Working for half-a-penny a word is unimaginable and clients who have such low budget should either write it themselves or forget about getting good results. What I'm trying to say is that the whole content market is going down just due to some writers working for dirt cheap rates and producing horrible content and due to some clients looking content at unrealistic prices. I strongly urge all good writers to charge at least $1/100 words. Any amount less than that amount does not justify the time and effort that goes into writing something useful even if it is a 'long-term' or a 'bulk' contract. Ideally, the minimum price asked should be somewhere around $2/100w, but such abrupt change would not happen at once, so I think following 'a penny a word' rule is okay to begin with.
It depends upon what the client wants. I don't mind working for a penny a word if it is a 500 word article that I can just write off the top of my head in 10-15 minutes. If the client wants an article that requires research, or needs to fit specific requirements like adding in a bunch of keywords, then the rate better be more than a penny a word. A well researched, revised and keyword specific 500 word article takes between 30 and 45 minutes and I'll be damned if I'm going to do that much work for $5. That's about $6 to $7 an hour. Even those kids flipping burgers at McDonalds get more than that!
You know, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of these articles that are written for dirt cheap ended up on the sites that pay more per article. Arbitrage is a good way to make money, and a situation like we have here would be prime for taking advantage of in that respect. If people want DP to rebuild it's status as a good place to make money doing freelance writing, then the writers definitely have to stop working for so little and start working only under their own terms.
Read the whole thread and the only thing I got out of it is that if I need a writer (which I might do very soon) debapriya deb will be contacted. The way he/she posts do him/her credit.
Hi, I am interested in your project. I've been writing content for three years now. I’m always on the lookout for writing opportunities because I enjoy doing it. I hope that we'll be able to establish a good working relationship. I am always available online on skype. Id:er_shailendra_pratap I will write for you an effective and 100% original content and copyscape pass is guaranteed. Content will be rich in keywords. I write SEO optimized content. I charge very nominal rates i.e.2.5$/500 words. Thanks Shailendra
Does anyone even remember the OP's name or what the thread was about? I for one do not, but do thank him profusely for creating it as the subject matter has been most entertaining and a source of enlightenment. OP do feel free to comment on this thread if you so choose.