Dear Freelancers
You wonder why there are no jobs. You blame the recession. You blame other unskilled writers for snapping up horrible paying gigs. You blame everybody but yourself.

I wonder if you ever thought you were actually good enough? Or if you just don't cut the mustard? Do you understand how much crap submissions an editor has to deal with on a daily basis? Do you ever wonder why we choose to pay such low (I don't personally, I'm speaking on behalf of many others)?
I can answer you why the pay is so low. Most of you aren't worth it. Hell, you've said so yourself.
There. I said it.
Editors set requirements for what they need and the writer is expected to meet those requirements.
Example: "Please write me a short 100 word description of Venue X. This should be written in a snappy, entertaining, and informative style, and should also in addition include address, phone number, and website info."
You know what 80% of the responses will be? 150 − 200 word descriptions, completely ignoring the requirements. Because either A) the writer didn't pay attention or B) they didn't care.
OK, maybe 80% is a bit high. Even if it is under 50% think about what that means. An editor gets, say, 200 submissions for a gig and 100 are decent. Out of those 100, 50 are serviceable, and out of those 50, 25 offer to write it at a rate less than what you offered to pay simply because they need to have SOMETHING to write about.
Who do YOU think the editor is going to consider first? The excellent 25 who will work for the offered price or those that are equally as talented but are willing to work for less?
I think you know the answer to that.
So how to get around this little conundrum? First, make sure you follow the instructions set before you, send the EXACT amount of samples required, meet the word counts, and don't offer to do the work for less money.
Yes you heard me correctly, don't offer to do work for less to get a "leg up" on the rest. All you're doing is hurting yourself in the long run by selling yourself, and every other freelancer out there, short by setting a precedent. Also, if you can't use a spell checker, or at least take the time to submit a second or third draft, then please stop writing and start a new career in hard labour. I'm a terrible speller, but I know that and I know what to look for, and I know how to catch other people's mistakes. So it works.
I've learned some hard lessons on both the editorial end and freelance side of the biz, but the best advice is to just use common sense, listen to feedback and change accordingly without getting upset, follow the guidelines set before you by the dude(ette) that is paying (or potentially paying) the bills, and don't sell yourself short. If you think you're worth .02 cents a word then you are.
Signed
Magnificent Bastard Editor