Request a Bit of a Turnoff?

[melissan]

I hope I'm not going out of bounds here, but this request seemed a bit, uhhhm, rude?

"I am looking for a US based writer with real estate experience who will write articles that apply to home buyers or home sellers nation wide-if the article can include both audiences that’s a plus but generally the focus is alternated.
The articles must be concise, informational, grammatically correct, written from the perspective of a knowledgeable real estate agent and have a 350 - 450 word count.

Please do not write articles unless you have knowledge on the subject matter. I'm saying this because after purchasing a well written article I have found incorrect information. "

She further goes on to state who her favorite CC writers are. That's great. Send them a private request.

I KNOW that buyers are our bread and butter and that we don't HAVE to write for any request we can't fulfill. I just found that the request kind of made me say inside:

"Na na na boo boo. Our articles are edited and we work hard as writers. Write your own material if is so easy." Ok, that's all. I'm done whining.

[Lysis]

LOL probably a little terse, but a lot of customers get burnt by writers too. When I worked with Elance, I saw some doooozies from customers. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Look at it this way - at least you know exactly what she wants!

[eek]

Hi Melissa,
I've been turned off by a few public requests, but this one didn't bother me. And not just because she's bought my work. I understand why she put it that way. She's actually doing us a favor by specifying exactly what she wants. Even though she mentioned my name, I haven't tackled any of these requests lately because she really wants a writer who has had experience in the field. I would guess that interviewing a real estate agent would probably work, but if I wanted to try that angle I'd send her a question via the message system first.
I totally understand the need to whine. Feel better?
Em

[Lor]

It didn't bother me either. I think when the requester mentioned names, it was a suggestion to look at the writing styles of those writers.

Print publishers do this all the time (particular writing demands) with calls for submissions, to give the writer a good sense of what they are looking for. I often read "In the style of ..." and "Not this, but this." They are the publishers. And frankly, the more info, the better.

That being said, the point is moot. I don't personally fit the criteria for that request. <gr>

[jadedragon]

I'm actually qualified to write that request - maybe I should check it out.

Remember that editing is editing, not fact checking. I'm happy to see a buyer being very specific. Also if they named authors, it's better then the alternative discussed recently of sending private requests to multiple writers. Make the request public and tell us what you really want. Sounds like a recipe for success.

[melissan]

Actually, I do feel better, thanks. Mostly it was the "I found fact errors that I had to correct" that got under my skin for some reason. It is good to be clear in a request about what you want, but:

"Someone wrote in an article that supermodels must all weigh 300 pounds in order to be photographed, and I checked, this is wrong"

would be more helpful than

"I found factual errors."

I'm just saying.

It's been a long day, writing and caring for baby at same time, never a good mix.

[Antonia]

I just read the request a few minutes ago and my first reaction was, "Uh oh, this is a client who bought my work for her last request, but isn't mentioning my name here...I wonder if I am the fact-flubber?" I'll probably never know, and I'm usually a stickler for proper research, but it gave me an uneasy twinge! On a second reread, I agree with what others are saying--just a client who knows what she wants and is taking the time to be clear about it. Wish more buyers would send ultra-specific requests, it takes the guesswork out of it. Anyway, I hope you get the chance soon to take a break from baby and relax with a good book, Melissa. I've just found a series I'm enjoying during writing breaks: by Sujata Massey--mysteries, set in Japan and the USA.

[melissan]

I contacted the buyer to make sure it wasn't one of my articles because I wanted to be sure the sources I have been using were accurate. I don't want to be relying on sites that are supplying bad info.

Just finished The Law of Nines by Terry Goodkind. Too gruesome for me usually, but it was like watching a train wreck, once I started, I couldn't stop.

[Celeste Stewart]

Before everyone gets too upset about the customer's perception of facts being wrong, keep in mind also that facts change. So, if you wrote a real estate article earlier this year and said that the stimulus tax credit for homebuyers was ONLY for first time homebuyers, that fact would have been correct at the time of the article's creation but no longer correct today as the tax credit has now been extended to move-up buyers. Anything's possible. As long as you're using credible resources and citing them along the lines of "According to the IRS," there's no need to worry.

[jennifer]

I wrote an article for this request, tips if you're ready to own a rental home and sold it for $50! It's my first sale! I don't know if the requester bought it or someone else.

[Celeste Stewart]

Congrats!

[4rumid]

I wrote an article for this request, tips if you're ready to own a rental home and sold it for $50! It's my first sale! I don't know if the requester bought it or someone else.

Yes, congratulations! If you click on My Sales (just under My Content) you can see who bought your article.

May I ask how long that article was? I'm never quite sure my pricing is right, and I like to see what others are doing.

[jennifer]

I think it was 450 words. I know it was under 500 words. I could have put more info in it but that was the length that was requested and the price she specified.

I had a look today and saw who bought it. I think it was the requester but would have to check the email request to make sure.

[Antonia]

Congrats on the sale, Jennifer! That's great.

[rohishetty]

Congrats Jennifer!