SevenByThree - 7:43 am on Sep 2, 2010 (gmt 0)

"$1 per 100 words is the standard going rate for freelance writing."

It's the standard going *discount* or *cheap* rate. That's like saying the price of ramen noodles is the standard going rate for dinner.

I no longer pay less than 5 cents a word for articles anymore. I avoid Freelancer, Elance, and all those sites. They are overrun with non-native speakers and other bottom barrel workers. I don't want to put that much work into ordering articles. My time is money. What good is it to save on an article price when I lose more than its worth in time not to mention the *additional* time it takes to clean up and deal with crap results.

I had one positive experience with a Canadian guy at GAF. He was fantastic and I paid him about 4 cents a word. I've paid as much as 10 cents a word at freelancing sites and my experiences except for the one were just awful. The guy that was good for me directed me to a company (TPI Freelance) that gave him work occasionally. They've been pretty good to me over the past year and the prices are very reasonable for the results.