Outsourcing - test task

I get articles written on oDesk all the time. I just ask them to do a test article before hiring them. Simple as that.

For your specific situation I would say your best course of action is to post the job concerning the ebook, and have the sample article as a condition of employment. That way it is clear to your potential writer exactly what they will be doing and how they are expected to go about doing it.

And if I want to pay them for the test article how do I do that?

Since it is a job posted for the ebook writing and if I accept them they're accepted for the ebook, right?

You make up the rules when you're hiring people dude. When I hired people to write for me, I asked them to write 2-3 paragraphs, at minimum, over some random topic. I then asked them for a website or Ezine account where I could see more of their work and verify it was them.

I'm VERY picky when I'm giving my money to people. That's one of the top business owner rules: It's your money. Make the people who want it jump through hoops to get it.

-- j

Thanks JaRyCu.

That's why I am asking.

I got burned dealing with my first contractor recently. She was breaking the deadlines with all kinds of excuses, has taken months of my time and $200 and eventually not completing the ebook.

Now I want to pay couple of candidates that seem appropriate to write an article first and choose then.

Any advice on that?

Joe, I wanted to pay couple of them I find interesting.

JaRyCu you are not brash, you are right.

I am operating from a point of being generous hoping it will be repaid to me by attracting good workers who appreciate that.

However, reality check shows something different.

Thanks again.

I understand how upsetting it is to pay money and not get what you requested. But when you're asking people to work for free you're only testing how desperate they are for money. It won't be a true sign of whether they are a good writer. The truth is, most good writers are very busy and won't jump through any hoops to get your business.

They will provide you with samples of their work and answer your questions. Read their emails carefully to see how they write. Look at their past forum posts and ask around to see who other IMer's recommend. I don't personally know of any good writers who won't ask for at least a 50% deposit upfront.

Ordering one article in advance (as you mentioned) is a good idea to find out their writing tone and style.

Rose

This is real easy. I have done this before (although I didn't have an entire book written, but I at least looked into the idea). You need to have the author write you sample content. If that sample content meets your expectations then you need to sit down with this author and discuss the plans to write a complete ebook in detail. Go over every section, talk about how you want the information generated and the content written. Then, when the author starts writing content, verify chapter by chapter that the content is acceptable and what you wanted, and if it is not, make him write it over again.

ODesk is great and I have used it for years. The problem is that if you are not careful you can get ripped off and waste a lot of money. Make sure you are really careful about who you hire and that you have very specific goals task by task.

I would strongly recommend that you use vWorker.com: How work gets done. Guaranteed! since they have a built in feature specially for someone who wants to test a worker before hiring them.

You should look through vWorker.com Sourcing Types - go down to trialsourcing.

The best thing is that since there is an escrow system in place, there is absolutely no way you can get ripped off if the worker you choose produces a poor quality final deliverable, or decides to disappear.

I recommend you doing the ebook by yourself actually. I have seen some of your posts and in my opinion you can write quite well. An ebook does not have to be 100% perfect, 90% is enough and frankly I think you can do it !

If you are not interested in writing yourself however, you can always make an audio recording or video where you say all the content that you have and sell it in that form itself!

Or
1.you can get the video or audio and get someone to write for you.

2. You can just head over maybe to freelancers.com and ask for someone to write for you. You will get tons of replies.

3.Then , you get them to write a paragraph of a niche you choose and see which one is better. The numbers will have whittled down by then .

4.Lastly, you check all their background and referrals and past articles or services and choose the best two .

5.Get them to write your book then decide which one is better and sell it .

Job Done !

Hope I helped and good luck in your work !

You can always get what you pay for.. This is the simple description of outsourcing your project. If you think the employer offers you "unbelievable quote/rates" then expect also an "unbelievable results"..
Outsourcing is a business that trust is the first requirement. Business won't grow if you haven't trusted the company that you're working with. This business has it pros and cons, you just need to find the right company, ask for samples and client references so you can decide. I suggest to hire a Staff leasing company instead of a freelancer.

Elance won't accept anything less than twenty dollars.

How can I pay 5-10 $ to people that have written the test article?

I can choose the one from them to write an ebook and pay him through seperate ebook project. And the rest?