Demand vs. Pay

[kjdavis]

Yesterday I accepted my first freelance job with getafreelancer.com. Essentially I had to write a small description with my proposal. Easy enough. I wrote it, sent it in, and received an email within hours with explicit instructions on what to write.

The client asked me to write ten 300 word articles on various replica Rolexes. This is a subject I am not familiar with at all, so it required tons of research. She gave me zero guidelines other than to use 'good grammar'.

I am about four articles and 10 hours into the project and feel all this work is not worth the ten dollars I am getting paid.

Initially I told her I would have them completed by tomorrow morning. Honestly, I am all out of ideas and can't conjure up anything else original to write.

Do you feel that some clients put far too many demands on writers? If so, how do you avoid this trap?

Thanks!

[NewMomJenn]

Well, this is obviously a moot point but $10.00 for a batch of 10 300 word articles?!?!?

But ya, I really try to avoid lengthy requirements or writing for dirt cheap when the articles are outside my AOE.

Have you tried textbroker? at least you see up front what they want from you before you agree...

Jenn

[adbullock]

I think you're doing too much research for the topic at hand.

Consider writing an article about the prestige of a replica Rolex, the cost effectiveness of replica watches, why it makes sense to buy one during the economic downturn, how you can cut costs and still have style on a budget. They don't have to be technical articles about the inner workings of the watch (unless that's specifically what the client asked for). Most clients want articles that are going to encourage people to buy what they're selling or at least make them think about buying.

I will say I rarely have clients deliver research to me it's usually up to me to do the research and include it in my price.

Hope this helps and makes sense. I'm operating under the fog of the flu at the moment.

The thing is we all get projects at some point in our writing careers that were just not worth the money when all was said and done.

Good luck!

[adbullock]

Oh and my goodness I just assumed it was $10 per article. Yikes on the price. You're selling yourself and your time way short.

I'm not sure about the rating system at getafreelancer but if your trying to build a steady income there I would really consider changing user information and starting over by letting this one go. You can always try to sell the first four elsewhere.

[kjdavis]

You girls are life savers. Yes, I originally bid $125. I figured when she accepted my bid and sent me the work, that is what she would pay me. I found out after I started that she was paying me less than a dollar an article!

So, I think I will write it off.

[shell78]

Are you really only getting paid $10 total for all 10 articles? Abandon ship! Abort the mission! However you want to say it, it's not worth your time. Even if you're new to the writing field you shouldn't write for peanuts. Textbroker is a low payer but it even pays better than that I believe (I got accepted but never actually wrote anything there). I personally choose to write for DS because I can write what I want when I want. If I start researching an article and it seems like it's going to be too time-intensive I just get rid of it. You also have to be careful about being too much of a perfectionist when it comes to writing. I had that problem in the beginning. Your writing will get faster as you become more familiar with writing for the web. Good luck in whatever you decide!

[kjdavis]

Originally Posted by adbullock

I think you're doing too much research for the topic at hand.

Consider writing an article about the prestige of a replica Rolex, the cost effectiveness of replica watches, why it makes sense to buy one during the economic downturn, how you can cut costs and still have style on a budget. They don't have to be technical articles about the inner workings of the watch (unless that's specifically what the client asked for). Most clients want articles that are going to encourage people to buy what they're selling or at least make them think about buying.

I will say I rarely have clients deliver research to me it's usually up to me to do the research and include it in my price.

Hope this helps and makes sense. I'm operating under the fog of the flu at the moment.

The thing is we all get projects at some point in our writing careers that were just not worth the money when all was said and done.

Good luck!

Yes, she provided me with a huge list of keywords, asking me to fit at least one in each article. She wanted to focus to be on the advantages, history, recent news, ect. I got about six in and thought it was such a waste. I chalk it up to go practice. Thanks again for your insight. It is most appreciated.

[redcat444]

Keep the articles for yourself and abandon ship.

[AG1976]

$1 an article?! I agree with everyone else; tell the cheapskate "no thanks!".

[Hoping2]

If she accepted your bid, then she will owe you $125 for the completed work. Does the site have escrow?