Hacing a hard time finding a writter.

"Hacing a hard time.."
Sound more like you need a spell checker.
lol, http://www.google.com/search?q=Hacing

 

Obviously, but you can go around killing people if you want to, but there is a community ritul called the law in which people should follow.

With resumes' the there is a community ritul where if you are classified as a professional at anything you need the diploma to back it up. This is where you purchase it from the Gov't after they scam a few years of college out of you.

 

I am pissed off that so many [people] fool around on Digital Point. I find it extremely difficult to find work here, however, the clients I do have are EXTREMELY grateful for my work. If you ask for a native U.S. based writer such as myself, you will find someone who is willing to work with you.

 

If you are worried about the payment process (paying writers up front) you could try employing writers through a site like Elance.com that uses an Escrow system. This means that both you and the writer will have security.

Elance is a good place to find writers and for freelance writers, it is a great place to find work. The only trouble if you are a writer, is the sheer amount of competition on the site. If you are new, it can be very hard to find your first gig. If you are looking for a writer you will find that people offer many different prices and the quality of work will vary with the prices.

You could also check out ConstantContent.com. Here you buy individual articles, but you can request specific jobs to be completed. The good thing about this site, is that it allows buyers to read about one third of the article before they commit to buying it, so you can be sure of the quality.

Why not Google, "buy articles" and see what else comes up. There are quite a lot of options available.

 

Textbroker is a great system. The system governs the article you get. I think they pass it through copyscape for you.

 

I just hate when native English speakers are requested, and then two people who actually are native respond, and a dozen people who can't even spell 'PM me' flock to the thread.

I do agree about the gratitude, though. I have quite a few regular clients, and I am now making twice what I was working outside the home before this. They end up sticking with you.

I just wish so many potential buyers weren't frightened away from the ones who don't know how to read simple instructions....

 

To frustrated writers: Provide quality, be diligent at marketing your skills, and you'll find success.

To frustrated clients: Demand samples, be patient to find a good writer that will work well with you (not all good writers will work well with). It will be worth it in the end!

 

Well first let me clarify that I know how to use Textbroker and on multiple occiasions (dozens) I have declined and sent it back for re-work and never get a satisfactory result.

The bottom line is that if I have to send it back for changes 4 times I might as well write it myself as I already have the time invested.

So we will all just have to agree to disagree on Textbroker. Sorry

As far as samples, not necessary to ask some to write you a sample, but to send you a sample of something they have done already.

Usually I will say "Send me a sample of anything you have written on the health or fitness area" and I usually get enough back to make a determination.

I recently had just such an interaction with someone in this thread and was very impressed and gave them work on the spot. Of course I risk them getting too busy or raising their price, but I will get work from them as long as they are willing to provide it.

 

In one of your posts you mentioned a "test" you have potential writers do- that's what I was referring to. You may be paying for the test, though I would imagine that would become expensive.

Well, I certainly wish you luck with your new writer. I'm sure eventually you'll find the way to get and retain good writers (maybe it'll start with the one you just hired).

 

Guru.com, study before you post, try to get 5 stars and under $5000.00 someone who is trying to get good ratings and charges lower amounts. Budgets are a necessary part of life, some freelancers don't understand that, but if they were hiring they would.
good luck

 

It's funny that you assume freelancers don't understand budgeting. For the record, many of us have hired writers in our time (a necessary part of the job if you have to subcontract), so we're well aware. What I find even more amusing are the "clients" who think paying peanuts is appropriate while they have heavy demands - what they don't understand is how finances work for a freelancer (everything we make isn't actual income) and what it's like for those low-end writers trying to struggle to make ends meet with the cheap-ass work they take (not that I sympathize if they don't bother changing their market - just pointing out that there's absolutely nothing wrong with other writers charging what their time is actually worth to them).

 

I empathize with you, and I sense a great deal of frustration that you've obviously had dealings to merit such, but as we all know, you have to play the game and while venting is necessary, reality checks are necessary as well.

Also, we are in a recession, and with that comes cheaper rates, even though the employers may want to pay more, they may not be able. Personally, I feel we should all get paid what we are worth, but you may have to take less to get that job, and it may be difficult, but if you don't take it, someone else will. If you do a good job, then you are the winner in the end, your reputation proceeds you.

 

That's not necessarily true. Many freelancers (in any industry) will end up better off in a recession; not earning less. Why? Because freelancers are more attractive to companies that need work done, even when they can't afford their typical full-time staff. If our clients want to cut rates, we have more options to find people willing to pay our rates. Quite a few freelancers I know are successfully raising their rates in the current economy. Freelancers should never stop thinking about growth and just "settle" because of what they think is happening in the economy.

Freelancing is an entirely different animal than working for an employer. The "reality" is that freelancers who are smart about their business will end up better than they were before (because they'll adapt by adjusting their target market if needs be), and those who aren't will find themselves earning less (and that's not a good place to put yourself in, because there's no magic date where you can say to clients "Hey, the recession's over, so I'm increasing my rates again.").

It's fine that clients may have to tighten their budgets. Freelancers need to understand that it's then also fine to accept that client is no longer in their target market, and they should be looking elsewhere. Those clients also need to understand that if they're paying less, they'd better be prepared for the chance that they're going to get less. Your writer's rent, mortgage, etc. didn't suddenly drop because you cut your budget. They're charging what they need to earn, and they should continue to do so. In business you never take a step back if you don't have to, and right now freelancers don't have to.

 

I must say i completetly with what you say Jhmattern, yet, somehow it seems that the thread has deviated from it original request...

"having a hard time finding a writer"... well, I would suggest that you continue to search. IF you decide to post an overview of what it is that you need, specifically, then perhaps someone here (myself included) might get interested or have someone that might help you (if the budget is too low for us)...

The idea is to help and do some business, right?

 

Elance.com is the right place to find quality, well written, seo optimized content, in other words just about anyone needs.

There might be some great copy-writers on GetAFreelancer, however I did not find one. They are mostly the typical bad writers that don't even provide spell checked articles. You have to pay to get quality.

Finding a great writer on forums, is just like catching fish with your hands.

 

Um no. With the increasing amount of lay-offs, free-lancing becomes more and more competitive, equating to companies allowing to compensate those competing free-lancers with lower pay. Why do you think employees across the nation are taking pay cuts just to keep their jobs?

Moreover, I love your rhetoric, but please substantiate it with something other than inane or just false statements.

 

I don't know....

While I admit to having low rates, I have been able to increase them over the last week until I am not working for some for double what I was before, and I am still getting a lot of jobs, even with the number of writers offering for half what I ask.

Which is great, although I was doing alright before, as well, considering I am making just under $1000 a month working part time, which is a huge increase to what I was earning inside the home, and while not enough to live off of on my own, a great supplemental income for my husband and myself until I feel comfortable enough to raise them too full pay and hours.

In any case, the number of people looking for freelancers at varying rates seems to be booming, bad economy or not, and it makes sense, considering (as was stated before) the companies who can't continue to hire full time writing and marketing staff.

 

You're only partly right, and no one's disagreed here with everything you're saying.

Yes, there will be more freelancers. No, that doesn't mean all freelancers will have increased competition (even experienced writers new to freelancing will struggle to compete against equally experienced freelancers who already have a solid network and marketing skills - employees don't always have these skills up front, and marketing is a long-term effort, especially in higher-paying markets).

Increased freelancers also doesn't have a blanket effect of clients paying lower wages. Yes, there are some markets where this will happen (generally those on the low end pay-wise get hit the hardest, and more importantly we'd be talking about companies that already rely predominantly on freelancers, looking to cut costs).

What you don't account for is the fact that when companies layoff full-time employees in a recession, they often have to complete the same amount of work. Freelancers are a much more cost-effective option for a lot of employers, and the hiring of freelancers increases when layoffs do. These companies do not try to pressure freelancers to lower their rates in that way. Why? Because a freelancer with equal experience / background to their former full-time writer is already cheaper, allowing them to cut their budget without sacrificing the quality of work they receive (keeping in mind that an employee's cost goes beyond salary, to include insurance, general overhead in the office, benefits, the company's portion of taxes, etc.). They're willing to pay freelancers the same (or even higher) hourly rates compared to the fulltimer's salary, because it's still far cheaper for them (and they get to cut down on administrative costs in dealing with the HR, tax, and other issues, which then fall on the contractor).

Smart freelancers won't get sucked into charging lower rates to keep the same clients or the same market. They'll be keeping their eye on the changing markets, and they'll adapt accordingly by finding new market segments willing to pay their rates - for example those in struggling print fields will adapt by moving to online media, those writing for niche blogs might move into the growing area of corporate blogging where the pay is generally better, or those focusing on copywriting might reevaluate their target industries from those hit hard to those that are more recession-proof (like going from writing for the automotive industry to using their technolgy and copywriting experience to write marketing material for universities recruiting students into related technical programs - as recruitment often goes up during recessions).

Employees taking pay cuts has absolutely nothing to do with freelancing. They're two entirely different animals. Employees are willing to accept less because they need that stability, want the benefits, etc. Freelancers aren't taking pay cuts for that stability (something that doesn't exist in freelancing), and they can't afford to take less to try to keep benefits (because the price of those benefits all comes out of their own pocket and doesn't decrease because of a slow economy). Remember, not everyone is cut out for freelancing - those who don't consider it an option would naturally be more desperate to keep a stable full-time job, and they'll be more willing to make sacrifices to do that.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't consider nearly 10 years of experience to be "inane." I speak from experience of ups and downs, and continuing to grow by knowing how to adapt (and from a marketing / PR background that allows me to better understand its significance and role in growth as a freelancer).

But hey... no need to take my word for it.

Here's an interesting podcast you may want to listen to (focuses on UK freelancers, but addresses the economic issues and forecasts for the future). Listen to the whole thing if you'd like, or start around the 15-minute mark if you just want a few interesting tid bits without having to listen to the whole thing. For those interested, this is the 2nd part of a 2-part podcast. There's a link there to the first (about 25 minutes long) if you want to hear both in order. (I suggest folks listen to other past podcasts here as well - always good stuff.)

Other freelancers (including top freelancers) have also noted that recessions are good times for freelance writers, either by sharing their own history working through them or by offering tips to newer writers from their own experience. Here are a few examples:

Angela Booth
Anne Wayman
Diana Burrell

No one's saying every writer is going to come out better off. As a matter of fact, I very clearly said that previously - the smart ones who can adapt to the market will, and those who can't (or those who undervalue their work now and who will be in direct competition with new floods of writers) probably won't. Years of experience have shown me that's the case, and it's the same thing you'll hear from others who have been there and not just survived, but succeeded in continued growth.

I'm not particularly worried about whether or not you, or anyone else, agrees with me. I'm quite happy with my income, career, and continued growth. I know my markets, know how to diversify my income, and won't have to lower rates at all. I hope most others here will find themselves in the same boat, or will at least start reevaluating their freelance careers and making positive adjustments to maintain their income and lifestyle moving forward. For those who still choose to lower their rates, by all means I wish them luck. I hope for their sake that every one of them proves me wrong. But I won't hold my breath.

 

jhmatern, I'll have to admit, that I just glanced at what you wrote, I like things shorter, no offense intended. It seems that there are several circumstances occurring at once. Some may be feeling the effects of the recession in different manners than others. I do think that some may be seeing a rise in profits, through freelancing, while others may have companies actually ceasing business due to a lack of funds. Some companies may have layed off their writer(s) and now have to rely on freelancing.