Lex DeVille
Sweeping Shadows From Dreams
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Elance & Odesk are the same company now. They merged, Odesk still has more individual freelancers whereas Elance has more agencies.
I switched my whole model. Built a publishing site like smashwords / draft2digital. More than 700 users.
I'm telling you because despite giving 80% royalties, free training, free resources, free publishing, and free promotion - less than 1% are actually working hard to get better. A few are repeat submitters, but they're not trying to learn at all. They just write and submit, hoping for a quick buck.
I get 10 - 20 stories a week, and have published around 200 since it started. So the question is, why does a single book I wrote last year outsell ALL of their books combined?
The Answer May Help in Your Search...
My best writers are getting better. They're learning, striving, and trying. They earn more each month. They ask questions, and post excerpts in our Facebook group. They're motivated by the process, and eventually it'll pay off. Eventually they will pass me.
The rest are only motivated by fast money. They think they'll submit 1,200 words and instantly be a huge success. They're motivated enough to try it out, but when they don't make money, they're gone.
So, I see it like this - Get them in the door (get them on Skype) by offering higher pay. Filter them for quality. Give them clear instructions about the genres you want them to write.
If they do it right, then offer more incentives to motivate. Could be higher pay. Could be a cut of total earnings. Could be a bonus. Could be more freedom etc.
Whatever you do, get them on Skype and talk to them like a person. Not like their boss. Build connections with them. I think most people freelance because they want freedom from restrictions.
Freelancers want to work with friends, not bosses.
Be their friend. If they like you, then the money won't be as important. If you motivate them, they'll try hard to grow. If you make them feel like they're part of something bigger, they'll strive more.
They can become valuable. But you have to give value first.
I switched my whole model. Built a publishing site like smashwords / draft2digital. More than 700 users.
I'm telling you because despite giving 80% royalties, free training, free resources, free publishing, and free promotion - less than 1% are actually working hard to get better. A few are repeat submitters, but they're not trying to learn at all. They just write and submit, hoping for a quick buck.
I get 10 - 20 stories a week, and have published around 200 since it started. So the question is, why does a single book I wrote last year outsell ALL of their books combined?
The Answer May Help in Your Search...
My best writers are getting better. They're learning, striving, and trying. They earn more each month. They ask questions, and post excerpts in our Facebook group. They're motivated by the process, and eventually it'll pay off. Eventually they will pass me.
The rest are only motivated by fast money. They think they'll submit 1,200 words and instantly be a huge success. They're motivated enough to try it out, but when they don't make money, they're gone.
So, I see it like this - Get them in the door (get them on Skype) by offering higher pay. Filter them for quality. Give them clear instructions about the genres you want them to write.
If they do it right, then offer more incentives to motivate. Could be higher pay. Could be a cut of total earnings. Could be a bonus. Could be more freedom etc.
If you learn to write first you'll know what to look for in good writers.
Whatever you do, get them on Skype and talk to them like a person. Not like their boss. Build connections with them. I think most people freelance because they want freedom from restrictions.
Freelancers want to work with friends, not bosses.
Be their friend. If they like you, then the money won't be as important. If you motivate them, they'll try hard to grow. If you make them feel like they're part of something bigger, they'll strive more.
They can become valuable. But you have to give value first.