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So I hire this writer...

by MeTellYou
28 replies
I want to tell you something that really shocked me the other day.

I hired this one writer, and we have a deal that he's going to be doing work for me and submitting rewrites within 24 hours from receiving them.

I am currently working with two forums, this one and that other one that doesn't even come close to this one but it gets me good customers.

So I get my writer some work and as always expect him to provide me with the rewrites within 24 hours. It was actually ten articles he got, and after 20 hours he says he has 5 done.

And he does it as if nothing happened.

I get upset and ask him if he's going to make it on time. He says no... I ask why, and he says he's got other work which he's doing as priority because it's higher paid.

Can you guys believe that? He got paid more for something different, so he dropped my stuff!

You can't even imagine how mad I was.

I sacked the guy.

Any thoughts on this fellas?

Seba
#hire #writer
  • Profile picture of the author blokh
    Been there ...

    Nothing feels worse ...

    But you gotta remember, some people do tend to over commit and can not handle too much work ... their strength is to work less volume, when the volume increases, they can't handle it ... Finding a bigger team for volume work is what I would suggest.
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    • Profile picture of the author Shannon Herod
      If this writer can provide five quality rewrites per day while working on other projects...

      I would be pretty excited about that. It is very hard to find good writers especially writers that will meet deadlines.

      10 articles a day, in my opinion, is pushing it.

      If I could find a writer that would submit five quality rewrites in a day, like I said, I would be happy.

      Shannon
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      • Profile picture of the author Scott Lundergan
        Originally Posted by Shannon Herod View Post

        If this writer can provide five quality rewrites per day while working on other projects...

        I would be pretty excited about that. It is very hard to find good writers especially writers that will meet deadlines.

        10 articles a day, in my opinion, is pushing it.

        If I could find a writer that would submit five quality rewrites in a day, like I said, I would be happy.

        Shannon

        In my HUMBLE opinion...

        On one hand, you should be grateful you can find a writer you can do five rewrites in a 24 hour turnaround and I think ten is pushing it. On the flipside, I wouldn't dare to tell a client one is paying me more than the other.

        Why not set-up your business model (like my clients do) to give a "cushion for creation" instead with a 24 hour turnaround? Is the 24 hour turnaround to get PLR out faster than others?

        Just curious.

        Scott
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        • Profile picture of the author MeTellYou
          Originally Posted by Scott Lundergan View Post

          In my HUMBLE opinion...

          On one hand, you should be grateful you can find a writer you can do five rewrites in a 24 hour turnaround and I think ten is pushing it. On the flipside, I wouldn't dare to tell a client one is paying me more than the other.

          Why not set-up your business model (like my clients do) to give a "cushion for creation" instead with a 24 hour turnaround? Is the 24 hour turnaround to get PLR out faster than others?

          Just curious.

          Scott
          I am sorry, but I don't understand what you mean by "cushion for creation". Could you maybe elaborate a bit more? Thanks,
          Sebastian
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          • Profile picture of the author Scott Lundergan
            Originally Posted by MeTellYou View Post

            I am sorry, but I don't understand what you mean by "cushion for creation". Could you maybe elaborate a bit more? Thanks,
            Sebastian
            Hi Sebastian,

            What I'm referring to is basically if you need a project done in 24 hours, perhaps give them week in advance instead of 24 hours so they have 5-7 days to rewrite x amount of content. The "cushion for creation" involves the time it takes for communication back and forth, tweeks and edits along the way while in between adapting to any unforseen circumstances and/or creative approaches along the way that call for flexibility on each others' end.

            With this strategy, your project gets done on time and gets done right. An example is an upcoming product launch where multiple videos needed to be done so the client contacts me 2 months in advance rather than 2 weeks.

            Hope that helps. Take care.

            Scott
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      • Profile picture of the author Eric Lorence
        Originally Posted by Shannon Herod View Post

        If this writer can provide five quality rewrites per day while working on other projects...

        I would be pretty excited about that. It is very hard to find good writers especially writers that will meet deadlines.

        10 articles a day, in my opinion, is pushing it.

        If I could find a writer that would submit five quality rewrites in a day, like I said, I would be happy.

        Shannon
        Shouldn't be too difficult to rewrite 10 in a day, some can write as many as 50 from scratch in that time, especially using Dragon NS, or some other dictation software.

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  • Profile picture of the author Christie Love
    Seba,
    As a writer, 10 articles in 24 hrs is pushing it. Realistically, writers receive jobs on a daily basis. Often each job is completed as they are submitted. While I think the writer had good intention in the beginging to help you out, he may have just got bombarded with projects. You must remember, that you are not his (or any other writer's) only client, so imposing strict dealines of 24 hours will lead to a lifetime of frustration for you and your business.

    On the other hand, I agree with Scott in that he shouldn't have told you that he has other clients who pay more that's why your project got pushed back. That's messed up.

    A 5-7 day turnaround time is sufficient for an article writer. So, the next writer you get, try to ease up a bit. Unless you have a personal assistant that works only for you, putting those strict deadlines on writers won't work. It's not healthy for them and the frustration is not benefiting you.
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    • Profile picture of the author ajsmith
      Well, it's a lesson learned....albeit the hard way. This guy obviously isn't worried about his reputation, nor does he believe in karma. It's important to find people who you can work with and trust at the same time. Maybe you should get references from here in the forum next time. Don't feel bad though, one of my earliest lessons in IM was a guy who did a job for me and then ripped off my whole web site!
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    • Profile picture of the author haridasz
      The whole matter is not about whether Sebastian is giving the writer too much job or otherwise.

      The writer agreed to do it and i suppose thats why Sebastian has a grouse about.

      The writer should keep his word. If he cannot do it, say it upfront. So Sebastian can make alternative arrangements.

      Sebastian, you should just dump this guy. He is proven NOT reliableand worst still not worth giving your trust.

      Look for other guys. This time bear in mind that there is limitations to these freelancers.
      maybe you should just give 5 rewrites, place more achievable deadlines, etc...like some people in this thread has suggested..

      lastly, this is a business you are running. things like this will happen (whether offline or online business..so take into your stride...

      cheers
      hari
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      • Profile picture of the author MeTellYou
        Originally Posted by haridasz View Post

        The whole matter is not about whether Sebastian is giving the writer too much job or otherwise.

        The writer agreed to do it and i suppose thats why Sebastian has a grouse about.

        The writer should keep his word. If he cannot do it, say it upfront. So Sebastian can make alternative arrangements.

        Sebastian, you should just dump this guy. He is proven NOT reliableand worst still not worth giving your trust.

        Look for other guys. This time bear in mind that there is limitations to these freelancers.
        maybe you should just give 5 rewrites, place more achievable deadlines, etc...like some people in this thread has suggested..

        lastly, this is a business you are running. things like this will happen (whether offline or online business..so take into your stride...

        cheers
        hari

        Exactly. If he told me he couldn't do it, I would take it no problem but taking my project and then dropping it halfway through just makes me mad.

        I guess I should have been more careful about that guy... I remember a different time when he took my articles and confirmed he will do them and then said he won't unless I pay him more because they are long...

        Well... good thing I dropped the guy.

        I will be running a wso with the new guy soon Just have to make sure he's reliable enough
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  • Profile picture of the author PRandContent
    Your writer should not have accepted the task if he knew he couldn't meet the deadline in the first place.
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  • Profile picture of the author WebSlicers
    10 articles in 24 hours may be too much but the writer should have told you that he cannot finish that much in 24 hours. Period.
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  • Profile picture of the author abelacts
    Not to rub it in but this happens. Some writers are like a robot. They just don't care about their clients and they don't bother to connect and bond. They are like machines churning out articles with a performance benchmark articles/hour. I was once in arbitration for work badly done and the writer initiated arbitration saying that I didn't pay! But there are good ones out there. Once you find them, don't let go.
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  • Profile picture of the author MeTellYou
    Thank you all for your input and support. I think I got a great one We'll see how it works out

    Sebastian
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  • Profile picture of the author Frank Ayres
    I have had the same problem.

    I found a woman in USA that was a stay at home mum and just wanted to earn a bit of extra cash writing articles.

    She had never done it before so i was her 1st customer, the price she wanted was so low i offered her more which she happily accepted.
    It went great for a while she did a few hundred articles for me over a 6 month period.

    Then i sent her the new set of keywords that i needed and she replied that she didn't have time due to other commitments.

    I was a bit pissed at this as i was relying on her, she at first didn't want to tell me what her other commitments were, but after i pushed her she admitted to me.

    It was that due to me giving her work she realized she could make a business of it and had other customers now that were paying more than me so they were priority.

    The main reason i was really angry was that, i was already paying her more than she asked for, if she had told me her plans to start getting other customers i could have talked to her again about the price i was paying her, but to not hear anything and then hear i wasn't priority anymore was bad.

    What makes it worse is she admitted that it was me that gave her the break she needed to get started.
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  • Profile picture of the author rhondaklewis
    It seems to be a lot harder to rewrite an article thanit is to write one from scratch. I do both, but if I had a choice it would be to do one from scratch.
    This guy probably didn't know he would not be able to finish until after he got the assignment. He should have then told his employer and maybe they could have worked something out.
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  • Profile picture of the author Oosha
    I guess the issue here is not how many articles he is capable of writing in a day. If he has a problem completing 10 articles/day, he should have communicated this to the client.
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  • Profile picture of the author shinzo159
    hi... that's really no good... haven't you make a good dealing with that guy? You should have make things clear before you get into it....
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    • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
      What I am perceiving, as a writer myself, is a tendency for
      people here to get pissed when their writer moves on to
      better paying work - when the truth is that you are all
      paying real low-ball prices and expecting quality work.

      Just because writers in a pinch will fill the need by cranking
      out articles for $6 a piece doesn't mean they should continue
      to do so. Writers are smart people in general.

      What I'm seeing here is a feeling of entitlement to really
      cheap writing.

      "You pay peanuts, you get monkeys"

      Maybe you get lucky and get a writer who has low self-esteem
      or something - but just YOU try writing 10 articles a day for
      burger-flipping money and see if you real fast don't start thinking
      "there's got to be an easier way to make some bread".

      That's why they go with more appreciative clients.... meaning
      people who pay them more money without complaint. Stop
      the price-shopping and maybe you'll get less turnover and
      flakiness.
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      • Profile picture of the author DeePower
        A writer here said that they could write 10 articles in 4 or 5 hours if they knew the subject well. Since the going rate seems to be a penny a word, (that is not what this writer charges nor do I) and assuming the articles are 500 words that works out to $10 per hour. If the writer worked a 7 hour day that's $70 day a day at 5 days a week $350 a week and $1505 a month. While that may be a living wage in some countries where English would be a second language, it's not in a developed country.

        If the writer committed to 10 articles within a 24 hour turnaround, then that's what they should do. However there is nothing unethical or disloyal for the writer to refuse further projects at the lower rates. It's good business.

        Dee
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        • Profile picture of the author Marhelper
          He obviously lacks integrity ... try not to let it eat you up. Find another writer that stands behind their word.
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          • Profile picture of the author ShayB
            It all comes down to being up front with your clients, IMHO.

            When I take a writing job, I give a reasonable time for the work to be done. I normally have a VERY fast turnaround time (being a SAHM helps - LOL), but if I have another job to finish before I get to yours, I will say so. Then I will give a time when I will be able to deliver your assignment.

            I have had people need work done quickly. No problem! I can write well in a short amount of time. But I won't say I can deliver something in 24 hours and then 20 hours into it say I can't. That is completely unprofessional.

            As far as moving on to higher-paying clients: I can understand that, but I would never treat clients with disrespect - especially ones who have been regular clients and I know they are counting on me! I just can't see how you can do that. At the very least, explain the situation and give them the opportunity to keep your services, even if you are raising your rates. If they are pleased with your work, they might jump at the chance to keep you!

            JMHO
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  • Profile picture of the author hersmart4ever
    In my experience, rewriting 10 articles a day is doable but sometimes, the quality is sacrificed. I've done that before and it's brain-wrecking. I had decided to rewrite a maximum of 5 articles a day to maintain the quality of the work. I don't know what's with that writer. The nerve to tell you he is prioritizing another work with a higher pay. That sounds very unprofessional. Since he has agreed to do the work for you, it would not matter if your pay is lower. It is his responsibility to deliver your order in time because you had an agreement.
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  • Profile picture of the author Devan Koshal
    Well as a web designer ive always put higher paid work as a priority over other work.

    You have to think how hard they work, and how much time they put into it.

    How much did you pay him?
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  • Profile picture of the author cashcow
    It doesn't seem like a very good long term business practice to me to promise something to a client and then not deliver on time- AND not even have the courtesy to let him know as soon as you do that you will not meet the deadline.

    Who knows how many clients you might have recommended this writer too? Now he will have lost all that. Maybe he doesn't need the work that much?

    Lee
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    Gone Fishing
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