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Posts by bluezinc1 / Posting Activity: 4
I am: Freelance Writer
Joined: Jul 23, 2013 		Last Post: May 20, 2014
Threads: 2
Posts: 16  
Displayed posts: 18
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bluezinc1   
Jul 26, 2013
Writing Careers / Some questions for the veterans about writing speed [30]

Hi, everybody.

I'm new to this industry. Not new to research and writing in a professional capacity, as I worked in market research for many years - but new to the extravagant volume of output needed to make a good living in academic writing. It's just basic math - you need high CPPs, high pages per hour, and pages. Lots of them. This is no secret.

Writing SpeedI've read most of the worthwhile threads on this forum, and have repeatedly seen claims that one needs to be comfortable churning out 10-20 pages per day on a consistent basis. This seems to be the magic number.

While I am not at that point now, I think I have the potential. To that end, I have some questions and I would be greatly indebted to hear from members who have a long history in the industry.

I know I am asking a lot of questions. Feel free to respond to all or some; any information would be appreciated. :)

1. Were you able to consistently produce 10-20 pages per day when you first started writing academic papers? If yes, do you think it's a skill that can be taught, and what advice would you give? If no, how did you get faster? Did you learn to spot easier jobs, did you devise a "recipe" to follow, etc.?

2. Do you stick to fields you're trained in, or do you mercenary write anything a la Ed Dante? Why/why not?

3. It is obvious that any research time is time not spent writing, and therefore time when you're not making money. How do you minimize this effect? Again, do you write only in your field? Or do you develop the chops to research super efficiently? If the latter, do you have any specific advice?

4. What quality do you generally aim for? Are you consistently producing A papers because you're just that damn efficient? Or do you achieve your speed by setting the bar lower, aiming only for B/C papers?

Thanks in advance. I am really looking forward to the replies. Please don't flame me too much; I am seeking honest advice and hopefully I will be able to pay it forward some day.
bluezinc1   
Jul 26, 2013
Writing Careers / Some questions for the veterans about writing speed [30]

Thanks for the excellent reply - you were definitely among the forum members whom I was hoping would answer.

Your last answer resonated with me the most. You're saying that speed and quality are directly related, not inversely, because when you know a topic very well (well enough to write an A paper), you're generally able to write faster. This makes a lot of sense. Also, it's very helpful to know that aiming for A quality is practical. Maybe it sounds strange to you, but to me, it's been a significant question whether this volume is doable at A quality or whether the successful ones are really the ones who've mastered the "stretch 2 paragraphs to 10 pages" strategy. Lord knows that would pass muster with a lot of clients and their instructors.

Right now, I think my biggest challenge aside from speed is "breaking in" to common but unfamiliar topics like nursing, organizational psychology, and maybe even some law. The best way I can think to do this is to try to snag undergraduate assignments that can be completed without much familiarity w/ the literature - and build off of that knowledge. It certainly sounds like you've managed to get your foot in the door to some unlikely fields.
bluezinc1   
Jul 28, 2013
Writing Careers / Some questions for the veterans about writing speed [30]

I happen to know for a fact that both Professor Verb and Freelance Writer drive late-model Chevy Tahoe's with 24-inch rims, custom fade paint, and supercharger kits.

Only because the Lambos are in the shop until next week.

Good point re: dollars. I definitely plan to take advantage of local clientele come fall; definitely a way to ease up on pages or just make it rain, like you noted.

It is possible for a busy writer to do justice to even 40-50 pages a day in the essay industry's spring season.

Yowza. Certainly not a sustainable thing, I would imagine. This actually seems hard to believe.

On a related note, I came across this passage on freelanceessaywriters.com:

The first, and possibly most important, thing to remember when approaching a freelance academic writing project is this: it is not your own homework. Novice academic writers tend to view their writing projects as if they were doing their homework, which slows them down tremendously. While you want to take care with the work you do, ensuring a high level of quality, you cannot possibly assume the same level of ownership with your paid projects that you took with your own academic assignments. If you do, you won't meet your deadlines (because you will be deliberating over this word or that sentence), and you won't have time to do many projects (because of all of that deliberation), thus reducing your ability to earn a living.

To those who said A-quality is the goal -- would you say this is a compatible point of view? Even when writing an A quality paper for someone else, would you say your mindset is much different than if you were working on your own assignment?
bluezinc1   
Jul 28, 2013
Writing Careers / Some questions for the veterans about writing speed [30]

Freelance Writer

Thanks for the reply. Interesting to hear conflicting views - I understand what you're saying and I'll try to stay attuned to that evolution in my own writing. Although I have a lot of respect for anyone who can consistently write a first draft that quickly/well, I personally do see some merit in the opposing point of view. Ultimately, in a professional service industry like this, two things matter. Profit and customer satisfaction. If a customer cannot distinguish between a good and an excellent paper simply because he does not have the wherewithal to recognize true quality, it is perfectly sensible to trade some quality for time. In other words, the true quality of a product doesn't matter if the customer is satisfied in the end. You might argue that there is a third major factor - the professor's evaluation / the grade - and this is true to an extent since it might affect repeat business. However, for a writer like yourself, it is very likely that a 70 or 80% effort would earn an A. The standards just aren't that high.* So in my view, the goal is to do the bare minimum needed to ensure repeat business and referrals. Depending on the skill of the writer, that may or may not be his best effort.

That may sound a bit cold and capitalistic, but business is business to me. Sure, I want my customers to be satisfied, but ultimately it's only because I stand to profit. (To not sound like a total dick, let me at least qualify this by saying I do get pleasure from a job well done and pleasing others. I'm just trying to leave emotion out of the equation for now.) ;)

And I understand - or at least think I understand - that you're not necessarily saying you put everything you've got into every paper, just that you've reached a level of mastery where it's not particularly draining to consistently and quickly output high quality works. Nevertheless, I think the debate is interesting and relevant.

You might be interested in reading other articles on the site. Whether or not you agree with the author, it's a pretty solid resource in what's generally a sea of mud. freelanceessaywriters.com

*EDIT: maybe not usually, but often. And many times you know which institution the student is at, which can be a pretty good clue.
bluezinc1   
Jul 28, 2013
Writing Careers / Some questions for the veterans about writing speed [30]

Ah, OK. Yes, perhaps my use of the word "writing" was too imprecise. I did not intend to sharply distinguish between the research/planning process and the writing itself. My original post would have been better worded as "production speed" more broadly, rather than "writing speed." I do not think it particularly challenging to write 10-20 quality pages per day of creative works, other non-research-based material, or even familiar research-based topics. I completely agree that the challenge is in the learning curve of the material - researching, ramping up, and outlining a cohesive piece is by far the most painful part of the process. Generally, I find that the paper writes itself once the outline is done.

I wasn't trying to equate writing time (in the narrow sense) with quality, although I admittedly was trying to equate overall production time (writing in the wider sense) with quality. I do understand why you're saying the inverse is often true. Not disputing that at all.

If you go back to my original post and read it in this context, perhaps you'll better understand my intentions. In fact, I'd say question #3 really encapsulates my struggle best. When I say I respect writers who can write first drafts very well, I'm not only talking about composition. I'm talking about individuals who can sit down with a low level of knowledge on a topic, ramp up, outline a well-organized paper, and write it all in enough time to keep the CPPs high. The writing itself (in the narrow sense) is only the last step, and is not my primary concern. Like I said, I find that papers tend to write themselves when a solid foundation is present.

I don't claim to be an amazing writer (in the narrow sense), but I think I'm decent enough. To use your analogy, I feel like my career so far has taken me to the minor leagues, but it is TBD whether I'll make it to the NHL.

So to summarize more precisely, what I'm really interested in are the lessons you can teach in terms of research and outlining.
bluezinc1   
Jul 28, 2013
Writing Careers / Some questions for the veterans about writing speed [30]

No worries, not looking for anything extensive. It's helpful just to hear in broad terms what's worked for other people. Appreciate the insight, as always.
bluezinc1   
Jul 29, 2013
Writing Careers / Muddy instructions - is asking the client additional questions too risky? [8]

Sounds like you both agree that having clear instructions generally outweighs any disadvantages of asking. When I managed research projects in other industries, sometimes it was a real minefield to clarify details with clients, because it inevitably resulted in scope creep. ("Do you mean X or Y by this?" "Oh that's a great idea, let's look into both.") I guess when you have 1) a fixed number of pages, 2) less complicated contracts & more agility to charge for extras, and 3) clients that tend toward providing too little direction rather than too much, and 4) a reputation to maintain, it makes sense to ask away.

Also interesting that some clients can be so dodgy about it. You'd think they would understand. I guess that's exactly why they're paying someone else to do it.
bluezinc1   
Jul 31, 2013
Writing Careers / Writers -- how have you become interested in the field of academic essay writing? [15]

1. I am a freelancer; I get to be my own boss and work from home. I take exactly as much work as I want. No office environment.

2. If I put in the work to find and retain private clients, I can earn a very good hourly rate. During the slow season, or if I'm having trouble finding my own clients, there is a steady supply of company work. As they say, "the work is there if you want it." Academic writing generally pays better and jobs are easier to find, as compared to grinding it out on oDesk or Elance.

3. The work is interesting and educational, for the most part.
bluezinc1   
Aug 15, 2013
Writing Careers / Strange situation with essay company - hardly receiving any projects [26]

Hey, everybody (especially fellow freelance authors).

So I started working for a company in July, let's call it Company X. With Company X, writers are in direct contact with customers. For the first week or two, Company X sent me a pretty steady stream of orders which I completed with no issues. Even got a couple return customers.

In early August, there was a slight snafu on my part--one of my customers asked for a dumbing down of her paper, so that the prof wouldn't suspect anything. This is, of course, against the ToS of all legitimate companies. I didn't really think about it though, just didn't occur to me at the time that I was screwing up by fulfilling that request. Nevertheless, it was my mistake.

Few ProjectsThe company didn't chastise me for it, but they did email me and say they wouldn't be setting up any more orders for that customer. At the time I didn't think anything of it.

However, since then, Company X has hardly sent me any projects, and when they have, they have conspicuously avoided giving me the customer's email address, requiring me to go through the company reps.

They have provided no explanation despite my requests. I have asked what the deal is/whether I crossed them somehow, and have not gotten a straight answer. One of the reps who's a nice guy said that it was just a slow month, but it has certainly not been any slower than last as far as I can tell, and that certainly doesn't explain me getting cut off of projects and customers. Still, his email was evasive--there's definitely something else going on. It's like they are suspicious of me, which sucks, because I haven't done anything intentional. If they're POed because of that incident, I could understand. What I don't understand is the lack of communication.

I can only assume that the issue is related to that incident, as I honestly cannot fathom what else could have occurred. I am 99% sure I didn't mess up any orders, and certainly never heard anything bad about them.

Has anybody else experienced something like this? Is there is a precedent for this kind of thing? I'm baffled. If it's all over that one incident, I don't know why they wouldn't just be forthright, but I don't want to press them any further.

Maybe I am just expecting too much from an industry that doesn't really give a damn. Writers are disposable, right? :\ Usually, though, this company is quite responsive.

At any rate, please don't mention any specific company names here. While I am disappointed that the company isn't being straightforward with me, I have no wish to slander them or any other company. On the contrary I really want to clear the air and move past this. If you think you could be helpful but want to mention a name, please keep it professional and just email me. Thanks :(

And if I wasn't clear, my question isn't "could they be wary because of that mistake?" Obviously that's a yes, I realize I violated the protocol, even if not maliciously.

My questions are

1) why wouldn't they just be straight up with me, especially when I'm *asking*, so everyone can be clear on future expectations? Is there some kind of unwritten industry code that I just don't understand? :p

2) Is there a precedent for this, if so, what's the deal and how do I fix the situation?
bluezinc1   
Aug 16, 2013
Writing Careers / Strange situation with essay company - hardly receiving any projects [26]

So you care more about getting the customer's email than the order? Maybe they think you may steal their customers.

Well... you stated what I only alluded to. It seems like they do think that, but I never gave them any reason to think so, hence my confusion. Like most freelancer writers, I am certainly interested in building a private clientele, but that's the complete wrong way to do it. I would never do this, not only because it's unethical and backstabby, but frankly it's also it's a stupid tactic that is sure to backfire sooner rather than later. I want to have these guys as a supply of steady work, and it would be totally against my interests to do something like that. Which leads me to...

Yes, were you communicating directly with the customers when you weren't supposed to be? That would make them wary as hell.

Not at all. Only communication was strictly related to the projects. When I got emails in my private account requesting repeat business, I forwarded it straight to the sales staff. Never did anything that could be construed as inappropriate, besides the editing thing I already mentioned.

That all said.. something I hadn't considered. I do have a company and website of my own, mainly used to give me legitimacy when seeking out local clients. I have posted it to EssayChat etc. before, so maybe they got wind of this and it spooked them. That is definitely plausible. I never mentioned this to them, and it's not against their ToS. This wasn't to hide anything from them per se, it just wasn't information that I thought pertinent to offer up on my own. Talk about an awkward conversation--but maybe I should have, anyway. I've been under the impression that a lot of writers have their own operations. Either way, I have nothing to hide and would discuss candidly if they wanted. I have zero intentions to skim customers off of them for the reasons I already stated.

Maybe they will read this and contact me. I think regardless of any misgivigs they have, the sales guys do like working with me because I get stuff done fast and right, and can do some of the harder math/stats stuff.

The only reason I'm making a big deal about it is because they really do have a good supply of work, they are usually pleasant to deal with, and it would be a real loss not restore the relationship. Also, I don't really like being treated with suspicion when I haven't done anything.

I realize at this point there's probably not much you guys can offer. Appreciate the replies nonetheless, nice to just vent once in a while.
bluezinc1   
Aug 16, 2013
Writing Careers / Strange situation with essay company - hardly receiving any projects [26]

Yeah, you're totally right. I am, I'm just also thinking ahead to future summers. :) I like the way you think, though. A businessman for sure!

That bring up another good point about this industry- I think the addressable market is HUGE, much bigger than the current market size, and so competition isn't really zero-sum. Mostly, new entrants (especially legitimate ones) increase the overall market size, rather than only stealing market share from competitors.

Plus, if market share is stolen from crap operations, who even cares. There is enough room in this industry for friendly competition among quality companies.
bluezinc1   
Aug 23, 2013
Writing Careers / Strange situation with essay company - hardly receiving any projects [26]

Just to provide an update, I emailed the company again, and this is the situation:

Hello,

Our goal is to continue assigning you as many projects as possible because you have proven yourself to be a reliable writer. However, we won't be able to show you the clients' emails because we think you have a competing website (which isn't a problem as that), but may want to contact our clients as your own company. Even if you haven't so far, the temptation might be too great down the road.

We hope you understand we have to protect our business and we hope to continue working with you.

So the reason I'm not getting projects is because everything has to be done through the CS reps now, which is obviously inconvenient.

While I am disappointed, I guess I can't really fault them for this. It just lights a fire under my seat to promote my own business, I suppose.
bluezinc1   
Aug 23, 2013
Writing Careers / Strange situation with essay company - hardly receiving any projects [26]

How do you plan to promote your business? Many freelancers have tried and most of them failed :|.

My city has a very large state university.

My plan is to network and target the frats/sororities.

Every private freelancer I know, which is several, stays too busy to even pour a bowl of Corn Flakes during the high season and turns down work regularly.

Yeah... I think if you're persistent, reasonably smart about adapting your strategy as needed, and do decent work, it shouldn't be too difficult. I could be wrong. /shrug. We'll see.
bluezinc1   
Sep 02, 2013
Writing Careers / Does the essay deadline determine the essay price? Small survey for writers. [15]

Research Deadline[Moved from]:

How do you price rush writing jobs?



Hey, I hope everyone is having a good Labor Day and is well-rested for the upcoming busy season.

Today I have a question about rush jobs. What is usually considered a reasonable premium, say for 24 hour turnaround?

For my company work, I generally bid with a ~30% premium when difficult projects are due the same day or will require an all-nighter. So if I might normally bid $12 PP, I would hike it to around $15.50. For some research heavy projects, I have even bid as high as $18 PP, but most companies seem reluctant to go that high even for extremely urgent/difficult orders.

What are your rules of thumb? Say you get a basic history paper, 8 pages, 10 sources to do overnight (from a reputable American company). About how much do you think you could get?

Feel free to comment on private work as well, but I am personally more interested in how to bid fairly w/ companies, maximizing earnings without losing the project to someone else.
bluezinc1   
May 20, 2014
Writing Careers / 10 Alternative Sources of Income for Freelance Academic Writers [27]

When freelance academic writers use the "model paper" line, it is mainly a facade of plausible deniability, both legally and ethically. But some of them repeat it so much that one wonders if they've actually begun to believe it. (Some writers have even cited "research" findings that show 95%+ of clients actually do their own paper based on the model. It's an utter farce.)

Make no mistake. 99-100% of clients are turning in purchased work as their own.

If "model paper" makes you sleep better at night, so be it, but let's be real for just a millisecond. Good job, Pirate, for stating it like it is.