How often do you turn down offers from DP Forum buyers?

QualityWriting, I don't know what your goals are, whether it is to write for newspapers and magazines and make up to and over $1,000 a week, or something not at that level yet, like getting, say, $15 an article, but check out this site.

http://www.wahm.com/forum/wahms-who-write-46/

You can get some ideas on writing for mills to get you going.

If you are not writing for such mills already, that is.

Please do not take offense, but I just can't see anybody, who is a good writer, being "forced" to write for anything less than, say, $25 an article.

Two such sites pay $50, or around, per article: SitePoint and AskMen (though, SitePoint may have lowered their rates).

They are out there. The trick is to find them.

Plus you have, God knows how many online magazines out there....

 

Perry, thank you for the information. I am not offended, I think I was a little dramatic. I don't mean I was forced, as in someone held a gun to my head, just that I felt I needed to take the work because I do this for a living. Things have been a little slow lately as one of my main clients has sold his site. I am going to check out the site you sent me though.

 

Demand Media, Bright Hub and other networks sucks too. They may be looking for good writers, I mean good English writer, but the knowledge is absurd, the information they are putting is only crap. Have you ever found something useful in ehow or brighthub?

 

I have always tried to maintain my quality by limiting my clientele to people who appreciate quality.
It is best to avoid taking idiots as clients.

But the current market is dull here.

I see that most of you professional content writers often don't accept any work from DP members..?
Then which other site or place do you write for?
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Thanks to Perry for the info.
You are a lifesaver.

 

I contract them through my website. It's under construction and rather pitiful looking right now, though...lol. I get leads from Craigslist sometimes. I also contact local businesses, blah blah. Cold calling, that sort of thing. If I visit a website or a blog and it's bad, I'll email the owner and tell them how I can improve it for them. Participating in non-writing related forums and using my website URL in my signature has generated a lot of clients for me as well. Facebook..Twitter. There are a lot of little opportunities to attract clients. You just have to seek them.

 

I somewhat disagree with what's been said here. There are definitely folks here who are willing to pay for quality work. Granted the vast majority are looking to pay pennies, there are a number of folks who have approached me privately and became clients. I had an inquiry a couple of weeks ago that I actually had to turn down due to a conflict of interest. None of them advertised in the BST area for a writer.

My advice is to participate in a variety of areas within DP. Post helpful replies that are well written - put out a bit of bait as it were. Just don't put a pitch in with every message. Be helpful and show that you know your stuff.

To be honest, I don't know if the ROI of time on the DP forums vs work generated is all that good. But, as a whole the folks here are quite willing to share information (when they're not too busy name-calling) and there's been a great of writing, SEO and webmaster skills that I've picked up from being a member here and several other forums.

 

lol I know what you meant.

I agree. They do...for you and I.

But early on I was humbled by one who writes for DM. He can't work full time due to a handicap. He told me his story...and, man, I sat back, kinda put in my place.

Such mills are not for you and I, but for others who want or need to make a couple of hundred or so bucks a week to pay their rent....

And, yeah, it seems that pretty much all of their articles sucks also.

heh heh no, I have't.

Maybe there are some out there, but I haven't seen any as of yet.

To bring in more readers, repeat readers, USA Today has partnered with DM in creating a new "travel tips" section. It is derived of nothing but DM articles.

Just about all of the articles, it seems, are nothing but common-sense crap.

I read this, and I couldn't believe how little value it had, and just a "really? no shit" tag put on it by, I bet, most readers...

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/least-crowded-times-disney-world-2102.html

But, that writer got $15 for it, and unlike you and I, a lot of people could use the money.

To be honest with ya, I am not a full-time writer yet. I am a full-time copywriter for local businesses (grocery stores, gas stations, parlors, bars....), but I am moving towards writing full time soon as a syndicated writer. Probably in about a couple of months, or so.

I just like it better than copywriting. This job is a bit of a pain in my ass.

I do not know how good of a writer you are (proper grammar, sentence structuring, description and and in telling a good story), but...I am in the process of sending out queries to such sites that are in my genre:

http://www.gebbieinc.com/magurl.htm

You then have a loooooooong list of newspaper editors who are looking for writers.

Whenever you see a possible opportunity, contact them.

I was at the doctor's office last month and saw a small magazine that is published for the medical est. and their patients. It was not JUST on medicine. So I sent them an e-mail.

Keep your eyes open!

For the most part, this is how writers get gigs.

I haven't done much fishing for such sources, but so far I have had about a dozen or so show an interest, so I'll see.

Do the same. If you are truly serious, that is. I did it. Or, rather, I am in the process of doing it, so your ass sure as hell can!

You should also read this blog's archive: http://www.makealivingwriting.com/

Study it! There is a lot of good shit in there.

 

I wouldn't consider myself an exceptional writer by any stretch, however, I am much better than many of the writers I see out there today. I haven't had any formal training but I do have a mother who is a retired English teacher, and have been corrected on grammar for my entire life. I just started writing full time about 6 months ago and have been doing very well. Unfortunately, the client I was writing for sold his websites and will not resume until sometime in 2011.

So, I have come to DP looking for more clients and have found that they are few and far between here. That is in terms of how much money they are willing to pay for quality work.

 

@Perry Rose

Thanks for the detailed response. I got to know you better

 

I'm very happy to have chosen two really great writers from this forum

 

From my understanding, there are a lot of people on DP who want good work doing for almost nothing, but I think that if you are around on the content creation forum, and you keep an eye on it and react quickly, you can find work that pays ok - that's what a couple of people I know who use the site have told me anyway... that's what I am hoping! Trouble is I read threads like this and it does make me nervous that I am going to struggle to find work on here...

 

Well, you are - unless you're willing to write for a penny or less per word. That said, there are some awesome buyers lurking behind all this insanity who truly are assets to this forum. I've had the good fortune of encountering some of them recently. When you find them, consider yourself blessed. They are a rarity indeed.

 

You're right this is just rubbish...i posted on another thread how this type of useless content creation is ultimately pointless and incredibly irritating...

 

well i am really new to this forum,but i am really making good in content creation service.i believe that we should try our utmost not to turn down offers.Instead explain the problems to the buyer.

When i was new in article freelancing and stuff, i got a customer for me who was outsourcing his work for his client.Although the amount was very low, i wrote my best.And today i am almost getting $12 / article.

I have also started submitting my work to AC and others.So specially for newbs , never turn down offers.Try your best to create a relationship of 'friendship' with your clients.

 

I've done that. Several times. The conversations went like this.

Me: Thank you for your interest. No, I will not write for you for a penny a word. If this changes, kindly let me know. Thanks!

Buyer: NEXT!

 

That shit pisses me off.

Only a six pack and back-to-back three episodes of Two and a Half Men will clam me down.

I use to try to educate them so they know that paying more is in their better interest.

(Writers have to be a damn good salesperson also if he or she ever expects to make even decent money.)

I would show them God-awful articles that turned many first-time visitors away. Then I would show them good, quality articles readers like.

Then I would tell them that they could use such quality articles over and over again. ... Not just one time!

Then I came to the realization that just about all who go to such boards are so drop-jaw stupid in this regard, they couldn't think their way out a walk-in closet without bumping into the wall at least twice.