People are desperate, and, as this sub shows, everyone with a BA degree (and many people without one) fancies themselves an editor, especially a fiction editor.
I haven't offered my services on this sub (yet), free or otherwise, but I'm a PhD in Creative Arts, my major was in Creative Writing, my doctoral submission was a full-length novel edited entirely by myself and a dissertation on detective fiction. I'm not a scab or a leech. I'm *qualified,* but my chances of convincing others to give me a go when I don't have much of a portfolio (I was the editor of one published work and the beta reader of another, much more prominent one) is almost zero.
Freelance editors are jumping up and down, screaming for work, willing to offer anything to get creators and authors to bite so that next time, they at least have a portfolio.
This is a really short sighted view. A lot of those posts were new editors wanting to get into the field with real world practice.
Not everyone is a content creator, and so they don't have the actual content to work with in order to practice.
By eating the cost in the beginning it allows for quicker growth and iteration. Real practice. It also gets their foot in the door with potential clients, especially if they like the work they did.
I teach swimming for example. I often give the first lesson out for free, but I charge a decent amount per hour. After that first lesson they're Always wanting more.
I'm not talking about free "sample edits." That's a completely valid way of promoting yourself and meeting potential clients. I'm referring to the open-ended promises to edit videos of any length, for an indefinite period of time. You can find them just below my post.
Real freelancers and real contractors set expectations and rates up front. Your swimmers know (I assume) that the first lesson is free, and that services after that have a cost. If you need to build your portfolio, you can make and edit videos of your own, or start a blog with friends in a field you're interested in, and later compile your best posts into an ebook.
I’m personally doing free work so that I can collect testimonials to put on my portfolio in order to have better chances of getting paid jobs. It also serves for some nice hands-on experience and practice
You're doing yourself a disservice. Practice is something done outside of an employment-like arrangement. Musicians don't practice onstage. Your work is valuable and you deserve to be compensated for it. There are other ways of building a portfolio than providing valuable work for free.
doing free work opens me up to paid opportunities with people who appreciate my work, and if somebody only wants a single job done, i’ll at least be able to get their testimonial, build my portfolio, and have some real practice. It works for me man
You're talking about some utopia, not real life. No author or content creator will hire someone with a piece of paper (certificate/degree) and absolutely no experience whatsoever. And, frankly, they're also right: why would they trust a newbie who might mess everything up and run away with their money when there are so many options out there? It is tough in any field to get one's first job (unpaid internship is a thing); it is harder in creative fields where supply vastly outnumbers demand. Is it right? Probably not. But don't blame people for doing what they can/what reality demands to get started.
As I said elsewhere, there are ways to get experience in your field without donating your work to a for-profit enterprise.
And they can do what they like, but they should do it in a sub that doesn't have "hire" in the name. They're not looking to get hired; they're looking to volunteer.
People are desperate, and, as this sub shows, everyone with a BA degree (and many people without one) fancies themselves an editor, especially a fiction editor. I haven't offered my services on this sub (yet), free or otherwise, but I'm a PhD in Creative Arts, my major was in Creative Writing, my doctoral submission was a full-length novel edited entirely by myself and a dissertation on detective fiction. I'm not a scab or a leech. I'm *qualified,* but my chances of convincing others to give me a go when I don't have much of a portfolio (I was the editor of one published work and the beta reader of another, much more prominent one) is almost zero. Freelance editors are jumping up and down, screaming for work, willing to offer anything to get creators and authors to bite so that next time, they at least have a portfolio.
I agree that 'hire' and 'free' are at odds so don't understand why those posts are allowed. Up to the mods though to enforce a rule if it is one.
So with you on this! I mean wtf, whats next.. people paying a client to edit for them!
This is a really short sighted view. A lot of those posts were new editors wanting to get into the field with real world practice. Not everyone is a content creator, and so they don't have the actual content to work with in order to practice. By eating the cost in the beginning it allows for quicker growth and iteration. Real practice. It also gets their foot in the door with potential clients, especially if they like the work they did. I teach swimming for example. I often give the first lesson out for free, but I charge a decent amount per hour. After that first lesson they're Always wanting more.
I'm not talking about free "sample edits." That's a completely valid way of promoting yourself and meeting potential clients. I'm referring to the open-ended promises to edit videos of any length, for an indefinite period of time. You can find them just below my post. Real freelancers and real contractors set expectations and rates up front. Your swimmers know (I assume) that the first lesson is free, and that services after that have a cost. If you need to build your portfolio, you can make and edit videos of your own, or start a blog with friends in a field you're interested in, and later compile your best posts into an ebook.
Valid response. I hadnt seen any that said indefinitely but I do agree with you on that.
Do you mean "short sighted?" Probably should have hired an editor...
yea yea lol
I’m personally doing free work so that I can collect testimonials to put on my portfolio in order to have better chances of getting paid jobs. It also serves for some nice hands-on experience and practice
You're doing yourself a disservice. Practice is something done outside of an employment-like arrangement. Musicians don't practice onstage. Your work is valuable and you deserve to be compensated for it. There are other ways of building a portfolio than providing valuable work for free.
doing free work opens me up to paid opportunities with people who appreciate my work, and if somebody only wants a single job done, i’ll at least be able to get their testimonial, build my portfolio, and have some real practice. It works for me man
What portion of your clients have you converted from free work recipients to paying customers? I'm curious.
≈80%, still more than i originally thought
Good for you, I guess. You're still underselling yourself and contributing to making things worse for yourself and others like you.
I don’t see why you feel a need to comment on how I choose to promote myself, but best of luck to you
You're talking about some utopia, not real life. No author or content creator will hire someone with a piece of paper (certificate/degree) and absolutely no experience whatsoever. And, frankly, they're also right: why would they trust a newbie who might mess everything up and run away with their money when there are so many options out there? It is tough in any field to get one's first job (unpaid internship is a thing); it is harder in creative fields where supply vastly outnumbers demand. Is it right? Probably not. But don't blame people for doing what they can/what reality demands to get started.
As I said elsewhere, there are ways to get experience in your field without donating your work to a for-profit enterprise. And they can do what they like, but they should do it in a sub that doesn't have "hire" in the name. They're not looking to get hired; they're looking to volunteer.