I began freelance writing seven months ago. I'm a retired ad agency copywriter and account supervisor who spent 35+ years in the business. My motive was to keep my hand in and make a few extra bucks in the doing. I'd better point out right from the outset that the only thing I had ever used a computer for was dedicated word processing. I knew zip about the Internet until last May.

My first step was to search the web for sites that offered outsourced writing assignments to freelance providers. I discovered there was no shortage of these. So I signed up with GetAFreelancer.com because they appeared to be the biggest site going. I was suddenly faced with the shocking truth that in our global Internet world, the paycheck just isn't what I expected it to be. The outsource buyers paid peanuts and the freelance writers worked for them.

I also discovered that this brave new Internet world was looking for writers who understood things like SEO, keywords, Meta tags and HTML. To me, these things were about as clear as Egyptian hieroglyphics. After a month or so of digging into web research I had a basic understanding of these strange terms, but far less expertise when it came to using them. However, I intended to muddle through, so I posted several bids on the high side and actually won them. I was about to earn my share of those peanuts.

Now I was earning $250-$350/month writing articles that were clearly aimed at Internet use. And I was working 8 or more hours each day writing and earning less than I did as a young, new copywriter in the 1960's. Just peanuts! I also made some interesting discoveries, the most enlightening of which was the fact that many buyers had to rewrite what they got themselves or hire a second writer to do it properly. Bye Bye profits! They had opted for the low-end bids and got what they paid for. However when they were lucky enough to score with a competent professional that was happy with peanuts, they held on to him like a lioness with her fresh kill. I also found out that there actually is a reasonable percentage of buyers who are willing to pay a fair price for top quality writing that is consistently delivered on time and per instructions.

About a month ago, several buyers, writers and I got into a discussion about this problem. We all understood, of course, that writers in other lands don't earn the paychecks Americans do and that a bowl of rice costs far less than prime rib of beef. They just don't have to live with our higher cost of living and can get by on far less money than we can. So we decided to do something about it if we could and started Freelance Writer's Guild. It is a not-for-profit referral service designed to connect buyers who want professional results with freelance writers who can provide it. We started a website that is still a work-in-progress, but you can get the idea what it's all about by going to:
http://www.freelancewritersguild.com/ .

In the meantime, I'm still working for peanuts, but the bag is a bit fuller than it was when I began. I also work for just four providers steadily and don't bid on anything that doesn't have long-term potential at a high-end rate. The purpose of our new website is to discover those buyers who have had bad experiences buying primarily on price and are now willing to fairly compensate people who can provide a great job on time, every time.

I'd certainly like comments from anyone who will review our website and I won't be mad if you disagree with our idea. New ideas are also more than welcome. If you agree with what you read on the site, please come aboard. It doesn't cost even a single one of those valuable peanuts.