Writers' Bidding War

Over on the Writer's Digest website Michelle Strait has written about the Bidding War some writers choose to enter in an article about sites like Elance and Guru. She explained:

Freelance-bidding sites operate much like eBay: A buyer posts a job assignment, writers bid for the job and the winning bidder gets to complete the assignment. The lowest bidder usually wins. As you can guess, quality has little to do with the process.

Unfortunately, as the quality and professionalism go out the window opened to low ball bidders, the dissatisfaction with what they produce rises, and some employers don't hesitate to complain online. Even experienced writers/editors are being forced to lower their prices to compete, but that means they must increase their volume of work, and the temptation to cut corners becomes overwhelming. One freelance editor confided to me, "At these rates, I'm certainly not going to do a top-notch job!"

I've even received personal job offers (as opposed to the open bidding process) soliciting my writing skills for less than a penny a word. I was so insulted that I didn't bother to respond. I have the luxury of simply not working, but others aren't so lucky. What can we do to restore the previously too low rate of pay?

* Refuse to participate in such bidding
* Refuse low-paying jobs
* Demand higher pay
* Don't try to underbid
* Highlight the advantages of quality