Newspaper lays writer off after 55 years
Now he’s laughing.
Bob Dunning spent 55 years writing as a columnist for The Davis Enterprise.
That’s a newspaper in California.
Bob wrote a hugely popular daily column for his loyal readers. He covered topics like his colonoscopy and dropping his youngest child off at college.
Personal stuff and the type of raw writing readers love.
Aged 77, the newspaper laid Bob off without warning.
No severance pay.
No golden parachute.
No accumulated sick leave.
I was furious reading about what happened to
on a Substack case study, and I don’t even know him!He wrote on Facebook:
“They took my very best for 55 years. They have no excuse for treating the longest-serving employee in company history in this way.”
Now, it gets worse.
Bob calculated how much he earned as the newspaper’s most popular columnist.
$26 an hour.
He wasn’t even close to earning as much as the highest-paid writer in the newsroom.
$26 an hour is ok when you’re starting out.
But a writer at the top of their game, like Bob, deserves far more pay than young, hungry news journos.
Bob even explains how advertisers insisted on buying campaigns next to his column because it was so popular!
Accomplished doctors, architects, and scientists earn multiple six-figures a year.
It shouldn’t be any different for writers who attract the eye-balls of thousands of readers every day.
Things worked ok for Bob, though.
Bob wrote a viral Facebook post about getting laid off.
Surprised by the reaction, he launched a paid Substack publication.
His readers followed him from the newspaper. Now, Bob earns six figures a year from his newsletter.
He told Substack, “It’s like getting a raise every single day.”
Perhaps Bob’s story got me because I was laid off a few times during my writing and journalism career.
One example?
In my late twenties, I was a radio producer for a news station in Ireland.
The job didn’t pay well, but I loved writing briefs and news scripts for the station.
They offered me a new contract.. only to lay me off five days later!
I was struggling to pay a mortgage and provide for a new baby.
Now…
A big difference exists between me getting laid off in my twenties and Bob, aged 77.
But Bob’s story shows what’s possible for writers who own the relationship between themselves and readers.
I love reading stories about writers and creators living on their terms.
No gatekeeper.
No handcuffs.
And no corporate employer evaluating what your words are worth.
The point here isn’t that you need to quit your job, fire up a Substack and expect the same ROI!
I shared Bob’s story with another writer, and they told me:
Former newspaper editor here — and I had a syndicated column. Most of us will not make what he makes! My Medium and Substack would be considered successful, but I’ve yet to exceed the $40K I made as the editor of a daily paper, working 60-hour weeks. It’s possible I may do it this year only because I have a viral story that’s made more than $20K. I can’t expect that to happen again, though.
But… we can still learn from Bob.
If you’re a writer…
If you’re a creator…
If you want to do this for a living…
Don’t rely on one employer or a gatekeeper to publish your work.
And don’t let anyone own the relationship between you and your audience.
Every creator should build an email list.
(You can easily do that here on Substack.)
You also need a way of funneling readers into your email list, such as posting on social media or using ads.
And then…
Create a product or a service to sell to a select few readers.
That’s why I help creators turn their ideas into coaching and consulting services.
It’s profitable and easy to do.