How
to Get the Most Out of Craigslist
(Without Getting Ripped Off)
By Liz Scott
Dozens of ads for writers appear on
Craigslist every day. Yet many writers shun Craigslist, fearing scams and
rip-offs. They have reason to fear-- Craigslist, like many casual-access
Internet communities, is only marginally monitored. Scammers and flakes abound.
So how can you mine Craigslist for its real possibilities without inadvertently
giving away valuable time and work? Real writing jobs are out there-- I started
reviewing books for Absolute Write by responding to a Craigslist ad!
Before you send your best work off in response to an ad, try asking these
questions:
Is the ad from a well-known, reputable company or publication?
Many recognizable markets and companies advertise jobs on Craigslist. While it's
always safest to double-check the company's website, it's usually a good bet
that Sunset Magazine and Williams-Sonoma aren't trying to rip you off.
Where is the ad placed?
If an ad is in the Jobs area, it's more likely to be a real work offer than an
ad in the Gigs section. The Craigslist pages for the major metropolitan areas
(New York, LA, San Francisco) require Jobs advertisers to pay a fee. Most
scammers want something for nothing, so they're not too likely to pay for a Jobs
ad.
This doesn't automatically mean you have to ignore everything in the Gigs
section. I've gotten real work there. Just be more careful if it's a Gig listing.
What's in the ad?
A detailed ad is more likely (but not guaranteed!) to be legitimate. Beware of
ads that say "Submit your short stories to the e-mail address above for
publication!" and very little else.
At a minimum, the ad should contain the name of the publication, contact
information, payment offered, and one or two submission guidelines.
Is there a website?
If there's a web address, you can check out the publication for yourself. But be
sure there's real content behind the pretty home page. The website should
contain information about the publication, further contact information, and
possibly a masthead. If this is a web-based publication, check for
professionalism. Are the published stories and articles well written and edited?
Is site content controlled by staff, or can anyone post a story? Are there
further submission guidelines available?
Even today, not all paper-and-ink publications have websites. If an ad is for a
market you know, or for a small local market you can find on newsstands, it
might be worth taking a chance on even without a URL.
What's the e-mail address?
If the only e-mail address the ad gives is one for a free e-mail account
(Hotmail, Yahoo!, Gmail, etc.,), that's a bad sign. A free e-mail account
probably means just one person with a home computer who will be hard to trace if
you are trying to run down a delinquent payment.
Don't automatically distrust the anonymous e-mail addresses provided by
Craigslist, especially if you ask the other questions in this list and get good
answers. Legitimate advertisers sometimes use the anonymous address feature to
discourage spam-bots from picking up their real e-mail addresses.
Does the ad ask for writers in specific locations?
Many markets advertising on Craigslist are looking for local talent and will
advertise only in their own metro area. National markets don't usually need to
search for talent-- they have it coming out their ears. Be suspicious of ads
with "anywhere" or "the universe" listed as the location.
A few websites really are looking for talented writers from around the world,
but check them out thoroughly before you send your best work.
Is the ad posted by an individual looking for writing help?
While not all individuals advertising on Craigslist are flakes, approach them
with caution. Be prepared to demand full or partial payment up-front, and to
drop the assignment if the person refuses to pay.
Plenty of students would love to pay you $10 to write their term papers and
master's theses. It's up to you, but give up any illusion that you're "helping"
students write better papers. You're helping them cheat by turning in work
that's not their own.
Does the ad ask for unpublished samples?
An ad that demands you submit two or three writing "samples" before they decide
whether you're worthy of publication is asking you to write for free, and maybe
for no credit. A legitimate publication will ask you for previously published
clips to get a sense of your style and experience.
If you're an inexperienced writer with few clips, you may have to resort to
unpublished samples. I've sent unpublished samples to publications that passed
all the other questions on the list, and been successful. Use your own judgment
on this one.
Is the ad for a new, unpublished magazine or journal?
These ads aren't always malicious-- there are plenty of honest people who want
to start magazines and literary web sites. The trouble is, many of these grand
ventures never get ink onto paper or pixels onto screen. You definitely won't
get paid for any work you submit to a market that fails before it gets off the
ground.
If you're determined write for unpublished markets, look for keywords like
"funded" and "experienced editorial staff."
Is the ad asking for erotica?
Sure, there are plenty of genuine erotica publishers. But on Craigslist, most
ads for "true confessions" and such are posted by someone sitting in a dark room
hoping to get some Penthouse "Forum" for free.
Last and most importantly, use common sense.
Always remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is.
Don't spend 100 hours researching and writing the perfect article, then send it
off on spec to an unknown editor at an unfamiliar e-mail address. Instead, pitch
articles the same as you would to any other market. For fiction and poetry, send
a letter of inquiry before submitting anything.
While these guidelines won't weed out all the flakes and con artists on
Craigslist, they'll give you a head start. Soon you'll be scanning ads quickly,
and zeroing in on those precious bits of gold hidden among the handfuls of
Internet gravel.
Liz Scott is a part-time freelance writer and full-time technical writer
from the San Francisco Bay area. Her life's dream is never again to begin a book
with the sentence "Insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive."
Check out a couple of Liz's humor essays at
Conversely.com and in the recent Traveler's Tales anthology
Whose Panties Are These? edited by Jen Leo.
