The Disadvantages of Being a Writer

by Gregory Hamel

In today’s digital age, writing is more ubiquitous than ever. Workers can communicate through email instead of making phone calls, friends can send each other text messages instead of talking in person and people can find all the news they need online. Some people write articles, books, advertisements, technical manuals and materials as a full-time job. For creative individuals with a strong command of written language, writing can be a fun and rewarding career. It also can be fraught with challenges that can put writers at a disadvantage compared to professionals in other fields.

Quality is Subjective

A potential disadvantage of being a writer is that the quality of work is subjective. The appeal of a written work can vary from one reader to the next. A young reader might enjoy a simple article with words that are easy to understand, while a mature reader might find it dull. This is different from other professions, such as accounting, where there are strict rules governing what is right and wrong. The subjective nature of writing often leads to disagreements between writers, editors and publishers.


Writers often face strong competition for jobs and clients, due to high interest in the occupation and low barriers to entry. There are no specific educational requirements needed to become a writer. Anyone with a pen or computer can attempt to become a writer (though not everyone can do it well). Because publishers have so many writers and submissions to choose from, they usually have a constant flow of material and therefore don't need to offer full-time employment to writers. Many writers are forced to free-lance as independent contractors, work part-time, accept lower pay or take on undesirable projects.

Lack of Job Benefits

Job benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans can be worth thousands of dollars a year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 68 percent of writers and authors were self-employed in 2010. Self-employed workers almost never receive job benefits from their clients. This means that many writers have to arrange and pay for health insurance, retirement plans and other important benefits on their own.

Shrinking Industries

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects total employment of writers and authors to increase by 6 percent from 2010 to 2020. This job growth rate is significantly lower than the projected national average of 14 percent. The number of media companies that have traditionally employed a lot of writers, such as newspapers and magazines, has been shrinking for years and is likely to continue shrinking over the coming decade. This could result in the elimination of many salaried writing jobs, forcing more writers to work as independent contractors who must compete with one other for assignments.

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