outsourcing the written word - a question for writers

[Bhaisahab]

hi lounge. i'm a writer based in new delhi, and i have recently been contacted by a company that in-sources writing work (white papers, web articles, ebooks etc) from the USA. some of the projects they peddle are downright shady, with instructions for ebook 're-writing' that go - "the client has specified that the completed manuscript must not be traceable to the original."
moreover, they are lousy paymasters - shelling out less that one rupee (about two cents) per word. normally, my clients (from within India) pay me 3-4 rupees a word (about 7 cents), which is a dignified price for the written word. when i pointed it out to them, they suggested that american per-word rates are in the range of 4-5 cents a word, which i find outrageous. can writers here confirm if that is true? if it is, why the hell would clients in america want to outsource writing work just to save 2 cents?! makes no sense! besides, it does not include the 'cut' the company keeps. they're bullshitting me for sure, but i would like to know the american per-word rates so I can catch their lies!
anyone?

[Straight Shooter]

1. Contact writersdigest.com with your inquiry.

I think someone there might be able to give you a reliable answer.

BTW, saving 2 cents on the word adds up to a lot of money if you're doing volume work. :)

[Shine]

2. Sorry, I have no idea,but wanted to pop in and say hi.

Greetings, from California!

My dad is an author and he's going on a three month book tour to India, leaving in March. I'm not exactly sure where he'll be, but he's really excited about it. :thumbsup:

Good luck with your writing, too!!
:hi:

[ZombieNixon]

3. Well, I'm not sure, but I'll give you an estimate from what I know.

My mother is a children's/young adult fiction author. For a 120 pg manuscript, she might get a $3000 or so advance. On a standard 8.5 x 11 word processing page with 1 inch margins, double spaced, with 12 point serif font, a full page is around 350, maybe 400 words (but closer to 350).

350 words per page * 120 pages = 42000 words. $3000/42000 words = $0.07 per word.

Lower end (i.e. fuller pages):
400 words per page * 120 pages = 42000 words. $3000/42000 words = $0.06 per word.

So, yes, I would say that the US pay-per-word rate is around 6-7 cents.

However, I would recommend contacting an institution of greater authority, like Writer's Digest, to be certain.

Good luck.

:hi:

P.S. My family's Indian, too, not that it really matters. :D

[tjdee]

4. Not a professional, but...

Here is a Canadian site on pay rates, which seem to range from .10 up to more than 5 dollars. That's Canadian dollars, which is slightly less than American (though you never know anymore, with Bush driving it into the ground).

[Ivan Sputnik]

5. This doesn't smell right.

It sounds like they want you to paraphrase ("re-write") copyrighted material so they can, in effect, steal it. Why else would they not want it to be "traceable to the original"? I don't know if India is part of the same copyright convention as the US, but you could be putting yourself in some legal difficulty if this is what they are doing.

[ContraBass Black]

6. Sounds like they're underpaying you to steal copyrighted material.

Find better work, if you can.

[Bhaisahab]

7. thank you all for responding

looks like writers digest is the apt place to check.

Straight Shooter, c'mon. saving 2 cents on a 20 000 word manuscript saves a client only 400 dollars. that's just cheapskate-y of an American company to outsource work for that amount! no?

Will and ContraBass, you're right about the game - underpay Indians to steal copyrighted material. India's copyright laws are as strong as president monkey's grasp on world affairs, so no wonder clients in the USA prefer to work with people here.

Zombie, thanks for the detailed break-up. 6-7 cents per word in the US is still low I think. Writing is not like doing math sums. As Gene Fowler said - "Writing is easy. All you have to do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."

Tjdee, you're a shah rukh fan? wow. you know there's this story about SRK i have to share with you. when his first television serial went on air, which was his first big break, he would drag a friend along to New Delhi's Connaught Place and hang around outside the food joints waiting for people to recognize him. not many did, apparently :)

Hi Shine, i'm sure your dad will love it here. i'm in the middle of a book (my ABSOLUTELY last attempt at a novel) and would love to meet him. if he's coming to new delhi pm me. if this is his first visit, i'd be glad to show him the sights.