If I see "What's your quote per 100 words" ONE more time........

I am going to scream.

Again.

I don't know how the rest of you work, but I don't bill in 100 word increments.

Tell me what you need. 200 word articles? 500 word articles? 1,000 word articles? A press release? Website content?

Because depending on what you need and how much of it you're going to want, the answer is going to vary greatly.

Do you really want 100 word articles? Fine! Tell me how many because my rate is going to be based more on THAT number than specific word counts.

Stop the insanity, please.

Just..ask for...what you want.

Simple as that.

/end rant

 

I've come to not entirely blame the buyers for that.

When Google, this forum and others turned the written word into a commodity bought and sold like apples and oranges, they needed a price structure that could be measured. If trained accountants can't figure out that an employee's value is based upon the revenue they generate or the cost savings they create, why should we expect webmasters to figure out how to evaluate the written word in anything other than in the simplest terms.

Word count is absolute. It can be measured. It is the metric of fools who think word count matters more than readability, stickiness or link bait potential. They seem to equate number of words and pages with the ability to convert sales or commissions. They heard the marketing and SEO gurus say that more content equated to more sales but missed the part of the content needing to be carefully crafted to generate both traffic and sales.

Simply put, the buyers who look for quotations based on word count are amateurs and deserve to be treated as such.

 

You said it. As if writing a 500-word article on a highly scientific topic which requires a ton of research is equal to a 500-word article on, say, Justin Bieber. Not to mention that a 50-word advertorial copy is worth more than those two in terms of effort, time, and skill required.

It doesn't help that writers also use words as a measure--and also give really, really low rates. How can people sell themselves so short?

 

For me, Justin Bieber would required a TON of research...But to agree with OP, 100 is not worth the same exponentially.

 

Worse are the people on those gig sites that demand professional writers work for a penny a word as if somehow that chump change would actually pay for a loaf of bread in the real world. Since when did writing pay slave wage labor?

 

There should be a tutorial that includes a template that buyers can read and use that explains the importance of detailed job offers and how to create one. The whole process of matching a writer to a buyer would go so much smoother for both the buyer and the writer.

 

Too right!

 

I agree. I usually reply something like "my rates range from .03 to 1.00 a word, depending on the subject, type and scope of the writing needed."

 

I love it, I haven't written for anyone else for SOOOOOO long now. The two reasons I stopped, stupid people who had no idea what they wanted and even stupider (is that a word) people who complained I was 20 words over what they asked for, because I FINISHED the writing and Ignored the 'word count' until it was finished, this last actually happened to me more than once. I only write for me now and haven't looked at a word count for years, and it does feel really good, try it sometime.