You're looking for an affordable writer, but you aren't sure where to find one. Perhaps you have a book you need ghost-written, or a blog that needs material, or you want to write your memoirs, or you need ad copy for your web market- but you are on a small budget. You need a writer you can afford- an affordable writer.
You would think that for every story, there is a writer. In a purely technical sense, how could it be otherwise? But not everyone possesses the skills necessary to write well. Thank goodness. We need our Doctors, Scientists, mathematicians, and accountants in this world. How boring would this world be if everyone excelled at the same craft. I do not want to live in a writer-only world. Twitter is bad enough without any more self-published books on how to suceed at twitter.
When a person has an idea, either for a book or a website unlike any other, ultimately they are faced with arduous task of developing the mechanics for their idea/goal. Unfortunately, good ideas can fall flat on their face if the final product is sloppy, full of grammatical errors, and poorly written or phrased. Then the search begins to find a writer to fill that empty slot.
It would be wonderful if Neil Gaiman agreed to ghost-write your book, or contribute to your blog on a daily basis. That isn't going to happen. So where are these talented, affordable writers, how much do they charge, and what kind of service will they provide?
In the next few posts, we will take a look at who is out there in cyberspace, how you can reach them, and what it may cost you. We will also provide guidnace for writers. They are a scattered lot, working on their craft in tiny, dark rooms-their stereos blaring progressive rock music as they improve their craft.
One of the most popular freelance writing job boards is ELANCE. A comprehensive platform for hiring in the cloud, Elance has an excellent reputation for bringing writers and businesses together. Elance signs up writers, then provides accreditation for many different software programs. A writer can create an excellent resume, provide references, and examples of their work. A business in need of a writer can post the job, receive submissions, review for quality work, and if satisfied, hire the writer.
We decided to enter the site and push a few buttons to see how ELANCE works. On their main page, click on FIND TALENT which will take you HERE. On this page, there is a video that explains how ELANCE works. You can choose to watch or you can scroll down to the bottom and click on the orange button GET STARTED NOW. This will land you on the page where you must choose between TALENT or HIRE. If you are a writer, choose "I want to work". If you are an employer, choose "I want to hire" and click on the green CONTINUE button. Depending on what you chose, you will land on an appropriate registration page. From that point on, it requires that you take some time to set up your account.
ELANCE has virtual workrooms where you and your talent can meet and dsicuss and work on the projects together. There are some very successful writers who work exclusively on ELANCE. The advantage is that there is a need for jobs and talent and ELANCE is a place where your needs can be met. But be advised. ELANCE takes their cut, generally 6.75%-8.75% of the contract amount.
ELANCE is a proven success, very popular, with well-designed website. This is an excellent first place to begin your search. Next post: More writing boards, job postings, and a tiny story!