Claire Ridgway - Professional Freelance Writer

During my time as a freelance writer, editor and copywriter, I have completed many writing projects that were originally started or completed by another writer. Why? Various reasons:-

The Real Thing!

• The original writer went AWOL, leaving the project unfinished.

• The original writer was not a native English speaker and had a poor command of the language.

• The original writer had not understood the client’s needs and requirements.

• The end result was poor and unusable.

Sometimes, this situation arises because the client was looking to cut costs and so went with the cheapest quote. Now, cheap doesn’t necessarily mean shoddy workmanship and poor quality, but it is often a case of “you get what you pay for”. Sometimes you can get lucky, other times cheap = poor results. Going with the cheapest writer is not always a good idea, especially when you end up paying twice because you have to get the work re-done.

Other times, businesses or individuals do not look at a writer’s portfolio, feedback or testimonials, qualifications and experience. They are in a rush, so who can blame then? However, if you want a job done well, you need to spend some time looking into writers and seeing if what they do is a match with what you want.

When you are employing a freelance writer, you need to look at:-

• Their portfolio or samples – Are they able to adapt their style of writing? Are their samples accurate for spelling, grammar etc.? Does their writing flow? Is it interesting?

• Testimonials or feedback – What do past clients think of them? Do they have happy customers? Do they have repeat customers? Repeat customers are obviously a good sign.

• Their command of English (or whatever language you want!) - A writer does not necessarily have to be a native English speaker to write well – I know many people whose English is perfect, yet it is their second language – but always be careful when hiring non-native English speakers.

• Any contact you have with the writer – I have seen some project proposals which were not even in proper, accurate English. An example is someone’s proposal that started with “ i am a freelance writer”! If there are glaring mistakes in emails and quotes, move on!

• Timing and deadlines – Can the writer work to your deadline? Obviously, a deadline needs to be realistic and you need to give a writer enough time to do your job well, but you need a writer who can stick to deadlines and who’s good at scheduling jobs. Some “cheaper” writers have to take on a large amount of work to survive and therefore find it hard to stick to deadlines.

• Price – Does the price quoted match your budget and is it tailored to your needs? Professional writers will charge professional fees, so be prepared to pay these rates, if you want a quality, professional result. Rush jobs usually incur extra fees because a writer has to prioritize your job

I hope that this article has given you some useful advice about hiring writers. Please click here to contact me with your requirements – I’m a professional writer not a cheap imitation!