What Is It About Demand Studios?

Demand Studios must be the biggest name in the freelance-writing world these days. Every time I make a post with "Demand Studios" in the title, my visitor numbers take a big jump.

That's a sign of how the freelance-writing world has changed. As reporters lose their "real" jobs, they rush to Demand Studios and its $15 stories. The place is a financial safety net. I know, because it's one to me, too.

Now, I do wish the company paid more than $15 a story. (They do offer $20, $25 and $30 stories, but those are for special assignments. And, from what I've heard, they're usually more work than they're worth.) I do wish that the copy editors didn't ask for the moon for these $15 stories.

But, despite all this, I'm sure glad that Demand Studios is around. Those $15 stories have added up for me. They've helped me fill in the blanks from all the trade magazines that have gone kaput.

Here's a word of warning, though: Nothing lasts forever, not even Demand Studios. Writers need to always be drumming up alternative streams of income, and not just more content sites. For me, that means editing comic books and making inroads in commercial writing. More about all this later.

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.