After 13 years, NASW’s Words’ Worth market and rates database has retired. The brainchild of NASW’s active Freelance Committee, Words’ Worth debuted in 2007. Designed especially for NASW members, it was one of the only resources at the time for sharing information on assignments, rates, and experiences, and quickly reached more than 200 entries in the first year. Fast forward more than a decade, as other crowdsourced sites rose in popularity, entries in Words’ Worth steadily declined toward senescence with only 4 entries published in 2019.
To be clear, the lack of posting volume is in no way a reflection on the Freelance Committee, which started this project out of a commitment to members and has continued to support it. Members of the committee have proposed various ways to improve and streamline the Words’ Worth submission process and have implemented efforts to boost submissions. Unfortunately, these efforts have proven not to be cost-effective in either money or volunteer time.
After much reflection, we decided to retire the project and encourage members to report their experiences in science writing using an existing, free and popular resource: Who Pays Writers. The committee will continue to focus on other resources that they have launched, including The Fine Print, a helpful contracts database for members, and develop new initiatives. The committee is currently focused on assisting freelance members with interpretation of the CARES Act and other creative avenues of support during the unprecedented pandemic. Jobs and freelance assignment leads are available to all members via the NASW Jobs Board, with the option to receive instant notices in your inbox. Members can also search for fellowships and other funding opportunities using the NASW Funding Sources database.
Many thanks to members of the Freelance Committee past and present for their support; to Jennie Dusheck, Jeanne Erdmann, Erik Ness, Tammy Powledge, and Richard Robinson who served on the original subcommittee that developed Words’ Worth in concert with Cybrarian Russell Clemings; to Carol Milano, who gave this resource its name via a member-wide contest; and to Charlotte Huff and Esther Landhuis, volunteer curators over the many years.
Add your experiences to Who Pays Writers
