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Is it hitting your income?

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by jeewant_gupta_051275, Oct 7, 2008.

  1. WriteBright

    WriteBright Banned

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    #41
    my income has fallen down about 39%
     
    WriteBright, Nov 20, 2008 IP
  2. Y.L. Prinzel

    Y.L. Prinzel Peon

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    #42
    I'll have to disagree with that. I have noticed much more demand for my writing and clients willing to pay more and wait longer.

    Part of the reason, I think, is that companies are laying off workers and need to find an inexpensive (compared to the cost of an in-house employee) supplement to their existing staff.

    The other aspect is that businesses realize they need to market harder right now.
     
    Y.L. Prinzel, Nov 29, 2008 IP
  3. Online Writer

    Online Writer Peon

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    #43
    We are definitely insulated by my book. I just got a contract for $800 per week and I also make an additional $150 per week plus $250 every 1st and 15th. I write for 2 hours daily though and also do some online customer service when needed.

    My biggest problem is a side project my boss has me doing. She only wants to pay 2 cents or so per word but I'm trying to get her to kick that up a notch for people working with me. Until then, I'm giving my couple of writers bonuses out of my own pocket.
     
    Online Writer, Nov 29, 2008 IP
  4. alexa_s

    alexa_s Peon

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    #44
    Do you mean compared with the same period of the year but one year earlier, or what? Measured over how long a period? It sounds a really dramatic difference! :eek:

    Hope things improve rapidly for you. :)
     
    alexa_s, Nov 29, 2008 IP
  5. jeewant_gupta_051275

    jeewant_gupta_051275 Well-Known Member

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    #45
    Hehe man, send your boss over to me. Refer her to me, and at the rates people are offering here right now, I will give you half of the money I earn from her :p
     
    jeewant_gupta_051275, Dec 14, 2008 IP
  6. Johnson Williams

    Johnson Williams Peon

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    #46
    The biggest problem that the failing economy has brought is an influx of new writers who are trying to sell their services as bare bones rates. The market has been somewhat flooded with these newly unemployed people who are both capable and cheap.
     
    Johnson Williams, Dec 14, 2008 IP
  7. jeewant_gupta_051275

    jeewant_gupta_051275 Well-Known Member

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    #47
    See, if they are capable and cheap, there are just two things you can do to stay alive in the dynamics of free market-
    1. Improve your skills and be MORE capable than them
    2. Lower your inout time, and be CHEAPER than them
    Hope it solves your problem ;)
     
    jeewant_gupta_051275, Dec 15, 2008 IP
  8. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #48
    Not necessarily - being "capable" can mean a lot of things. For starters, it does not mean they know how to effectively market freelance services. It also does not mean that they have a network, know how to build a good one, or have the ambition to put in all of the effort involved in that (which is the unpaid side of the equation). There are a LOT of "capable" writers in the world who never make two dimes to rub together, because they can't, or don't want to, handle those two things. On top of that, being a "capable" writer in no way means they're qualified to be your competition. If you're a generalist, then watch out - you may have a threat. Those who have spent years building a specialized expertise area will not find themselves threatened by most new writers entering the market.

    You're also missing another important point in that logic. ;) It's easy to think, "Well, there are more writers joining the market now, so I should lower my rates or improve my skills to beat them out for gigs." (and you should always be working to improve your skills btw)

    What's missing is the fact that this same recession causing people to find freelancing attractive is also putting freelancers much more in demand with prospective clients, because it's cheaper to hire them than full-time employees. In other words, as competition increases, so does the demand. So far at least, I've been finding that demand is far outpacing competition in growth. I very highly doubt there's going to be a huge surge of new writers who know how to make the jump into freelancing quickly enough to see that trend turn around completely (although I do expect it to even itself out a bit as those new writers have invested some time into actually networking and marketing and building some visibility).
     
    jhmattern, Dec 16, 2008 IP
  9. jeewant_gupta_051275

    jeewant_gupta_051275 Well-Known Member

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    #49
    Phew! How do you write that much! BTW yes, I second your opinion, I was just trying to be a little crisp in my previous post :O
     
    jeewant_gupta_051275, Dec 17, 2008 IP
  10. SunHunter

    SunHunter Well-Known Member

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    #50
    I came back to the writing business just before the economy started to go into a crisis. I can't really comment on the difference that well but I have noticed that there isn't really that much work and people seem to be a little bit picky on how much they are paying, but people are usually cheap anyways unless they really want high quality content. I have forced myself to settle for lower rates but it kind of balances out a little bit because of the conversion rate. Being in Canada, I do receive more in my currency than in USD so it feels like I am getting more now than before and I consider the failing economy to be helpful for myself - not to mention that the gas prices are so low now.

    It seems that the economy is starting to go back to normal as $1 USD was around $1.29 not that long ago but it's at $1.19 currently. This is a little depressing and I can only pray that Wall Street gets bombed or something, anything to make the CAD worth more.

    Either way, I try to make article writing a secondary job so the difference is not that significant but I have been relying on it quite a bit lately.
     
    SunHunter, Dec 18, 2008 IP
  11. contentboss

    contentboss Peon

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    #51
    we're actively RAISING prices - matching demand.
     
    contentboss, Dec 18, 2008 IP
  12. SunHunter

    SunHunter Well-Known Member

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    #52
    If you were to look at the average rate that is being offered in the "Content Creation" section of DP, you probably will change your mind about that. The average rate is probably under a cent a word because I saw many writers offering their service for $.005/word to $.007/word recently.

    Hideous? Yes...but the quality follows as one member would like to offer his services "hear" you can understand that you really get what you pay for.
     
    SunHunter, Dec 18, 2008 IP
  13. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #53
    Smart writers aren't basing their rates on the content creation section of DP. ;)

    The demand for serious freelancers (in a variety of industries) is on the rise; not the decline. What I've seen so far is that it's meeting or exceeding any increases in competition from new freelancers as well. It actually is a good time to raise rates - if that writer knows how to market themselves effectively to the right client base(s).
     
    jhmattern, Dec 18, 2008 IP
  14. Y.L. Prinzel

    Y.L. Prinzel Peon

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    #54
    I agree with JH, the DP Content creation section is not a good sample for pricing within the industry. This is one market- and really, DPF has several different markets within it. If I advertise in the Content Creation section, I will probably not get any work at my rates because the people who go there do not want to pay my rates whereas the people who PM me unprompted are more than happy to pay my rates.

    Also, it depends on what you specialize in. As a licensed stock broker and insurance agent I can charge an even higher premium for writing finance and insurance related articles because of my licenses and industry experience. If you have any specialized knowledge or skill, and you market it outside DP, you will find you get a ton of clients happy to pay your fee.
     
    Y.L. Prinzel, Dec 18, 2008 IP
  15. jeewant_gupta_051275

    jeewant_gupta_051275 Well-Known Member

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    #55
    There is an interesting patter that I have noticed in the past couple of months (and JH would not support the idea of basing the rates with this one)- Although, the fee people are willing to pay in on the decline, but the number of jobs that are available in the market have definitely picked up.
    One of the major reasons for such a trend is that people who have been chucked out, or are expecting that to happen in the near future, from their day jobs are truning towards the internet for a fresh source of income. Such people want tons of work, but are not willing to pay much for it as they are new to the trade and are vary of the fishy waters.
     
    jeewant_gupta_051275, Dec 28, 2008 IP
  16. L4N

    L4N Guest

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    #56
    Freelancing is always going to be around. Especially if they can offer cheaper work. The companies don't have to pay them per hour or whatnot.
     
    L4N, Jan 1, 2009 IP
  17. TheArticlePress

    TheArticlePress Peon

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    #57
    There is always going to be work for quality content authors. My work has picked up significantly.
     
    TheArticlePress, Jan 1, 2009 IP
  18. webguy444

    webguy444 Banned

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    #58
    The more people out of work, the more freelancers you get. I wonder if starting a Freelance site like guru or elance would be perfect timing right now? What I've noticed is the open competition from outsourcing. It means I have to take the cheapest and best route if I want to hire anyone. My boss goes through the bid submissions. Also, we are hiring new writers-because they can be had for 1/3 the amount right now-sad, and I do mean that. I've seen companies lay off and then re-hire just to get the overhead down, I suppose that's survival...
     
    webguy444, Jan 1, 2009 IP
  19. houdini16409

    houdini16409 Peon

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    #59
    I would have to say my income has gone up. I have experience with several websites and have many clients seeking me to do their work. They know what to expect from me, and they know that I will take the time to do quality work. I guess they just have never asked for less money, and I wouldn't go for less money. I put in the same amount of quality work.

    If someone is going to pay for cheaper work, the quality will fall and so will the outcome.
     
    houdini16409, Jan 6, 2009 IP
  20. zorah

    zorah Well-Known Member

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    #60
    My income is down clients are cutting costs even for freelancers. I think it is a misconception for others to think that everyone is looking for freelancers nowadays but i think other businesses don't have enough cash even for freelancers. Maybe an exception for $2/hr web developers.
     
    zorah, Jan 7, 2009 IP