If you’re looking to hire a freelance writer or writers, I highly recommend oDesk.com (and not only because this is an affiliate link).

I started using oDesk two months ago and have hired three different freelance writers through the site.  One of them was from Ohio, another was from Serbia, and a third was from Indonesia.

I had one writer who was a waste of time, but two of them worked out brilliantly and I hire them intermittently for projects and will continue to do so.

oDesk made finding writers very easy to do since it is a site aimed at ease of use for the people who want to do the hiring, aka the “Buyers.”

You will start by putting up an assignment, where you explain what work you are looking for and how much you want to pay, and freelancers will “Bid” for the job.  You can look at their qualifications, previous work, and ratings from other buyers in order to choose the best worker.

There are no additional costs to setting up an account.  What you decide to pay your workers is what you pay (obviously after you come to agreement with the freelancer).  The 10% fee that is oDesk’s share comes out of the total.  So if you agree on a total price of $10 for two 500-word articles, you will only pay $10.  The freelance writer will receive $9.

I have had no problems with oDesk and I recommend the site to at least one Internet entrepreneur a day.  You can find freelance writers who specialize in blog content, or article directory articles, or web copy.  And you can find very competitive prices and high quality work, since you will be able to review multiple bids from many providers.

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1. Hire a Blog Writer, Take a Day Off
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3. The Future of Work: oDesk

For a writer, there is nothing like the instant gratification of being able to hit the “publish” button and see your work immediately “printed” for all to see and admire.

This feels really good.

Another thing that feels really good is when you begin to earn money from the work you publish online.  This is especially exciting because not only are you able to write and have people read what you write, but you are able to turn a profit (even if it is just beer or coffee money).

The combination of these things–publishing and earning a little cash for your efforts–often makes the writer feel like he or she needs to write something everyday.  It’s natural: you want to keep up your momentum, you become accustomed to writing daily, and furthermore, you like being able to drink Amstel Light instead of Pabst Blue Ribbon.

This is when the fun gets sucked out of online publishing and quality goes to that same sad place the Dodo now reside.

My advice to you burned-out-blogger is to hire someone to write a post for you a couple times a month.  Take a day off from writing and experience the joy of reading someone else’s work on your own website.

You may even be able to entice a “guest poster” to write something in exchange for a link to their own site from the post.  This is a good way to get really good content and creates value for both parties.

Write as often as you like and as much as you like, but don’t kill yourself in the process.

Take a day off and hire a writer.  You’ll come back the next day refreshed and ready to wow your readers once again.

One good place to find good writers is Odesk.  I started working with three freelancers  two months ago and it has been a very positive experience for me.  The beauty of Odesk is that there is no charge to get started as a “Buyer” and when you post a job, you will get a bunch of “bids” from Odesk providers from around the world.

You have a lot of information to judge candidates by and it is very easy to get projects started.  I absolutely recommend Odesk to find and hire freelance writers. Read a longer review I wrote about hiring writers on Odesk.

Related posts:

1. Need a Freelance Writer? Find One on Odesk
2. Hiring Writers on Odesk
3. The Future of Work: oDesk