Frustrated as an American writer...

I just had to vent a little. When I first started writing web content for people, it was paying well. I still have some of those client's that do pay me well ($50 for 3 500 word articles) and they appreciate me because I provide quality. It is so hard to pick up decent paying clientèle. Non-American, semi-English speakers are writing articles for a penny a word or less, and concocting babble that content seekers are seeming to approve of, which is nonsense. It is so hard to find people who want quality over quantity, so how do you American's combat that? I am trying to transition to writing full time and quit my corporate existence, but I am thinking its not going to happen!

 

It is a very tough market to work in because competition is fierce. Why dont you start developing and writing content for your own websites? You'll find it pays off alot more money in the long term, you make money from adverts and even get to sell a more wholesome finished product at the end of it. Don't just sit around waiting for the right customers or you'll get left behind.

 

This is soooooooo true!

- 'Content Creation' section is an example.

I'll suggest you to start developing your own sites as they're the real money makers when compared to article writing business.

 

I am so green to the website-owning part of the business, and it seems I will buy an ebook, and it will have some methods, but never how to get started and build a base. I see all kinds of content sites that make money, however I have no idea where to start, so how would I get building one of these sites?

 

I get very frustrated too and because I am full time freelance I find myself taking the low paying jobs to make ends meet (because even when the pay is low it is still better than the other jobs I've had). Because I'm still building my site, I usually do a trade. I'll agree to a lower price for the articles in exchange for a testimonial for my website or being able to use that person as a reference. I've also found that, after doing a few lower paying gigs for a client, they realize that I am worth more and I am able to raise my prices a little. In my experience, if you do your best to be easy to work with, more jobs come in via word of mouth than submitting queries.

It is slow going, but I am getting there. Every once in a while I'll quote a rate to someone and they'll surprise me by agreeing immediately and then I think "shoot, I should have quoted a higher price!"

I also agree with venturefox in that starting your own website is a good idea--that way you can write what you want and sell ads to generate more income to get you through the lean times.

That said, I do feel your frustration. I had somebody tell me the other day that the most they would pay me was $3 per article and that wouldn't be until I had "pruveed I wuz wurth it."

 

I share your annoyance, but here's how I look at it: consider the state of freelance writing prior to the internet. Rates were often as low as $.1/word for magazine articles, which is about double that value in today's pennies, and rejection often par for the course. Credentials were a given and breaking in to the premium markets was almost impossible for a newbie. Print costs kept the available space low, and there was always a glut of writers scrambling to make even a part-time income freelancing.
Today, the demand for unique custom content is ever expanding, and while global competition for writing jobs is also growing, US writers have an advantage over even British and Australian scribes, in that we are natives in the most commonly sought dialect.
As others have said, every content writer should be filling downtime by developing your own sites. After all, you have a source of free, professional content that can also serve as a writing sample; why not hire yourself?

 

People replied while I was typing!

This forum is a great place to look for advice on how to get started with a website. You can also go to your local library or bookstore. There are plenty of books out there that will tell you how to build a website from the ground up (and the books at the library are free to check out).

Unfortunately, there is no real "earn money fast" method to starting a website, but if you are willing to put in the time and work, there's no reason you shouldn't see a nice return.

 

i am not looking to earn fast, just looking for a specific step by step guide for a content site....

 

^Amanamission, Great attitude and perspective to have, I agree 100%.

As far as the original post, if you're a good writer, then the .01/word writers aren't your competition, and their clients aren't your target market.

Two totally different worlds. Find the clients that need your expertise, they are out there. I still do quite a bit of writing work myself. I've been on the other side too, trying to find good writers for my websites. Even when you're willing to pay a premium, truly great writers are very tough to come by.

 

You should start with something simple like a blog. First you have to go register a domain name, domainsite.com is my preferred registrar. Then you need to find some hosting and then point the domain's nameservers to your new host. After that you can download wordpress, upload all the files to your server and it includes a quite simple installation process.

After that you just need to setup the categories for whatever topic you're writing about, add a unique style (theme, plugins, etc) to the new blog and you're all set to start publishing.

 

I'll answer your question with a few questions of my own...

Do you have a business website that markets your services?
If you do, why is it not in your signature?
Do you have a blog?
Again, if you do why is it not in your signature?

Hiring a writer is an exercise in trust. The client has to trust that you are everything that you say you are and that you will actually deliver what you are hired to write. Having even a small website will help your prospects see that you are doing more than earning a little money on the side. That website will also start building your credibility as a professional writer. Having a website and/or a blog will provide someone shopping for a writer the ability to evaluate your past work before they contact you directly.

Look at the posts made in this thread - only one person does not have an attached blog entry and/or signature. That should tell you something about needing to improve the marketing of your own services.

Stay true to yourself. There are folks out there who recognize quality writing and are willing to pay for it but you will have to work a bit harder than you appear to be doing to establish your business.

 

We have a global market here with global competition and global clients.
Lots of opportunities come with lots of new challenges. The buyers you usually see are usually those looking for the lowest price.

The fact is that this is the way it is going to be. The Non-American writers won't go away and neither will clients who want cheap articles.
As Jhmattern often says, marketing is just as important as writing.
Market yourself well and find the high paying clients.

Don't worry about those buyers looking for .01 cent/word articles, if they aren't good enough for you. They aren't the whole market.
If you are good, you will be paid well and find good clients.

On a side note
In my opinion, a good writer whether african or american or asian deserves good pay and a bad writer doesn't.
Price shouldn't be based on the country where they live and the financial standards there, but on the quality of the writer.

 

Look into starting your own Wordpress website. A lot of ISP companies have the option for anyone to install a copy of Wordpress with just a press of one button. Learning how to upload new themes is a snap and all it takes is one evening to learn.

Visit http://www.wordpress.org to get started.

 

I couldn't agree more with your first point. Take for example, Jerzy Kozinski, who won a Pulitzer in his second language after being a mute orphan in Nazi Europe.

With regard to the point about price, I have to differ. It's necessary to mention whatever qualities will give a client confidence and justify the higher expense associated with our being available to serve. A location in the US is no guarantee of literacy, but it does give us an advantage writing for the local market. And cost of living is always a factor in hiring rates. It costs more to hire at McDonald's in San Francisco, CA, than it does in Columbia, Mo. The only difference is the living costs of employees and their relative scarcity at low wages.

That said, I salute everyone who is writing in a second language, and hope that you are ever-vigilant to give your best to even low-paying clients.
Personally, I think it's great that other countries have the opportunity to trade services globally, and while many of these writers are not really qualified to professionally handle the English language, those who are proficient are a credit.

 

I would suggest looking outside of DP for new writing clients.

 

This is good advice. 90% of the employers looking for writers on here don't care about quality, they want it cheap. Other sites like Elance or Guru list higher paying jobs for writers. You may also want to look at Problogger for a list of writing jobs.

 

Target a niche market with your writing. Contact websites/businesses (by phone and email) who you think can use your articles to enhance their business. Now you are dealing with people who can afford to pay you more than 1c per word.

marketing/selling/cold calling.........call it whatever you want, but YOU have to go get them, they wont come to you.

 

Excellent advice. Big paying guys don't normally look here for quality writers, as they are few and far between here. Luckily, you and I are a couple of them.

 

All very interesting. I have to admit that I've been pretty shocked by the quality of articles I've seen on some of the big article distribution websites, such as ezine. And saddened, in some ways, to think that people who have clearly rarely bothered to string a written sentence together are jumping onto the SEO bandwagon with a pile of junk. Then again - if all this gets people writing it's probably a good thing.

Many of the posts here refer to the fact that real quality will always 'shine through'. I'd like to agree, but am beginning to wonder whether many people these days can actually TELL if writing is good or not!

Certainly not from the grammatical point of view - I see garbled English on a daily basis, and even some of the writers here aren't able to use the possessive 's' correctly - which is a pretty poor indictment.

I really do wonder if a lot of those who commission content are actually able to spot badly written copy when they see it - particularly in the web world, where many don't have the kind of editorial skills you'd expect at a quality magazine, for example.

Hmmm - just some thoughts. And of course, correct use of English isn't everything - that's why editors are employed to correct writers' mistakes!

But seriously, I do think that any really good writers should start looking beyond online content if their work is to be properly judged. Or at least, start submitting to some of the bigger newspapers; their online divisions are growing all the time and most are in real need of a constant source of quality content.

 

And that's why even at cheap rate of 1c per word they are wasting money.