What are the advantages of writing for $4?

There is a definite advantage for writing for $4 per article - depending on how many words are in the article. For example, if it's short review 100 words for $4, that equates to about 4 cents a word and would most likely take a couple of minutes. ;-)

But seriously, I am in a similar position to callmeprincess as in I've been looking at GAF and other freelancing websites for jobs. It is rather ridiculous that people there want to pay you a measly sum of 50 cents to $1.50 for a 500 word article. It's peanuts! However, there are some better ones that do pay about 1c per word however this is quite rare. More often than not, the average 'better' pay rate there is about 0.006c per word.

 

well this is kinda sarcasticc ...

 

hi,
can i work with you?
paysalihkk at gmail dot com

 

The worst effect of accepting $4 ($5, $6) per article ...

... consists in all the crap that is being produced. Entering a couple terms into a search engine often leads to a myriad of spinned bullshit that is not worth the natural resources needed to produce the electricity that was wasted during its creation. Try to find some decent answers on a topic that happens to be popular with online marketers and you will dig through the same heap of verbal excrements dozens of times, wasting even more electricity and precious time.

Despite the verbal pollution, though, the simple reason why people keep accepting the humiliating type of wage-dumping is that not everybody has the same expenses in their country and that $4 US per article can be a fortune there. Second, not everybody needs to make a living by churning out verbal rubbish; they might live in a remote region where there's not much work in the field during winter months, they might have difficulties to find other jobs due to their real-life schedules or family obligations, they might be disabled, they might lack qualifications or be retired, whatsoever. Some people may not like marketing/selling activities, they might feel embarrassed or shudder at the idea of having to actively search and persuade customers, they may not have or not like the idea of starting a business ... Hundreds of reasons why people ruin the prices for full-time/professional writers.

What a pity, because it means that the few jewels of interesting information will get buried under more and more copied, pasted and spinned garbage. Unfortunately, less quality for cheaper prices is a general trend of our time, replacing craftsmanship with mass production. As long as customers are willing to accept the abysmal quality that $4 buys, there will be people providing it. That goes for all walks of life, from housing to toys and television -- why would it be different for "word-based service providers"?

 

The biggest advantage of a $4 article is that you don't have to do anything but vomit words onto a page. Head over to one of the content mills, sign up and they give you topic after topic to churn out. No thought, no depth, no true voice - just regurgitated nonsense stuffed with keywords. Is there a market for this sort of thing? Absolutely - a huge one. And it's full of all kinds of writers who don't know how to run a real business and enjoy the feeling of being an employee while giving up control of their own future to spend all day every day churning out fluff. Of course, they can learn how to effectively market their services and pull out of that rut if they have the ability. They might have to cut back from the 56 hours of solid writing they are doing to do so, however. Jenn and others have plenty of information out there about how to do this.

About the formula - If you're running a freelance business of any type, only a certain number of the hours you work are billable. In a typical 40-hour workweek, only about 25 of the hours worked will be billable. The rest will be filled with administrative tasks, marketing your services, communication, brand development, research and other joyous things like paying taxes. Speaking of which, every time I see someone writing for pennies, I wonder - are you filing taxes? If not, you can cross your name off the list of anyone who can reasonably expect to ever make it as a freelancer.

Successful freelancing is a business. You have to run it like a business and treat it as one. This means setting up goals, developing brands, creating marketing materials and positions and taking care of government obligations. As a writer, you're not just offering words. The rates you set are a sign of your ability, your professionalism and your service. It's your job to effectively sell that position to others. Jenn's right about the marketplace here. If you're looking for more than a spare change and have the ability to earn it, why are you here? Don't whine and spout bullshit about your rates being lowered because others are undercharging you. This is a single marketplace in a huge industry - and it's a pretty crappy one, unfortunately. If you want to be a player - learn how the game is played. Creating a thread and crossing your fingers isn't even close.

 

I used to write at $25 per article but I could not find any more clients.

I want some work now.

Lets hope if a fellow colleague here would help me out with it.

Thanks.

Ronak.

 

I have never worked for $4, even in the beginning of my career. I need to be motivated to accept a job. As for me, money are the best motivation when I have to work for someone else. I don't think a copywriter can earn enough money to live with such a rate unless he/she works for many hours every day. And, honestly, I don't understand, what makes people accept such jobs.

 

as long as you're happy i guess that's fine. making it $5 might matter but whatever..as long as you can laugh because you're happy.