| rials and Tribulations of Finding Writing Work in the | | | | contracted work site markets itself. Elance, one of the |
| Freelance Work Marketplace | | | | largest freelance work marketplaces on the net, |
| There are many ways to find freelance writing work | | | | markets themselves as basically a place where |
| on the net. The most popular method is by signing up | | | | customers can get "cheap labor." This prevents |
| to one or more of the many freelance work sites | | | | providers from being able to place a bid based on |
| available. There are a ton of them to choose from. | | | | what they are worth in terms of skills, experience and |
| Take for instance, it is the site that I am known as a | | | | expertise. They basically have to bid what the Elance |
| “service provider” and it's where I get | | | | marketplace will bear, which in most cases is peanuts |
| most of my writing projects. While I do also have | | | | in comparison to what writers in the real world make. |
| offline clients, mostly corporations, Elance is a good | | | | Providers on Elance are literally at the mercy of |
| supplement to my writing business. | | | | customers because they flock to Elance to get a |
| However, there are some things that you should be | | | | 500-word article written for $5 or a 100 page ebook |
| aware of before you go rushing off to sign up to one | | | | for $300. Both absurd prices by the way and a |
| of these sites. Take a look! (I will use Elance as an | | | | fraction of what writers in the real world get. This type |
| example because it is the one I am most familiar with). | | | | of marketing makes it so hard for more seasoned |
| Costs: Many of these sites don't charge a signup fee, | | | | writers to bid higher, because so many providers on |
| however, many charge either a monthly fee (can be | | | | Elance are willing to offer these ridiculous prices. |
| quite steep like Elance, writing category, $75 per month | | | | There are times when you will come across a |
| for select provider status), or they charge a | | | | potential client that is willing to meet your price, but it |
| transaction fee for each project you accept. Many | | | | doesn’t happen as often as you think. It would |
| charge both (again Elance does this, 8.5% of total | | | | be great if this continued and clients would wake up to |
| project amount). | | | | the fact that they “get what they pay |
| Categories: Many of these sites break out their | | | | for.” Many have found the cheap labor source |
| projects into levels such as basic level, where basic | | | | to be unreliable in terms of content and delivery. I have |
| providers can bid on basic projects and select | | | | been contacted many times by Elance customers |
| providers, where select providers can bid on any job, | | | | who paid one provider their low fee to write |
| basic, or select. They also have a category in writing | | | | something, only to ask me to rewrite it at a higher price |
| called professional for $40 per month where you can | | | | (I won't bend on my prices, work or no work) because |
| bid only on basic projects as well. Of course, as you | | | | the provider either: |
| may have guessed, you pay a higher price for select | | | | Took a down payment for the work, did half of it and |
| as you are looked at as an expert in the field, whether | | | | disappeared, or |
| you are or not. Elance doesn’t check, so if you | | | | Plagiarized entire work, word for word, or |
| are willing to shell out the $75 per month, you too can | | | | Just did shoddy work. |
| be a select provider. | | | | It appears on these sites that customers have to learn |
| Bidding: Now this is where it really gets competitive, the | | | | the hard way sometimes. So when they contact me |
| real dog-eat-dog stuff. The reason is that, say for | | | | for a rewrite, I charge my going fee, and you know |
| instance that you are paying $75 per month to bid on | | | | what? They pay it without blinking an eye and you can |
| projects plus an 8.5% transaction fee for each project | | | | bet they learned a valuable lesson the hard way. |
| you bid on, then along comes a provider that underbids | | | | Unfortunately these kinds of actions on the part of the |
| you and gets the project, regardless of your skill level, | | | | providers give good quality writers a "black eye." It |
| portfolio or client references. It is disheartening and | | | | causes customers to be skeptical and leery of what |
| frustrating. You’ve just been passed over for | | | | we say we can provide them in terms of our skills and |
| what is known as a “low-baller.” | | | | expertise. So it makes the bidding and negotiation |
| Low-balling is a frequent practice on these sites, | | | | process that much more difficult. |
| especially from foreign providers whose cost of living | | | | Unfortunately I am only familiar with Elance, however, I |
| is a lot lest than the US. Also, you will find | | | | do believe that the actions that I have described here, |
| “newbies who have no experience, portfolio or | | | | do exist on other sites as well. You can visit any one |
| references stoop to this to get the project to build | | | | of them and see how low the bids are for various |
| these things. | | | | writing jobs. It appears to be the norm out there. |
| You may be thinking that this may be understandable | | | | Signing up? Take a look for yourself, visit these sites |
| in some cases because everyone has to start | | | | and learn all you can about them before making a |
| somewhere, right? Wrong! Actions like this devalues | | | | decision to fork over your hard-earned money on a |
| our skills as a writer and says to prospective clients I | | | | subscription. It may be quite awhile before you will |
| work cheap, use me like slave labor! | | | | even see a small return on your investment! |
| Additionally, you will always find providers who will | | | | Now, luckily I have been with Elance since 2001 and |
| underbid you simply because they outsource the work | | | | have built up a portfolio, a long list of client references |
| and get a percentage. So they can make money | | | | and even made some decent money. But it hasn't |
| without ever doing the work themselves. They can | | | | been easy and I would hate to see anyone else jump |
| afford to bid less because a piece of the pie, which is | | | | in thinking that their troubles are over and the money |
| better than none at all. | | | | will start rolling in. I have branched out and obtained |
| This also undermines the skills of writers trying to | | | | corporate clients that have become long-term clients. |
| make a living off writing. They are basically deceiving | | | | You may not be so lucky or it may take you just as |
| the client by not disclosing that they have a "team" or | | | | long if not longer to get to that stage. So keep in mind |
| writers that the work will be outsourced to. Again, this | | | | before you shell out high monthly fees coupled with a |
| prevents you from getting work. My personal belief is | | | | percentage of the project amount that trying to eke |
| that if you have a team of writers and you are a | | | | out a living as a freelance writer on these contracted |
| legitimate business, then you owe it to the client to | | | | work sites is rocky going at best. It may take months |
| disclose it. It will also help the other providers bidding | | | | before you are awarded your first project from a |
| against you to swallow it better. It becomes more of a | | | | client. Don’t quit your day job just yet! Good |
| way of doing business and less of a sneaky tactic. | | | | luck in your writing endeavors! |
| To top it all off, a lot has to do with the way the | | | | |