Beyond Words

Every freelancer in the world has probably talked or written about the ridiculous wages that some people are willing to accept for a writing job. Or the client who wants to pay $1 for a 100 word article. It’s part of life now with the growing numbers of people (not necessarily writers) and writers entering the freelance market.

And, it’s insulting to be asked to work for so little money. I frequently bid on Elance, an online freelance site,  and just as often lose the project to someone who is willing to work for chicken scratch.  I’ve debated lowering my bid at times, figuring that during a slow period some work is better than no work. But, I hate doing that. So, I lose lots of possible jobs. But, it’s not like I’ve really lost anything.

The person who wants ‘quality writing’ for a penny a word, or less, isn’t really seeking good writing. He or she is looking for something very different. I’ve seen some of that work. It is stilted, grammatically incorrect and, at times, the sentences make no sense at all. This is ‘writing’ for keyword placement. Period.  It’s about drawing bees to the honey, only the honey is fake. No one is really going to be engaged by that type of writing. And, I bet they don’t stay at the website long enough to click through or get excited about the sales pitch.

Not everyone engaged in the article writing or web content business is like that. There are some wonderful clients out there who want quality work and are willing to pay for it. I happened upon one of those 2 weeks ago. This particular client awarded the bid to several writers, and I was one of the writers with the highest rates. I did my small project carefully, corresponded with the client as needed. And, when asked to correct one small thing I willingly obliged as quickly as possible. After that one change the rest of my work was accepted as written. And, the editor complimented me on having very readable articles.  Go figure. And, guess what? They’ve asked me to continue working for them.

So, why hire a more expensive writer?

• He or she is most likely a better writer. therefore you’re less likely to receive bad material. Fewer rewrites are needed, which require the client’s valuable time as well as the writer’s.
• The writer who charges more is probably more experienced and committed to doing a good job. She has the self-assurance to ask for what she feels her work is worth. That attitude serves everyone.
• You don’t have to worry about the end product as much.
• You get what you pay for.

I’m tickled to have gotten invited back and I’ll do my best to make sure they want to continue working with me. I now have a vested interest in this client and vice versa.  I hope he’ll offer other jobs to me. And, he’s hoping I’ll get even better as I begin to learn his style. We don’t have to email back and forth with too many questions and I’m on time with assignments. In other words, for a few extra dollars he’s receiving extra value which should translate into greater return on his end.

In the end, we’re both happy. It pays to hire quality writers, you won’t regret doing so. And, it pays to value one’s self as a writer.