Sometimes twitter is just great. For example Deb Ng tweeted she was reading John’s Is Demand Studios the new Associated Press?
John is a journalist, much more than I am. Although I have read AP pieces coming over the wire back in the day, that clanking machine and it’s production was never integral to my writing life. I did read enough to agree with John that bland is a kind description, and if you think about it, that’s no surprise. Political correctness is only recent in name; many editors (certainly not all) all over the world have worked not to offend their readership. That’s another topic.
And John may be right when he says I believe that sort of generic writing was the beginning of the end for newspapers…
When I think about my own reading generic writing is my least favorite, even when I need it to learn something or to follow a set of instructions. I remember how quickly I tired of technical writing because it was so repetitive. Bland? Boring! Boring to read to, but any creativity made the end user’s life even more difficult.
A quick look at Demand Studios and their View Popular Article link brought me to a series on passports. Helpful if I want a passport, or need to research the process, but hardly interesting under any other circumstances. That series is over at ehow which means DS is placing articles there. I could also write for ehow directly.
I’m not at all sure I agree with John when he says and I think that it can only have limited success on the Internet.
I suppose it depends on his, mine or your definition of success. Unlike newspapers, the ‘net has the potential of unlimited archives; an article written about passports today could last for a thousand years. Is that success? Probably only if it can be found and is still accurate. More likely the article will exist, but become useless in a decade or less. Which means there will be room for other writers to write about passports over time.
There’s a huge market for bland writing. Demand and the others seem to be helping fulfill the need, at least today. Like the local weekly newspaper, and like AP of yore, these article mills provide an entry point for writers. Most who start there will never go beyond. They will discover they don’t like writing for a living nearly as much as they thought they would. Or they will realize how much effort is required to improve their skill. Or they will discover they’d rather be astronauts or firemen or whatever.
No one who starts at Demand or Associated Content or Triond or ehow wherever need feel ashamed because they are not commanding big bucks. Each has its place, at least right now. Some may last, other models will surely appear.
I’m old enough to remember when we’d never even thought of something like the ‘net, and here we are. I wonder what’s next?
Write well and often,
Image from http://www.sxc.hu
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If they are successfully paying their bills from Demand, Joe, I think that’s great. All the writers I’m in touch with are finding these sites don’t offer a meaningful income, and they’re looking for a way out, to better pay rates where they could actually make their mortgage. There’s nothing wrong with making a living — congrats to all who find these content sites a way to do that. And the big content sites aren’t the only place where you can earn $5 an article, either — they’re just the biggest and best-known places.
My experience working with my mentees is that the time involved in writing for these sites robs them of time they could spend marketing and landing much better-paying clients. Just my personal experience working with good writers, if they took a single week or two off from that and marketed they’d never use the sites again, as they’d be making higher rates elsewhere.
Obviously, not everyone writes at a level where traditional magazines and corporations are a market for them, and for those writers, whatever Demand pays is more than they had otherwise.
Carol
Demand Studios, Textbroker and a few others have one thing in common. Behind the scenes are editors who proof the writing before any of it goes live or reaches a client. DS is a clearing house for several sites that they own, eHow being one of those. Successful websites need a constant turnover of information to keep fresh and up-to-date. It seems doubtful that this will change anytime soon.
Some of us see these “cookie cutter” sites as lifesavers. They offer templates for various types of articles and those templates allow writers to complete an article a much shorter time – although 15 minutes for 400 words has got to be a world record! I was a mainstream worker for much of my working life. Then I studied to become a freelance tax preparer … and then came THAT DAY. You know the one I mean. The world turns upside down and everything that came before it would never be part of your life ever again.
That day is called by many names – some of them are even printable. Mine is called Multiple Sclerosis. It did not take my brain or ability to think away from me. It did take mobility, speed and independence. It must be quite a “kick” to make $60 an hour, but some of us just can’t compete in that league. Personally, calling someone a “hack” writer based upon who they work for or how high the bank balance is only shows how little is known about the writing situation of others. Perhaps there was a problem passing the writing test required for becoming one of the writers for those particular sites??
Presently, I’m Laughing-Out-Loud just thinking about the critics working me over because it actually took more than 30 minutes for me to hammer this out. But, that’s their problem, not mine.
Julie, excellent… I remember one gal who write me a couple of years ago saying how much the low-pay articles had meant to the betterment of her family… wish I’d kept in contact with her.
Julie:
Your story is the perfect example of don’t judge without “walking a
mile in my shoes.” Our differences make the world go round.
Thanks for sharing & continued success! And most of all-good health!
Thanks Cathy!
You took my words right out of your mouth … errrr … I mean You took the words right out of my mouth! I just read the post before yours and while I agree to a point, it might be worth it to look at earnings with a slightly different perspective:
Carol’s comment about earning $5 an article is an example of how much other writers don’t know about places like DS or TXT. Depending upon the type of article you choose to write, you could earn up to 3x that amount. Writers who choose formats or styles that are not paying the higher amounts will, obviously, not earn a higher income. Articles that I choose have a payout of $15 for 500 +/- words. Since it takes me longer to produce the finished product, why should I pick something with a paltry payout of $5? The short answer is that I wouldn’t!
Constant-Content is a site where the writer submits articles on speculation. However, there is an area where people in need of articles can post a request. I have never failed to sell my articles written for the public requests. It is true that the site takes a 35% commission. Having said that, you price your own articles or meet the higher end of the requester’s scale. I remember one article I wrote that had a range of $100-150 for full rights. I decided to hit the middle on that one and received $125! It was a 750-word article and 35% went to the site. I ended up with $81.25 for that one. Of course, it was the only article I was able to write that week. Still, the net amount was great for me.
Folks, be sure you have fully investigated a freelance site before making negative comments. There might be a hidden gem inside! However, I agree that Triond, Helium and others like them may have a hidden agenda – or one not immediately detectable. They might not be a tasty treat for you or me, but others may be very happy with any one of them.
Well, that’s it from this “hack” today!
Happy writing
Julie
See the story in Wired magazine:
The Answer Factory: Demand Media and the Fast, Disposable, and Profitable as Hell Media Model
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/ff_demandmedia
Demand exists to create content to in turn make a web page that in turn displays Google ads. When an ad is clicked, Google and Demand share revenue. Demand does not care about the quality of writing. It admits to being just “good enough”. I fear Demand and similar sites will not only lower the fees for writers, but fill the internet with millions of pages of useless content. Soon your search results will be affected by those pages of Demand content created not particularly to be of use to you, but to earn income. When you have to view 13 pages of search results before anything useful and trustworthy appears, then you’ll regret “working for” Demand and similar operations.
Mark, the article is fascinating, thanks for it.
Re 13 pages of search before trustworthy stuff… my bet is that google will keep changing it’s algorithms and developing new ways so that search stays relevant… if they don’t, someone will… think how much seo changes every few months.
Yes, I agree that Google and the other search sites will realize the glut of such pages and figure out a way to give them less priority.
There is another big problem with Demand.
I just did a search on eHow, which is operated by Demand. I searched for “How to Avoid Getting the Flu”.
I stopped looking at the titles about not catching the flu at 31 pages of results. The results go on and on. Demand generates *multiple articles on the same topic*. This is certainly only motivated by profit. How is so many articles about how to avoid getting the flu helpful to a reader? So we’ll read at least two just to be sure the advice agrees? Is that a trick by Demand to increase page views?
Demand’s how to avoid getting the flu articles will fill the Google search result pages. So if the first Demand flu article is not useful (that writing quality issue), the user can click on the next article link, which is also provided by a Demand writer. The user will soon find enough Demand-written flu articles, which, with the sheer number of articles will likely include contradictory information, that the user will scurry to legitimate health-related websites. But not before having clicked on all those Demand pages and creating page view counts and making those Demand pages even more “popular” and creating higher potential for ad-click profits.
I write for Demand Studios. What I like about it is that I decide what I make. They have articles that range from $5 to $15. I can make as much money in a day as I want. I mainly write health related articles and enjoy it very much.
In 2008 I lost my job as a Cosmetologist because of some health issues I was going through. I learned of Demand Studios through Anne’s newsletter and have been writing for them about 3 months. There are some weeks that I make more from writing than when I worked in a salon.
Demand Studios has been a lifesaver for me and my family. I make enough per week to help with bills and have some self esteem. I do not consider myself a bland writer. My articles are well researched and well written. The editors at Demand Studios have high standards and I’ve had what I thought were excellent articles refused.
As far as searching through pages and pages of content to find research, you eventually develop a list of reliable sites to conduct reasearch. Anyone who has searched for freelance work knows that Demand Studios pays far above the norm for articles. Textbroker is another place I write for, but their rates are far below Demand Studios. I’ve found that I can only make about $3.50 per article there as opposed to $15 at Demand Studios.
It is easy to sit back and criticize, but until you actually write for a site you do not know the facts. I’m happy to write for Demand Studios, I’m proud of the articles I produce, and plan on continuing for a long time.
Kathryn Pless´s last blog ..Websit Worth A Look
“I fear Demand and similar sites will not only lower the fees for writers, but fill the internet with millions of pages of useless content.”
Well, Mark, you’re probably right. For some reason, I’m hearing “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and seeing Mickey overrun by little broomsticks. ?Deedle-de-dum…?Deedle-de-dum…?Deedle-de-dum-de-dum-de-dum..? .
jorgekafkazar´s last blog ..Tenirax, Ch V
Over on my site, I’ve heard from a doctor who says she lives in fear that patients will rely on the medical ‘information’ on these content-site articles! She’s constantly having to re-educate patients who think they know something about herbs from some mill article written by a non-medical person.
And Mark above brings up the other problem, of less-vetted work taking over rankings and making search for well-researched work more difficult and time-consuming.
Issues that weren’t even on my radar, but are part of the bigger picture of the effect of these sites.
When I see writers like Julie proudly noting that they get $15 an article instead of $5… Over in my alternative universe, writers discuss whether they can get $500 or $750 or $1000. I just worry at how many writers don’t seem to know this other world exists. But if $15 an article and having to churn out 3-4 articles an hour to make a viable freelance wage doesn’t make you feel exploited, then certainly keep it up.
I’m impressed that so many writers are so proud and happy to earn a fraction of what they deserve, from a company that’s raking in $200 million a year. Don’t you think they should share a bit more of it with the writers who make it all possible? I do. Glad they’re ponying up for healthcare, but how about a rate raise for ALL the writers?
Carol Tice
http://www.caroltice.com
http://Twitter.com/TiceWrites
Carol, is your doctor friend more worried about the net than the ads on TV and in print by drug companies pushing every profitable drug they can?
Carol…you continue to show a lack of industry savvy with your biased comments. You make generalization after generalization after generalization…none of which help your credibility. Your 5 dollar per article comment is another generalization. My all-time favorite so far has been your blatant disregard for logic as well as complete lack of knowledge regarding current global strategies for writing when you made the base assumption that people work 80 hours a week for $10,000 a year.
First of all…let’s just assume, for a moment, that someone DID work 80 hours for 10k USD a year. It might sound like a crappy wage for someone living in a part of the world where they need to make 80k a year to make the mortgage and pay the bills for the family, but what about someone living in Pakistan, or India, or South Africa, or Argentina, or Morocco, or anywhere where their cost of living is such that 10k USD year equals x4 or x5 that in their home country.
You are not the mediator for the global market. You are not the be-all, end-all when it comes to freelancing. You are not the savior of rates. You are not the god of the pen. Rather than make such grossly misappropriate assumptions you need to educate yourself on how the global market works, and realize that you cannot continue in the mindset that writers are only from your teeny tiny little regional market where they require 80k a year to pay the bills.
Mark linked an article titled “The Answer Factory: Demand Media and the Fast, Disposable, and Profitable as Hell Media Model”. I couldn’t agree more. The 21st century is all about fast, disposable, profitable-as-hell media. Demand Studios satisfies a portion of that market. Understanding that allows writers like myself to make just as much (and more) in some cases than people relying on the prehistoric methods of print publication where people are clinging to the mentality that “print is the only way to go”.
Why waste my time “marketing” when I have a place where I can walk in, plug in some keywords, and write? Why waste my time surfing for leads when I can log in, plug in some keywords, write, and get paid?
An analogy I used in the past was this. Person A uses a content site like Demand Studios and spends 5 hours a day writing and makes 500 dollars a day (example only). Person B spends 3 hours a day surfing for leads and finds 2 articles to write. They take him 1 hour each to write, and pay 250 dollars each. He spends a total of 5 hours working, and makes 500 dollars.
At the end of that 5 hour period, BOTH writers made 500 dollars. One wrote for 5 hours, another only wrote for 2…but he also spent 3 hours marketing and scrounging for leads, which means he invested the same amount of time, and as we all know…time = money. Therefore any time spent actually doing something related to the job = work. It doesn’t matter if it’s physically putting the words on the paper or “marketing” yourself…it’s still time spent on the clock.
A lot of people here have been honest with their income and are showing profit margins of 50-60k a year. What’s YOUR income, Carol? Put your money where your mouth is. I’ve already shown–as have others–that we are making 50-60k a year using content sites, and as far as most of the comments in this thread go that seems to be the median wage for the freelance writer with any level of skill. I’ve also shown how–if you use your niche markets–you could make 115k a year working with Demand Studios alone. You keep spewing numbers out but you haven’t given anyone any hard proof, nor have you provided any numbers to show your own income.
I think it’s only fair that you tell us what you make in a given year so we can have some understanding of where you are coming up with your grossly inappropriate figures and comments.
T.W. Anderson´s last blog ..Research in the 21st century
Happy to, T.W. — I made $80K last year and will top it this year. Already fully booked to the end of the year. Your formula above doesn’t reflect my reality, as I rarely have to prospect. Once you find good-paying markets and make them happy, you generally continue writing for them, so a little prospecting goes a long way…for me, anyway.
Thrilled you’re able to make good money on Demand, T.W. Just wish yours was more of a typical wage for writers on these sites. The feedback I’ve gotten from many, many writers on my site, via email, on LinkedIn Groups and elsewhere, is that you are an anomaly.
Carol
I actually rarely use Demand Studios
I think this year alone I’ve only written around 40 articles for them, total. But I happen to take offense to people making baseless and uneducated comments regarding content sites “like them”.
80k a year is a decent wage, but you have to keep in mind that your living conditions + regional area dictate what you “need” to make to be considered profitable. Not to mention what is profitable for you isn’t for others, and vice versa.
I’m only an anomaly if you cherry-pick your data. My own research and connections show that most people who use content sites are averaging 50-60k a year, which is a MORE than healthy wage considered against the base median average of 40k USD for US residents/citizens. Similar to the cherry-picked data that Hoy posted at her site, many so-called experts only want to show their own side of the story and ignore the other aspects of the real world. I know, for example, that my glowing praise of Demand Studios was not posted on Hoy’s site.
In fact, according to my data, you are an anomaly in that you are making beyond the average wage for freelance writers….above and beyond the 60k mark. So it’s a two-way street that is entirely dependent upon who you are talking with and where you are getting your data.
Kudos to you for making above and beyond, but in the future you should definitely take a step back and look at the broader picture before making wildly inaccurate statements regarding what other people are doing, what wage they are/aren’t making, and how much they should/shouldn’t be making. Every writer out there decides for themselves what is or isn’t acceptable levels of wages and/or living conditions, and for you try and play judge and jury is beyond pretentious. It’s actually quite offensive.
My own personal situation, for example, is such that if I wanted to sit here and work 40 hours a week, for the entire year, and I really put 100% of my efforts into it, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could clear 100k based purely upon active income (that is, physically writing content for various clients. I still have yet to establish any passive income, but I just launched the website this month and have been transitioning over. That’s 2010′s goal). But I have to ask myself, why bother? My personal security, my status as a writer, my credibility, and my enjoyment of life has absolutely NOTHING to do with how much income I’m bringing in on a given day.
I just started freelance writing last year (2008). According to the comments you have made throughout this thread people like me are hacks because we don’t measure up to your level of income. It’s fairly ignorant to consider income level as a measure of success, but then again, when your possessions come to possess you, that’s really the only thing you have left worth pursuing. Oh wait, I just made a baseless accusation….
In any case, I’m in my second year freelancing and in my third year (2010) I could easily break that 100k mark. So could ANYONE using Demand Studios. You keep claiming that it’s “impossible”, and that I’m an anomaly, but the simple math dictates otherwise. As long as people actually sit down and focus on their niche and work 40 hours a week and put out 3-4 no-brainer articles per hour (easy to do IF it’s your niche) of disposable, profitable-as-hell content pieces…that 100k mark is totally feasible. It just requires the motivation to do so. And a niche market. But the thing of it is, in the 21st century, EVERYONE out there has a niche market they are qualified to write in.
At the end of the day it’s great that you can have success, but in the future…you should really refrain from making grossly biased and uneducated comments regarding other people and their level of income as it relates to their success. As long as they are making it work for them, they are successful. I use the Stephen King approach quite frequently. If you wrote something, got a check for it, cashed the check, it didn’t bounce, and you paid the light bill with that check…you are successful.
T.W. Anderson´s last blog ..Research in the 21st century
That is a fantastic, well-phrased article TW! May I add just one thing?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) would be your citation for the income information. The only difficulty with using their statistical information is that they are always 2 (?) years behind. However, if the cost of living percentage is factored into their information, your figures are close to the target.
Oh, BTW, is that a dangling preposition at the end of your sentence: “But the thing of it is, in the 21st century, EVERYONE out there has a niche market they are qualified to write in.”
Carol: Demand requires that references used to compile article information be stated at the end of the article. I also write in tight niches and had an article returned because one of my three references was from a site similar to Wickedpedia, which is frowned upon by the editors.
Medical information should come from timely information sites such as MayoClinic, Mellen Institute or a support organization. Personal finance information could come from Bankrate, WalletPop, Wall Street Journal, experts like The Dolans or one of the university sites with a finance major. You get the picture? DEMAND STUDIOS WANTS QUALITY WORK! They are, in effect, “coaching” their writers to research and write carefully.
It might be nice if you could share your source of these triple-digit projects that you and your followers apparently are writing. Also, consider that article writing might not be the only writing that DEMAND writers do – I have authored an eBook and co-authored another with a third co-author contract in progress and another eBook due in mid-2010. Demand Studios offers a pleasant variety of topics to mix with other lengthy, niche-dependent and research intensive projects.
Because I tire easily, there are days when I just cannot focus my thoughts and no writing will come from a day like that! Don’t you think it might be a joy for someone living on a monthly and meager disability check to be able to produce … anything? [What am I writing?!] No, you don’t think – perhaps because your feet need not walk in anyone else’s footsteps. Think about it. Different strokes for different folks – hmmmm, a “novel” idea!
pfft, I don’t really edit comments I make on other people’s blogs
That’s what professional editors are for! 
The stats I used are from 2008, so granted, they are about a year behind. The only reason I’m intimately familiar with them is I did some work at the start of 2008 on immigration influxes to Australia and Canada from the UK and America and the primary factor was wages and lower rates of redundancy.
Cheers!
T.W. Anderson´s last blog ..Research in the 21st century
I write for Demand Studios, and have been a member for almost a year. I have not written for them on a full-time basis, and I think that is part of its charm. When you have higher-paying client work, you can choose not to work on the $15 DS articles. When slower times come, you can choose to write DS articles while looking for better work.
Here’s some quick math to help you decide: if you write five articles per day at $15 for five days per week, you earn $1500 dollars per month. That’s well above minimum wage. It may not be a living wage, but a good supplemental income for those interested.
I’ve heard this debate many times before under many guises. I would have to say that it is a personal decision, and no one can tell you what to do. As long as this model serves the need of some writers and some websites, it will continue to exist.
~Kimberlee
Kimberlee Ferrell´s last blog ..My Spiritual Work Tarot Reading
I’m interested to know how one would make $1500 per month working for demand…or $500 per day…my article is cap is 10 articles per week! That means that I can make a maximum of $150 per week, not even close to $500 per day! I’m a teacher and have only been writing for DS for a little over a month, but if I could truly make $500 per day, I would definately be working towards that goal.
Another thing, I’m interested to know where one might find an article that pays $250, $500, or even $750. All of the listings that I have seen pay even less than the content mills. Seriously…share the details! I don’t want to work for the beans that DS pays, but as I have a full time job, I feel like I’m stuck with it until I have time (maybe this summer) to find some better paying work. What am I doing wrong? Specifically, please
For me, as soon as I write one article another slot opens up. Technically I can go find another title as soon as I send a complete article, even if there are nine left in my queue and even if other articles are waiting for editing. So while I’m told I can only choose ten topics at a time, the truth is, I can write as much as I want on any given day.
Deb Ng´s last blog ..3 Tips for Being a Truly Objective Freelance Writer
As far as I understand it, you can write 10 articles at a time, and then wait until they’re approved (usually within 48 hours). This averages to about 5 articles per day, if you stagger them.
The higher paying articles are often pitches to magazines, which mean you have to wait until the editor approves the article idea before you even write it. While you may make more per article, you often lose time due to how busy the editor is, and may get paid either on acceptance of your article or on publication, which could be months away.
I hope that helps!
~Kimberlee
Kimberlee Ferrell´s last blog ..My Personal Energy Gauge Tarot Spread
Business writing is also typically higher paying when compared to web articles.
Benjamin Hunting´s last blog ..Letting Go Of An Old Friend
My beef is mainly with DS and how they run their business. I do not have any beef with people who write for them. Everyone has their reasons for choosing to work for any company.
I admit, that I do tend to get into some of the heated arguments over DS; mainly because of some of the comments I see from either side of the fence. If people are going to change their minds and move on from content mill type sites then they would need to be open-minded in order to see other options.
It’s hard to do that when they’re being called names and put down all the time. All we’re accomplishing is fuel for more fires. I will probably always be against DS, but I will try to hold some respect for those who choose to write for them. I do ask that you look for other options, but I won’t hold it against you if you choose not to.
To answer the question:
These days articles @ Demand Studios have a turn-around of AT MOST 48 hours. That means you turn it in and within 48 hours you are approved. Since they pay 2 days per week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) that means you are getting paid within a couple of days of your work as well.
When you start out you are limited to 10 articles at a time that you can pull from the pool. As you write more frequently, your limit goes up. For example, I had a stint earlier this year when I had a dry spell and I pushed out about 15 articles in a week. My limit went up to 15 articles that I could pull at a time from the pool. The limit is in place not to limit your income, but to make sure you aren’t hoarding jobs that other writers could be making. They only want you to pull what you can realistically cover.
There are some writers for Demand Studios who can pull over 30 articles at a time the last time I bothered to check. Given the fact that there is a 48 hour turn-over at MOST, even a limit of 10 is fairly progressive. I haven’t done any work in the past 2 months for them as I’ve been busy with other projects but I can say this: the last time I did any Demand Studios work I had a less-than 24 hour turnaround on the 5 articles I wrote. That means I wrote them, and by the time I logged in the next evening those 5 slots were cleared and I was GTG to pull more articles from the pool.
Given the fact that you can increase your allotment per day with proven results (if you are writing quality content they let you pull more), combined with the ease of method and the fast turnaround for pay and otherwise…it’s really a sweet system. I honestly do plan on using them more frequently in 2010, especially now that they are adding more and more categories where my niches show up.
In any case…you can easily increase your cap from 10 to 15 within a week, and AFAIK it goes up roughly the same each week as long as you are writing actively and not getting rejected. Browse their forums a bit…I know when I researched it early in 2009 there were quite a few people who are capable of claiming 20+ articles a day, you just have to prove yourself first.
But even if you are stuck with 10 every 48 hours, that’s 1800 USD per month just to start, and every time I’ve used the system I always get a 24 hour turnaround, which means you aren’t really inhibited in any way, shape, or form.
It really is a lucrative deal provided you have a niche. And EVERYONE has a niche these days, which is why so many people love Demand Studios. 15 bucks a pop for no-brainer articles and the capability to make hundreds of dollars a day without EVER having to query, cold-call, or come up with ideas. Just fill in the blanks, tag it with a reference or two, and move on to the next. Bing, bang, bucks.
T.W. Anderson´s last blog ..Research in the 21st century
It also sounds as if they pay way more promptly than many print magazines… sometimes 30 days after acceptance, sometimes not until 30 days after publication which may be who knows when.
Absolutely, Anne. That’s why so many people love Demand Studios, and why so many of the “haters” have absolutely no clue what they are talking about.
Seriously, can you think of any other place in ANY market on a GLOBAL scale where you can walk in, find articles in your niche, write them, and get paid within 48 hours? I don’t.
Let’s take a look at typical print publications.
Query. Wait 3-5 weeks if you are lucky. If it’s a big-time publication you might be looking at more like 2-3 months. Then you write the article. It gets accepted. Many big-name print publications then require you to wait for payment 30-60 days after publication, so even once your article has been accepted you actually aren’t getting paid until it goes into print. That could literally be MONTHS down the road.
Let’s look at fiction work, in print and digital format. Submit a short story. Wait 4-6 months in most cases for the professional publications to get you a rejection or a go-ahead. Once you get a go-ahead you then go through 2-3 re-write phases until the editor is 100% satisfied with your story. Then you either get paid upon acceptance of the final article, which means you waited roughly 6 months for a payment, or you get paid on publication, which could be another 6 months down the road in most cases.
Demand Studios? Log in. Scan keywords in your niche. Pick a few articles. Write them. See a turn-around in 48 hours at the most, and a paycheck within the same time frame. Bing, bang, bucks.
Still requires research (if you are writing out of your niche), but it doesn’t require querying, there is no waiting period, and you don’t have to wait for it to get published to get paid for it. Once it’s approved you are good to go.
Honestly…if you want to sit around and be old-fashioned and do the query game, be my guest, and while you might make 500-600 USD (or more; some print writers get paid 1-2k for a decent 1k word piece), you have to factor in the time it takes to write a good article that is worth that kind of money. You are looking at day’s worth of time spent doing interviews, researching, writing, querying, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting….and bitching about how unfair it is that “the other guys” are doing work for “bastardized” rates, how they are “driving the market down”, how they are writing “quickie, hack” articles, and so on and so forth.
Meanwhile, there are writers over at Demand Studios (and similar places) pulling in high 5 figure incomes working simply part-time hours. They don’t have to query, they don’t have to wait, they don’t have to deal with interviews, they don’t have to wait, they get paid within 48ish hours of writing the article, and did I mention they don’t have to wait? The work is right there, all the time, just waiting to get writing. Sure, it’s not Pulitzer prize winning stuff, but like other people have stated, it’s disposable, profitable-as-hell content that is EASY to write and EASY to make money off of.
T.W. Anderson´s last blog ..Research in the 21st century
Now that DS is also offering some sort of health coverage, they become even more attractive on this side of the pond. Never got that from any one I wrote for unless I was inside.
Why compare Demand Studios payment cycles to print payment cycles? I feel that is disingenuous. Why not compare them to other forms of digital publishing, such as other web content clients, blogs, etc, which feature payment cycles that are as fast, and rates that are higher?
Benjamin Hunting´s last blog ..Letting Go Of An Old Friend
You may be right Benjamin, although I don’t know any that pay faster than Demand – google adwords pays once a month and so do most other affiliate type programs. Clients pay either on a calendar schedule like monthly or twice a month or when a particular amount of work is done. When I was doing seo work it was pretty much twice a month. At b5, when I blogged there it was monthly as I recall, and about.com, which became a blog while I was there was monthly. So Demand imo seems fast.
Do you have a different experience?
Anne – my web article and web content clients are fairly evenly split between those who pay immediately upon work being completed, those who pay in advance for an entire project, and those who pay on a set, regular schedule.
In my experience, there are as many different payment cycles out there as there are clients. Just to say that Demand Studios are not the only buyer of web content / web articles who feature a rapid payment cycle.
Benjamin Hunting´s last blog ..Letting Go Of An Old Friend
So step up, Benjamin. Others are providing proof of how Demand Studios is such a great system, so pony up and show us where your clients are that are so superior to Demand Studios. As Mark Twain once said, “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
Step up and show that you are one of those people who can help others become just as good as you are by sharing in the wealth of information of these places where people can find work that pays just as quickly. You seem awfully quick to squash any proof of Demand Studio’s credibility, but you have yet to put any proof of your own forward. I’m sure I’m not the only one who would love to see you put your money where your mouth is
T.W. Anderson´s last blog ..Tools of the trade, part II
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