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06-05-2012, 01:23 AM
#2
Lowengard is offline Lowengard
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If you look around here (or do a search) this topic has come up several times, domino214.

The online auction marketplace includes many bidders who can work for less than what is considered a living wage in the West. Some examples include those in BRIC or developing countries, those who have lower, few or no expenses (i.e., live with parents, a spouse or someone else who supports them) those who look on the odd writing task as a relaxing hobby.

If you are a serious writer it is difficult to earn a decent living from the auction sites, if the payment expectation is $5/500 words of immediately useable copy. At that rate, you'd have to churn out 6000 words/day to make US minimum wage--about 24 pages.

But then, most serious writers do not rely on the auction sites for the bulk of their work. In fact, most serious, professional writers don't even use the auction sites to fill in, as the time you spend bidding on low paying jobs would be better spent finding clients who will pay you appropriately. This is true for any kind of independent professional, for that matter. $3/word may be more than you can expect if you're just starting out. $0.20 or $0.25 shouldn't be.