Interesting thread, and I started to notice a few comments along these lines in other content-for-sale and links-for-sale threads. As one who is on this site primarily as a provider, and secondarily to learn a thing or two, I have some feedback from the other side of the fence.
I present this not as a self-defense, but as an analysis of the thought processes I went through as I was deciding on my own prices.
Here's what
you need:
1) The best possible poker strategy. This is a tough one. The very best poker players in the world don't write much, if any, for two reasons: either they can't write well/express their concept well, or the opportunity cost of the time spent writing doesn't justify the income. That's fine, for what it's worth. Most "pro" articles are ghost-written, at least partially.
Failing "pro" names, your second most effective category is the "online pros." These screen names have enough cache to earn a little respect. Again, you have the potential problem of quality of writing/expression and/or opportunity cost with a lot of them.
Most poker content gets written by a third tier: experienced, good (but not necessarily great) players that read and study the game, are up to speed on the latest developments, and can write and express their concepts well.
Finally, you have people with little or no poker knowledge at all. I'm quite sure you've seen their work.
2) Originality. 100% original is best. Re-written is a distant second. Full out cut-and-paste is the bottom of the barrel.
3) Proper grammar and spelling.
4) Style. Are the articles interesting, easy to follow, and feel like they were written by a real person that you would like to talk to?
5) Timely delivery.
The perfect combination of those attributes is relatively hard to find, and when you find it, you should rightly expect to pay a little more.
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Here's what I considered when I was choosing how to price my own work:
In my case, I provide strategy articles with solid poker knowledge. Although my credentials aren't those of a big name pro who would command the big bucks for an article, I contend that my poker strategy is nearly on par with most of them, because I know poker, play poker, and study poker. I actually find the subject fascinating, so solving it is like a puzzle. I read every article I can find, and most of the books. You'd think I'd put that effort into simply improving my game and going pro. No thanks, ten hours a week is plenty for me. It's a diversion, not a life. I work thirty-forty hours in my primary business, ten playing poker, and another ten-twenty writing about poker.
I write 100% original stuff. As I play poker, I often get ideas like "that would make an interesting article." When I do, I put notes and/or hand histories in a text file and go back to them later and write the actual piece.
My English usage is nearly perfect. You certainly won't get an article full of spelling errors, misused your/you're their/there/they're mistakes, poor grammar, and the like. I am capable of speaking colloquially in the right circumstances, though, LOLZ. I've never had an article returned for rewrites.
Style? That's a matter of preference. I try to keep it a little light-hearted, but never silly. I use a combination of first-, second-, or third-person as appropriate for the message I'm trying to get across.
Timely delivery? 1) I never ask for prepayment, even for pre-ordered articles. I figure if person A doesn't want it, person B will. 2) I complete each article, post it on Google Docs for easy sharing, then offer it for sale. In my case, articles are delivered within minutes of payment, and if I'm going to be away from the computer for a while, I tell the buyer that in advance.
Volume? I have offered discounts for multiple articles, etc. and will continue to do so.
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I weighed all of those factors when deciding how to price my work. Then I looked at the amount of time I spend creating an article. In the case of the most recent one I posted in the content sub-forum, it was over 1700 words and took me about five hours to research and write. It's damn good stuff. I elected to price it at $85, which is about $17 per hour, or
less than five cents per word. That's not career money, nor is it even as much as I average at the poker tables. I do this because I enjoy it and can make a little money at it.
I wouldn't do it for $10 per hour. That's fast-food employee money. If you want to pay fast-food employee money, you'll get fast-food employee quality. If you don't have a problem with that, and don't mind spending two hours of your own time (opportunity cost) cleaning up an article, feel free to seek articles at 2/2.5 cents per word. There is a market for that, and I understand that and accept it.
Finally, I see three things in threads that get my attention.
One is statements like "I pay $x for articles." That's misleading. Length is obviously a factor. The $85 article I referenced above, specifically could be divided into three parts of ~580 words each. Now I'm only asking $28 per article. Sound more realisitc? Consider length when considering price. I guess I'll write shorter articles.
The second is "pricing per word is wrong." To an extent, I agree, but it is an indication of the work involved. It should be considered, but is not an end-all.
Third is a revolt against "offer me a price." In domains-for-sale, you see this a lot. People say xyzdotcom is for sale, taking offers. What they're really saying is "blow me away and I'll part with this, but I'm not really serious about selling." I think open pricing is more honest.
I know the thread wasn't directed at me specifically, but as one of the current sellers, it is at least partially. I thought I'd at least share some thoughts. The price of everything in life is increasing. The dollar is down, so imports and the cost of living are up. As a result, there will be a minimum price I can work for. If the free market says that my work isn't in demand at that price, I accept that, and I'll move along. In the meantime, I'll write good stuff, and price it fairly and openly, and I hope you want it, because I enjoy doing it.
I've gotten good feedback so far, and sold everything I've posted here, so I'm not sure that sellers are really all that far off the mark.
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I cannot say enough good things about Rich and his writing. I just love his writing style and candor.
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Just ordered the Dealing With Bad Beats series, and I have to say I'm very impressed. At $40 an article I was unsure if it would be worth it, but Rich's quality and timely responses were more then worth the cost. Thanks again!
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(These averaged 700 words each, so about 5.8 cents per word).
Lets decide to pay less
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