But think about writing for cheap for that community magazine in a completely different way than writing for a mill, as that work would give you very useful clips for sending editors — as compared with mill clips, which I gather can really hurt your chances with traditional editors.

I wrote plenty of $50 articles for alternative papers when I started out. One of them got optioned for a movie at one point for $20,000, and my body of work there got me a staff writing job that paid $45,000 to start (and went up fast from there!). Writing for cheap for legit publications can be very worthwhile when you’re starting out.

Best of luck with it!
Carol Tice recently posted..Why I Joined a Monthly-Subscription Bloggers’ Learning Community

This posting on writing for content mills is not only insightful but it has allowed me to do a comparison analysis of the different viewpoints on other blogs and in the comment sections. I’ve never heard the term content mills and because I’ve only recently begun to research the world of freelance writing as an avenue to support myself, I have not attempted to seek out writing jobs. This fiction writer (by nature) has so much to learn about freelance writing.

Someone just told me today (Friday) that a local community magazine is looking for writers including online and the job paid very little but it would be good experience for me and AT LEAST I would get published. The trade off of little pay versus getting published sounded pretty fair to me. Then, I read this posting today and now I’m thankful to see this healthy discussion on if a writer should/should not write for a content mill.

I’ve read for an hour linking from one blog site to another trying to find as much information on writing for content mills. I can understand how I could gain some form of experience in writing a large amount of articles in a short timeframe for very little money. For one, some money is better than no money. Second, I love to write and I have written for free in the past and continue to do so for friends, family and for charitable events. Third, it is an opportunity to get published.

However, I’ve decided that it is not worth the money for me to bang out articles on my keyboard at the speed of lightening as if I was playing a classical piece from Beethoven on my computer keyboard. I visualized my hair wild, pajamas still on from the day before and eyes fixed wide open from an overdose of caffeine just to try to make a few dollars to help take care of me and my family. Not! I want time for my passion to write fiction and I want my writing to raise consciousness. I can’t do that writing 15 or 20 articles a month and still be poor.

Carol Tice puts the pay scale in perspective when she says, “When I write 15 articles in a month, I’m generally paid somewhere between $4,000 and $7,500 by my current clients, depending on the situation. Still think it’s not worth the time to pitch editors?” Now, that’s what I’m talking about! I think I will pursue my writing career with poise, confidence, faith, knowledge, practice and perseverance in order to give a part of my soul on paper in return feel the sheer joy and bliss of raising consciousness through my writing. And yes, get paid for it. I will learn to pitch editors. Indeed, I will.

Thanks for educating me!
Vickie Mujahid recently posted..Because I AM

Having said that though, I don’t think the original article was meant as a dig. I think it was meant to be helpful and maybe the original writer didn’t realize some people really ARE making the money they need doing it.

I’m also not sure that, even for those it works well for, that the “gravy train” of content mills won’t dry up at some point. And at that point, if you’ve spent every waking hour writing for content mills instead of building up other more secure revenue streams, then that could be a problem.

I’d sum it up this way — there’s a lot of controversy in the writing community surrounding content mills. I’m mentoring many writers trying to exit mill writing because they’re starving and feel taken advantage of, while a few other writers have said they’re able to make a pretty healthy income on them. I say there’s more pleasant ways to make a lot more money at writing, but others disagree.

If you’re a new writer, I’d ask yourself some questions about why you write and what your pay expectations are. Also, what type of writing do you enjoy doing? Would you find writing 4-7 articles per hour on scant research an exciting challenge, or does that sound like the 7th circle of hell to you? Do you have expertise on some basic how-to subjects that would make these stories easy to write? Do you enjoy networking and marketing your business, or does having to pitch yourself make you want to lay down and die?

Are you one of the 5 types described below, a Third World resident, or maybe someone who just wants to dabble in writing and work on your style? If so, you might be very happy writing for content sites.

Here’s something I agree with T.W. on (!) — there’s many ways to make a living in writing. I have friends who only write software manuals, or case studies, or articles for defense-industry trade publications. Only you can decide if writing for mills would be a positive step on your career path. It depends on where you’re trying to go.

I caution writers on one rule of writing: work of one kind tends to lead to work of a similar kind. Do you see yourself working at content-mill rates 5 years from now? Remember to think about your goals.

I think Anne’s blog is linking to it below, but my Make a Living Writing blog yesterday spotlights 8 great-paying writing markets, and last week I described 5 other high-pay niches…maybe something to look at for a reality check on the kind of rates that are available — yes, even in this economy — in the world outside of content-mill assignments.

Carol Tice
http://www.caroltice.com
http://Twitter.com/TiceWrites
.-= Carol Tice´s last blog ..8 More Good-Paying Writing Niches =-.

Somehow I missed Kevin’s comment. Sorry Kevin, I’m not harboring any elitist attitude. In fact, I posted that very tweet on Twitter because someone took it upon themselves to blast me for making more money per article with plenty of name-calling and childish behavior. That’s what the Twitter post was about – nothing more. Sorry to disappoint you!

My friends, as you say, harbor concerns over what the lowering of the rates thanks to such content-generation schemes are doing to the rates in the industry overall. But I’ve decided to return to my live-and-let-live attitude for one reason – if we accept that there’s a change due to whatever influence, we create the reality.

You may call my attitude smug, but I refuse to get into an unprofessional name-calling. That’s not who I am or what I’m about. I’m about trying to help writers create value in their careers. I’ll continue to do that. I’m sorry to disappoint you. You may harbor any opinion of me you like. If you knew me at all, you’d know the truth.

Then again, I’m sure the “other side” says the exact same thing. At the end of the day it just goes to show you that neither side is right, and neither side is wrong. Both sides have equal merit, and both sides have plenty of representation.

And both sides draw traffic Especially when it’s a hot topic.
.-= T.W. Anderson´s last blog ..Knowledge is power =-.