From the desk of Melissa Tripp of Remote Writing Jobs:
I don’t just connect writers to paid opportunities. I’m proud to say I’m a paying market now, too.
Introducing my in-house publication: Byline and Bottom Line.
Writing gets romanticized. But the invoices, the rejections, and breakthroughs? That’s the part no one asks about. These aren’t testimonials. They’re receipts. Snapshots. Lessons. The real cost of getting paid to write.
What I Publish
Not content. Not clickbait. Real stories, written by working writers who’ve lived what they’re writing. Each one is a window into what it actually takes to get paid in this industry.
True stories about:
The gig that paid rent just in time
The byline that cost more than it earned
The first check, the last straw, the invoice that never cleared
The lessons no course ever mentioned
The small wins that made it feel real
Every piece answers my signature prompt:
“How do you really get paid to write?”
Call it an essay, a confession, or a cautionary tale. If it’s honest and makes us feel something, it belongs here.
These are tight, true narratives, not advice columns, but vivid, personal accounts of what it really took to get paid as a writer.
Show me the behind-the-scenes: the invoice that finally cleared, the byline that changed everything (or nothing), the small moment that made the work feel real. Reflective, unpolished, or sharp as glass. Just make it true.
Who It’s For
B&BL is for anyone who’s ever wondered if they’re the only one.
It’s for the freelance writer chasing invoices. The content creator trying to set boundaries. The journalist piecing together income from three gigs at once. The copywriter rethinking their worth after another “opportunity” that paid in exposure.
It’s for the burned out. The just-getting-started. The ghostwriters, script doctors, resume polishers, and essay whisperers who rarely get credit but still show up on the page.
It’s for people who write to survive, to stay free, to stay sane. And for readers who care about the real story behind the stories.
This isn’t a place for quick tips or career hacks. It’s a place for the truth. And if you’ve lived it? I want to hear it.
What I Pay
I pay a flat rate of $400 for stories between 500–800 words.
I believe in paying writers a respectable, consistent rate. If I ask for your labor, your memory, your vulnerability, or your voice, I believe that should come with compensation that honors it.
Payment always comes first. I will never publish a story without paying the writer in full. Too many writers have been ghosted, underpaid, or asked to bare their truths without being valued for it. I’m building something different. Trust is the foundation here, and pay is where that trust begins.
Backing the Stories, Setting the Pace
I just launched and am selecting the first commissioned pieces from an incredible batch of pitches. My target is to publish the first story in August 2025. From there, my long-term goal is to commission 5–10 stories each month.
B&BL is funded entirely by paid subscriptions to my Remote Writing Jobs directory and merch sales. That support allows me to commission new work and pay my writers fairly. If you believe in what I’m building, a more honest, transparent writing economy, consider becoming a paid subscriber to RWJ for $6/month or $60/year (16% off compared to monthly). And shop my goodies here.
This only thrives when we all invest, together.
What I’m Working Toward
Right now, I’m proud to offer a flat rate for every story. No guesswork, no “for exposure,” no maybes.
But this is just the start.
As RWJ’s subscriber base grows, so will my capacity to:
Keep that baseline strong
Assign more pieces, more often
Raise the rate as the budget allows
How to Pitch
If you think your voice would be a great fit for this publication, you can pitch me directly at rwjsubstack@gmail.com.
No, I don’t charge submission fees. I never will.
Send me a quick pitch (not a full draft), that includes:
A working title (a headline you might use to name the piece)
A clear story premise (what it’s about)
A brief explanation of your angle (what you plan to explore or reveal about paid writing)
This is an ongoing call. There’s no deadline.
Why It Matters
The freelance writing world is full of gaps between:
What’s promised and what’s paid
Hustle culture and actual sustainability
How jobs are listed and how they’re landed
B&BL helps close that gap with something simple: stories.
Because behind every paid piece of writing, there’s a story about how it got there. And someone should be telling it.
Let me help you tell it.
