I saw this on a freelance writing job board and it ticked me off so much! Somebody is having someone else write there NaNo Novel for them. What is the point? Why participate at all? It's not like there's any penalty for not reaching 50,000 words. Arrggh!
I am posting this and hoping the the person responsible will be donating at least as much to NaNowriMo for the building of libraries as they are paying someone to do this challenge for them.
https://secure.elance.com/c/rfp/main/rfpBid.pl?jobid=12769510&catId=1254...
The following is the text from the hiring site in case it get's removed later. (Just to prove someone really did go this far.) :
50,000 Word Fiction Limited Project Open Bidding
Project Description
Buyer: [subscribers only] (1 projects posted, 0 Awarded)
Billing and Payment System confirmed
Provider can contact buyer More info
Budget: Hourly Job (10-30 hrs/week) at Under $20 / hr
Duration 4 Weeks
Bids Received: 15 Bids (Average Bid: US$10.00 / hr)
Posted: 10/03/2007 17:16 EST
Bidding Close: 7 d, 0 h+
(Ends: 10/24/2007 17:16 EST)
I'm looking for someone to ghost write a 50,000 word novel for me during the month of November. Must start on November 1st and finish on November 30th. Must be able to send your written progress at least 5 days a week. No need for any editing, just g ........ Register/login to view more details
Attached Files:
Project Details
Project ID: 12769510
Service Category: Writing & Translation > Ghost Writing
Work Type: Hourly
Who Can Bid: All Elance providers
Work Location: Provider can be located anywhere
Use Escrow?: No
----------
1st Script.
50,135 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 14 17
Well, that just makes zero sense.
What's the point in NaNo if you're paying someone else to do it?
56,435 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 14 36
I guess whacking out 50,000 words in 30 day is quite a prestigious accomplishment : )
----------1st Script.
10,037 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 15 15
Wow they should just copy and paste a wikipedia article to get the word count..it would save them money.
the rest of the thing is: "No need for any editing, just get the story written."
Sounds like someone boasted to someone that they were doing NanoWrimo and can't follow through but still wants to have something to show someone.
----------Holding my breath. Waiting to breath. Taking a chance. Praying to Dream.
50,577 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 15 31
My question is why? If they care so much about winning, or whatever, just lie and fake the word count. I think that everyone here is smart enough that the could make a fake file that would register as 50,000 words, but is really not a story.
Thanks for posting this though, it made me laugh...and cry.
----------~~~
NaNoWriMo 2006: The Management (Won)
NanoWriMo 2007: Untitled (Currently Unwritten)
50,043 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 16 00
That is just... that's pathetic. What the heck?
----------"All you have to do is think up a certain number of words! Plus, you can repeat words! And they don't even have to be true!" ~Dave Barry
50,213 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 16 17
I'll tell you what's more pathetic than that... It has 15 bids on it!! That's pretty pathetic!!
----------"I was walking downtown and what did I see?
But Brent LeRoy's Corner Gas tree."
My Writing Website
52,354 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 18 01
At a little under 20 dollars an hour for four weeks.. considering how much time we spend on our novels.. who wouldn't bid on that?
But geeze, what a waste of money.
----------___________
10,037 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 18 19
lol I've got no job right now and *I* considered bidding on it cause I can spit out a mediocre fiction tale if I'm getting paid for it upfront. But then I found out you have to pay a fee to be able to bid. *psh* forget that.
If I was going to pay someone to ghost write a book for me, that book better be written with publication quality.
----------Holding my breath. Waiting to breath. Taking a chance. Praying to Dream.
52,354 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 18 30
That is one really expensive .pdf certificate.
----------___________
210,575 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 19 24
Oh that's just plain silly. Or more likely a scam. The amount by the way says it is UNDER $20 an hour. So it could be any amount of money, if they plan on paying at all.
Ghostwriting NaNo. Right.
----------Lazette Gifford
http:/lazette.net
Seventh Year NaNo Participant
NaNo Blog: http://zette.blogspot.com/
9,756 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 19 52
If I got paid to write a story, hell, I'd do it! Haha. But seriously... what a mindless thing to do. I think s/he said that a novel was coming at the end of November, and then bailed.
----------Nano '07: Undecided.
Dares: 9
Site: http://ky-nano-07.blogspot.com/
43,698 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 23 15
FAIL
----------Quit being scared and make it happen.
52,122 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 23 18
.. What .. the...
Why would someone do that? o-o;
Sure, to get a certificate.. but.. what the heck?
----------55,956 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 02 38
That is SO stupid. I can understand working WITH someone on a novel - it's a team effort. But writing FOR someone? XD If they're paraplegic, OK. I can understand that - but this is ridiculous!
----------2006 - Immortal Child (22,000) lost
2007 - Que Sera Sera (55,955) WON
2008 - Que Sera Sera (the movie)
2008 - Riddle's Legend (working title)OR The Goddess of War (working title)
18,558 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 02 49
What's kind of bizarre to me is that the writers who have posted an interest in ghostwriting for this person show no indication of even knowing about NaNo.
One would think that any writer worth her salt would at least KNOW about this...and notice the timing....but, maybe not. Maybe the almighty dollar wins.
I feel sorry for the person originally posting the job.
In the words (kind of) of Linda Rhonstadt............Poor. poor, pitiful them.
MTM
----------50,306 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 03 03
HAHA, that's what I was thinking too; a boast that they can't come through on, and they're afraid of losing face.
Wow. Just... wow.
Money is tempting.
But that's just.... wrong. XD
50,984 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 03 40
LOL WUT
[There are places on the internet where you can HIRE a ghostwriter? o___O]
----------2005: FAILED
2006: FAILED
2007: Contes d'Alban et de Catheline (I'm so going to win)
0 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 03 49
What? That's probably one of the most stupid things I ever heard. XD
----------_______________
NaNo virgin. Oh my.
77,000 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 05 17
Possibly, but then again someone prepared to pretend they wrote this novel they actually just paid for is surely devious enough to come up with a good lie about why they couldn't do NaNo after all.
"I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome."
"I was called to do secret government research."
"My granny was kidnapped by Venezualan bandits and I had to organise a commando squad to rescue her."
etc...
72,530 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 03 58
That is just so beyond logical. Surely half the fun of partaking in nanowrimo is that at the end of it you have something that you've created.
To actually pay somebody to do your nano for you is just a load of old Bone.
----------One by one the Penguins steal my sanity
102,421 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 06 17
I don't get the point.
Surely to take part in something like this, you only win the pride? So, what is this person going to get out of it? (Apart from a mediocre-crap novel, that is)
There are some idiots out there, are there not?
----------~~--~~--~~
SF07: Ghostflowers:: From Death To Our Parts- 100% complete.
SF08: When The Lights Go Out- 0% planning; 10% complete.
20,708 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 06 19
Oh, lordy-lou. I've never heard of anything so pointless.
If they're that desperate for a certificate, why not cut and paste anything that comes to hand? Or type 1700 words of gibberish per day?
If they're afraid friends might ask to see the finished masterpiece, why not visit the marvellous Project Gutenberg and lift something obscure from there?
As mentioned in the FAQ, if you're really so much in need of a print-out certificate that you'll cheat to get one, then let's face it, you've got more problems than can be solved by this website.
50,348 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 06 43
I'd hate to do it, though, because then that cheater would own your novel. And if they can't be trusted with Nano, they can't be trusted with someone else's words either.
Crazy. It's not like you couldn't probably scam somebody for a copy of the PDF easier. Guess they have to produce an actual manuscript to win the bet or something?
62,108 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 07 18
Haha! That's just ridiculous!! What a waste of money!! Jeez. But it's their loss, and they're just going to be lying to themselves and whoever they tell that they've "written a novel".
If I were said ghostwriter, I'd write the novel, legally copyright it to myself, then send them a copy. I'd also submit it myself to get my well earned certificate. That way they wouldn't be able to publish it without being sued :D
----------.Suzanne.
NaNoWriMo2007: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.
Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality.
5,877 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 07 27
One legit reason for this hilarity might be research on NaNoWriMo...but it sounds unlikely.
52,405 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 07 48
I am so confused. What would be the point? I mean, I would think many of us have goals that include someday finishing and publishing our book. Why would you hire a ghostwriter? I ghost write for a company, but they would never ask me to write a NOVEL for crying out loud, I only ghost write short article pieces for them. This is nuts!
-------------------
Nicole Humphrey
“Writing is a solitary occupation. Family, friends, and society are the natural enemies of the writer. He must be alone, uninterrupted, and slightly savage if he is to sustain and complete an undertaking.” by Jessamyn West
NaN
50,182 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 08 25
Really you still get the benefits of doing NaNo (from the persepective of the writer), you just trade the recognition for about $1000. It's not a bad deal.
----------59,088 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 09 31
Actually, it's a pretty poor deal. The fee is not that high - my freelance fee for short fiction is £15 per 1000 words, and it would take me about four hours to write 5000 words (the maximum I'll go to). And that's just writing time. Thinking time is something else entirely, and could take much much longer than the actual writing. The way the ad is phrased, there is nothing to stop the successful bidder invoicing the advertiser for the maximum time, even if he wasn't working for that time. Say, 1 hour a day writing time, plus 3-and-a-bit hours a day thinking time, for all 30 days. That's $1285 total ($43/day), which is barely above the minimum wage here.
Hack writers (and anyone who bids on this commission is defining themself as a hack writer) are more usually paid by the word - my rate is equivalent to 1.5p per word, which is a good rate for the 1960s. These days, hack-writing has more-or-less died out - journalists are paid in column inches, if they don't have a fixed contract, and the publications where hack-writing once flourished now sign writers in the manner of sports stars or big name actors (if they haven't died out already) - but a reasonable rate today would be maybe 4p per word. 4p is roughly 8c, 50000 words at 8c each is $4000.
50,011 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 10 05
And now I'm pondering bidding on this. Of course, I'd just send the exact same story I'm submitting for myself, and the one I'm going to write is eminently craptacular. I've even given it the working title of Possibly The Worst Story Ever Told.
50,116 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2007 - 10 58
That's ridiculous. You wouldn't get anything out of it. The point of nano is not to get 50k - it's to WRITE 50k.
Still, there's always one, eh?
----------Nov. 06: Driftwood (won! with 5 days to spare)
Jan. 07: Intelligentsia (won! with 4 days to spare)
Nov. 07: Untitled, but probably going to be something like 'Rain' (eek!)