Comments on: For $10/Hour, You Should Write “Perfect” Copy, and Lots Of It

By: Tom Chandler

Tom Chandler — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:43:39 +0000

I don’t know about farce, but it is a race to the bottom – something best avoided by freelancers looking to make better than a

We’re in a classic situation of oversupply; the lower half of the market has come unglued in the face of hordes of parttime and new freelance writers, and the reigning concensus – that digital content has little merchantable value – isn’t helping any.

Thanks for the comment.

By: karin

karin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:46:06 +0000

I totally agree. Elance is a farce and I can’t believe how many buyers are unscrupulously screwing writers over.

By: John Scotland

John Scotland — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:13:38 +0000

That does seem like an excellent rate for copy writing in the US, after all it takes out the extra time you have to spend looking over a copy written by a person whom is non English speaker. Even better for me as that is only £5 per hour! a bargain.

By: Tom Chandler

Tom Chandler — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:53:59 +0000

Good question. And I can’t begin to imagine what $10 worth of perfect might look like…

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:36:44 +0000

I agree with the concensus here but apart from anything else, what exactly is ‘perfect copy’???

By: Tom Chandler

Tom Chandler — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:32:30 +0000

Graham: Yes, the whole “work cheap now and you’ll get to work cheaper later” model has always been good for a laugh.

M: I don’t even think “good” and “cheap” can be had together, regardless of delivery time. Still, your point is taken, and I’m reminded of my post on negotiation; never give anything without getting something in return.

Matthew: The Internet is certainly fueling the “write in your PJs for minimum wage” trend, but I believe Web 2.0’s rather active disregard for the concept of intellectual property isn’t helping much…

By: Matthew Stibbe

Matthew Stibbe — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:57:54 +0000

It’s an increasingly common trend, unfortunately. Because everybody can write, people tend to devalue the skills and experience of a professional writer. In addition there seems to be a pool of people willing to work for minimum wage churning out copy. The result is that some companies pay low fees for poor quality work and don’t know the difference. It’s just frustrating to waste one’s time trying to educate them and to explain the value of good writing. My view? Go to companies that know what they want, expect good work and pay for it.

By: M.

M. — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:49:45 +0000

Great post, Tom.

Whenever I see these kinds of offers, I think of the buyer’s rule of 2. There are generally three things a buyer wants, but they can only get 2:

1. Cheap
2. Good
3. Fast

You can get any of these 2, but you can’t get all 3.

By: Quiet Rebel Writer » Blog Archive » Weekly Theme (Respect Me!) and Link Love

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:33:24 +0000

[...] prevailing themes surrounding freelance writing. Beneath all the articles and posts lamenting the sorry state of freelancing fees, bitching about disrespectful editors and PR folks, and pushing us to have the balls and boobies to [...]

By: Graham Strong

Graham Strong — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:42:28 +0000

Yes, if the $10 per 400 words doesn’t drive you away, it is certainly the expectation of perfection, and the promise of “more to come”. If you accept $10 per article now, why is he going to give you more later?

In my experience, no good comes of working with people who make these promises and/or expectations, no matter what the pay.

~Graham