The Death Of The Freelance Writing Industry
It has been a couple of years already. With the start of the year 2006, I had already started with freelance writing and that has brought me quite some money which has helped me greatly. I am quite happy that I do have some gigs here and there.
Now my main concern though is just how the freelance writing industry is faring. This was the discussion that my friend, Jirl, has been talking about just a few minutes ago. We’ve been concerned about the very low rates that are offered online. For example, an article of 500 words costs $1 to $2. Now that is quite low if you ask me. For 500 words, I could be paid 350php and that would be the equivalent of around $7 to $8. See the difference?
If this goes on, freelance writers and the industry just may go stagnant and get visited by flies.
There are tons advertising for articles with a very low pay. Although you really only have to do some research, rewrite the article you found, and then make sure that nothing goes up when it is checked through CopyScape, you still do a lot of work.
Let us take this scenario as an example. Here in the province, you can start as a content writer for 6000php a month. You get to write four 400-word articles per day. There are 22 days in a month. So each article you write would be like around $1 to $2. But you are employed. That means you do get to earn without having your own computer, without having to shell out for electricity, and without having to think about payments to those government agencies like SSS and PhilHealth.
If you were doing freelance writing, this means that you would have to have your very own computer, an internet connection, and since you are not employed by a company, you would have to shell out for those monthly payments to those government agencies. So come to think of it, you’re better off with that 6000php per month.
Why do I think the industry is becoming such? Well, I think that it is not exactly because companies think that writing is something that they can pay for such a really low price. It is because one company could offer one project to one person for $30 per article. This person would then send this article to another person and offer it for $15 to make money himself. Then the other person would then decide to advertise for such a project for only $5 per article. It gets handed down for many times that the price becomes so low. Anyway, that is just an example and I don’t know the real prices. But I have been able to get a project where one 200-word article is priced at $20. So there.
Such kind of scheme is quite hard for writers. See, companies are looking for writers because they cannot write good stuff themselves. Writing is a talent. It is something that you cannot find in everybody. And the problem is that there are writers who take the really low pay. Please. If you really value the industry, make sure that you don’t go for projects that really pay so low. It’s killing the industry. The next thing you’ll know, one 500-word press release is going to be priced for $0.50.
Image from Interface Culture
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hi peach. may sadiri ka na palan na domain. i guess i am still lucky for getting $10 per article projects. pero tama ka. dakol talagang freelance projects na masyado hababa an bayad. dakol kaya talagang middlemen. ginigibo ko man an magpasa nin projects sa iba sa mas hababang presyo. cguro hugak lang buda muya man makakua nin kadiit na profit.
Thanks for dropping by Homar. I also do pass on some projects pero I try not to give a lower price. Kasi I think that it’s my fault I was not able to do the project and it is the other person who is going to do all the hard work. So there. But yeah. To each his own.
You so right, Peachy. I used to work in advertising as a copywriter. I did freelance gigs in between full time work. The last time I did this was about ten years ago now and I was earning £600.00 per day back then. (Advertising pays the most when it comes to writing.)
However, I got bored with advertising so tried my hand at other forms of writing. I got paid £10.00 for 100 words for writing features for a local freesheet – that sadly came to an end when the editor was removed.
Since then I have kept an eye out for on-line writing gigs but, as you say, they all pay stupidly low rates. It is, in part, due to the internet. Companies can now get writers in countries where the cost of living is much lower, which forces down the price for everyone.
(By the way the pic should be attributed to http://www.interface.ufg.ac.at/christa-laurent/WORKS/IMAGES/LIFE_WRITER_PICTURES/LifeWriter06.jpg)
Your story is just a concrete example of how things are going for writers. That is yet another good example why the prices are going down for freelance article writing gigs. Anyhow, thanks for the correction. I’ve already changed what I wrote.
waaaa…rich n ang bebegurl….ano pah?! optimize ta na ini!!!
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Nice one Budzzz! The problem though is that I can optimize it myself. Maluwas pa akong kuwarta saindo. Wahaha! Sorry. Ibang client na lang.
[...] The Death of the Freelance Writing Industry [...]
You’re right. A lot of companies based in the Philippines pay their writers at a very dismal rate. Just like essays.ph, they’ll give you a load of say 5 articles with 500 words and would just pay you 300 pesos! At ayaw nila i-disclose kung magkano ba talaga ang kinikita nila per order. If we will look sa mga foreign companies offering the same type of job, some are paying at a minimum of $16 per page! Ang laki ng diperesnya. Kawawa ang mga writers dito.
Kanina lang I was suspended from essays.ph dahil lamang sa nagreklamo ako. Isipin mo, antagal ko nang naisubmit iyung article tapos ngayon lang nila ibabalik for revisions! Fuck. Ang hirap gawin nung article na inassign nila tapos ganun pa gagawin nila. Nakakainis at nakakaiyak. May efforts are wasted.
Anyway, I have still two good employers who are REALLY GOOD to me. They pay quite well and would give assignments na kumpleto ang detalye and they would give you enough time to do the articles. Kaya I am not recommending new writers to apply at essays.ph. Sayang lang ang effort niyo. Masyado lang kayo maiistress.
Kaasar talaga. Mamamatay din sila.
This is right here, in the present, not the future.