Freelance Writer

Level-Headed Luddites is a new Substack newsletter aimed at writers, illustrators and translators who are finding themselves without income due to competition from AI. We are like the Luddites of yore, but instead of hot-headedly trying (and failing) to break the machine, we are level-headedly trying to find alternative sources of income.

Who?

We are a translator, an illustrator and a copywriter who found each other online. Nobody seems to be giving any practical tips about the best next steps for people who have lost their income. We want to fill that space.

What do we need from you?

Please pitch us a story that would be fitting for our newsletter. Some ideas:

- an interview with someone who has successfully switched careers (interviewee must be willing to be contacted for basic fact-checking)

- descriptions of potential alternative careers for translators/ illustrators/ copywriters and tips about how to move to those careers with helpful links

- possibly tips on how to work with AI to stay in your field but still increase your income, but there is a lot of gunk out there when it comes to this subject. We will only entertain pitches that offer actually helpful hands-on tips rather than just empty promises and jargon.

- anything else you think may be fitting

Please keep in mind we write for a worldwide audience. Tips that are only valid in e.g. America are fine, but need to be specified as such.

The pitch does not need to be super extensive, we get that we are asking you to pitch for free. But we obviously do need to get a feel for the quality you would bring. A pitch of a few lines and some examples of previous work will be fine.

You may choose your own estimated word count. A good Substack post can be anywhere between 750 and 3000 words.

Payment

We are happy to pay above the minimum fee of 17c/w or or $25/h (24 €) mentioned in the rules of this subreddit. Please mention your preferred fee in your pitch. If you wish to be paid by the hour, please estimate the number of hours you think you will need.

We are based in Germany, please make sure you are able to send us a valid invoice that will be recognised by the German tax authorities. Payment via PayPal or IBAN. We are willing to look into other payment services, but can't make any promises.

Contact

Pitches can go to my DMs or to NadineLudd@gmail.com.