight of their entwined hands throws a lucid light on the calculations each of us makes, in love, to varying degrees of denial. You could get married in the most romantic place in the world, like I did, and you would still have to sign a contract.

Twenty and 30 is not like 30 and 40; some freshness to my features back then, some clumsiness in my bearing, warped our decade, in the eyes of others, to an uncrossable gulf. Perhaps this explains the anger we felt directed at us at the start of our relationship. People seemed to take us very, very personally. I recall a hellish car ride with a friend of his who began to castigate me in the backseat, in tones so low that only I could hear him. He told me, You wanted a rich boyfriend. You chased and snuck into parties . He spared me the insult of gold digger, but he drew, with other words, the outline for it. Most offended were the single older women, my husband’s classmates. They discussed me in the bathroom at parties when I was in the stall. What does he see in her? What do they talk about? They were concerned about me. They wielded their concern like a bludgeon. They paraphrased without meaning to my favorite line from Nabokov’s Lolita : “You took advantage of my disadvantage,” suspecting me of some weakness he in turn mined. It did not disturb them, so much, to consider that all relationships were trades. The trouble was the trade I’d made struck them as a bad one.

The truth is you can fall in love with someone for all sorts of reasons, tiny transactions, pluses and minuses, whose sum is your affection for each other, your loyalty, your commitment. The way someone picks up your favorite croissant. Their habit of listening hard. What they do for you on your anniversary and your reciprocal gesture, wrapped thoughtfully. The serenity they inspire; your happiness, enlivening it. When someone says they feel unappreciated, what they really mean is you’re in debt to them.

When I think of same-age, same-stage relationships, what I tend to picture is a woman who is doing too much for too little.

I’m 27 now, and most women my age have “partners.” These days, girls become partners quite young. A partner is supposed to be a modern answer to the oppression of marriage, the terrible feeling of someone looming over you, head of a household to which you can only ever be the neck. Necks are vulnerable. The problem with a partner, however, is if you’re equal in all things, you compromise in all things. And men are too skilled at taking .

There is a boy out there who knows how to floss because my friend taught him. Now he kisses college girls with fresh breath. A boy married to my friend who doesn’t know how to pack his own suitcase. She “likes to do it for him.” A million boys who know how to touch a woman, who go to therapy because they were pushed, who learned fidelity, boundaries, decency, manners, to use a top sheet and act humanely beneath it, to call their mothers, match colors, bring flowers to a funeral and inhale, exhale in the face of rage, because some girl, some girl we know, some girl they probably don’t speak to and will never, ever credit, took the time to teach him. All while she was working, raising herself, clawing up the cliff-face of adulthood. Hauling him at her own expense.

I find a post on Reddit where five thousand men try to define “ a woman’s touch .” They describe raised flower beds, blankets, photographs of their loved ones, not hers, sprouting on the mantel overnight. Candles, coasters, side tables. Someone remembering to take lint out of the dryer. To give compliments. I wonder what these women are getting back. I imagine them like Cinderella’s mice, scurrying around, their sole proof of life their contributions to a more central character. On occasion I meet a nice couple, who grew up together. They know each other with a fraternalism tender and alien to me.  But I think of all my friends who failed at this, were failed at this, and I think, No, absolutely not, too risky . Riskier, sometimes, than an age gap.

My younger brother is in his early 20s, handsome, successful, but in many ways: an endearing disaster. By his age, I had long since wisened up. He leaves his clothes in the dryer, takes out a single shirt, steams it for three minutes. His towel on the floor, for someone else to retrieve. His lovely, same-age girlfriend is aching to fix these tendencies, among others. She is capable beyond words. Statistically, they will not end up together. He moved into his first place recently, and she, the girlfriend, supplied him with a long, detailed list of things he needed for his apartment: sheets, towels, hangers, a colander, which made me laugh. She picked out his couch. I will bet you anything she will fix his laundry habits, and if so, they will impress the next girl. If they break up, she will never see that couch again, and he will forget its story. I tell her when I visit because I like her, though I get in trouble for it: You shouldn’t do so much for him, not for someone who is not stuck with you, not for any boy, not even for my wonderful brother.

Too much work had left my husband, by 30, jaded and uninspired. He’d burned out — but I could reenchant things. I danced at restaurants when they played a song I liked. I turned grocery shopping into an adventure, pleased by what I provided. Ambitious, hungry, he needed someone smart enough to sustain his interest, but flexible enough in her habits to build them around his hours. I could. I do: read myself occupied, make myself free, materialize beside him when he calls for me. In exchange, I left a lucrative but deadening spreadsheet job to write full-time, without having to live like a writer. I learned to cook, a little, and decorate, somewhat poorly. Mostly I get to read, to walk central London and Miami and think in delicious circles, to work hard, when necessary, for free, and write stories for far less than minimum wage when I tally all the hours I take to write them.

At 20, I had felt daunted by the project of becoming my ideal self, couldn’t imagine doing it in tandem with someone, two raw lumps of clay trying to mold one another and only sullying things worse. I’d go on dates with boys my age and leave with the impression they were telling me not about themselves but some person who didn’t exist yet and on whom I was meant to bet regardless. My husband struck me instead as so finished, formed. Analyzable for compatibility. He bore the traces of other women who’d improved him, small but crucial basics like use a coaster ; listen, don’t give advice. Young egos mellow into patience and generosity.

My husband isn’t my partner. He’s my mentor, my lover, and, only in certain contexts, my friend. I’ll never forget it, how he showed me around our first place like he was introducing me to myself: This is the wine you’ll drink, where you’ll keep your clothes, we vacation here, this is the other language we’ll speak, you’ll learn it, and I did. Adulthood seemed a series of exhausting obligations. But his logistics ran so smoothly that he simply tacked mine on. I moved into his flat, onto his level, drag and drop, cleaner thrice a week, bills automatic. By opting out of partnership in my 20s, I granted myself a kind of compartmentalized, liberating selfishness none of my friends have managed. I am the work in progress, the party we worry about, a surprising dominance. When I searched for my first job, at 21, we combined our efforts, for my sake. He had wisdom to impart, contacts with whom he arranged coffees; we spent an afternoon, laughing, drawing up earnest lists of my pros and cons (highly sociable; sloppy math). Meanwhile, I took calls from a dear friend who had a boyfriend her age. Both savagely ambitious, hyperclose and entwined in each other’s projects. If each was a start-up , the other was the first hire, an intense dedication I found riveting. Yet every time she called me, I hung up with the distinct feeling that too much was happening at the same time: both learning to please a boss; to forge more adult relationships with their families; to pay bills and taxes and hang prints on the wall. Neither had any advice to give and certainly no stability. I pictured a three-legged race, two people tied together and hobbling toward every milestone.

I don’t fool myself. My marriage has its cons. There are only so many times one can say “thank you” — for splendid scenes, fine dinners — before the phrase starts to grate. I live in an apartment whose rent he pays and that shapes the freedom with which I can ever be angry with him. He doesn’t have to hold it over my head. It just floats there, complicating usual shorthands to explain dissatisfaction like, You aren’t being supportive lately . It’s a Frenchism to say, “Take a decision,” and from time to time I joke: from whom? Occasionally I find myself in some fabulous country at some fabulous party and I think what a long way I have traveled, like a lucky cloud, and it is frightening to think of oneself as vapor.

Mostly I worry that if he ever betrayed me and I had to move on, I would survive, but would find in my humor, preferences, the way I make coffee or the bed nothing that he did not teach, change, mold, recompose, stamp with his initials, the way Renaissance painters hid in their paintings their faces among a crowd. I wonder if when they looked at their paintings, they saw their own faces first. But this is the wrong question, if our aim is happiness. Like the other question on which I’m expected to dwell: Who is in charge, the man who drives or the woman who put him there so she could enjoy herself? I sit in the car, in the painting it would have taken me a corporate job and 20 years to paint alone, and my concern over who has the upper hand becomes as distant as the horizon, the one he and I made so wide for me.

To be a woman is to race against the clock, in several ways, until there is nothing left to be but run ragged.

We try to put it off, but it will hit us at some point: that we live in a world in which our power has a different shape from that of men, a different distribution of advantage, ours a funnel and theirs an expanding cone. A woman at 20 rarely has to earn her welcome; a boy at 20 will be turned away at the door. A woman at 30 may find a younger woman has taken her seat; a man at 30 will have invited her. I think back to the women in the bathroom, my husband’s classmates. What was my relationship if not an inconvertible sign of this unfairness? What was I doing, in marrying older, if not endorsing it? I had taken advantage of their disadvantage. I had preempted my own. After all, principled women are meant to defy unfairness, to show some integrity or denial, not plan around it, like I had. These were driven women, successful, beautiful, capable. I merely possessed the one thing they had already lost. In getting ahead of the problem, had I pushed them down? If I hadn’t, would it really have made any difference?

When we decided we wanted to be equal to men, we got on men’s time. We worked when they worked, retired when they retired, had to squeeze pregnancy, children, menopause somewhere impossibly in the margins. I have a friend, in her late 20s, who wears a mood ring; these days it is often red, flickering in the air like a siren when she explains her predicament to me. She has raised her fair share of same-age boyfriends. She has put her head down, worked laboriously alongside them, too. At last she is beginning to reap the dividends, earning the income to finally enjoy herself. But it is now, exactly at this precipice of freedom and pleasure, that a time problem comes closing in. If she would like to have children before 35, she must begin her next profession, motherhood, rather soon, compromising inevitably her original one. The same-age partner, equally unsettled in his career, will take only the minimum time off, she guesses, or else pay some cost which will come back to bite her. Everything unfailingly does. If she freezes her eggs to buy time, the decision and its logistics will burden her singly — and perhaps it will not work. Overlay the years a woman is supposed to establish herself in her career and her fertility window and it’s a perfect, miserable circle. By midlife women report feeling invisible, undervalued; it is a telling cliché, that after all this, some husbands leave for a younger girl. So when is her time, exactly? For leisure, ease, liberty? There is no brand of feminism which achieved female rest. If women’s problem in the ’50s was a paralyzing malaise, now it is that they are too active, too capable, never permitted a vacation they didn’t plan. It’s not that our efforts to have it all were fated for failure. They simply weren’t imaginative enough.

For me, my relationship, with its age gap, has alleviated this rush , permitted me to massage the clock, shift its hands to my benefit. Very soon, we will decide to have children, and I don’t panic over last gasps of fun, because I took so many big breaths of it early: on the holidays of someone who had worked a decade longer than I had, in beautiful places when I was young and beautiful, a symmetry I recommend. If such a thing as maternal energy exists, mine was never depleted. I spent the last nearly seven years supported more than I support and I am still not as old as my husband was when he met me. When I have a child, I will expect more help from him than I would if he were younger, for what does professional tenure earn you if not the right to set more limits on work demands — or, if not, to secure some child care, at the very least? When I return to work after maternal upheaval, he will aid me, as he’s always had, with his ability to put himself aside, as younger men are rarely able.

Above all, the great gift of my marriage is flexibility. A chance to live my life before I become responsible for someone else’s — a lover’s, or a child’s. A chance to write. A chance at a destiny that doesn’t adhere rigidly to the routines and timelines of men, but lends itself instead to roomy accommodation, to the very fluidity Betty Friedan dreamed of in 1963 in The Feminine Mystique , but we’ve largely forgotten: some career or style of life that “permits year-to-year variation — a full-time paid job in one community, part-time in another, exercise of the professional skill in serious volunteer work or a period of study during pregnancy or early motherhood when a full-time job is not feasible.” Some things are just not feasible in our current structures. Somewhere along the way we stopped admitting that, and all we did was make women feel like personal failures. I dream of new structures, a world in which women have entry-level jobs in their 30s; alternate avenues for promotion; corporate ladders with balconies on which they can stand still, have a smoke, take a break, make a baby, enjoy themselves, before they keep climbing. Perhaps men long for this in their own way. Actually I am sure of that.

Once, when we first fell in love, I put my head in his lap on a long car ride; I remember his hands on my face, the sun, the twisting turns of a mountain road, surprising and not surprising us like our romance, and his voice, telling me that it was his biggest regret that I was so young, he feared he would lose me. Last week, we looked back at old photos and agreed we’d given each other our respective best years. Sometimes real equality is not so obvious, sometimes it takes turns, sometimes it takes almost a decade to reveal itself.

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Poor Nations Are Writing a New Handbook for Getting Rich

Economies focused on exports have lifted millions out of poverty, but epochal changes in trade, supply chains and technology are making it a lot harder.

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By Patricia Cohen

Reporting from London

For more than half a century, the handbook for how developing countries can grow rich hasn’t changed much: Move subsistence farmers into manufacturing jobs, and then sell what they produce to the rest of the world.

The recipe — customized in varying ways by Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and China — has produced the most potent engine the world has ever known for generating economic growth. It has helped lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, create jobs and raise standards of living.

The Asian Tigers and China succeeded by combining vast pools of cheap labor with access to international know-how and financing, and buyers that reached from Kalamazoo to Kuala Lumpur. Governments provided the scaffolding: They built up roads and schools, offered business-friendly rules and incentives, developed capable administrative institutions and nurtured incipient industries.

But technology is advancing, supply chains are shifting, and political tensions are reshaping trade patterns. And with that, doubts are growing about whether industrialization can still deliver the miracle growth it once did. For developing countries, which contain 85 percent of the globe’s population — 6.8 billion people — the implications are profound.

Today, manufacturing accounts for a smaller share of the world’s output, and China already does more than a third of it . At the same time, more emerging countries are selling inexpensive goods abroad, increasing competition. There are not as many gains to be squeezed out: Not everyone can be a net exporter or offer the world’s lowest wages and overhead.

There are doubts that industrialization can create the game-changing benefits it did in the past. Factories today tend to rely more on automated technology and less on cheapworkers who have little training.

“You cannot generate enough jobs for the vast majority of workers who are not very educated,” said Dani Rodrik, a leading development economist at Harvard.

The process can be seen in Bangladesh, which the World Bank’s managing director called “one of the world’s greatest development stories” last year. The country built its success on turning farmers into textile workers.

Last year, though, Rubana Huq, chair of Mohammadi Group, a family-owned conglomerate, replaced 3,000 employees with automated jacquard machines to do complex weaving patterns.

The women found similar jobs elsewhere in the company. “But what follows when this happens on a large scale?” asked Ms. Huq, who is also president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

These workers don’t have training, she said. “They’re not going to turn into coders overnight.”

Recent global developments have accelerated the transition.

Supply chain meltdowns related to the Covid-19 pandemic and to sanctions prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drove up the price of essentials like food and fuel, biting into incomes. High interest rates, imposed by central banks to quell inflation, set off another series of crises: Developing nations’ debts ballooned , and investment capital dried up.

Last week, the International Monetary Fund warned of the noxious combination of lower growth and higher debt.

The supercharged globalization that had encouraged companies to buy and sell in every spot around the planet has also been shifting. Rising political tensions, especially between China and the United States, are affecting where businesses and governments invest and trade.

Companies want supply chains to be secure as well as cheap, and they are looking at neighbors or political allies to provide them.

In this new era, Mr. Rodrik said, “the industrialization model — which practically every country that has become rich has relied on — is no longer capable of generating rapid and sustained economic growth.”

Nor is it clear what might replace it.

There’s a future in service jobs.

One alternative might be found in Bengaluru, a high-tech center in the Indian state of Karnataka.

Multinationals like Goldman Sachs, Victoria’s Secret and the Economist magazine have flocked to the city and set up hundreds of operational hubs — known as global capability centers — to handle accounting, design products, develop cybersecurity systems and artificial intelligence, and more.

Such centers are expected to generate 500,000 jobs nationwide in the next two to three years, according to the consulting firm Deloitte .

They are joining hundreds of biotech, engineering and information technology companies including homegrown giants like Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and Infosys Limited. Four months ago, the American chip company AMD unveiled its largest global design center there.

“We have to move away from the idea of classic development stages, that you go from the farm to the factory and then from the factory to offices,” said Richard Baldwin , an economist at the IMD in Lausanne. “That whole development model is wrong.”

Two-thirds of the world’s output now comes from the service sector — a mishmash that includes dog walkers, manicurists, food preparers, cleaners and drivers, as well as highly trained chip designers, graphic artists, nurses, engineers and accountants.

It is possible to leapfrog to the service sector and grow by selling to businesses around the world, Mr. Baldwin argued. That is what helped India become the world’s fifth-largest economy .

In Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, a general rise in middle-class living attracted more people and more businesses that, in turn, attracted more people and businesses, continuing the cycle, Mr. Baldwin explained.

Covid sped this transition, by forcing people to work remotely — from a different part of town, a different city or a different country.

In the new model, countries can focus growth around cities rather than a particular industry. “That creates economic activities which are fairly diverse,” Mr. Baldwin said.

“Think Bangalore, not South China,” he said.

Free markets are not enough.

Many developing nations remain focused on building export-oriented industries as the path to prosperity. And that’s how it should be, said Justin Yifu Lin , dean of the Institute of New Structural Economics at Peking University.

Pessimism about the classic development formula, he said, has been fueled by a misguided belief that the growth process was automatic: Just clear the way for the free market and the rest will take care of itself.

Countries were often pressured by the United States and the international institutions to embrace open markets and hands-off governance.

Export-led growth in Africa and Latin America stumbled because governments failed to protect and subsidize infant industries, said Mr. Lin, a former chief economist at the World Bank.

“Industrial policy was taboo for a long time,” he said, and many of those who tried failed. But there were also success stories like China and South Korea.

“You need the state to help the private sector overcome market failures,” he said. “You cannot do it without industrial policy.”

It won’t work without education.

The overriding question is whether anything — services or manufacturing — can generate the type of growth that is desperately needed: broad based, large scale and sustainable.

Service jobs for businesses are multiplying, but many offering middle and high incomes are in areas like finance and tech, which tend to require advanced skills and education levels far above what most people in developing nations have.

In India, nearly half of college graduates don’t have the skills they need for these jobs, according to Wheebox , an educational testing service.

The mismatch is everywhere. The Future of Jobs report , published last year by the World Economic Forum, found that six in 10 workers will need retraining in the next three years, but the overwhelming majority won’t have access to it.

Other kinds of service jobs are proliferating, too, but many are neither well paid nor exportable. A barber in Bengaluru can’t cut your hair if you’re in Brooklyn.

That could mean smaller — and more uneven — growth.

Researchers at Yale University found that in India and several countries in sub-Saharan Africa, agricultural workers jumped into consumer service jobs and raised their productivity and incomes.

But there was a catch: The gains were “strikingly unequal” and disproportionately benefited the rich .

With a weakening global economy , developing countries will need to wring every bit of growth they can from every corner of their economies. Industrial policy is essential, Mr. Rodrik of Harvard said, but it should focus on smaller service firms and households because that is going to be the source of most future growth.

He and others caution that even so, gains are likely to be modest and hard won.

“The envelope has shrunk,” he said. “How much growth we can get is definitely less than in the past.”

An earlier version of this article misidentified the location of IMD. It is in Lausanne, not Geneva.

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Patricia Cohen writes about global economics and is based in London. More about Patricia Cohen

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Opinion | What’s going on with the NFL Network?

The NFL appears to be sabotaging ‘Good Morning Football,’ one of the best sports studio shows on TV. Why?

What the heck is going on with NFL Network?

First, it appears to be sabotaging the excellent show “Good Morning Football” by moving it out of New York City and to Los Angeles, which likely means a shakeup of staff both in front of and behind the camera.

Maybe it’ll all work out, and there’s a method to what now appears to be madness. But I do know this much: “Good Morning Football” has found its groove in recent years and is (or was) one of the best sports studio shows on television. Why mess with it? Just rinse and repeat and continue to have a highly watchable show.

Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina wrote , “While we don’t know yet about changes to the on-air staff, we do know the production team for ‘GMFB’ won’t be moving to L.A. So the NFL is taking a popular show that works extremely well and stripping it of its support staff and moving it from the exciting and gritty New York City to laid-back L.A. and making the hosts go live on the air at 5 a.m. local time.”

Traina added that it’s hard to see some of the “farewell to New York” videos from on-air talent and not think of it as “an end of an era.”

Then came this news Thursday as first reported by Andrew Marchand for The Athletic: The NFL Network is letting go of four on-air personalities. They are Melissa Stark, Andrew Siciliano, James Palmer and Will Selva — all of whom are well respected in the business. (Stark remains a sideline reporter for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.”)

Stark had been at NFL Network for 12 years. Siciliano started there in 2005. Selva had been there for a decade. Palmer joined NFL Media in 2015.

What gives? Doesn’t the NFL print money? Why all the shuffling?

NFL Network spokesperson Alex Riethmiller told The Athletic, “As is normal course of business this time of year, we are evaluating our talent roster for the upcoming 2024 season and beyond. That process results in renewals, non-renewals and additions to our talent lineup depending on programming needs. To those departing talent, we give our sincere thanks and appreciation for their hard work and contributions to NFL Media.”

Earlier this week, Awful Announcing’s Alex Reimer wrote, “GMFB‘s cross-country move is taking place during a turbulent time at NFL Media. Despite the NFL now approaching $12 billion in annual revenue , the league is slashing its media assets. Last year, NFL Network laid off about 5 percent of its staff and was criticized for doing so in the wake of new sources of revenue . Early this year, Andrew Marchand reported ESPN and the NFL were in ‘advanced talks’ that would give the league an equity stake in the Disney-owned property, but nothing has materialized as of yet.”

This ESPN-NFL talk may have a lot to do with all this. Still, the latest is sad news. A really good morning show might turn sour and, more importantly, some really talented people just got let go.

The future of SI

Oh, speaking of Jimmy Traina, good news about his Sports Illustrated sports media podcast. It’s returning. It had been off for a short spell as all the mess with Sports Illustrated and its future was sorted out.

But Traina wrote in his column Thursday, “I will spare you the details and just tell you that Sports Illustrated is not dead — by a long shot. The magazine is alive. The website is alive. Our social channels are alive. My column is alive and my podcast is alive. Any reports of SI’s demise are 100% wrong.”

Traina’s first episode after the brief hiatus was a conversation with sport-talk legend (and occasional ESPN “First Take” guest) Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.

As nonprofit journalism matures, what’s next?

Here’s an item from my colleague Annie Aguiar, Poynter’s audience engagement producer.

In a troubled media industry, many look to nonprofit newsrooms as role models. But as the nonprofit sector of the industry matures, what’s next?

We’ll be having a LinkedIn Live audio discussion with Poynter contributor Amaris Castillo, Poynter media business analyst Rick Edmonds and Institute for Nonprofit News chief network officer Jonathan Kealing to talk a bit more about the state of nonprofit news and what we can learn from notable nonprofit newsrooms and longer-running startup shops.

One peer to learn from is New Orleans’ pioneering nonprofit The Lens, kept alive for going on 15 years under the guidance of artist-turned-journalist Karen Gadbois.

Castillo spent months reporting on Gadbois and The Lens as a case study for the industry for her story, “ In New Orleans, a pioneering nonprofit newsroom ponders a future beyond its founder ,” and will speak about the newsroom as a case study for the nonprofit sector.

Save the date and join us next Wednesday, April 10 at 4 p.m .

And now onto more media news, tidbits and recommended links for your weekend …

• Greg Gutfeld is sticking around at Fox News. Variety’s Brian Steinberg reports Gutfeld has signed a contract extension with Fox. Gutfeld will continue as co-host on “The Five,” as well as hosting his nightly show “Gutfeld,” which takes a lighter look at the news with a supposed humorous spin. I’ve checked in on “Gutfeld” occasionally and found it rather unfunny, with writing that seems to come from the “first joke that popped into our heads” philosophy as opposed to the more nuanced and clever comedy of, say, “The Daily Show.” But apparently enough people like it that Gutfeld is considered a valuable personality at Fox.
• Hallie Jackson begins her stint as the permanent anchor of Sunday’s “NBC Nightly News” this Sunday (6:30 p.m. Eastern). Jackson, anchor of “Hallie Jackson NOW” on NBC News NOW and NBC News’ senior Washington correspondent, takes over for Kate Snow, who stepped away to work on her other NBC News assignments.
• Check this out. Sorry, couldn’t help the bad pun. But, when it comes to stories about blue verification check marks on X, bad puns are the only way to get through it. Here’s The Washington Post’s Will Oremus with “Musk’s X pivots again, restoring blue checks to popular accounts.”
• NBC News’ Ryan J. Reilly with “Meet some of the violent Jan. 6 rioters Donald Trump keeps calling ‘hostages.’”
• For The Atlantic, Gary Shteyngart with “Crying myself to sleep on the biggest cruise ship ever.”
• The Washington Post’s Hannah Natanson, Lauren Tierney and Clara Ence Morse with “America has legislated itself into competing red, blue versions of education.”
• As a fan of Bravo and some of its reality TV candy, I read this piece closely. Note: this is for Los Angeles Times subscribers only. It’s Stacy Perman and Meredith Blake with “Andy Cohen turned Bravo into a cable powerhouse. Now the ‘king of reality TV’ faces his own drama.”
• Slate editor-in-chief Hillary Frey writes , “There are two things I require shortly after I wake up in the morning: coffee, of course, and games.” So Slate is going to join the fun. It has launched a daily crossword puzzle . Monday through Friday is what’s called a midi crossword (11 x 11) and on Sundays, it will have a full size crossword (15 x 15). Frey writes, “I was able to test out a few in advance, and they are perfectly cheeky, a little tough, and very fun. Whether you are a crossword novice like me or an experienced puzzle-doer, I think you’ll find our crossword offering to be fresh and challenging.”
• The White House Correspondents’ Association is out with its 2024 journalism award winners. Click here to see the winners.
• College basketball’s Final Four for both men and women in Division I is this weekend. The women’s semifinals are tonight and the men’s semifinals are Saturday. The championship games are Sunday for the women and Monday for the men. For the first time, there might be more interest in the women than the men with the women featuring star players Caitlin Clark (Iowa) and Paige Bueckers (UConn) and big-time coaches Geno Auriemma of UConn and Dawn Staley of undefeated South Carolina. Last week’s Iowa-LSU game drew a women’s college basketball record 12.3 million TV viewers. Could this weekend reach those kinds of numbers for the women? Maybe. Either way, it figures to surpass 10 million and that’s impressive for any telecast. Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy writes , “ESPN-ABC holds exclusive rights to the women’s Final Four and national championship. The network is pulling out all the stops to capitalize on Clark Mania. ESPN will MegaCast Friday night’s Final Four coverage of South Carolina–NC State and Iowa-UConn, as well as sister network ABC’s subsequent coverage of the national championship game Sunday. Nearly a dozen ESPN platforms will offer their own angle on the Final Four, including a ‘Beyond the Rim’ presentation on ESPN+, featuring an aerial camera view and an enhanced statistical feed.”
• Jonathan Greenberger, the Washington bureau chief for ABC News, is headed to Politico to be executive vice president.

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• Delve more deeply into your editing skills with Poynter ACES Intermediate Certificate in Editing .
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The age of AI BS

Companies are overexaggerating their AI prowess

Maybe AI will kill us all . Maybe it will steal our jobs . Maybe it will be awesome and improve our lives beyond our imaginations. Or, perhaps, this is all hype , and it's doomed to go the way of the metaverse. Amid all the unknowns that surround artificial intelligence , one thing is true: Almost everyone is a little bit lying about it at the moment.

Companies know investors have an appetite for all things artificial intelligence right now, and they're eager to show off how they're integrating the new tech into their businesses — or at least say they are. The Securities and Exchange Commission's chair, Gary Gensler, recently warned about " AI washing ," or companies giving off a false impression that they're using AI so they can amp up investors. And while some companies are simply exaggerating the tech they do legitimately use, others have taken it a step further. In March, the SEC settled charges against a pair of investment advisors that were accused of making "false and misleading statements" about how they're using AI. The regulator said one of the firms, Delphia, claimed it used AI to "predict which companies and trends are about to make it big and invest in them before everyone else" when, in fact, it didn't. The other, Global Predictions, falsely called itself the "first regulated AI financial advisor," per the SEC. The firms agreed to pay a combined $400,000 in civil penalties without admitting or denying the SEC's findings.

Most companies aren't being accused of breaking the law with their AI chatter, but they're definitely posturing around it. An analysis from Goldman Sachs found that 36% of S&P 500 companies mentioned AI in their fourth-quarter earnings calls, a record high. Businesses were just showing up at Nvidia's little AI Woodstock event — a four-day AI conference held in an arena in San Jose, California — hoping to get some hiring halo effect from merely being in the chipmaker's presence. As to how much there is there on many of these AI claims, well, there's some hyperbole going on.

"There is a certain grandiosity to what is being discussed in terms of potential, and I think part of it is people don't know if or when some of these things are going to be achievable," Scott Kessler, the global sector lead of technology, media, and telecommunications at Third Bridge Group, said. "People are very excited, and rightly so in some cases, but these things aren't going to happen overnight."

There is a certain grandiosity to what is being discussed in terms of potential, and I think part of it is people don't know if or when some of these things are going to be achievable.

While some companies are clearly just bolting on AI ideas to their existing businesses, even projects that are explicitly about developing the next wave of this tech are hitting stumbling blocks. Google's Gemini rollout has been a mess amid criticism that it's "woke" and biased and seemingly can't decide whether Elon Musk is better or worse than Adolf Hitler. And while OpenAI's ChatGPT generated a lot of buzz last year, it's still got a tendency to make stuff up .

"The release of ChatGPT was a brilliant marketing campaign in some sense. It really worked very well. It completely mesmerized people," said Daron Acemoglu, an institute professor of economics at MIT and a coauthor of the recently released " Power and Progress: Our 1000-Year Struggle Over Technology & Prosperity ." He said there were some "pretty impressive achievements" embedded in ChatGPT, which could be indicative of what's possible, but OpenAI hyped up the product as much as possible to raise money, attract talent, and compete in the hypercompetitive tech industry.

Sam Altman , the CEO of OpenAI and the poster child/messiah for the AI industry still speaks about the tech in a nebulous, nonspecific, and, at times, overstated manner. As the tech writer Ed Zitron has noted , he's said his kids have more AI friends than human friends and that the tech will replace almost everything marketing agencies do, among other eyebrow-raising claims. It's not the case that Altman's being disingenuous — it's just that it's not super clear what the present capabilities of the technology even truly are, let alone what they might be in the future, so making bold, concrete claims about the way it's going to affect society seems presumptuous.

What is clear, however, is that there's a belief that there's a lot of money to be made, and overselling has become a near-constant of the AI landscape. While the semiconductor industry is seeing an enormous amount of demand on the infrastructure side of AI, not all companies in the arena are created equal. Companies such as Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom are big winners, but then there are others out there "who want to be part of the story," Angelo Zino, a senior industry analyst at CFRA Research, said. "The way they would kind of spin it is somewhere along the lines of, 'We expect AI to be a huge beneficiary of our business, and we see increasing orders related to AI,' and it might be some hard-disk-drive maker, which isn't necessarily an AI play," he said.

A lot of these companies are not yet showcasing exactly what type of revenue they're getting from AI yet because it's still so small.

Even the Big Tech companies that are really moving and shaking in AI are on shifty ground at times. Tech giants such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are telling sales executives to hold their horses on how they're pitching their generative-AI capabilities to clients, The Information reported. Just because you layer AI into your offering doesn't mean it's actually helpful to your customers in a way that makes a significant portion of them willing to pay a lot for it. Take the example of Microsoft's Copilot, which the company isn't breaking out a ton of detail on, revenuewise, at the moment.

"A lot of these companies are not yet showcasing exactly what type of revenue they're getting from AI yet because it's still so small," Zino said.

As for the nontech companies talking about AI, it's hard to tell what exactly anyone means or what's hope versus reality. I recently found myself in a conversation with a bank executive who touted her firm's efforts in generative AI. When I pressed to find out what she was talking about, thinking it was something big, she told me they were figuring out how to use AI to help representatives in call centers look up information. That's probably nice for newer employees who are trying to get the hang of things. However, it isn't game-changing.

AI innovation is an important development. There are plenty of reasons to believe that this isn't the dot-com bubble 2.0 , or even crypto , and that this technology will have a meaningful, if yet undefined, impact. (Hopefully, not the one where it wipes out humanity.) But the financial incentives here make it easy and tempting to overstate things. For many companies and entrepreneurs in the space, their wildest AI dreams are dollar signs.

"There is some sort of a cascade that if you are not talking about integrating generative AI into your workflow somehow if you're a medium to large company, you are sort of behind the times," Acemoglu said. "And I think dreams of automation are never too far from the minds of many managers."

It's genuinely unclear what generative AI and what comes with it will bring, which is both unsettling and comforting. The hyperoptimistic and hyperpessimistic takes are likely wrong, meaning the truth will ultimately wind up being somewhere in the middle. But anyone who tells you they know exactly what is going on in AI and where it's headed is lying.

Emily Stewart is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.

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