Buying long-term writers for live articles (one-by-one submission)

I am looking for few good writers to work on a long-term project in which there'll be one by one articles. So basically, you take one article, submit it, and then take the next one. You can do as much or as little as you like.

I don't need super heavy content but it should be grammatically correct and make sense to readers (it's a given actually so I shouldn't have to mention it but I just did anyway).

Those interested may PM me with their quote per 500-word article.

Regards,
NB

 

I want to ask what "one-by-one submission" means? Does it mean that you are willing to pay USD 2.5 for a 500 words article, as you claimed in a private message, only after you resell the article at twice the price in your other thread?

 

Well, first off, you don't need to know anything because our rates don't match so it's clear you and I can't work together in any capacity. So that's that.

But just to make it clear for others who might be keen to learn unlike you who's just looking for an argument out of spite (and for what, because I told you I can't offer you your rate?): These are two separate projects with no interlink whatsoever.

 

I'm certain that you don't want people to connect the two threads in any way. However, if you plan to resell articles at half the price you purchase them, you shouldn't do it in such an obvious way, in my opinion. Space the threads in time or at least use different forums for purchasing and selling articles. It's just an advice for you and other article resellers here.

 

Okay now you're talking like you genuinely are advising me and I can surely appreciate that. *IF* I were doing the reselling that you're talking about, then of course, yes, I'd be better off keeping the two channels separate. However, like I said, I am NOT doing that - I'm not reselling like that. These are two separate campaigns.

 

From the other thread:

"I have several articles, product reviews and PRs across various niches that I'm looking to sell. All of these (well, almost all) have been written by native writers (you may check before buying) so grammar and flow should be up to par."
​

See the word "writers" in plural? I wonder who those are. I have nothing against what you're doing since it's just business, but you could at least be upfront about it. Articles are articles. If you sell your buyers great articles, and you pay your writers decent wages, there's no problem. However, you're not only being coy, you're outright lying about it. How's that going to be good for business?

Personally, I prefer not to give away half my income to the middle man (you're buying at $0.50 and selling at $1.00) and 5% in Paypal fees, but I can see why other writers might be willing to do so for consistent work. However, if one of you is reading this, and you're capable of writing at a level that is at least worth $1/100 words, don't sell yourself short. Producing cheap, quick, work was one of the most intellectually dishonest and mind-numbing experiences I went through. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Back to the OP. You're probably going to accuse me of being argumentative and spiteful too, using the extremely deadly strategy of ad hominem attacks to cut me to to quick and leave me begging for mercy. I hope that works for you. Yes, you're right about the first part--this is an argument, but it isn't being made out of petty spite. I'm saying this because you're both undercutting other good writers and underpaying your own, which makes you bad for business.

 

I can't agree more with the poster above, esp. on the quoted point. If a writer deserves to be paid a certain price for their work, they should NEVER underprice their service and work for middlemen. It's akin to digging your own grave. Why in the world should I sell my handwritten/hand-typed original content for mere half a cent a word when I deserve way more? Yep, producing cheap and shoddy work just for a quick buck is not only gonna kill your prospects but is also bad for business in the long run. What should be realized here is your rep is at stake when you deliver sub-par content.

As to the OP, whether you're reselling the articles for a double price is a different story. But the fact that you create a thread where you're offering writers just half a dollar for 100 words and immediately create another one where you sell content for a higher price is bound to make anyone doubt that you're reselling the articles and despite your intentions being honest and you explicitly stating so, it leaves a question mark over them. Again, if you're indeed paying your writers so low, do you honestly think the content you'll get at such a price is gonna reflect any quality? And even if you're not looking for real quality content at your quoted price, what's the point in engaging sub-par content when it does more harm than good?? If you've a tight budget, go for a lesser no. of words, but DON'T EVER compromise the quality. Quality gets the better of quantity every single time.

DON'T mean to offend anyone here. Just my 2c. Hope it helps.

 

I'm not going to cut into you or anything or anybody (jeez, who do you think I am? Dexter Morgan? ) but I can see where your doubt stems from. The 'writers' in question are those on my payroll. I operate a business mate. I have more than one client and more than one writer and so the specs, delivery standards, delivery expectations they all vary. The writers and I have an ongoing arrangement where they produce work and I sell it. They write, I sell. Different roles, you see? Now rethink this all over again and tell me if you still feel it's wrong in some way.

@Content Maestro: The clients get what they pay for and if low-cost writing is what they want and what works for them then hell yeah that's what I'll deliver. I don't 'decide' specs bro; I get them, convey them, and fulfill them. So like I said, my role is to understand what the client wants and get the writers to do it. And yes I keep a cut, but I also bear losses (I guess that often goes unnoticed ). And if/when there are losses from a campaign I NEVER pass it on to the writers (EVER) because as a business risk/reward is mine and security is theirs.

 

Oh and if you guys pay attention, the fact that seems to have triggered all this - that I have a buying and selling thread running simultaneously - isn't really all that hard to get around. The content I'm selling is ALREADY with me. I've paid for it, I own it and I'm selling it. The content that I'm buying is for a different campaign, different buyer. So frankly I can see how it might look murky but that's definitely not the 'scam' I'm running.

And as for the ethical angel, the writers who produced the content that I'm selling are FULLY AWARE of the fact that I'm going to earn a markup on it. So it's not like some 'blood content' business here. And quite frankly (and this is where I suppose I'll take heavy fire) even if they weren't aware of it, I don't see anything wrong in that. I mean, they agreed to SELL the content to me for a price. Now whether I sell it at a loss or premium isn't their business. It shouldn't be anybody's business.

All those getting up in arms about the "middleman" leeching off of writers probably don't know/care about how much content never gets sold. Would the "middleman" go to the writers and ask for a refund because the content wasn't sold? I don't see anybody advocating that. So cut the poor "middleman" some slack guys

I mean no disrespect to any of you. I mean it. I wouldn't be in the business if not for the writers but it's just business guys and we all try to do what we're good at. And as long as it's all consensual, I'm not sure what the problem is.

 

Having a Selling and Buying threads running at the same time isn't really a very smart move OP, especially getting to know that you are Buying contents at half the price as compared to your Selling thread. Whether both threads are interconnected or not, the "few good writers" you are asking for to work on this project will always have that doubt. Take note that those "good writers" are seeing your threads. Why would they settle for less?

 

I guess what you said makes sense @Vitarank. In interest of keeping it unambiguous, I think it'd be best to kill one thread. Can anybody help me with how to close this thread?

 

OP, I can definitely see your point that you're trying your best to fulfill your role as a middleman and there's nothing wrong with it. But I've to ask you …. for how long can you afford to work for your clients who seek low-cost content and claim that it works for them? (Wonder though whether people claiming so are really in their right minds??!!) If you keep on catering to this segment, it will sure as hell become frustrating at some point and you'll get caught in the endless loop of these clients placing affordability over quality. The moment they find someone offering content for a price lesser than you, they will run away and you'll lose them. When will you aim for the better and higher paying side of the market mate?? Honestly, doesn't it make sense to work for a handful of good-paying clients rather than entertaining a huge base of low-paying ones (which is only gonna hurt your business in the long run)? Trust me, there's more profit and security involved in the first approach. As for the writers working for you, any writer - in any case a writer who wants to grow professionally and has a sound business acumen, won't be willing to work for long for a person who sells their content to others for a higher price. Some day or the other, they're bound to think, 'When I can DIRECTLY find and deal with clients on my own and get paid much better, why in the first place should I allow anyone else to take a cut out of that which I FULLY deserve?'
Again, no offense, just my view. I NEVER said being a middleman is all or only about profit-making. There certainly are (potential) losses and risks involved with it as they're with any type of business model, plan or approach – I fully agree. And I don't have anything personal against middlemen.

Anyway, I wish you good luck with your thread.


EDIT:

There's a 'report' option at the bottom of the very first post of this thread you can use to close it. Check the screencap below:

Hope that helps.

 

True, you have the right to run your business in any way you want so long as you fairly inform your clients and workers, and they consent to it. But my argument was never premised on the notion that you don't. I think that's where you missed my point. My point was that middlemen like yourself (not all middlemen) are bad for business for the rest of us, both writers (sellers) and clients (buyers). Let me elaborate further.

1) There's no way to ensure that you will fully inform your clients about the source of your articles. They might be paying good money for mediocre quality. You could easily hide mediocre quality among other articles of good quality that are written by yourself. Best case scenario, the client notices the drop in quality and drops your service. Worst case scenario, the client doesn't notice the drop in quality and continues to pay you, thinking that the same person who sent the sample is also the one writing the article. Of course, there are all kinds of ethical gymnastics you could perform to push the burden of quality control to the buyer. But you can't say that such practices aren't bad for the industry. They foster distrust in writers and force clients to have to spend more time checking their writers' work, time they could otherwise have spent on what they do best.

Now there are of course writing teams, and I'm not against those. These teams, however, like the one by WeavingThoughts, are upfront about the fact that they are a team of writers. They do their own quality control and they don't take a 50% cut. With them, the same problems that exist with you are thus mitigated by those measures.

2) There's also no way to ensure that you will fully inform your writers of the true value of their work. In fact, when I PMed you asking, "Will you be publishing the content or reselling it to a client? What will your cut be?" You evaded the question with a smiley face. So I doubt you would have informed your writers that you were reselling their work had we not pointed it out.

Of course, you can then invoke the sacred "buyer happy + seller happy = no problem" clause again at this point. However, such an arrangement only works when both parties are making informed decisions, and that you aren't deceiving either of them, whether by omission or not, in any way. This is why there are laws protecting consumers against unethical businesses who attempt to make a profit by selling defective goods. Such businesses are counting on the fact that only a few customers will notice the defect and report it; and that the state will not intervene unless the issue gets severe enough. The problem is worse here on DP where complaints may go unnoticed, and there is no Better Business Bureau to warn people. How does this affect the writers, since they're the ones doing the selling? Well the problem is that both sides deserve some form of protection from unethical practices. Sure, they should strive to be well-informed and practice their best judgment, but that's a poor excuse for saying, we can then do whatever we want. It's the same argument sweat shops use. They argue, these workers are here willingly and they wouldn't have a job without us. Both things are true, but that's a poor excuse for mistreatment when you can do better.

I'm not here to rant or prevent you from conducting your business. I'm just trying to point out that such practices are both unethical and affect us all negatively. You might gain from it, but consider how it affects the rest of us. Also consider what would happen if everyone started adopting such an attitude and attempted to resell each others articles. Sure you have more people trying to absorb the risk (which hasn't been a problem for most writers to begin with), but how much value will be added to the content being produced?

 

Thanks a lot guys for sharing what happened. I guess no more proof is needed for writers to know where their content will go and how it will be used.

@JohnKau, very insightful post. Thanks again.

 

There is no longer "if". The people already saw you for what you are - a middleman in disguise, working at a rate of 50%.

 

You're so hell bent on proving your point that you don't seem to be reading anything at all. I am a middleman (true) but not in disguise. I've made it pretty clear on my selling thread (as @JohnKau 'uncovered') when I mentioned the work's done by 'native writers'. Now, I'm one person and a non-native so I guess that's pretty self-explanatory. What else am I supposed to do - provide photo and details of my writers? I'm sorry @DuneDreamer but you're just trying to prove your point (unlike @Content Maestro and @JohnKau who've made valid comments) and I do not care about it.

Thanks a bunch. You see @DuneDreamer? That's what I meant by being helpful and not just come-say-leave

Well, if they didn't know already that's not very bright of them. I don't know how that's relevant or changes anything though.

And who needs to 'ensure' that? Not you or any other third party surely (NO offence). And for the record my clients DO in fact know that I work with a team and that they'll be getting content written by somebody else and not me.

Unless our understanding of 'upfront' is completely different, SO AM I. [read my response above]

And you've just assumed that I don't? Just like that? Do answer please.

Pardon my ignorance but am I wrong in taking a x% cut because others aren't? I mean how do you come to a number and say this is right to charge and this is not? Who decides that?

Okay mate let's get this straight. A professional writer (who agrees to deliver content for money) approaches me to work on a campaign. We agree on a price, they work, I pay. Now are you telling me that I'm supposed to 'inform' my writers that the 'true value of their work' is something else so they shouldn't write for me and instead go look for the clients themselves or charge me extra? Do you even realize how - pardon my language - absurd that sounds? And that's without even bringing in the point about how much effort and money I spend on building and promoting my brand so I can get clients.

You've seriously lost me on this point mate. This is not playschool and writers sure aren't toddlers and it sure as hell ain't my ethical/moral responsibility to 'inform them of the true value of their work'. That's almost insulting their intelligence (or enlightening them).... at the expense of my business. Why in god's name would I do that! Jeez, why would anybody in their sane mind do that? You've made some very good points @JohnKau and even though I might not agree with them I find them valid but this one I absolutely not agree with.

Oh look at the cute whistleblower you (harmless banter). Sorry to break it to you mate but "ALL" my writers already know that the content is approved and used by end clients and they know that's not me. So unless you're implying the writers are naive enough to think I'm involved in the process for charity, then OH YES they know that I'm earning a percentage in between. Does my email have a disclaimer script saying so? Hell NO. But it's obvious and I'm not going to be bothered about not stating the obvious.

You can quote and cite and analogize all you want mate but in the end that formula does indeed hold true. Now, can there be other ways of looking at it? Sure, where isn't. But like you choose to see the other side of it, I choose to see the side that's benefiting me. I guess that makes us both guilty of mental bias then, huh?

Again, not my battle to fight. It's like saying: why is the Australian cricket team so competitive in the field. What if everyone started being competitive like that? Well that sure isn't for Australian team to ponder. I do what I do because it works best for me. I do it with right intention. I hide nothing and I deceive nobody. But just because what I do doesn't suit some people's sensibilities, it doesn't make it wrong.

But I do value all your comments @JohnKau. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I can safely say I've learnt a few things that'll help make my future communication with my clients and writers more transparent.