I'm applying for a job and they want to know the turnaround time for 10 articles at 500 words each. I know everyone is different but do you think 3 days is a reasonable length of time or is that to long? Thanks Sherry
10 articles for writing at 100 words each should be around 2-3 days for individual writer. If you can finish them earlier should be better, but everyone is different. You know your own style of writing and make sure submit them back to clients on time
Personally, I would quote 1-2 weeks. Three days might be an ok time for you if you're not working on anything else and the articles are related/don't require much research. It also depends on what your client wants. Is your client in a rush to have the articles complete in the next few days? This is how I sometimes come up with my deadlines... First, I figure out how quickly I could get the articles done if I rushed and drove myself crazy to get them done. Then, I figure out how long would I spend working on them if I dawdled around. I make my deadline halfway in between.
Hi Sherry, 3 days is not bad. Personally, I would quote 5 days. I think one of the things you must consider is if the articles require lots of research or not.
10 articles could take 3 days or 3 weeks depending on what is involved. Only you can answer that question.
It really depends on how much experience you have with the topic of the articles and your writing speed.
Hm... As for me, I suppose 3 days is quite ok for a general topic articles. But if it is something like "Theoretical Aspects of Uranium Deplition and Nuclear Fission" it will take a month. So you can't really name any date you are about to finish the job untill you now WHAT the job is.
I am still working on quoting turn around time. I have learned that I always ask for longer than I need, but this works out well. I can write an article, and then put it down for a while and then come back and reread and tweak it later. Last week I picked up two 1,000 word articles that needed some researching. I thought it would take me 3 weeks, but it only took me one week. I still like some built in cushion time. I don't work well under stress. Another thing. If I was to quote a 3 day turn around for ten 500 word articles it would seem as though I had just chained myself to the computer. I'm really trying to work a few hours and then log off and do something around the house or outside, then go back to the computer later.
Exactly. That's one of the main problems with quoting a short deadline. When I did rush work like that, I'd end up burnt out by the time the project was finished and I wouldn't have the energy to work on anything else for a few days.
Hi, No one can really answer this for you. How long does it take for you to research a subject and write about it? Even more, is it a subject you know much about? If so, research will be much less and reducing the time for that. Also, even if you could write with nominal research, what is your current workload? Can you reasonably fit it in? There are so many factors to turn around time, which is why I stress that I need to talk with any client to get a feel for what they need before ever giving a price/turn around time...
1 article of 500 words took me 2 days to finish. I have my regular day job and have kids at home around me while doing my writing job. I always ask my clients when they will be needing the articles so that I can pace out myself well.
10 articles of 500 words each? Hmmm... You have to decide yourself. If the topic is below the belt, it may take 1-2 week or if you survive with it, quote for 3 days or so. My personal opinion: 3 days are quite sufficient if you are full time writer and have the power of fast research and write accordingly. I have seen some writers who cover 15 articles of 500 words each a day in another freelancing website? How can the do it anyway?
I agree with many answers given above. It depends upon the research involved and the prior knowledge of that particular topic. To come up with a good article, you need to sit on it after writing initial draft. In most cases, you feel like editing when you read your article after some time; say a day or two. IMO., 3-4 days are enough if you are a full time writer. You can write 5 articles a day and do final editing/tweaking/proofreading on 3rd and 4th day.
Thank you for all the good information. I don't think I could write that many articles in three days but I thought some clients expected it. I will take the advice about talking to the client first before I make a turnaround decision. Sherry
I wouldn't paint yourself into a corner. I like to have a day for it to marinate so I can go back and look at it with fresh eyes.
I say 3-5 days is good, though I must admit, as a former newspaper journalist, I'm a little faster than most writers when it comes to writing, simply because I'm used to writing an article in less than 30 minutes. But 3-5 days is a good length of time if you have a clean slate. Good luck!
Depending on the content, I would probably bid 2-3 days for 10 articles of 500-words. If the content requires a lot of research, let the buyer know you may need another day or two. Most buyers will work with you and understand that if they want your best quality work, they may need to give you another couple of days. Always do your best to meet deadlines though. They're extremely important.