How much does it cost to hire a quality writer for 500 words?

There are definitely exceptions to the rule Tudi. I know an writer or two from India that can write amazingly in conversational English - better than most professional writers I know (including myself). They don't charge low rates like other non-native speakers though. They compete in higher-paying markets and do quite well for themselves. Unfortunately, it's a "rule" you have to compete with being a non-native English writer writing for an English-speaking market though. The key for those in your shoes is to not advertise that fact. Just build your reputation on your individual work, and don't mention where you're from until you're asked or ready to sign a contract. It should be obvious enough on your professional site through an About page or Contact page though for anyone interested enough to do their research on you. Then just be prepared to answer any questions they may have about hiring someone overseas. If you can address concerns, and your work speaks for itself, you won't have to worry much about competing with the low-quality, extremely low-rate writers and their overall reputation affecting you.

 

Agree jhmattern. However, until recently, I worked solely on Rentacoder.com and you can't avoid having your nationality flag waved about in the buyer's faces there. Even moreso, they have an option to restrict all overseas coders, such as myself. I'm going to start charging more, because frankly, I'm confident I can produce better quality than what they're paying at the moment ($0.03/word). I don't want to come off as overconfident or snotty, but I've earned a lot of experience through hard work and now it's time to cash in on it

 

I've found the relationship you have with a copyrighter can impact on the fee's. I outsource to a couple of copyrighters and while their content is always spot on and meets my requirements, I pay more of a premium for knowing it will be done on time.

Cost per word... £0.05
Not letting a client down... Priceless.

 

im not dissing, as you so elloquently put it, i'm merely pointing out that there are alot of muppets out there trying to cash in on writing good quality english, which purely isn't. Therefore its best to advertise through a website not a bidding site, as someone will always undercut, especially if you charge Western prices. My take is, if they quibble about anything above 20 quid an hour, are they really worth it? In my experience, no.

 

I just started work on my service site, thanks for the tip mobilebay. I would also like to state that I find it important to be able to evaluate your skills. When I started out I knew my work wasn't worth much, because I didn't have anything to back it up with and I didn't have any experience. Now after years of writing, talking, reading and learning in English (yes, I study at an English college in town) I feel like I can take it up a notch.

By the way, not all bids on a freelance website like Rentacoder are peanut jobs. I got buyers paying me $0.05/word there, which I guess would be fair even for a native English writer. But to get to where you can make bids like that you have to gradually work your way up the ladder.

 

Ask for a sample of their work (or several), if you don't have one. Then, decide whether the rate they are asking for is worth the talent. I will quote a higher rate for people with low volume. I charge a lower rate for people who have a high volume. So, it really depends on how much work you want done, how complex the job is, and whether you have a clue as to what you want. Some people who want work don't have a clue. They think that saying:"I want a book on such and such" is enough to get you started. You should have an outline, or, at least request a proposal for an outline. This can backfire sometimes with them taking your outline to a different writer, but I believe what goes around comes around.