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Help/interested in outsourcing an ebook

by MaiTai
12 replies
Hey, Im new here so I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong section but judging from the other posts in this section, I feel this is in the right place.

Anyhow my question to you guys is: I have an idea for this ebook I want to get outsourced (yes I thought about doing it myself but what I wanted done will probably take me more time with a fraction of the quality with someone with a little more experience). I have a couple questions pertaining to this first, I tried looking at odesk to get it outsourced there and admittedly I havent spent too much time on their but is their a way to contact people w/o necessarily posting a job to get price quotas and see if they can do the job in a certain timeframe. Also is there anybody on here who does this type of work and would be willing to discuss more about it (pm, skype) or if you guys can refer anybody. Also how would you go about posting what you want on an ad on elance, odesk or whatever freelancer site w/o necessarily giving away the exact niche and idea that you have? From my understanding they want you to be as detailed with the job description as possible but I fear giving too much detail.

Also how much do you guys believe such task might cost and how long it would take (I suppose this would be tough to answer if you dont know necessarily what its about)
#ebook #help or interested #outsourcing
  • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
    The price will depend on the length of the eBook, the topic and the amount of research and/or expertise required to write a competent work on that topic.

    If you want to find writers without revealing too much about your idea, you could post a job for an article on the topic. With that, you can narrow down your prospective writers to a small group that can write well and write competently on the subject matter. You can also see the range of those writers' prices. Instead of choosing just one writer, select multiple writers who seem to have a handle on what you want and in the price range you want. Pay them each to write an article. See whose writing you like best and ask them if they could write an eBook on the topic and for how much.

    While article vs. eBook pricing will be different, seeing their article prices may give you some idea as to their eBook pricing. For example, if a writer will write a 1,000 word article for $100, you might estimate that writer would write a 50,000 word eBook for $5000. Those that price strictly on word count would probably have that kind of price schedule. Others may vary. But, at the very least, it gives you an idea.

    That way, you see examples of their writing, you have a general idea of their pricing and you haven't exposed your eBook idea to the general public.
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    I have written a few ebooks and without knowing a LOT more info I would not even think of offering a quote. I think you would need to post an ad here if you want people to talk to you about it in more detail.
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  • Profile picture of the author MaiTai
    alright thanks I'll look into you guys suggestions and take them into account. Also part of what I want to do may not even need a whole lot of writing. Basically will be comparing prices of products, but it will take some design work because alot of images will be involved and as far the research thats something I feel I can/will do myself so basically the person will just be putting all the stuff I find into a nice package.
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  • Profile picture of the author OPTIMUSMKTG
    My best advice is to shop around and don't make any quick decisions, particularly in outsourcing this project (assuming you're looking to create a product with high-quality English content) to someone from overseas. If you don't follow my advice, you'll likely end up getting a poorly written product that won't sell.

    "You get what you pay for." Truer words have never been spoken, IMO.
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    • Profile picture of the author MaiTai
      Originally Posted by optimusmedia7 View Post

      My best advice is to shop around and don't make any quick decisions, particularly in outsourcing this project (assuming you're looking to create a product with high-quality English content) to someone from overseas. If you don't follow my advice, you'll likely end up getting a poorly written product that won't sell.

      "You get what you pay for." Truer words have never been spoken, IMO.
      I was actually worried about this because when I went to odesk every freelancer was overseas like the Philippines, India, or South Africa or something so I was going to ask what language barriers did anybody encounter if any. What I am looking to do, I think I would prefer for it to be outsourced in the U.S., not necessarily a foregone thing though.
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      • Profile picture of the author rosieannemayers
        I haven't had a problem with language barrier when working with Filipino employees, so far. And based on what you've posted, I think what you're looking for is not necessarily a writer but a book lay-out artist who can do a bit of writing. Am I correct?
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        • Profile picture of the author MaiTai
          Originally Posted by rosieannemayers View Post

          I haven't had a problem with language barrier when working with Filipino employees, so far. And based on what you've posted, I think what you're looking for is not necessarily a writer but a book lay-out artist who can do a bit of writing. Am I correct?
          Yes definitely someone who has experiencing in designing moreso than writing
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  • Profile picture of the author myeanne
    Hi Maitai,

    Please check your PM. Hope you can provide your contact details so I can send you the samples made by our staff.
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    We Lease Offshore Employees
    Hire inexpensive labor from the Philippines!
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  • Profile picture of the author Entrecon
    If there are a lot of pictures and pricing, will the content change on a regular basis? If it stands to be outdated quickly, you might want to aim at something more like a membership site as opposed to an eBook.
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    • Profile picture of the author MaiTai
      Originally Posted by Entrecon View Post

      If there are a lot of pictures and pricing, will the content change on a regular basis? If it stands to be outdated quickly, you might want to aim at something more like a membership site as opposed to an eBook.
      Prices arent subject to change too frequently but they do change. One of the main selling points of this (and why I like the idea of an ebook) is you dont need internet, its something you can access on a whim any place anytime (I want this to be able to be dl'd on mobile devices as well) if need be.
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  • Profile picture of the author domji
    Use Elance.com! The best outsourcing platform.
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  • Profile picture of the author eugenedm
    There are many ways to outsource your e-book and it can be done in high quality, too. Try odesk, freelance, elance, craigslist. There are many freelance writers on those site who'd work on your e-book and do it with great quality.
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