Expert: Cathy Clamp - 12/29/2007

Question
Hi Cathy

I'm in India and right now doing freelance writing for a small company. But I think I'm not being paid enough and I feel I might earn more if I get work online. I've checked out many freelance writing sites but can't seem to understand what this bid system is all about. Can u plz explain it to me? For example, theres this one ad and there are 5 bids for it and the average bid is $36. What does this all mean?

Thanks for your time and effort,

With warm regards,
Yasser

Answer
Hi, Yasser!

Sorry for the delay in answering. Apparently, I didn't get the question the first time it was sent. Fortunately, AllExperts let me know you were waiting, so here I am!

Craigslist, and other sites like this do indeed work on a bid system. However, if you're thinking to make MORE money than a company you've already established a relationship with, I'm afraid you could be disappointed. See, here's how it works:

1.  When a company requests bids from freelance writers, they're looking for the LOWEST bid---the least amount of money you're willing to accept. That varies wildly from person to person. Some writers won't work for less than twenty-five cents a word, while others are happy with a fraction of one cent per word. It's tough to outbid someone who doesn't care how much they make (and it sounds like you do.)

You also have to be VERY careful about scams on Craigslist. I've known writers who took jobs that held themselves out to be "academic publishers" only to discover it was really a "paper mill." (And if you don't know what that is, it's a company that pays writers pennies for a well-researched paper on a given topic and then sells them to students who don't want to work very hard to get a good grade. It's both unethical and illegal in many places.)

2. Also understand that Craigslist is merely a display site. They don't police people who put in ads, and won't protect you or reimburse you if you have problems with an individual or company. Since you're in India, this could present a problem, since you're also not protected by traditional U.S. fair practice laws.

Now, that's not to say there aren't some good jobs on the site, because there are. But you've got to be VERY careful.

I'd suggest that you start out on the right foot, with magazines and markets that will treat you fairly and pay a decent wage. A good place to get started is on a website called AbsoluteWrite. The Freelance Writing forum is very large, with people all over the world helping each other get started. Here's a link to a thread about magazine mastheads, guidelines and current needs that could get you started:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=82

Another place to look is over on a site called Writing World. They list lots of paying markets and how to approach them.  Here's that link:

http://www.writing-world.com/admin1/siteindex.shtml

Hope that gets you started, and please let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck!

Cathy