If you’ve been looking for a IAPWE review, you’ve come to the right place. But first things first, what is IAPWE? This stands for the International Association of Professional Writers and Editors and their stated mission is to “bring legitimate opportunities to professional writers and editors.”
Sounds great, right?
Before we get too far in, if you’re looking for a quick review here’s what you need to know: IAPWE is more of a job board than an actual program that hires writers. This distinction is quite unclear on their website, which is the main takeaway from this review. We won’t go so far as to call the organization a scam, but there are a few red flags to pay attention to.
Table of Contents
When you Google “International Association of Professional Writers and Editors” or “IAPWE” and look at the “people also ask” area you see questions like,
- Is the IAPWE or International Association of Professional Writers and Editors legit?
- How much does the International Association of Professional Writers and Editors pay?
- Are paid online writing jobs legit?
So as you can see, other people have questions too.
We’ll do our best to narrow in on what IAPWE offers, how they accept writers (and what that means exactly), and talk about a few other people’s experiences with the IAPWE program. But first…
Is IAPWE a Scam?
IAPWE is not BBB accredited and currently has a BBB rating of B.
Reading through the IAPWE review posts shows quite a few unhappy people, mostly when it comes to canceling their memberships. From the reviews, it sounds like when you’re ready to cancel your annual membership you’ll have to jump through a few hoops.
IAPWE might post legitimate opportunities in their job board, but one huge problem is they don’t mention how the job board works on their website. It also doesn’t indicate how long it will take to get approved, that you’re not working directly with the company, or that there’s a monthly fee for this service.
Another confusing aspect of the website is there’s a listed rate, but it’s actually a job board. Does that mean they only post jobs that fit within those rates? Unclear.
Professional writers and editors are generally happy to pay for membership in a freelancing group or mentorship/networking program, as long as the cost is worth it. However, because the fees seem to be hidden, and reviews indicate the actual writing jobs weren’t worth the cost, that’s a red flag.
With this in mind, it might not be fair to say IAPWE is a scam, but there are some deceptive tactics. Whether that’s intentional or just poor website design and copywriting…well, we’ll leave that up to you to decide.
Another note is they don’t post too much on their social media. This on its own doesn’t mean much, but I thought it worth mentioning.
While I wouldn’t go so far as to call IAPWE a scam, since no one said the jobs themselves are actually fake, the true value the organization brings to freelance writers and editors is unclear.
IAPWE Reviews (What Others Have to Say)
I hunted around the Internet to see what people had to say about their firsthand experience with IAPWE. Here are a few less-than-positive ones to check out:
- Read Is IAPWE A Scam? You’ll learn from Adam’s experience (with screenshots!)
- Read this article from Mykki called, FALLING PREY TO A WRITING SCAM: IAPWE
- Writer Beware has also posted an article on IAPWE called, Freelance Mills, Cyberbullying, and Plagiarism, Oh My!
For a positive review, I found this comment in a Reddit thread,
I actually know quite a few people that have secured writing gigs via IAPWE. They’re not a “known scam,” they just need a lot of effort to utilize their resources, which can be tedious. I think many people want a quick, easy, high-paying assignment, with little to no effort. As IAPWE is not a get-rich-quick site, it leads to many negative reviews. The moral is: it’s not for everyone. Just because something doesn’t work for you, does not mean it won’t work for others.
Reddit—PSA: The International Association of Professional Writers and Editors (IAPWE) is apparently not a legit organization.
What is the International Association of Professional Writers and Editors (IAPWE)?
IAPWE says it’s an organization that helps writers and editors succeed. Their website has articles and other resources for professionals to help them break into the industry and start their careers. They’re most popular for their job board, which lists a variety of jobs for both writers and editors.
The questions we’re wondering are: are the jobs good quality and is the organization worth joining?
How Much Does an IAPWE Membership Cost?
Once you’re accepted into IAPWE, it seems as though you then need to upgrade your account to be able to access the job opportunities.
There are conflicting numbers out there, but it seems to currently cost between $6 and $15 per month to access to the job board. This works out to between $72 and $180 per year, and you can write this type of expense off on your taxes in most countries.
How to Work with IAPWE
Most reviewers have mentioned coming across IAPWE hiring posts on Craigslist or job boards separate from the IAPWE job board.
On the IAPWE website, it’s not easy to see how to apply to be a member. I had to search for the page on Google to find the application page!
Below is a screenshot of the application page from 2022, at the time of this articles first writing (it has since been updated).
If you have images turned off, here’s the short version of the screenshot: the IAPWE pay rate is $10 per 100 words and each article is approximately 500 words. For editors, their rate is $3 per 100 words.
However, on this job post board for IAPWE, the rate is different. It lists $20 per 100 words.
It also mentions on that site that 17,357 people have applied to this job. It says the salary is $40,000-$50,000 and that applicants must, “Work well as a team member with the rest of our content management and editorial staff.”
We’ll also point out this information was gathered in 2022 when the article was originally written and it still states this is 2023 when we reviewed the links again.
Here are the topics they currently offer writers and editors:
- Health and Beauty
- Fitness
- Home Décor
- Fashion
- Sports
- Do It Yourself (DIY)
- Finance
- Legal
- Medical
- Family/Parenting
- Relationships
- Real Estate
- Restaurants
- Contracting (Plumbing, Pool Building, Remodeling, etc.)
Depending on your current rates as a freelance writer or editor, this might seem like a decent amount. But it also might not seem like enough. These rates are better than a lot content mills that pay closer to $0.02 per word instead of $0.10 per word.
According to online reviews for IAPWE, once you’re approved and accepted as a member, you have access to the job board. You’re not given a position in the company and jobs aren’t a given.
The organization pulls from 100 different companies—but they claim to only post legitimate freelance jobs. While I did not personally apply for IAPWE, some reviewers said it can take a month or more to hear back from them once you apply.
Why Writers Should Double-Check Any Program Before Joining
So many people dream of being able to write and work from home, and scammers know this. You should keep in mind that any program that says it’s an easy to industry to get into in just a few hours should raise some red flags.
That’s not about this specific program, this should be a rule for any program or organization you want to join going forward.
If you want to become a freelance writer, just know that there are as many legitimate programs and organizations out there as there are scams. For this reason, it’s always a good idea to do your due diligence and make sure it’s legitimate before you sign up. (Just like you’re doing now!)
While no program is guaranteed to work and make you rich, you at least need to make sure it’s legitimate and can get you results if you put the work in.
The Pros and Cons to Wrap Up This IAPWE Review
You’ve made it to the end of the post! Well done! Here’s a quick review of what we talked about.
Pros to Joining IAPWE
- You’ll get access to resources about becoming a professional writer or editor
- You have access to legitimate jobs all in one place
Cons to Joining IAPWE
- You have to pay a monthly fee to access the job board
- It can be difficult to cancel your membership
- It’s unclear if the posted jobs are worth the monthly fee
Here’s an Alternative!
If you’re just getting started as a freelancer, then we recommend the Freelance Writers Den. They have an incredible community and a wealth of helpful resources to help you grow your income as a freelance writer, editor, proofreader, and more. There is also a monthly fee for this membership program, so once again—make sure it’s right for you before joining!
For a full review on the program, check out this article.