How do GOOD WRITERS get paid GOOD MONEY?

I wouldn't really consider Indian writers as a 'threat' as some of these writers grammar and English needs some improvement.

She can post her service on the Warriors for hire section perhaps?

Odesk, she can put up her CV and state that she is a quality writer who doesnt go below $x amount per 100 words

It depends on her definition of good money, of course, and how well she writes. Writing offline is not the same as writing web content and not everyone gets that. Plus, just being an English major doesn't mean she can write well, either.

I'm assuming that she probably can, however. So she should start by charging at least middle of the pack rates but it depends on what she needs to get to make it worth her while.

If she wants to work with marketers, tell her to join here and post a Warrior for Hire ad. But, offer x number of people a super deal for a $5 article if they are willing to give their honest feedback in the thread. Or she could offer a few free articles for reviews but I'd recommend she hold out for better known members - brand new members won't be very convincing.

Tell her that the $2 writers are NOT her competition. If you want better rates than those people than you do not fish in the same pond. You go after a different market.

Tina

I'll pay her $6.25 per 500 word article, and I have work for her every day, get her to email me at mac.wheeler@gmail.com

She needs to build a reputation first, just like everyone else, unless she knows someone through that old adage 'It's not what you know -- it's WHO you know'.

Tina is right -- just because she is an English major does not mean she writes well. It means she read a bunch of books and may have analyzed and critiqued them, but it does not necessarily mean she could say be a journalist, an IT writer, etc, etc.

I also agree to a certain extent that the $2 are not her market. Initially, I she should take a few lower paid jobs (not article rewriting though) -- so she can establish a reputation and feed herself at the same time. Afterwards, providing she does quality work -- her 'work' will speak for itself and she can go after the bigger fish.

- J

It's not just Indian writers who will write articles for $2. There are plenty of American writers right here who will work just as cheaply. To get her foot in the door and build up her credibility, try sites like Elance or Guru.com.

Once she has some solid testimonials under her belt, She should start her own writing service.

David Jackson

I would suggest you write for your local newspaper and local magazines. Even do a few for free to build up your resume. There are a bunch of small magazines that are out there, that use freelancers. As a matter of fact, I think all magazine companies use freelancers. They usually pay about $200 - $300 For a column if I'm not mistaken.

Best Regards,
Anthony

Brilliantly said!

The programming industry has the same issue.

Remember that it's about finding the right client. Not all clients can tell the difference between badly written article, and a quality article. Unless the client has a good grasp of language themselves, they simply may not see the money's worth in the better written article.

Or some people have made the business decision to get lower quality articles for a cheaper price. This can be a valid business model, as long as you know what you're getting.

It's about finding the right client. And use the refusal to compete with the lower end of the market as her strength. There ARE people around that are begging for quality work.

cheers
Sam

Well, she should look to write articles in article directories for free, using her name - or a name closely associated to her name, and use that as a basic portfolio. Surfing Craigslist or Backpages in her local area should also turn up people who are looking for quality writers.

Demand and Break Studios also have a semi-decent starting rate, depending on how fast she can write. Otherwise, she might have to bite the bullet. Is she looking to write for internet marketers and other services only, or as a career passion?

"Good writing is not valued on the net." I think Ken said it well. If she writes for her local paper, she should be looking to use that as a springboard into better avenues.

There is a massive mismatch between pay/quality/time in online business as compared to IRL.

I would always suggest in a scenario like this, that she could write her own good content to help rank *her own* websites as a sideline to her offline work. Perhaps, as this develops, she could end up where she wants to be without being paid peanuts for her talent. When you get something going online for yourself and you have put in all the hard work it can be very rewarding.

Thanks for all of the suggestions guys, I will forward this thread to her.

I don't agree good writing isn't valued on the Internet, because it really depends on the audience you're targeting. I do agree, however, writing sales copy is the most lucrative writing gig on the net. In fact, nothing else even comes close!

David Jackson

Unfortunately, how much a writer makes per article is determined by the market, with so many people looking to do everything cheap as possible, it can sometimes make it difficult to get paid anything decent.

The problem is a lot of really good writers undervalue themselves and are perfectly happy to accept slave labor wages, unless they have their own outsourcing team.

Chris

How about writing an article or report about 'writing" or 'what to look for in a freelance writer' ? This can serve a sample body of work for prospective clients to view. If the quality is high enough it will be easier to demand higher prices.

Definitely agree that writing sales copy is a very lucrative opportunity online. I've know that some of the top writers for certain Clickbank products that bring in sales in the 6 figures easily get paid from $10k on up to write those letters.

I've always wanted to get into writing sales copy, but I just never have had the time to devote to building that up as a business, but I do plan on working my way into it someday.

The problem with taking advice from people that aren't writers, is they don't know jack about writing for a living!!

It is very simple to earn a living as a writer, and taking $2 an article is a joke. First of all you don't start charging $2 and hope to move up. The customer base you build can only support the amount you pay, so start at the price you wish to continue at.

Write quality stuff, this is where you can stand out from the cheap $2 writers, as they simply won't have the time at the prices they charge. Always give your best, and price yourself at what you are worth. It may take time to get that first order, but once you are done, word will quickly spread. If you start at $2 you will stay there, same applies if you start at $5 or $20. The market you go out looking for is the one you will find.

Do not believe that the people looking for crap SEO backlink articles are the norm. They are the easiest to find and especially on marketing forums, but not the average customer.

Pass that lot on to her, and if its a bit rough I am tired LOL!

Regards,
Colin Palfrey

Forget about article writing.

Tell her to write ebooks.

She can easily get $1,000 for a well written/illustrated 2,000 word ebook. With only 2k words some would call it a eReport.

Anyway 2,000 words is the equivelant of only 5 - 400 word articles. A day of research or better yet, writing about what she already knows (providing there is a market for what she knows) can produce a $1,000 product easily, for a good writer.

George Wright

make PLR package and sell it.

If she really wants to work on freelance sites, she has to start somewhere. If she is good, definitely she'll get the rate she wants in no time. She could try oDesk or Elance. Those are a few sites that pays well but she may have to start low and earn employer's trust by giving quality work

The mere fact that you are a good writer does not mean that the offers for your work will come flying in. Smart writers are constantly marketing themselves by sending sample works to magazines and newspapers. It is an ongoing process.

If your friend really is a good writer, then why is she messing around trying to get bloggers and article marketers to buy her services? She should be concentrating her efforts on larger publishing companies. There are thousands of them that pay good writers good money.

Tell her to do some Googling to find the best ways to approach editors. The downside is that by doing this, many people that think they are good writers quickly find out that they aren't so good after all.

Your original question was "How to Good Writers Get Paid Good Money?"

And, while there is some solid advice in this thread, I think the answer to the question might be a little different than what most here are saying... not that anyone is wrong, just that, to me, the real answer isn't seen until you step back a little and view this from OUTSIDE of your writers desk.

The answer to your OP question "How to Good Writers Get Paid Good Money?" is...

The same answer to the question "How do I make good money as an artist?" or "How do I make money as a singer?" or "How do I make money online?"... "...in my dry cleaning business?", "...mowing lawns?", "...as a call girl?" etc.

Learn how to market.

Most people don't know that funny little cliche' statistic about Van Gogh - that he only sold one of his paintings during his lifetime. One.

I'm not positive that is true - it might just be an urban legend. But I bet it's pretty close to the facts personally.

Picasso, on the other hand, sold and sold and sold during his lifetime. The man was a machine and his art changed history and the perception of what art was - is - even today.

What was the difference between Van Gogh and Picasso?

Was Picasso really a better artist?

Study these two men and the most glaring difference between them slaps you in the face like Southern Debutant when you stick your tongue in her mouth with that first kiss.

Picasso was a marketer - maybe even a better marketer than he was a painter.

How many genious artists and writers are never discovered? Sitting in their homes or apartments (or in the artist's case, under the bridge in their "suffering years as starving artists" which of course as everyone knows, all artists HAVE to experience, uhm, yeah, right. Not.) pining away, never to be recognized or found.

The best way to make good money at anything is to take it serious enough to learn how to market it... and if you don't want to do that yourself, then find a marketer and pay them to do it for you.

If you don't want to do that - then fine, charge $2.00 an article. Just don't complain about it. Deal?

Define what makes your offer unique, special, valuable... YOU put a value on it... YOU price it... sell that value and price... market the hell out of it.

I've seen great art sold for virtually nothing because the artist just couldn't figure out how to sell her art for more. She didn't respect her art enough to learn how to help her audience respect it.

I've also seen total rubish positioned as brilliant artistic statements sell for thousands. A couple of years ago a guy in Japan purchased a cow in an aquarium full of fermaldahide for millions - tell me, do you think that there might have been some marketing going on? Think someone might have convinced the guy a cow in a perpetual chemical bath staring at him everytime he walked in his office building was a good thing?

Marketing.

That's the problem I see with writers too... you spend so much time trying to compete for $.02 a word and talking about how little others value what you do, but you should be starting a thread where you discuss how you can position yourselves better or break away from the herd.

You should be talking about marketing yourself and your services. Like the gal in the OP, she obviously knows how to write already - so what? Can she use that to offer value to her clients or will she use that to write 500 word articles for them?

Also, I'd like to see some article writers or other writers step up to the plate with a better message - more value - different USP - competing on something other than a price per article of $5 or even $20.

Want more money? Learn marketing.

The market will pay the market price for a writer... for an article.

However, how much would a potential client pay for 100 new, qualified, revenously ready to purchase BUYERS - pulled into her business - from 10 magic-money articles written in a very proprietary way and submitted to a private list that only you know about in that clients niche?

Still 10 articles... difference is both in positioning and in promise. You're not selling articles anymore, you are selling 100 new POTENTIAL buyers for her product or service.

Okay... I'm done with my little rant.

It just breaks my heart to see so much talent go un-appreciated. It also makes me sad to see so many talented people holding themselves down to mediocrity because they either don't care enough about their clients to learn how to deliver real value and huge results or they don't know any better.

Now you do.

By the way... copywriters who do salesletters don't get paid for writing copy, they get paid for delivering results and conversions. A measurable result. If they can't do that, their client list get's real short real fast and those bigger clients will NOT be beating on your door or waiting for an opening.

How are your results measured for your clients?

Most article writers figure it's when they deliver the package of articles... done. Pay for 10 - get 10. Done.

What would happen in your writing business if you could promise more? What if you delivered a different package - promise - result? What if you could measure it?

What makes your service different, better, more unique and valuable than anyone elses? Why are 5 of your articles better than 20 of those from average providers?

What marketing message are you sending to which target audience (how much will the forex industry pay for articles do you think? How much will average e-book IM'rs pay writing a PLR book on the proper way to comb the hair of a ****zu?)?

Are you a specialist in one or two genre's - recognized and the expert and chased by clients looking to get on your waiting list and throw you their money - or a generalist who is providing articles for every niche - unrecognized and unappreciated because you didn't position yourself any different than the others.

Anyway, food for thought.

Learn to market - get paid - a lot more.

That's my perspective on it... hope this helps your friend get pointed in the right direction for reaching her desired goals.

I agree with one of the comments that Indian writers are no threat to an English major. People who need content on a regular basis learn real quick the value of hiring a native english speaker. She needs to start somewhere so she might need to lower her rates at first to get some work and feedback. Websites like Rentacoder and Guru allow her to bid on projects for what she thinks her time is worth.

If she's as good as you say it won't take long for her to start getting work.

She has to decide what her niche for writing is. I focus more on spiritually-minded people, rather than any joe blow who needs content. I started my own business and within 2 months have had plenty of business. The more you focus on competition, the more you're giving your power away...

Good job you brought this up. I recently hired someone from Freelancer.com for $3 an article, who's previous work samples appeared borderline OK. But hey, when I got the first 3 articles in from them, I was shocked at the amount of incoherent GARBAGE I was getting for my money. Absolute vomit. I don't think ANYBODY would publish such outrageous froth... unless they themselves haven't got a clue what a good article should look like. Who do these people write for? I'm surprised they even get work. The provider I hired had, at the time, over 60 good references. Are these buyers bloody blind?

Tell your friend to take a look at Guru and Elance. I think they pay better.

I don't have a lot to add here other than to say that there is a lot of great advice in this thread.

Thanks

I just quit my job and I'm also trying to find people to write for.

Tell your friend she needs to CREATE her market.

As I discussed with others on Saturday Night Chat, it is all about marketing your skills. Myself as an example, I currently have a WSO up in which I am charging $297 for 20 unique articles and a short report. This is well above the WF regular prices. And you know what, I am almost sold out on all available spaces. And as it stands right now, all but 1 client are renewing next month for the very same price.

A writer needs to be a marketer to survive online. You need to create a market and demand and show them you are worth it. And once you show them the worth, they will hang onto you for as long as you are willing to write for them.

My first summer on the WF, I had steady, and I mean more than I could do work, and the minimum I got paid per article was $20-$25. And that was before I had testimonials, before I even had a name for myself. How'd I manage that? Someone started a thread about needing articles and I showed my skills. Those skills caught the clients attention, and they were willing to pay me to keep me.

Writers on the WF sell themselves short because they think they need to compete with these 99 cent article churners. When in fact, there are real business people here, who will pay what your friend is worth, because they know based on her skills the articles will deliver.

Get out of the 99 cent writer mentality and DEMAND what you are worth.

Best wishes,
Sylvia

I'm going to make you a practical 3 point set of suggestions:

1. Your friend has experience working with the press, so she can use that experience to move into creating and distributing press releases.

The better the results she gets, the more she can charge.

2. You can often make much more selling writing offline than online.

In the case of press releases, she can do quite well through offering her own press release marketing service to small to medium business. Check the Offline Marketing room for tips on how to reach local businesses.

3. If she wants to get started and bring in results essentially right away, the very best place online to advertise freelance services is right here at the WF.

I've tried pretty much every place and there's no better return for effort or better class of clients anywhere.

You'll never get a better ROI on a $20 ad: Warriors For Hire