20-Cents Per Word Considered Good Pay: So Why Are You Still in This Game?

 The surprise is not that 20-cents a word is currently being paid content-creators - and that many on the Reddit post consider that "good pay."

The stunner during Q2 2026 is that there really are those who continue to hope to earn a living as generalist writers. You know, preparing material for this or that publication, blog or brand. They're not, for example, in Executive Communications which has bounced back and pays the big bucks.

As a number of comments on that Reddit post hammer: Gone for at least two years has been the one to two dollars a word. No indication among them that it's coming back. They, like myself, had exited. A bit of grieving went on. And that was that, at least for us.

Meanwhile, those sticking with it let the world know how much they love writing, how good they are at it and how little they are getting paid should they be lucky enough to land assignments or an actual job.

That denial of reality mirrors the mindset of some of the middle-aged middle managers forced out during the late 1980s corporate downsizing. Instead of retraining or becoming entrepreneurs, they applied for jobs which no longer existed. Time passed them by. Most wound up in minimum-wage work. 

Recently I coached a woman who will receive the BA in December. Her youth gave her confidence in her dream of being a writer. The most I could move the needle away from that was to impose a deadline. Sure, she could make it. But frame the trying within a three-year window. In addition, simultaneously she would be investigating other skills for a potential pivot. Locksmiths in New York City average over $80k. In affluent neighborhoods mobile pet groomers can make six figures. Long-distance drivers can pull down $90k.

A helpful read for letting go of the dream is "Necessary Endings" by executive coach Henry Cloud. We Boomers were a blessed gen. We achieved our dreams. Yes, plural. 

Career Paths? So Over. It’s about Earning a Good Living. No matter what.

Complimentary consultation. No Pressure. Street-smart Guidance. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.


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