I'll answer the question in the title of this post right away: Yes. It is.
If you don't know, Demand Studios is paying its writers $20 for travel stories that will eventually end up in the pages of USA Today. This begs the question: Is this a great way for writers to get a byline in the national paper, or is it just one more sign that newspaper publishers enjoy screwing over writers?
I think it's the latter, unfortunately.
Look, $20 is simply a lousy fee for a USA Today story. The USA Today is a national newspaper. It should be paying writers $500 or more for travel stories. Instead it's worked out a deal with Demand Studios to fill its pages on the cheap.
To me, this stinks of a terrible deal for writers. I write every now and again for the Washington Post. I get paid a lot more than $20. My fear is that more big-time newspapers -- not the small ones that have always paid lousy -- will make similar deals with content providers like Demand Studios.
It's already tough enough to make a living as a freelance writer. We don't need papers like USA Today working to make it even tougher.
(And I, unlike most writers, actually kind of like USA Today!)
Showing posts with label Demand Studios. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Demand Studios. Show all posts
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
eCopywriters: Ups and downs
eCopywriters is one of those content-writing sites that hasn't yet garnered a lot of attention. We all focus on Textbroker, Demand Studios, Examiner.com and Suite 101. But for those willing to dig deeper there are a host of sites out there that will pay you for your writing.
Now, they might not pay you well. But remember this: You don't have to turn in stellar prose to earn your bucks at content sites.
eCopywriters is a pretty straightforward site: If the editors here approve your application, you'll be able to write almost immediately. Writers here are ranked by the editors, and that impacts the pay you'll receive. I generally get about $8.80 for writing a 440-word story here.
The good news is that the stories are pretty easy to write, if you know financial topics. The site generally gets plenty of insurance-, finance- and auto-related stories. The good news is that these are straightforward stories. You won't find too many assignments that are as strange as the ones you'll find on Demand Studios.
Now for the bad news: First, there's the pay. It's generally in line with most content sites. That means it's pretty low. That's fine, though, if you can write the stories fast enough. The real problem with eCopywriters is how long it takes to get paid.
You won't receive payment here until eCopywriters' client approves your work. This can take a long time. When I first signed up, I had several stories waiting for approval for more than a month. This has improved a bit lately, but stories still take an average of three weeks or so to earn approval.
Once stories are approved, you'll get paid quickly. eCopywriters has never stiffed me on a story, so that's a plus there.
Another downside is that the company's list of available jobs is occasionally empty. Don't rely on eCopywriters, then, for steady income.
I don't write for the company much these days. If I'm looking for fast cash, I'll go with Break Studios and Textbroker. To sum up, eCopywriters is a good source for a bit of extra cash at the end of the month. Don't rely on it, though, for a steady stream of income.
Now, they might not pay you well. But remember this: You don't have to turn in stellar prose to earn your bucks at content sites.
eCopywriters is a pretty straightforward site: If the editors here approve your application, you'll be able to write almost immediately. Writers here are ranked by the editors, and that impacts the pay you'll receive. I generally get about $8.80 for writing a 440-word story here.
The good news is that the stories are pretty easy to write, if you know financial topics. The site generally gets plenty of insurance-, finance- and auto-related stories. The good news is that these are straightforward stories. You won't find too many assignments that are as strange as the ones you'll find on Demand Studios.
Now for the bad news: First, there's the pay. It's generally in line with most content sites. That means it's pretty low. That's fine, though, if you can write the stories fast enough. The real problem with eCopywriters is how long it takes to get paid.
You won't receive payment here until eCopywriters' client approves your work. This can take a long time. When I first signed up, I had several stories waiting for approval for more than a month. This has improved a bit lately, but stories still take an average of three weeks or so to earn approval.
Once stories are approved, you'll get paid quickly. eCopywriters has never stiffed me on a story, so that's a plus there.
Another downside is that the company's list of available jobs is occasionally empty. Don't rely on eCopywriters, then, for steady income.
I don't write for the company much these days. If I'm looking for fast cash, I'll go with Break Studios and Textbroker. To sum up, eCopywriters is a good source for a bit of extra cash at the end of the month. Don't rely on it, though, for a steady stream of income.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Attribution becoming a real pain at Demand Studios
Attribution has become quite the buzzword at Demand Studios these days. Seems the people behind the company have forgotten that they're paying writers $15 for most stories. If they want heavily sourced stories with proper attribution, they should be increasing their paltry rates.
Does anyone think that will happen? Nope, Demand Studios will continue asking writers to source stories as if we were writing for the New York Times. Hate to break it to you, but the Times pays a lot more than $15 a story.
Demand Studios has benefited from the crummy economy and the woes of newspapers and magazine publishers. Writers who never would have considered writing $15 stories are flocking to the site because they are running out of other options. Simply put, too many magazines and newspapers have shut down or closed off their freelance budgets. Demand Studios is there, eager to take in desperate writers.
Personally, rewrite requests at Demand are driving me crazy. Where are the copy editors who realize that we're all getting paid horrible rates? Why do I keep getting those who think we're writing for some higher good? We're churning out garbage stories for eHow, a site that serves as a depository for some of the most poorly written junk on the Internet. Increasing the quality of the writing on the site is a noble goal. But paying writers $15 a story to do this smacks of a company taking advantage of people desperate to pay their bills.
Does anyone think that will happen? Nope, Demand Studios will continue asking writers to source stories as if we were writing for the New York Times. Hate to break it to you, but the Times pays a lot more than $15 a story.
Demand Studios has benefited from the crummy economy and the woes of newspapers and magazine publishers. Writers who never would have considered writing $15 stories are flocking to the site because they are running out of other options. Simply put, too many magazines and newspapers have shut down or closed off their freelance budgets. Demand Studios is there, eager to take in desperate writers.
Personally, rewrite requests at Demand are driving me crazy. Where are the copy editors who realize that we're all getting paid horrible rates? Why do I keep getting those who think we're writing for some higher good? We're churning out garbage stories for eHow, a site that serves as a depository for some of the most poorly written junk on the Internet. Increasing the quality of the writing on the site is a noble goal. But paying writers $15 a story to do this smacks of a company taking advantage of people desperate to pay their bills.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
What about Break Studios?
I've signed up and given Break Studios a try. All I have to say about it is ... eh.
It's fine, I suppose. Maybe I'm burning out, but all the content sites out there feel the same to me these days. The difference with Break Studios is that the topics are generally easier to write than the bizarre title requests you'll find at Demand Studios. The editors at Break aren't as much of a hassle, either.
But then there's the pay and the waiting. First, stories at Break Studios pay $8. That's lousy, again. But the stories are easy to write. I've picked four mortgage titles -- how to refinance your home, how refinance fees are calculated, how credit scores are determined -- and pumped them out quickly. They were all approved.
But it takes forever to get an editor to review titles at Break Studios. The first time I submitted, it took two weeks for someone to look at the story. The last three times it's taken about a week-and-a-half. That's not exactly speedy editing.
Break Studios also pays just once a month. Again, this isn't great. If you miss the monthly cut-off thanks to slow editing times, you'll have to wait until the next month's payoff to get your money.
I'd give Break Studios a "C" grade. The writing's easy. The editors, too. But the pay's too low and the editing and payment times too long.
It's fine, I suppose. Maybe I'm burning out, but all the content sites out there feel the same to me these days. The difference with Break Studios is that the topics are generally easier to write than the bizarre title requests you'll find at Demand Studios. The editors at Break aren't as much of a hassle, either.
But then there's the pay and the waiting. First, stories at Break Studios pay $8. That's lousy, again. But the stories are easy to write. I've picked four mortgage titles -- how to refinance your home, how refinance fees are calculated, how credit scores are determined -- and pumped them out quickly. They were all approved.
But it takes forever to get an editor to review titles at Break Studios. The first time I submitted, it took two weeks for someone to look at the story. The last three times it's taken about a week-and-a-half. That's not exactly speedy editing.
Break Studios also pays just once a month. Again, this isn't great. If you miss the monthly cut-off thanks to slow editing times, you'll have to wait until the next month's payoff to get your money.
I'd give Break Studios a "C" grade. The writing's easy. The editors, too. But the pay's too low and the editing and payment times too long.
Monday, April 12, 2010
A Demand Studios funny
Most of the copy editors at Demand Studios are smart, talented folk. Really. Don't believe all those Web sites out there that slam them.
But you should believe the rumors that there are certain editors for the site that aren't up to snuff. There aren't many, but there are some. When I run into one of them, I usually abandon the rewrite request. It just isn't worth it; you can't please one of these "special case" editors.
I ran into a funny copy editor situation just this morning at Demand Studios. The editor approved my story, a thrilling one on parking lot laws, but also left me this slightly scolding comment: "A little rough in some places. You'll be find with some more proofing."
Why don't you proof that sentence and tell me how "find" that copy editor is?
But you should believe the rumors that there are certain editors for the site that aren't up to snuff. There aren't many, but there are some. When I run into one of them, I usually abandon the rewrite request. It just isn't worth it; you can't please one of these "special case" editors.
I ran into a funny copy editor situation just this morning at Demand Studios. The editor approved my story, a thrilling one on parking lot laws, but also left me this slightly scolding comment: "A little rough in some places. You'll be find with some more proofing."
Why don't you proof that sentence and tell me how "find" that copy editor is?
Sunday, April 11, 2010
My new success strategy at Demand Studios
I've been writing pretty heavily for Demand Studios for the past four months. The first three-and-a-half went really well: I concentrated on writing real estate stories, my specialty. I wrote mostly about loan modifications, credit scores, foreclosures, home equity loans and anything to do with real estate.
Then, about two weeks ago, something strange started happening. The good real estate titles dried up. I began stretching. After getting one rejection -- which happened because I tried a topic I knew little about and then botched the job. This was my mistake -- in my first three-and-a-half months, I rapidly got three in a row. This time, all three were because of odd copy editor requests.
This was frustrating. It represented $45 down the drain. Then there were all the odd rewrite requests. It seemed that many of the copy editors editing my real estate stories wanted to me to write stories that were worthy of my work with the Washington Post or Chicago Tribune. Sorry, for $15, Demand Studios isn't getting my best work. It's just not worth it.
So here's my new strategy: I'm only writing lists, and I'm only the writing the simplest of lists, stories that are nearly impossible to get rejected. So far, I've written about gift basket ideas, holiday meal ideas, low-cost laptops, traffic laws in Phoenix, the best birthday presents for teen girls, etc.., These stories take 15 minutes to write, which means that I can pump out four in an hour if I'm working hard. That's $60 an hour; not a bad rate. It also means that I can get my Demand Studios writing out of the way fast on an average workday. I try to write five stories for Demand a day, or $75 worth. (I only write $15 stories.) When I get them out of the way, I can spend the rest of my day writing for my private-client content jobs, newspapers or trade magazines.
So far, I've been at my new Demand Studios strategy for about a week. It's gone quite well. The biggest challenge is finding these easy list titles. But if you're patient enough to wade through them, you'll find things like "romantic gifts for adults." That's as easy a $15 as you're likely to make.
Then, about two weeks ago, something strange started happening. The good real estate titles dried up. I began stretching. After getting one rejection -- which happened because I tried a topic I knew little about and then botched the job. This was my mistake -- in my first three-and-a-half months, I rapidly got three in a row. This time, all three were because of odd copy editor requests.
This was frustrating. It represented $45 down the drain. Then there were all the odd rewrite requests. It seemed that many of the copy editors editing my real estate stories wanted to me to write stories that were worthy of my work with the Washington Post or Chicago Tribune. Sorry, for $15, Demand Studios isn't getting my best work. It's just not worth it.
So here's my new strategy: I'm only writing lists, and I'm only the writing the simplest of lists, stories that are nearly impossible to get rejected. So far, I've written about gift basket ideas, holiday meal ideas, low-cost laptops, traffic laws in Phoenix, the best birthday presents for teen girls, etc.., These stories take 15 minutes to write, which means that I can pump out four in an hour if I'm working hard. That's $60 an hour; not a bad rate. It also means that I can get my Demand Studios writing out of the way fast on an average workday. I try to write five stories for Demand a day, or $75 worth. (I only write $15 stories.) When I get them out of the way, I can spend the rest of my day writing for my private-client content jobs, newspapers or trade magazines.
So far, I've been at my new Demand Studios strategy for about a week. It's gone quite well. The biggest challenge is finding these easy list titles. But if you're patient enough to wade through them, you'll find things like "romantic gifts for adults." That's as easy a $15 as you're likely to make.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Spammed by Demand Studios
I signed up for Demand Studios a few weeks ago. I did so reluctantly. The chance to write dull-as-dirt stories for $15 a pop didn't exactly sound thrilling. I'm a bit amazed at how many freelance writers, though, consider Demand Studios a great place to work. Maybe. But I'm making $75 apiece by writing similarly dull stories for a local newspaper chain's syndication service.
Anyway, I signed up and then mostly forgot about Demand Studios. I'd click on the site every once in a while to see what assignments I was eligible for. But, for some reason I'm still not quite able to fathom, I can't seem to ever bring up any potential assignments. Do I not meet Demand Studios' "high" standards? Not sure.
Yesterday I received an e-mail message from Demand Studios informing me that the company recently added thousands of new jobs. Fine, I figured, let's go take a look. I did and, surprise, no assignments seem to be available to me.
I suppose I could do something to figure this out. I could send an e-mail message to the lovely folks behind Demand. Or I could even make a phone call.
But it just doesn't seem worth it. Maybe it's my rather blue-mood week, but begging for $15 assignments just seems like a slap in the face.
Anyway, I signed up and then mostly forgot about Demand Studios. I'd click on the site every once in a while to see what assignments I was eligible for. But, for some reason I'm still not quite able to fathom, I can't seem to ever bring up any potential assignments. Do I not meet Demand Studios' "high" standards? Not sure.
Yesterday I received an e-mail message from Demand Studios informing me that the company recently added thousands of new jobs. Fine, I figured, let's go take a look. I did and, surprise, no assignments seem to be available to me.
I suppose I could do something to figure this out. I could send an e-mail message to the lovely folks behind Demand. Or I could even make a phone call.
But it just doesn't seem worth it. Maybe it's my rather blue-mood week, but begging for $15 assignments just seems like a slap in the face.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
A reality check: Content writing doesn't bring enough of them (checks,that is)
I got a big wake-up call yesterday. During much of this year, I've been losing print clients, some big, some small. Many of them simply went out of business thanks to declining ad sales. Others became online only publications. And still others eliminated their freelance-writing budgets entirely.
This has been nerve-wracking. But I've been holding things together. It helps that I also have a full-time, part-time magazine-editing job that pays my mortgage.
Then yesterday, my top freelance client gave me the news I'd been dreading: This trade magazine, too, was cutting back. I'll still get freelance assignments from them. But instead of two a month, I'll probably end up with one every other month. That's a huge, painful drop.
It's sent me back to the world of pitching again. Yesterday I had some success: A real estate agent is interested in having me ghostwrite his blog for him. A newspaper chain may have me write a weekly real estate column for them. And a book publisher might hire me out to write a chapter or two in one of its trivia books.
I felt better at the end of the day, though still nervous. There's no guarantee that any of the above three projects will come to fruition.
What I didn't do yesterday was any content writing for Suite 101, Examiner.com, Demand Studios or any of my niche blogs. When faced with the loss of some very real dollars, the content writing just didn't seem worth it. The payoff is too low.
It reminds me that while experimenting with content writing is OK, relying on it for any serious money is a mistake. When things get tight, it's time to go back to the basics of pitching stories to new publications and reconnecting with editors you've worked with in the past. It's the only way to recover when you've lost a well-paying regular client.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Giving HubPages a shot
There seem to be an ever-growing number of content sites out there for writers who want to make a little money.
The emphasis on that last sentence, by the way, should fall on the word "little." So far, I've made enough money on content sites to buy a few fast-food meals. It's a bit depressing.
But I am soldiering on. I've tried Examiner.com, Suite 101, Demand Studios, Associated Content, Today.com, b5 Media and ContentQuake. I've stuck with Examiner.com (though I'm wavering these days), ContentQuake and Suite 101. The others I've fled. They just weren't the right fit for me. I've also created five niche blogs of my own so far, with plans to create more. I've equipped them with AdSense and, in about two-and-a-half weeks, I've made $4.40 in click revenue. See? That's a fast-food meal right there!
I'm now ready to give HubPages a try. I didn't know much about this service until I signed up yesterday. The sign-up process was a snap. Now I'm able to create a HubPage of my own, basically a long story on any topic of your choice, complete with photos, videos, links to other sites, anything you find important.
This is a bit of a departure from most content sites and blog networks. You can create as many HubPages as you'd like.
The income potential doesn't look great at first glance, though. You make money by equipping your HubPages with Adsense and Amazon Affiliates. I already know that neither of these systems is the key to riches.
But who knows? Maybe more traffic flocks to HubPages. Maybe this traffic is more apt to click on a Google ad.
All I know is, it's one more content site to give a whirl. So that's what I'm doing. I'll report back on my progress once I get four or five HubPages up and running.
Besides, it can't be as bad as writing for Associated Content, can it?
The emphasis on that last sentence, by the way, should fall on the word "little." So far, I've made enough money on content sites to buy a few fast-food meals. It's a bit depressing.
But I am soldiering on. I've tried Examiner.com, Suite 101, Demand Studios, Associated Content, Today.com, b5 Media and ContentQuake. I've stuck with Examiner.com (though I'm wavering these days), ContentQuake and Suite 101. The others I've fled. They just weren't the right fit for me. I've also created five niche blogs of my own so far, with plans to create more. I've equipped them with AdSense and, in about two-and-a-half weeks, I've made $4.40 in click revenue. See? That's a fast-food meal right there!
I'm now ready to give HubPages a try. I didn't know much about this service until I signed up yesterday. The sign-up process was a snap. Now I'm able to create a HubPage of my own, basically a long story on any topic of your choice, complete with photos, videos, links to other sites, anything you find important.
This is a bit of a departure from most content sites and blog networks. You can create as many HubPages as you'd like.
The income potential doesn't look great at first glance, though. You make money by equipping your HubPages with Adsense and Amazon Affiliates. I already know that neither of these systems is the key to riches.
But who knows? Maybe more traffic flocks to HubPages. Maybe this traffic is more apt to click on a Google ad.
All I know is, it's one more content site to give a whirl. So that's what I'm doing. I'll report back on my progress once I get four or five HubPages up and running.
Besides, it can't be as bad as writing for Associated Content, can it?
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