Why do people expect writing to cost LESS when...?

49 replies
Hi Warriors,

This is one of those things that has bothered me as a writer.

Okay, it hasn't really bothered me all that much, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Why do clients think that ordering MORE articles on the same topic should bring the price per article down?

I understand the basics behind the idea when it comes to physical goods where discounts are given for valid reasons. For example, shipping often costs less, and there is no need to do an additional set up of machinery for manufactured good.

BUT...

Aren't articles and other services different?

See, if I'm writing one article on Blu-Ray players, that's no problem. But each successive article gets harder to write, not easier. It's harder to come up with another fresh angle, or even to say the same thing in a different way.

I can also understand how a lower rate for bulk article orders could apply to articles that are spun or handled by a team of writers. But I, and others, wrtie each article from scratch and are one-person operations.

Of course I will usually take bulk orders, and like I said, I don't mind all that much. But it is something that I have questioned. Why? Because the way I figure it, it gives me a bigger overall payment and there's nothing wrong with that.

But, why is it that writers don't start charging more per article for bulk orders of original, high-quality articles?

Am I off base here? I'm just trying to get a better grasp of it.

All the best,
Michael
#cost #expect #people #writing
  • Profile picture of the author deu12000
    I think you are off base. Basically everything you buy no matter if it's custom made (like articles) or straight off a factory conveyor belt, you should get a discount because it is a bulk purchase. The setup time for articles for example would be finding a new customer, getting them to agree to purchase from you and the price, research, etc... The physical work is probably the same but if you think about it articles are easier to write in bulk on the same topic because now you have knowledge on that topic that you previously might not have had. You can claim that finding a different angle is hard but if you have a good sized bulk order I'm sure you'll find new topics within that niche and after a while new articles can just start flowing.

    I don't make articles, but I make websites and I do offer bulk discounts if a client buys more than one site. The work is the same and the content could be completely different, but that one client buying two sites from me made me not have to find someone else to buy the site. There are customer acquisition costs in pretty much all businesses (including mine) and giving a bulk discount is kind of like giving them a rebate on the customer acquisition cost, plus you don't have to spend much more time on relationship building. The bulk rate is a win-win for both of us.
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  • Profile picture of the author KarlWarren
    Hi Michael, this is just my opinion,

    bulk pricing or a discount on volume allows you as the writer to spend more time on the paid work you have in your pipeline, rather than spending the same time finding new clients with smaller jobs to fill the same pipeline.

    It is also likely easier to work with one client who you "get" (understand exactly what they want/need) than multiple clients whose wants and needs are all likely to be different.

    Of course, as the vendor it is entirely in your control how much you charge, and which clients you want to work with/for. But the above philosophy has worked well for me in the past.

    I wouldn't expect someone to come forward with a huge discount on their time - i.e. to discount from $10 to $5 per article if ordered in bulk, but, I do see certain benefits for vendor and buyer if a small discount is given.

    Kindest regards,
    Karl.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

    Why do clients think that ordering MORE articles on the same topic should bring the price per article down?
    I suspect it's largely because of customer-perception that the necessary "subject research" has already been done to write the initial one(s).

    Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

    I understand the basics behind the idea when it comes to physical goods where discounts are given for valid reasons. For example, shipping often costs less, and there is no need to do an additional set up of machinery for manufactured good.
    I think the "initial set-up" analogy is perhaps how customers sometimes look at it, but in terms of "research"?
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  • Profile picture of the author Will Edwards
    Hi Michael

    Here's my view: basically it costs you money as a business to find a customer. If that customer buys 1 thing, hopefully you have your margins worked out so that everyone wins.

    However, if you find someone who is prepared to buy in bulk from you over and over again, you are saving tons of time and effort in finding new customers, so your costs have fallen and therefore you can provide a discount and still you both win.

    Will
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    • Profile picture of the author tpw
      Originally Posted by Will Edwards View Post

      Hi Michael

      Here's my view: basically it costs you money as a business to find a customer. If that customer buys 1 thing, hopefully you have your margins worked out so that everyone wins.

      However, if you find someone who is prepared to buy in bulk from you over and over again, you are saving tons of time and effort in finding new customers, so your costs have fallen and therefore you can provide a discount and still you both win.

      Will

      I am with Karl and Will on this.

      The more work I am doing with one person, the less time I will need to spend running promotions to attract new customers.

      Article writing costs should not only include research time and writing time, but also money set aside for marketing, advertising, bookkeeping, customer service, etc.

      The volume order reduces the need to spend money on marketing, advertising and bookkeeping, so it is valid for a customer to expect a bulk-order discount.
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      • Profile picture of the author paulie888
        Originally Posted by tpw View Post

        I am with Karl and Will on this.

        The more work I am doing with one person, the less time I will need to spend running promotions to attract new customers.

        Article writing costs should not only include research time and writing time, but also money set aside for marketing, advertising, bookkeeping, customer service, etc.

        The volume order reduces the need to spend money on marketing, advertising and bookkeeping, so it is valid for a customer to expect a bulk-order discount.
        Very valid point, Bill. In any business, and this of course includes article writing services, a significant amount of time/effort and in many cases money is expended on marketing it. When a bulk order comes in, this eliminates or at the very least reduces the need to do additional marketing while you're busy fulfilling that order, so I can see the logic in passing on some of the savings to the person making that order.

        Of course, this has to be counterbalanced against the time factor of having to write many articles on the same topic/niche (which could prove to be more difficult and reduce your writing efficiency).
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  • Profile picture of the author Charlotte Jay
    No, not at all.I would love to see others actually offer to pay more for a bulk order of articles. It is really tough to write on one subject over and over. I have an order I'm filling right now that the client has asked for 196 articles on the same topic. It's going to be a stretch and I think I probably should have charged more,but there you go. Cest la vie!
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  • Profile picture of the author Colin Palfrey
    If you have trouble getting clients then possibly there is some justification for bulk discounts. Not alot, but maybe some.

    I have never done it, and always told people that if they want progressively crapper articles, pay a discount on a bulk order - but not from me LOL

    Edit: I just thought I would add that if you are constantly in search of new clients, you are doing something wrong!
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  • Profile picture of the author MayfairNoble
    I can entirely understand where you are coming from.

    The problem is, many people have resorted to offering bulk discounts as a way of increasing their sales. This is very prevalent in low quality article writers.

    People have become used to this sales format, they feel entitled to a discount.

    I know it's not particularly fair for the good hardworking writer who just wants to feed his family, but you have to go with the flow of the market or risk losing sales.
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    • Profile picture of the author bay37
      Originally Posted by MayfairNoble View Post

      The problem is, many people have resorted to offering bulk discounts as a way of increasing their sales. This is very prevalent in low quality article writers.
      Exactly. Some writers offer bulk discounts and some don't. If you get enough customers without having to introduce "special offers" and "bulk discounts" - good stuff. If not, then...

      I know writers who always charge full price, no matter how many articles you order. They don't seem to have any trouble finding customers. It's all about your skills - both writing and marketing/positioning.

      That's the way I see it.
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      • Profile picture of the author Michael Shook
        I suspect there is a false application of the economy of scale. Kind of like you see in a warehouse store like Costco.

        Some of the items are indeed purchased in bulk and can be had for less amount of money per ounce or pound or whatever, but some items are only consumer packed items with shrink wrap around them.

        There is no reason why the second kind of item should cost less, when in fact it cost more to package it that way (adding the shrink wrap, designing a new box to hold the shrink wrapped items. But because the environment is a warehouse store, people expect the tiem to cost less per unit.

        But what happens is that people come to expect a discount for purchases in which a larger number of units is purchased, regardless of whether it is a true economy of scale for the vendor or not.

        If it was a real economy of scale in writing or in any creative endeavor, it would be in usage rights. Like when you buy a digital and you can add RR, MRR or PLR rights for an additional amount.
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  • Profile picture of the author KarlWarren
    I don't think people feel ENTITLED to it, but, as the old saying goes "If you don't ask, you don't get."

    Don't forget there are two people on either side of the transaction here - one who is taking profit out of their own business to pay the vendor, the other who is trying to make a profit on their time.

    It is up to both parties to find a happy medium - welcome to the world of economics.
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    • Profile picture of the author M Thompson
      Why not is the question

      It cuts down the advertising and admin you need to do, you will get to know how I like myarticles formatted and delivered and get to know my likes and dislikes in an article

      which would you as a writer prefer, 100 articles from me or 100 articles from individuals?
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  • Profile picture of the author marigot
    I think the main reason writers or any other type of service personnel offer a discount for bulk is because they do not have to look around for more jobs. It is much easier for most to complete a big job for a slightly smaller cost than complete a small job for a higher cost. The fact that they have concrete money in their hands is better than no money and looking for other jobs.

    In my case with services, my best customers who have been with me for years, I always give them a discount because they send the work without question and they pay on time when I invoice. And people expect to be rewarded.

    When suppliers of goods send invoices, companies can generally take a discount for paying on a certain date, then pay the full amount on the extended date.

    Anyway, I use the system of discounting as a thank you to my good customers since it means that I don't have to be out searching for new ones all the time.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      I always quoted prices on the basis of my own estimation of the time probably going-to-be-taken for the job, according to my hourly rate, anyway, to be honest. Not that the client's interested in that, of course: he just wants a fixed price for the job. But that was how I worked it out, in order to quote a fixed price.

      So - out of some of the subjects on which I did paid articles - I'd typically quote a lot less for three articles about fashion/horse-racing/internet marketing than I would for registry-cleaning/asthma/home-brewing, because I'd do any of the first group in about half the time. And less for "repeat orders" in general, and less than double the three-article price for writing six, just because it didn't take me twice as long.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brad Spencer
    Michael,

    For my writing business, I tend to offer bulk discounts but it's a very small amount. As stated many times here, the research time is less.

    Now, I don't know if this is relevant for your business but depending on the situation, you can turn the same general information into multiple formats. This will help speed up writing time and get more bang out of the same content.

    So turn a generic "how to" article into a "10 things you should avoid" type article. Simple idea but it can work. Most clients will appreciate the angle and it hits a different part of the brain even if the information is the same.

    At the end of the day, the whole point of an article is to persuade someone to take an action...why make it more difficult when this little gem stone is sitting on the surface.

    Cheers,

    Brad
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  • Profile picture of the author tryinhere
    Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

    Articles are different!

    See, if I'm writing one article on Blu-Ray players, that's no problem. But each successive article gets harder to write, not easier. It's harder to come up with another fresh angle, or even to say the same thing in a different way.
    Not wrapping my head around that, as it would mean as a writer for every new client who orders a article / topic that has been covered your saying it is harder and there for will cost more / that sounds like an inward spiral that would see all writers sucked down the tube of i cant write about a topic anymore because i have written xyz articles on that topic ?
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    • Profile picture of the author Gail_Curran
      I tend to agree with Michael. There might be small savings on research time when you can use the research for multiple articles, but it still takes more or less the same amount of time to write the article itself. And I'd also agree that after a certain point it gets hard to think of new angles on the topic, so writing takes longer.

      What puzzles me even more is people who want bulk discounts for editing or proofreading, where research time doesn't usually enter into the equation.

      I put it down to a widespread disrespect among internet marketers for writers and wordsmiths in general. People who value the written word are less likely to expect large discounts, I think.

      Try asking any IM "coach" to give you more of his time for less money, and see how far you get with that.
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      • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
        Originally Posted by Gail_Curran View Post

        Try asking any IM "coach" to give you more of his time for less money, and see how far you get with that.
        I really like that analogy.

        There may be slight differences, some of which were mentioned above.

        Ultimately, it's up to us as writers to choose whether or not we will write for a certain price, but maybe it's the mindset behind the expectation of bulk pricing on writing that puzzles me.

        All the best,
        Michael
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        • Profile picture of the author dbarnum
          Research time is less = main focus here. You have all your ducks in a row.
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          • Profile picture of the author Colin Palfrey
            Originally Posted by dbarnum View Post

            Research time is less = main focus here. You have all your ducks in a row.
            This is only true if you plan to write the same article 25 different ways.

            If you are writing articles that will be used on any kind of authority site, or for a blog where the owner cares about the content, they will quickly point out that everything worth learning from your articles, could be learned from the first one.

            I think before this discussion makes any sense, the definition needs to be explained.

            1. Article = A means of engaging and educating a reader
            2. Article = Random gibberish that exists only to appease a machine
            As you can see, the difference is quite profound.
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            • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
              Originally Posted by Colin Palfrey View Post

              This is only true if you plan to write the same article 25 different ways.

              If you are writing articles that will be used on any kind of authority site, or for a blog where the owner cares about the content, they will quickly point out that everything worth learning from your articles, could be learned from the first one.

              I think before this discussion makes any sense, the definition needs to be explained.

              1. Article = A means of engaging and educating a reader
              2. Article = Random gibberish that exists only to appease a machine
              As you can see, the difference is quite profound.
              Good call, Colin. That's why I specified I was talking about original, high-quality articles. Bulk pricing makes sense for spun articles, or search engine fodder; I have no problem with that.

              One other thing that may be coming into play is perception. While I feel a certain topic may be getting repetitive after 3 articles, the client may not feel that way until after 10 articles.

              But as long as the client is happy, and we agree to work for a certain price, then that's all that matters. Yet, the idea of bulk pricing on more work still puzzles me (though the responses here are clearing that up quite nicely).

              All the best,
              Michael
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            • Profile picture of the author whateverpedia
              Originally Posted by Colin Palfrey View Post

              This is only true if you plan to write the same article 25 different ways.
              Not necessarily.

              Researching a topic to produce one article may throw up enough information or sub-topics to write another ten articles.
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              • Profile picture of the author Colin Palfrey
                Originally Posted by whateverpedia View Post

                Not necessarily.

                Researching a topic to produce one article may throw up enough information or sub-topics to write another ten articles.
                That is why I said 25 :p
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                • Profile picture of the author whateverpedia
                  Originally Posted by Colin Palfrey View Post

                  That is why I said 25 :p
                  Or if you spend a bit more time, you might have enough ideas for 25, or even 30 articles.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    Good responses, thanks.

    That's actually the kind of answer I was looking for. It's easy to focus on the "work" portion of what we do, but there's more to business than just the transaction.

    I also wanted to add that I take bulk orders, and do so happily. My post was more of a "I never understood it" post. Thinking about why I give a bulk discount is that it's nice to know you have a client who trusts you to write several articles on a topic.

    Additionally, I feel like there is a tipping point, but that depends on the topic. What I mean is that at some point you feel as though you have said everything you can say about a topic, and the remaining articles become drudgery. Again, depending on the topic.

    I think part of my issue with this is that I care about the quality of what I'm writing. So, that plays out in worrying about sounding repetitious across a series of articles. BUT I have never had anything but happy clients...and THAT'S what counts, and that's why I will do bulk pricing.

    All the best,
    Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author globalpro
    Michael,

    I think the balance comes with the quality of service you are providing and degree of difficulty to the task/service you perform.

    I will offer bulk rates for the services I perform, but also take into consideration what the job entails. If I do a job that is straight forward, then the discount can be higher than one that entails a bit more work to complete.

    At the end of the day, I do a lot of referral work, will discount if I can for bulk, but I am not as cheap as someone else. I have a standard and a price I maintain and, not to pat myself on the back, I am very good at what I do. I pride myself on top quality of service and my clients know this.

    I think you will find the ones that are only interested in price are best left to someone else.

    Thanks,

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author smackey1
    Michael,
    As a writing/English teacher, I sometimes have trouble being creative within the same article or essay let alone writing several articles on the same subject. You are spot on with your thoughts. If anything, creating more articles for the same topic should be a standard wide extra cost just for the lengths you must go for creativity and original thoughts.

    Have you ever thought of making a deal with your clients. You tell them you will write the articles for free when they show you 10 (insert number of articles they want) here) different creative articles on the topic that present as original. I bet they would see the point then or run away screaming! LOL
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    • Profile picture of the author Roaddog
      When most companies are able to give bulk pricing, if they are smart, that kind of "deal" has already been figured into the bottom line/profit margin,
      right from the get go.

      However if you are talking about a special "art form" like producing customized anything, it is a different subject.

      You ever seen bulk pricing on works by Picasso or DaVinci?


      Producing "SPUN" articles would be a different story still, more assembly line than anything else.


      Jim
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

    Why do clients think that ordering MORE articles on the same topic should bring the price per article down?
    Because they don't really understand what economies of scale are. They just think "buy in bulk, it's cheaper."

    But you can't buy art in bulk. In fact, as art of a particular type becomes more scarce, the price goes up.

    So I just tell those people to pound sand.
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  • Profile picture of the author mriley08
    I have to agree with you - I don't understand either. People don't realize that a large reason why bulk pricing ever came into existence was because it costs less to make certain products all at once than setting up machines to create only one item. For instance, if you order screen printed shirts, the printer has to create a specific template for the shirts to be used. That takes time and money. But if you order a bunch of shirts at once, you avoid it having to be setup again in the future saving you money. Hence, a discount.

    I think people who write have a better perception of what you are talking about than those who don't. Writing isn't just about putting words together. It's also about maintaining a tone and message. Of course, the amount you can say about a subject depends on it's range. For instance, is the subject Cats or something more specific like Bartonella in Cats? Of course, there is a lot to say about Cats - not as much about Bartonella. If a person wants high-quality, unique articles and not just "spun" articles, there are going to be less ways of talking about the subject. I say it's a case-per-case situation. I also want to add, when it comes to writing, I would be more likely to offer bulk pricing to a returning client than a new one.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dave Rodman
      Banned
      This isn't unique to writers. I have factories that product my product in China and then I warehouse and ship them here. When someone orders 10 units when the average order is 1 unit, this isn't some insane amount that's going to allow me to get a lower costs.

      I give the discount because I'm booking an order 10x the average size of a normal order. It makes me happy, but it also makes my customer's happy.

      And the writers I use all give discounts for bulk orders. It's a way to encourage people to order more articles.
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  • Profile picture of the author TristanPerry
    It depends on the level of discount given too.

    The article writers I use might give a $0.1/100 words discount for bulk orders, which adds up (in savings for me) for bigger orders and at the same time isn't big enough that the article writers are being paid too little. I'm sure it also helps that I'd never order an article on any particular topic more than once.

    So yeah, I go by the advertising costs saved = discount explanation (i.e. the one that Will Edwards et al discusses).

    I certainly wouldn't expect a discount on (say) dozens of articles being written on the exact same topic though (nor would I order this )
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    I can see both sides, but not many are addressing the idea that the more articles you have to write on a subject, the harder it gets.

    I used to ghost write a newsletter for the same company that distributed Dear Abby online. I got paid $75 an issue. When I started out it took about 45 to 60 minutes to crank out an issue, so $75 was reasonable. After something like 700 issues, it was taking 90 minutes to two hours to crank out an issue simply because it got harder and harder to come up with new ideas.

    The point is, I wouldn't have given a bulk discount because it took longer and longer to keep coming up with the same high quality each issue. In fact, when they wanted me to discount my price because they were having a harder time selling advertising, I used the opportunity to advise them it was time for me to move on to other endeavors.

    I did, and their newsletter folded. So while one person might see where a discount is warranted based on quantity, asking for the discount can cost you a good writer. You never know, a good writer could have a waiting list that won't ask for discounts. You'd better understand you might lose a writer you're happy with if you try to devalue his or her work.
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill View Post

    I can see both sides, but not many are addressing the idea that the more articles you have to write on a subject, the harder it gets.
    Probably because Michael said that in the OP:

    Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

    See, if I'm writing one article on Blu-Ray players, that's no problem. But each successive article gets harder to write, not easier. It's harder to come up with another fresh angle, or even to say the same thing in a different way.
    It's also related to what I said about scarcity. No matter how much you order, I can only write so many articles in a day. If you just ordered 20 articles, that's ten hours of work, so you've made my articles more scarce - and as they're art, not labour, the price goes up.
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    • Profile picture of the author Martin Luxton
      Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill
      I can see both sides, but not many are addressing the idea that the more articles you have to write on a subject, the harder it gets.
      Originally Posted by Michael Oksa
      See, if I'm writing one article on Blu-Ray players, that's no problem. But each successive article gets harder to write, not easier. It's harder to come up with another fresh angle, or even to say the same thing in a different way.

      So, how about turning this on its head and saying,

      "First 5 articles on the same topic $20 each, article number 6 = $22, article number 7 = $24, article number 8 = $26, etc."

      The argument about the cost of finding/managing new clients cuts both ways. There is also a cost in finding and keeping good writers.


      Martin
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      • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
        Originally Posted by Martin Luxton View Post

        So, how about turning this on its head and saying,

        "First 5 articles on the same topic $20 each, article number 6 = $22, article number 7 = $24, article number 8 = $26, etc."

        The argument about the cost of finding/managing new clients cuts both ways. There is also a cost in finding and keeping good writers.


        Martin
        You're absolutely right, Martin. The cost in finding good writers can be equally or more expensive as/than finding good clients.

        The bottom line is, each writer is a business unto themselves and sets their own price. Each client has a price they're willing to pay. I don't have a dog in the fight since I do my own writing and don't write for hire.

        I just tossed in my two cents to make sure folks understand a side of the issue that wasn't being discussed. If you ask a good writer to give you a discount, that could be interpreted as you saying the writer isn't good enough to merit his or her asking price. Customers can be fired too, so you risk losing a good writer. I've fired customers before, and I know many others who have too.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    CD - I know Michael said that, that's why I brought it up. No one was agreeing or disagreeing with that premise. They were focusing on other parts of the post. I thought it was too important of a point to continue ignoring.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    Just wanted to clear a few things up.

    1. I am not trying to start a battle of Writers vs. Clients. I'm simply trying to understand some of the reasoning behind a certain practice, and there is some good food for thought here.

    2. I really appreciate my regular clients. Actually, I don't even like the word 'clients' in this case, as 'friends' is more appropriate.

    All the best,
    Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author Chri5123
    I think the main reason that the price comes down is to get them to order more in the first place.

    For instance if 10 articles are $80

    20 articles should be $160 right?

    Well because it's YOU I can do it for $130 - yes you get more work but you will also get FAR more people ordering the $130 package as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author Benjamin Ehinger
    Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

    Hi Warriors,

    This is one of those things that has bothered me as a writer.

    Okay, it hasn't really bothered me all that much, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

    Why do clients think that ordering MORE articles on the same topic should bring the price per article down?

    I understand the basics behind the idea when it comes to physical goods where discounts are given for valid reasons. For example, shipping often costs less, and there is no need to do an additional set up of machinery for manufactured good.

    BUT...

    Aren't articles and other services different?

    See, if I'm writing one article on Blu-Ray players, that's no problem. But each successive article gets harder to write, not easier. It's harder to come up with another fresh angle, or even to say the same thing in a different way.

    I can also understand how a lower rate for bulk article orders could apply to articles that are spun or handled by a team of writers. But I, and others, wrtie each article from scratch and are one-person operations.

    Of course I will usually take bulk orders, and like I said, I don't mind all that much. But it is something that I have questioned. Why? Because the way I figure it, it gives me a bigger overall payment and there's nothing wrong with that.

    But, why is it that writers don't start charging more per article for bulk orders of original, high-quality articles?

    Am I off base here? I'm just trying to get a better grasp of it.

    All the best,
    Michael
    Michael,

    I get where you are coming from completely and I refuse to give bulk pricing for the reasons you stated. I have a specific amount I want to make, as a writer, per hour. If I cannot make that much with a project, then it is one I do not accept.

    Also, if there were not so many article services that charge $5 per article and outsource the actual writing to India or another country for $1 per hour, then there would be better quality articles coming from writers that are actually making a decent living. It is services like this that give article writers a bad name and make it hard for those of us that can put together high-quality content to charge the rates we should be getting paid.

    Benjamin Ehinger
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    • Profile picture of the author jitterbug978
      I definitely know what you mean... I recently gave a guy a 25% discount because he purchased 25 articles. The articles were priced at about $8 each.

      After the bulk discount was applied i lost $50. That means I'm writing 6 articles for free.

      BUT I knew the other $150 was money in my pocket, I knew I was guaranteed the money if I delivered so I went ahead and accepted the loss. I didnt have to worry about getting enough 1 article orders, even though I had to write more articles this way. Yes, I had to work a little bit harder... but it was my job security.
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  • Profile picture of the author bay37
    I still don't see what the problem is here. It's all up to what the writer is capable of in terms of writing and marketing.

    It works exactly the same way in every other market/niche:

    IF you have enough clients at your regular rates you can charge full price no matter how many articles your clients order. OR you can choose to increase your prices.

    IF you don't get enough work you have a few choices... Offer discounts (be it bulk discounts, "sale" offers, etc) or try to position yourself differently as a writer (perhaps get better at writing. Perhaps learn to sell your skills better).

    There's also the issue of time spent looking for new clients. Perhaps it is better to offer bulk discounts to clients with a view to spending more time writing than looking for clients. Again - this is completely up to the writer and EVERYONE will have different personal circumstances that influence/shape these decisions.

    The argument about the "economies of scale" doesn't apply here... It's completely up to the writer when it comes to rejecting/taking on clients. Some writers are desperate, others can't sell, write or market. Or any combination of those. That's the deciding factor and nothing else.

    "But you can't buy art in bulk." <-- completely false. You can, especially if the artist is broke. ...seriously?

    Come on guys.

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  • Profile picture of the author KarlWarren
    I have to come back to the table and say something else too...

    Writers SHOULD stand their ground more often, putting your prices down is the lazy way to get more business - in effect you're trying to take the path of least resistance.

    You WILL make more in the long run, and feel better about your business/clients if you have the self confidence to keep your prices exactly where they are. After all, you're trading a skill, right? It carries the value that YOU put on it, and it's up to you as a writer to ensure your potential client sees that value.

    Price is only one factor to compete on - there are people out there being paid $50+ per article.
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  • Profile picture of the author AHayes183
    I think it all depends on your current position in the market. For example, outside of Warrior my rates are standard and can be brought down for tall orders; but I have an absolute minimum which I provide here on Warrior. Its nice to be able to offer incentives and for that reason that majority of people charge too much so that they can discount services. However, I think if a client understands your position before they are committed, it shouldn't be a problem anyway.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Michael, I'm throwing my two cents worth in without reading the other posts because the odds are I've read them all before in other threads on paying writers.

    Here's how my reasoning would go...

    Unless everything you write is for clients already on retainer, you have a cost of marketing your service. You can take this cost, and spread it out over each article you sell, in much the same way you would units of a physical product.

    If I give you a bulk order, you don't have that marketing cost for any article after the first one, so it would appear that your 'cost per article' is lower. Therefore, I'll try to negotiate to keep a percentage of that difference for myself.

    This marketing cost, as a percentage of selling price, is perceived to be higher for writers and other service providers since there is no obvious 'cost of materials', just your time and labor.

    (I know, I know... 'Just', he says...)

    Anyway, that's how I would justify it...
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Okay, I went back and read the other posts, and I was only partially right...

      As Michael pointed out, and Dennis underlined, there should also be a premium paid for tougher than normal requirements.

      Back when I had to source tooling for parts, we did business with a few different shops, and pretty much paid a standard rate.

      If we ordered a lot of similar tooling, we asked for and usually got a bulk discount, for much the same reason as I used above.

      On the other hand, if we needed higher precision or trickier forms or even tighter turnaround times, we expected to pay a premium for the extra difficulty.

      I guess I'm agreeing with Martin - it cuts both ways.

      (By the way, I picked the tooling example because both making tooling for manufacturing and writing in this venue are both skill-based, and often priced out in similar fashion.)
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