There is nothing wrong with trying to get the most for your dollar. But if the only inexpensive washing machine doesn't get your clothes clean, have you saved anything or spent your money wisely? No. If you have tried the lowcost writers and aren't satisfied, then it is time to upgrade to the real thing. You may not need to shop at a high-end store, but you at least need to go to a quality discount store. You already know you can't get what you want for the price you are willing to pay. It's probably time to bite the bullet and look for other ways to cut your costs, because paying less for the writers obviously hasn't worked for you.
I'm not sure of the quality, but there are always quite a few writers advertising their services through the Content Creation tread. You might try browsing through there and checking out samples from writers. Many are upfront about rates (and most are very low), but as always, quality and professionalism might be an issue. If you do stumble across a writer of decent quality offering a very low price, you can almost be assured that they will be booked from here to eternity with projects. They are out there, like you said, but you'll probably have to work hard to find them... Rebecca
Indeed, it is not expensive, but sold at a reasonable price. And it is very understandable - as a matter of in-depth expertise, congenital flair for written expression and an abundance of creativity, it just cannot be cheap.
I feel for you on this as I've experienced the same sort of dilemma myself. The best solution I've found was content writers here on DP. But it's painful - I've only found about half of all writers to be even vaguely reliable. [chant who responded above is very good ] I really like that Italian site - but (slightly off topic) at a cost of £5000 do you really think you can make it pay? -- Is it really worth paying £2 to someone to write 75 word review of an obscure church in Pisa? (Sorry if I'm being cynical)
It's not that "expensive," it's that valuable. Good copywriting can bring in thousands, hundreds of thousands, and more for a company.
Hey Aaron. How did you go with getting cheap writers? I can write & I'm still new to this stuff so am prepared to write for the lower eschelon of the market at this stage of the game. get back to me on this one. julian fairfax mayhem
I think many good writers in INdia are willing to charge much less than their UK/US counterparts because the relative standard of living is much cheaper. They can afford to charge much less and still make a good profit. By the way, $1 million to spend is an absolutely staggering amount.
I am not very certain that this could be a comment of help, really. Most of the writers here are indeed high-quality ones. Probably those you worked with were just not the ones to suit you.
I'm not sure if I'd say most writers here are "high quality." Some are high quality, many are decent and perfectly adequate for an average webmaster's needs, and you've got plenty of "low lifes" who call themselves "writers" when all they do is rip others' content and re-write it, thinking they're no longer violating copyright (which they usually are). There's a pretty diverse mix. qwest... the best writers (in English) in foreign countries aren't generally going to be offering their work for less, or at least not by much, because those aren't the writers who hang out in places like DP looking for small article gigs or bulk gigs like that. Instead, they're the ones you'll see writing for major US, UK, etc. publications on a variety of topics, from technology to culture. Those publications don't pay less based on where you live... they have standard rates, and if you query and they accept, it's what you're paid. Even if it's open to negotiation, a writer (no matter where they're from) offering their work for too little simply won't be taken seriously. My comments above weren't specifically about the webmaster market for writers (in which case, your point is extremely valid), but rather writers in general... and the best usually avoid certain markets. We actually have a writer in the Six Figure Challenge group as an example of a non-native with excellent English writing skills, who doesn't work for as little as even many low-quality US and similar writers do. Any good business person, no matter where they're from, will earn the maximum that they can from their work, no matter what the cost of living is.
Yes, I see your point and I do agree it word by word. OK. Indeed, in its essence, I wanted to say - pointing out names of *good* writers and hm, *bad* writers is of no use. Sounds too direct and advertising -oriented to me.
Thanks for the recommendation... I'll drop chant a PM. If you have any other recommnedations (or people to avoid!) like that, please PM me if you'd be so kind - it'd be a great help. I think I can make it pay, but it will take time. A long time. Once it starts being profitable, it'll then hopefully generate recurring revenue for minimal work, but it'll be years in getting to that stage, hence my need to keep costs down as much as possible. If I can find contributors at £1 a time, rather than maybe £2 a time, then maybe I would looking at breaking even on it in 2 years rather than 4... that's one hell of a difference. Aaron
I think that's a pretty fair summary. In addition to those who rip other people's content, I'd also add that there's those that simply aren't very good at it. They might be honest in terms of producing their own work, but often the quality just isn't there, whether it be careless errors, poor grammar, bad spelling, or whatever. I'm not looking for the types that write for Condé Nast and other glossy publications. I'm simply looking for people who someone who can clearly express details accurately and without mistakes. That, as you say, doesn't necessarily mean "high quality"... it's more in the "perfectly adequate" to "decent" range that I'm probably looking for. Aaron
A couple of points of note... 1) this is the amount I'd spend if I was paying the top sum that I'm prepared to spend. As you can tell from this thread, I am looking to reduce costs by finding cheaper sources of content. 2) the sum I spend would be spent over a period of time (depending partly on what rates I can get the work done at). Spread out over time, it's not quite as staggering as it might seem.