If you have something you'd like to ask or add, please feel free to comment on this article.
Last updated: 10/10/2017
There's countless topics that need to be covered when it comes to sex work. Red Files hopes to address all of these topics in due time, but there's only so much the current team can do. We're hoping that you can lend us a hand.
Below is a list of suggested article ideas. These are just some ideas of what we think would be useful for other Red Files members to access. If you feel there's a subject you can tackle, by all means let us know.
If none of these topics sing to you, have a think about your past experiences. Is there something you wish you knew at the beginning, and feel you could write about today? Write about it! If there's ANYTHING within this line of work that you feel passionate about, and that you feel could be useful for another worker, then consider jotting it down. Have a good think about it, I'm betting there's something you do, or have been through, that would be immensely valuable to another. Something that you simply think nothing of.
You might not be a writer. That's okay - we're more interested in your knowledge and experiences - words are easily fixed. Record yourself speaking if that makes it easier, we can transcribe it for you. You might feel ill-qualified to speak about a subject - that's okay - you don't have to send us something that's perfect 100% complete and in it's final form. If you can offer SOMETHING, that gives us more than we had without your help.
Also, if there's a topic or article you'd like to see Red Files cover, leave us a comment! We'll put it on the list and hope another member can pick it up - or we get to it after all our other duties.
In the area of business practice...
- Advertising - what works or doesn't work for your market/area/style/service. Reviews of places to advertise.
- An analysis of how much a worker 'should' charge.
- Competition with other workers - how to cope, what can you do, what is seen as competition, how to avoid stepping on others toes.
- Tax & accounting - recommend your accountant, your experiences with tax, what is tax-deductible, what should I be telling my accountant, how to save.
- Bank accounts - how to make the most use of bank accounts, how to get an ABN, how to start a business account, how to start a trust, how to start a company, how to get your personal details suppressed, what banks are sex worker friendly.
- Taking payment - how to receive payment, how to check the money, alternative payment methods, how to set up credit card facilities, accepting deposits.
- Negotiating - how to negotiate prices or services, how to be persuasive in a negotiation, how to finalise and save time during negotiations.
- Kink - everything and anything to do with kink!
- Your smartphone - how to maximise the potential of your smartphone, what are the best apps to have in this business.
- Building communication skills - phone etiquette, emailing clients, texting clients, thanking clients, reminding Clients.
- How to lose a client.
- Being clear on prices and services.
- Time out & downtime - what to do in between bookings, how to self care.
- Sex worker friendly accommodations or keyless swipes - a comprehensive list. Hotels for day use in your area.
- Social media - what works, what doesn't and how do you make the most of it.
- Showing your face - what it's like to work full faced.
- Social media and marketing 101
- Plastic surgery and enhancements - where to go and what to look out for.
In the area of safety and support...
- Sex work organisations - what's been your experience with them?
- Privacy online - how to be one step ahead with your privacy.
- Separating work life and personal life - compartmentalising the social media work and marketing.
- Setting client boundaries, saying no to clients.
- Superannuation.
In the area of health...
- Healing the sexual centre of the body - exploring the energetic, physical, emotional, mental, spiritual out pour this work demands and how to replenish.
- Mental health - what I've learnt by working and suffering from (name mental disorder), how this work effects your mental health, job satisfaction, living a double life and the mental strain.
- Dealing with discrimination, institutional discrimination, indirect discrimination
- Physical health - how to tour while keeping healthy.
- Dealing with doctors/the medical community.
- Sexual health. Thing you wish someone told you when you started. How do a health check.
- Social health - dealing with friends and family, being outed, outing yourself as a worker.
In the area of legal...
- What's been your experience so far with the law?
- Reporting crime within the workplace.
- Dealing with authorities, police, AFP, state government authority, local government as a suspect or as a victim.
- Civil law – how to use the law to make sure you get paid, how to sue clients.
In the area of skill sharing...
- Where to work - street work, agency work, private work, incall, massage work, full service, brothel work.
- Brothel work - a how-to in the regulated sector or unregulated sector.
- Massage parlour work - a how-to
- Passive income - porn, manyvids, snapchat.
- Experiences as a male/trans/other workers.
- Providing specialist services.
- Clients with special needs.
- How to deal with time wasters or ugly mugs, how to spot them, how to respond to them.
- Keeping regular clients.
- How to rebrand
- Putting up the right pictures, photographs.
- Managing sex work with mainstream work, full time and part time work in the sex industry.
- Dealing with family.
- Engaging with other sex workers, whorearchy, competition, slut shaming, respect difference, helping each other out.
- Life after sex work.
- Dating clients - falling in love with clients.
- Being a parent and a sex worker.
- Working while pregnant.
In the area of politics and research...
- Research and academic papers.
- Academics.
- Politics, voting, elections.
- Dealing with researchers who want to interview you.
- Handling the media.
Got something to add?
Please let me know with a comment below!
xx Estelle Lucas