article writing tasks
By irislee_24
@irislee_24 (102)
Philippines
June 3, 2011 11:13am CST
Hi! I started on myLot about two years back but stayed inactive. Now I will try to visit here more often. On article writing tasks, how much do you think is a reasonable pay for a 500-word article? I've seen many ads on craiglist looking for writers to write 500-word articles at the price of $1. It pains me to see people posting ads like this. I know these article buyers will edit and polish these $1-articles and sell it to other buyers at $10-25 at the same number of word-count. This is heartbreaking and it's unfortunate for Filipinos and other Asian writers to spend time researching and writing for the rate of only $1 per article. This could not even buy a decent meal. On second thoughts, there's Jollibee 39ners... it doesn't come with beverage but water can do the trick.
2 people like this
8 responses
@petersum (4522)
• United States
3 Jun 11
Why would someone want to buy an article? To publish it as his/her own? To make extra money by selling it over and above what they paid for it?
Can anyone give a legitimate reason to buy an article?
There is no reasonable price to pay. Please people, don't sell your soul for a pittance.
2 people like this
@SpikeTheLobster (6403)
•
4 Jun 11
The basic premise is to buy a batch of cheap articles (say 10 or 20 at $1 each). You then use them to generate traffic (and thus income) or resell them.
The thing is that the people buying KNOW that those $1 articles are going to suck. They want cheap stuff because they're interested much more in the ideas than in the writing. They'll have to rewrite them completely (especially since most are written in non-native English which - no offense intended - isn't publishable) so they want them cheap: otherwise they're paying a lot AND spending a lot of time redoing it all.
You think $1 is bad pay? I've seen people offering 10c (there was even someone on here offering that price). Only the worker can judge the value of their time and effort.
1 person likes this
@irislee_24 (102)
• Philippines
4 Jun 11
Thanks for the comment guys. To Spike, I think I've seen that 10c too. It's a pity really. And I agree with you, the buyers are after the idea. But for those who are writing well and put time and effort in their work, $1 is just not worth it.
@SpikeTheLobster (6403)
•
4 Jun 11
The discussion about rates of pay is never-ending and has no answer, to be honest. $1 for 500 words is very low pay, yes, but if you happen to live somewhere where $1 buys a lot, then it's not so bad.
There's also the question of quality. I ran an experiment on oDesk a year or so ago where I offered two jobs: one for 10 $1 articles and one for 1 $10 article. The difference in quality? Virtually none.
In both cases, I'd have had to completely rework the articles if I wanted to use them. In the end I was really just paying for the idea in the writing, not the writing itself.
Personally, I'd expect well over $10 for a 500-word original article but I know people who'd do it for $1 and be happy with it.
In the end, it comes down to doing what's right for you. If you don't want crap pay, don't take the crap jobs.
1 person likes this
@Chiang_Mai_boy (3882)
• Thailand
4 Jun 11
It is an unplesant fact of life that an article is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. If someone is willing to sell a 500 word article for $1.00 and that is what the market will pay then that is the going price.
It is a suckers game to sell on Craigslist with no assurance that you will get paid. It is better to work with buyers on a site like www.freelancers.com where you have someone to mediate disputes between you and the people who buy your work.
1 person likes this
@Chiang_Mai_boy (3882)
• Thailand
4 Jun 11
Sorry for the bad link. it should have been www.freelancer.com.
1 person likes this
@eileenleyva (27560)
• Philippines
4 Jun 11
Many times, I do sense that some mylotters are simply copying my mini write-ups, especially about Christianity. I do not get much from writing here but I know that my stories will go far and beyond. So I keep posting. Sometimes, the joy of writing is not just for the money.
@missliss08 (766)
• United States
3 Jun 11
I think it depends on the complication of the article. If it is 500 words you can whip up in like 10 minutes, than a dollar is good. If it takes a lot of time and research, I would say closer to five dollars.
1 person likes this
@irislee_24 (102)
• Philippines
4 Jun 11
hi missliss08. Thanks for your comment. How I wish I could write that fast...500 word-article in 10 minutes. I have to enhance my skills more. And yes I agree... $5 I think is reasonable in my country.
@cheatedaphrodite (810)
• Philippines
3 Jun 11
Hi irislee,
For a good article, expect $7 to $10 per 500 words, this is the minimum but of course it will depend on the content/uniqueness of the article.
1 person likes this
@irislee_24 (102)
• Philippines
4 Jun 11
Hi there, thanks for stopping by. I wish they would pay me at that rate. If I produced five 500-word article in one day and say worked 5-days a week... I would have $1000 every month... that's a lot of money for a stay-at-home mom like me. (See me wishing and dreaming...) *____*
@makatas (1098)
• Greece
4 Jun 11
It really depends on the nature of the article. Simple articles of that size will not take more than 15 minutes to complete and if so, it isn't that bad. I would personally write such articles at 1 dollar.
But more complex ones, like those articles that refer on specialized sectors, such as medicine or electronics, those could be worth way more than 1 dollar.
I wish you find an offer that suits you more. Take care always!
