Moving On: Part Three of a Writer's Life

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So, having got my foot in the door of the writing industry, was I satisfied? Unfortunately not - I fell victim to shiny object syndrome. Thinking that as it had been so easy to join my first agency, why put all my eggs in one basket? So, I applied for lots of agencies and other methods of acquiring writing gigs, and learnt a few interesting lessons, and made some mistakes along the way.

The Bad Guys

You may have heard of the phrase "content mills". These are platforms which churn out lots of content at low prices, and are not too fussy about the writers they employ. One such example is iWriter. Now, I know there are some members here who use this plaform and are quite happy with the service. However, I want to advise you of how they work and how badly they treat their writers.

I initially joined iWriter as there seemed to be a never ending supply of work. The first thing I discovered, is that there is no evaluation test to pass. Anybody can be accepted regardless of their ability or command of the English language. And because, there is no testing, all new starters are put on the same level, known as "standard". This is a very low paid level, and iWriter takes 35% of all earnings. For a 1000 word post, writers at this level are paid just over $5.

The other levels are premium, elite and elite plus. You may think that writers are moved up into higher levels based on the quality of their work. Oh no - it is simply based on the number of articles they have written, even if they are of poor quality! For example, having written 25 articles, you are moved from standard to premium, but that doesn't mean you are a better writer. Another dismal aspect of this site, is that clients can reject your work as being unsuitable, but then use it anyway!

In a similar vein, is HireWriters. Their levels are beginner, general, skilled and expert, and again, moving through the levels is dependent on how much you write.

Obviously, I soon abandoned the thought of working for these two platforms. Did I learn my lesson? No, I moved on to the nightmare of Freelancer.com!

Freelancer.com

This is a platform whereby clients can advertise their jobs (any kind of freelancing, not just writing). Freelancers can check out the job description and send in their lowest bid, in the hope of being chosen. The downside, is that a lot of freelancers are in countries where just a few dollars can make a huge difference to their lives, so they send very low bids. I don't blame them, its a legitimate way to make a living, but its difficult for others to get their bids considered.

There is also a hidden layer of clients, who are outsourcers. They look for new writers who are hoping to get their first jobs to get 5 star reviews. And yes, I fell into this trap! I placed a bid on a fairly low paid, but seemingly easy job, and was offered it by a nice, pleasant lady. She emphasised the turnaround time of 24 hours. No problem, it was about celebrities having plastic surgery and paid around $15. I sent it off in plenty of time, and it was rejected! She said it didn't meet the brief as it didn't mention certain celebrities, which was never mentioned originally. And now, I had to correct it and return it in 2 hours. No problem this time, and I was paid.

However, while looking for another post to write, I spotted the same job, which said it had been taken - but for $45! It showed the job as completed and a 5 star review had been left. Yes, you guessed it, my "nice" lady had applied for the job, then readvertised it for a lower price, took the extra money and gained a great review. This is a common occurrence.

So, today's post covered the dark side of freelance writing. Next time, I will focus on how I put these experiences behind me, and recommend agencies you can trust.

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Recent Comments

26

Oh, my Goodness! Diane!

I had never thought of that! How crazy and what an experience! Actually I have had experiences of many re-edits for jobs on Airtasker, but never any proof that my work was being sold on to others for a profit.

Interestingly, all of the well-paid jobs don't ask for lots of extra edits (for both illustrations, formatting and writing here), but the people who want it for a cheap price, not only make you work harder, they also sometimes give way less than 5 star reviews!

I never thought of Freelancer as being like that (not that I used that platform) so this is good to know.

And really, you are so obviously a top notch writer.

Best wishes,

Jacquie

Great tips and insights, Diane. I'm looking forward to your next post.

Great post, I have been on these sites and I found Freelancer especially bad.

I too have tried a few and have been disappointed. Thank you for the great tips and thanks for sharing your story.

Great insights and very timely. I have been writing for our own 4 blogs but I don't pay myself! I thought about branching out. I'll look forward to your next post.

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