The Ultimate Get-a-Clue Freelance Request for the Week of March 17, 2008
This week's Middle Finger Award comes courtesy of Robin Noelle. What I love most about this project is that it actually names names. (I am, after all, on a naming names spree this week.)
"Here is a little more information for you: Our books are generally 288 pages. The rate is $50 for three book reviews, which is paid upon completion of the entire project. What we ask our reviewers to do is write the review with a star rating of 1-5 (5 being best), send the review to us to look over, and then post the review if we approve it. We ask our reviewers to post to Amazon (which requires that you have an active account with them and have purchased from them in the past), Barnes and Noble, and our blog site, located at atlanticpub.wordpress.com. We generally pay our reviewers through PayPal; please let me know if this would work for you. As for what types of books we publish, most fall into the real estate, finance, management, and food service categories. The timeframe is flexible; some of my reviewers complete the project in three business days while some stretch it out much longer. I have found that the average time is approximately two to three weeks.
If you are still interested, I am attaching the contract that will need to be signed before I can send you the books. You can fax it back to me at 352-622-xxxx or scan and email it to me, whichever is easier for you, as long as it is hand signed."
As Robin points out, "They want you to read THREE e-books of 288 pages and write three reviews all for $50! Even better, the books are on exciting topics like real estate and food service. Sigh." Yeah, screw that!
Oh, but it gets better. Robin informs me that Atlantic Publishing Company is "also 'hiring' e-book writers (at $1000 for 65k/words!) and editors ($100-200 for same 65k word books)." Bigger SIGH, bigger SCREW YOU!
Labels: Middle Finger Award
posted by Irreverent Freelancer @ 10:02 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Is she kidding? I mean, really. This has to be some bad joke. You spend three weeks reading through books you probably have to buy (betting on it), and you have to write a review (and I'm betting it's to be a GREAT one) that they may or may not approve, and for all that you get a whopping 50 bucks? Oh my! Since McDonald's isn't hiring, sign me up!
Jerks.
You don't have to buy the books, they send you pdf files. But, the books are not the most scintillating reads in the world, and it is a fairly dishonest way to "promote" your work on the various book ordering websites.
I think I've seen the review ad (or one like it) before, but not the writing and editing on top of that! I'd say the only half decent thing about this ad is that they don't say that the review has to be positive. That's it.
Wtf? I couldn't even read three books in a day, let alone write the reviews. Even $50 for each one would be way too low! But, judging by the number of these insulting ads, someone must be doing this work.
I once applied for a job and got an 'assignment' only two hours later. He wanted me to write 10, 500 word articles for $2 a pop. This ad is almost worse than that.
OMG ATLANTIC PUBLISHING IS EVIL -- That woman poses on diff. CL ads and then ends up sending you the same email you got from other postings, and then says she runs a PROFESSIONAL business, yet is paying $100 for 6,500 words....which is not even a penny a word --- but 1/6 of a penny a word.
UGH.
Obviously this is a horrible offer. The problem is that many writers don't hold there standards high enough. As long as people are willing to work for these rates, there will be ads like these.
When I first started writing I did 500 words articles for 1.50 - 2.00 all the time. These were usually needed within a few hours. After my first week of writing I realized India was currently outsourcing to me.
I have no qualms about where my work comes from(If the price is right I will give you a compelling piece on the virtues squirting lemon juice in your eye). My problem with India outsourcing to me was that I knew that work was being outsourced to the them. Obviously I was doing the work cheaper than what it was actually worth.
The best piece of advice I can give to new freelancers is two fold. Don't start cheap, and work your way up quickly.
I have a few regular clients that I have negotiated fixed rates with. I have time scheduled every week that is used solely to look for jobs and clients that will pay a higher rate. When I find steady work I offer my time to my existing clienta the higher rate first. Some have taken this offer. Others have moved on to other writers.
By using this formula I increase my income, while not having to increase the time I spend writing. I have in fact reduced the time I spend writing.
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