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Starting out as a writer, need some advice

by Doug Wakefield
53 replies
Hey guys, thanks in advance for your answers.

Recently I have come across some difficult times and have really decided that it is in my best interests to cut ties with my day job for the simple fact that the math is NOT working any more.

I work 60 hours a week for an asphalt company now with another 12 hours a week devoted to the drive to bring home a measly $544 a week. Of course gas takes $100 of that leaving me with very little to do anything else with after bills... even leaves groceries being a little tight.

I ran a warriors for hire ad, not once... but twice, and simply have not landed any bites, so there has to be some other ways to get some work besides here. Can you give me any solid ideas on how to get some work starting as a writer?

I'm not against doing much of anything that has a chance, but the situation is to the point that waiting on Fiverr payments to clear will not work well.
#advise #starting #writer
  • Profile picture of the author bnwebm
    If you're looking for quick work, Textbroker is always good in a bind. Not sure if you've made any portfolio, but elance,freelancer,odesk all have work for writers, albeit not great pay. The upside however is that if someone likes your work, you'll usually get offers on the side for much more. Once they know you and your quality, word gets around.
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    • Profile picture of the author Doug Wakefield
      Originally Posted by bnwebm View Post

      If you're looking for quick work, Textbroker is always good in a bind. Not sure if you've made any portfolio, but elance,freelancer,odesk all have work for writers, albeit not great pay. The upside however is that if someone likes your work, you'll usually get offers on the side for much more. Once they know you and your quality, word gets around.
      That is one high point I do have. Being a PLR writer I have PLENTY of samples

      I just had hoped that my limited success with my small store would take me a bit further than it did.
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      • Profile picture of the author Mark Andrews
        Banned
        As a writer who you target Doug is extremely important.

        Aim slightly off target and you'll miss your market.

        Aim spot on the target and you'll hit your market and make more in few hours than you will all week asphalting.
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    • Profile picture of the author DeborahDera
      ecopywriters.com is a site similar to Textbroker. You may want to check that one out as well.

      Originally Posted by bnwebm View Post

      If you're looking for quick work, Textbroker is always good in a bind. Not sure if you've made any portfolio, but elance,freelancer,odesk all have work for writers, albeit not great pay. The upside however is that if someone likes your work, you'll usually get offers on the side for much more. Once they know you and your quality, word gets around.
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  • Profile picture of the author GeorgR.
    Do you have a web site or blog?
    Offer your service there.

    Write articles about article marketing and "article writing service", link back to your site.

    USE A SIGNATURE <---!!

    It is tough, it can take a long time...but sooner or later you will get customers and MOST of them will be repeat customers!
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  • Profile picture of the author Tim Franklin
    Not sure I would recommend you quite a paying job in favor of an uncertain writing career. I know it is popular for people to post about how they quite their jobs to go it online, but statistics just are not in your favor, you may make some money here and there but until you can consistently make a full time income, I would advise against quitting a job that pays, even if it may not meet all your wants and needs a job is something that there are likely 200 or 300 people lined up waiting to take the job you dont want right now, and in 2 or 3 months you might be dreaming of having any kind of job.

    I always say work on your part time income first, keep your regular job, and create a good solid part time income, online, then you can move forward from there.
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    • Profile picture of the author Doug Wakefield
      Originally Posted by Tim Franklin View Post

      Not sure I would recommend you quite a paying job in favor of an uncertain writing career. I know it is popular for people to post about how they quite their jobs to go it online, but statistics just are not in your favor, you may make some money here and there but until you can consistently make a full time income, I would advise against quitting a job that pays, even if it may not meet all your wants and needs a job is something that there are likely 200 or 300 people lined up waiting to take the job you dont want right now, and in 2 or 3 months you might be dreaming of having any kind of job.

      I always say work on your part time income first, keep your regular job, and create a good solid part time income, online, then you can move forward from there.
      The day job won't go until things are stable, but right now they aren't even stable there. I actually need a short term infusion of cash to make things work immediately, and actually having the day job will come in handy when I go buy a car and need the pay stub to prove income (mine got toasted months back.)

      The day job will need to go, but not as immediately as I made it sound in my first post.

      I am also in a unique position of having a stay at home wife capable of handling work too (she already writes for my PLR store.) The downside with her is that I am having to market her as well as me. That eats my already limited time.

      I have a website for my writing services already, and I normally have a signature (turned it off for that post since I mentioned my warriors for hire gig.)

      I have a few things set up for my PLR store in the next week that may give me enough of an infusion of cash to get things moving better, but I have to get them finished and in place.

      Finally, I am planning on emailing some ghostwriters that I can find and asking for overflow work. I am going to do that between finishing up a PLR pack tonight.

      Thanks again for the advice. I will definitely look into all of it.
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    Hey Doug...

    Below is a list of sites like fiverr. But many of them have have parameters far above $5 per gig. I got some of these from a Warrior posting on Sunday and some I already had. Take a few hours, go through the list and sign up for the ones that suit you and place a free ad. I'm sure you'll get some takers. Good luck.

    http://www.10den.com
    http://www.10dollartask.com
    http://www.5evry.com
    http://www.5iverr.com
    http://www.7freelance.com
    http://www.7richer.com
    http://www.alazylobster.com.au
    http://www.bux4design.com
    http://www.gigtask.com
    http://www.BuyaGig -
    http://www.cheapgig.com
    http://www.cincieuro.ro
    http://www.cinkue.com
    http://www.ScriptsListing
    http://www.dealerr.com
    http://www.do4five.com/
    http://www.dollar3.com
    http://www.doofa.co.uk/
    http://www.doozydos.com
    http://www.factoidz.com
    http://www.feverfive.com
    http://www.ffiver.com
    http://www.fivequid.com (UK)
    http://www.fiverr.com
    http://www.fiverrpro.dev.agriya.com
    http://www.fiveserve.com
    http://www.fixedlabor.com
    http://www.flirtybay.com
    http://www.fittytown.com
    http://www.fora20.com
    http://www.forcinq.com
    http://www.freelance5.com
    http://www.fourerr.com
    http://www.gigawa.com
    http://www.gigazu.com
    http://www.gigbay.us
    http://www.gigbucks.com
    http://www.gigbux.com
    http://www.gigdollars.com
    http://www.gighour.com
    http://www.gigme5.com
    http://www.gigrr.com
    http://www.gigsland.com/
    http://www.gigswood.com
    http://www.hubfive.com
    http://www.homegiggers.com
    http://www.homeworkgigs.com
    http://www.hundoville.com
    http://www.ifiveit.com
    http://www.i-will-do.com $
    http://imgigz.com
    http://www.joberr.com
    http://www.jobsfor5.com
    http://www.jobsfor10.com
    http://www.justafewbux.com
    http://www.justafive.com
    http://www.magicgig.com
    http://www.makeafiver.co.uk
    http://www.minigig.net
    http://www.mumstreet.com
    http://www.myntmarket.com
    http://www.odesk.com
    http://www.outsourcerr.com
    http://www.volapente.com
    http://www.OnlyFive.org
    http://www.onjobbing.com
    http://www.pasarmalam.sg
    http://www.peoplestox.com
    http://www.pimpyourskills.com
    http://scriptslisting.com/marketplace
    http://www.talentosh.com
    http://www.taskarmy.com
    http://www.telegigz.com
    http://www.tenbux.com
    http://www.tenyt.com
    http://www.ttenner.com
    http://www.twelverr.com
    http://www.twentyville.com
    http://www.twitterfly.com
    http://www.uphype.com
    http://www.upto20.com
    http://www.yoofive.de
    http://zeerk.com
    http://www.1000naira.com
    http://www.myntmarket.com
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Andrews
    Banned
    < Send me an email and I can easily get you up to approximately $50-$125 per hour.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kecia
    Check out DemandStudios.com

    You have plenty of experience to get on there since you have been writing PLR and doing other aspects of IM. It also helps greatly if you can write on very obscure (at least to me) topics.

    Try to provide them with a "How to" article that is formatted similar to what you see on eHow.com. They aren't my favorite place to work, but there are online writers I know that make $500+ each week. Most of the articles you can write there pay $15 each. They pay twice a week by PayPal, and there are other positions there (editor, title proofreading, etc.) that can gain you additional work if you qualify.
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  • Profile picture of the author ladywriter
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    • Profile picture of the author The Content King
      I just wrote a book on how to begin a freelance writing career. I'm not promoting it here, I'm just stating the fact that I know what I'm talking about.

      Go to Need-An-Article. You'll have to apply. They have a job board that allows you to choose any project you want. They recently increased their pricing, but it's still not great. It's about $5.50 for a 500 word article. That's mostly what you'll see, and on a wide range of subjects. But they also have blogs, blurbs, press releases occasionally, e-books and they're even accepting link building projects now.

      Need-An-Article is great for people just starting out because they're reliable, they put an emphasis on quality (even more so lately) and they pay like clockwork every Saturday at Midnight.

      I'm not sure if they're taking anymore writers, but I've been writing for them for a while now and it's a great community. You'll learn a lot. And Scott's firm but fair, everything a writer needs when first starting out on their own.

      Good luck.
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      • Profile picture of the author Doug Wakefield
        PLR is great, but it is still early on in my career so the sales aren't super early on. I have a great list, but it is tiny.

        Solution = set up my giveaway. I already have it created, I am just giving my list first crack at using it. Working on the OTO for the giveaway between posts and emails. I am sitting on a completed pack now, I have another with 5 articles to go.. so I could really have things set up for a good week with the PLR store.

        As far as the Yahoo network... $2 an article... bleh. I will sell that stuff with PLR rights to my tiny list and get that. :p I am not against working for peanuts short term, but that is a little below my threshold.
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  • Profile picture of the author ladywriter
    Originally Posted by Doug Wakefield View Post

    I ran a warriors for hire ad, not once... but twice, and simply have not landed any bites, so there has to be some other ways to get some work besides here. Can you give me any solid ideas on how to get some work starting as a writer?
    I'm going back and forth on starting a thread in the Warrior for Hire section, your experience is very interesting to me because EVERY time someone asks how to get started someone inevitably placing an ad there. And my sig link isn't doing so great on this site as it is. Hm.

    To answer your question:

    Textbroker: pays every 2 weeks via Paypal (when your account is over $10). Rates per article range from .70 - $10 per article, but I've seen a few higher ones. They rate you when you start, and you can only apply for articles on your level. They reevaluate you periodically, so that can change.

    Demand Studios: They are so annoying at first that it's hard to even find a coherent title to work off of, but they pay twice a week to Paypal. Pay is usually 15 bucks per article I think? I've read that editors give people a tough time...don't know personally.

    London Brokers: Someone can give you that address, I forget it off the top of my head. They pay pretty cheaply per article ($2-3.50, sometimes a bit higher) BUT they pay every week through paypal (have to make $10 first) or Payoneer (have to make $20 first). There have been times where there were only 3 standard articles available though.

    Content Authority: Pays every Monday by Paypal, I don't know what the selection of articles is like or what the pay is.

    Constant Content: A bit different because they have upfront articles but they offer you the chance to put your own articles up on the site and set rates for pay. I've read a lot of people make money this way, but I haven't done anything myself. Not sure when the pay is.

    Associated Network (I think they changed their name to Yahoo! Contributer Network?): They pay you about 2 bucks upfront as soon as they accept the article. Unfortunately it's the same wait time as Fiverr, usually. Ideally this would work great if you sent them 40 articles a day but I don't think they accept that many daily.


    Now, all of that said, working for the content farms can be really taxing if it takes you a long time to write an article. I also don't like that most of them pay through Paypal, so if your account gets frozen you're screwed.

    Just saw you do PLR, and I agree with whoever just said that about the right market. Working for peanuts is a drag but it seems to be the quickest option while you work on getting yourself in front of that "right market".

    Good luck, I'm in a similar situation and I know how it feels.
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  • Profile picture of the author truly_gifted
    That's some really interesting feedback about the Warriors for Hire ads. It's definitely an eye-opener. I'm curious to know what the other writers around the forum are doing that's made them so popular. And sure, most people are going to say you've got to lower your prices to get your start, but I don't believe in such a policy. You can give discounts, but you shouldn't shoot yourself in the foot just trying to build your business.

    @99DollarCopywriting, I'm curious to know about your method of making $50-$125 an hour from writing. And I assume that this is money that you'd have immediate access to rather than a waiting period for actual payout?
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  • Profile picture of the author StudioArtha
    Doug, there are so many articles available for cheap that it can be tough wading in this market as just another writer.

    What about developing documents for document sharing? Sites like SlideShare, DocStore or DocShare? These might bring a higher premium. Or how about offering followup services for not only writing, but also posting articles for marketers?
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    • Profile picture of the author Doug Wakefield
      I am all for document and report creation too. I actually started going through the process of submitting modified PLR books to Kindle, purely for the experience of doing it. I have always figured that this is one area that I wouldn't mind specializing in.

      I also have been studying some copywriting too, know the pay is MUCH better here. Always wanted to create some PLR products with copy as a bonus to practice a bit.

      Originally Posted by StudioArtha View Post

      Doug, there are so many articles available for cheap that it can be tough wading in this market as just another writer.

      What about developing documents for document sharing? Sites like SlideShare, DocStore or DocShare? These might bring a higher premium. Or how about offering followup services for not only writing, but also posting articles for marketers?
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      • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
        Originally Posted by Doug Wakefield View Post

        I am all for document and report creation too. I actually started going through the process of submitting modified PLR books to Kindle, purely for the experience of doing it. I have always figured that this is one area that I wouldn't mind specializing in.
        Hey Doug,

        There you go. I'd bet you could pull in some dough offering to format people's ebooks for Kindle and actually submitting them. You could even write a special report on it and make a video as well. I've never done it and might be willing to pay for it. I've got so much stuff sitting on my hard drive that would be good to get to market.
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        • Profile picture of the author Doug Wakefield
          Actually funny you mention that, I was planning on turning a couple of my PLR article packs into reports on the Kindle. It would be dead simple to just document the process with CamStudio and create a product about creating a product.

          I think you just booked Friday for me.

          Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

          Hey Doug,

          There you go. I'd bet you could pull in some dough offering to format people's ebooks for Kindle and actually submitting them. You could even write a special report on it and make a video as well. I've never done it and might be willing to pay for it. I've got so much stuff sitting on my hard drive that would be good to get to market.
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        • Profile picture of the author bnwebm
          If I may add, learn to do a proper press release to go along with any launch for a client or your own product. These can be very effective marketing tools.

          Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

          Hey Doug,

          There you go. I'd bet you could pull in some dough offering to format people's ebooks for Kindle and actually submitting them. You could even write a special report on it and make a video as well. I've never done it and might be willing to pay for it. I've got so much stuff sitting on my hard drive that would be good to get to market.
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  • Profile picture of the author bnwebm
    Just as an FYI, Demand is on it's way out the door. Their queue has dropped dramatically in the past month and they aren't adding titles. Just don't put all your eggs in a single proverbial basket.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kecia
      Originally Posted by bnwebm View Post

      Just as an FYI, Demand is on it's way out the door. Their queue has dropped dramatically in the past month and they aren't adding titles. Just don't put all your eggs in a single proverbial basket.

      I am not sure where you got that information. There are currently 83,000 titles waiting to be written (from the publishers I am approved to write for), and they are currently hiring for their titling positions. I don't see any indications that Demand is stopping anytime soon.
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      • Profile picture of the author bnwebm
        I only write for Livestrong (i'm approved for others, but don't write them) and the titles have dropped from over 70k to 62k in about a week. My guess, and this is conjecture, is that they are migrating the higher cost writers/titles all into one $15 bin. I believe that will happen before they finally bail. Hey, I hope i'm wrong. They won't stop, but they will decline in pay and eventually I believe they will simply stop paying writers, except for special projects.


        Originally Posted by Kecia08 View Post

        I am not sure where you got that information. There are currently 83,000 titles waiting to be written (from the publishers I am approved to write for), and they are currently hiring for their titling positions. I don't see any indications that Demand is stopping anytime soon.
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  • Profile picture of the author writerval
    Doug,

    It sounds like you're doing a lot of the right things - you just need to do more of them. Easier said than done around a full-time job - I'm in the same boat there.

    The more jobs you bid on, the more chances you have for gigs. At one time I bid on jobs pretty regularly at elance, and when I was continually bidding, I was usually getting gigs. Another thought is if you have a portfolio put together, you can bid on jobs that are posted on places like ONLINE WRITING JOBS - Freelance Writing Jobs.

    I'm interested in your PLR product(s) on Kindle.

    Good luck!

    Valerie
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  • Profile picture of the author PatrickBrianONeill
    Originally Posted by Doug Wakefield View Post

    Hey guys, thanks in advance for your answers.

    Recently I have come across some difficult times and have really decided that it is in my best interests to cut ties with my day job for the simple fact that the math is NOT working any more.

    I work 60 hours a week for an asphalt company now with another 12 hours a week devoted to the drive to bring home a measly $544 a week. Of course gas takes $100 of that leaving me with very little to do anything else with after bills... even leaves groceries being a little tight.

    I ran a warriors for hire ad, not once... but twice, and simply have not landed any bites, so there has to be some other ways to get some work besides here. Can you give me any solid ideas on how to get some work starting as a writer?

    I'm not against doing much of anything that has a chance, but the situation is to the point that waiting on Fiverr payments to clear will not work well.
    Read the 42nd comment on this page ...

    http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...s-talk-me.html

    it is a method that is guaranteed to get u back on your feet.

    I know because I wrote the post, and used it myself.

    Good luck, and holler if u need any clarity.

    Patrick
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    • Profile picture of the author Audrey Harvey
      Originally Posted by Doug Wakefield View Post

      Actually funny you mention that, I was planning on turning a couple of my PLR article packs into reports on the Kindle. It would be dead simple to just document the process with CamStudio and create a product about creating a product.
      Look forward to your WSO Doug. That would really interest me!

      Originally Posted by truly_gifted View Post

      I'm curious to know what the other writers around the forum are doing that's made them so popular.
      Become an expert in a popular niche and market oneself as an expert in that niche. Price doesn't come into it as much then.
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  • Profile picture of the author redrabbitt67
    If you need to make money immediately, writing for a site like Textbroker is easy to get started with. They don't pay much, but it's a start.

    Next, I would try to get accepted with Demand Studios. They pay $15 per article, but the copy editors can sometimes be a pain, but you learn to live with it. It's just part of the deal.

    Note to bnwebm:
    I just checked the inventory at Demand Studio for all listings, and they are showing 128,000 titles available. Now, I know a lot of these titles are ridiculous, but why do you say Demand Studios is on its way out? They usually have between 130K and 145K title available.
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    • Profile picture of the author bnwebm
      When I started writing for them almost a year ago, the inventory was nearly 300,000. The available titles become more and more ridiculous as the writers snatch up the write-able ones. I'm not saying this will happen overnight, but it's certainly been happening. Logically, they appear to be pushing the work to the $15 mark and once those titles dry up, it will be the special projects for which they are "grooming" writers already.

      Originally Posted by redrabbitt67 View Post


      Note to bnwebm:
      I just checked the inventory at Demand Studio for all listings, and they are showing 128,000 titles available. Now, I know a lot of these titles are ridiculous, but why do you say Demand Studios is on its way out? They usually have between 130K and 145K title available.
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      • Profile picture of the author redrabbitt67
        Originally Posted by bnwebm View Post

        When I started writing for them almost a year ago, the inventory was nearly 300,000. The available titles become more and more ridiculous as the writers snatch up the write-able ones. I'm not saying this will happen overnight, but it's certainly been happening. Logically, they appear to be pushing the work to the $15 mark and once those titles dry up, it will be the special projects for which they are "grooming" writers already.
        Thanks for the alert on Demand Studios. I use DS for a good source of my make-up income, so it's good to know about possible downtrending. Once again, it proves the axiom, don't put all your eggs in the same basket. Diversify!
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        • Profile picture of the author bnwebm
          No problem. It's not a bad place to work, but the writing has been on the proverbial wall for awhile now and I hate to see people get blindsided.

          Originally Posted by redrabbitt67 View Post

          Thanks for the alert on Demand Studios. I use DS for a good source of my make-up income, so it's good to know about possible downtrending. Once again, it proves the axiom, don't put all your eggs in the same basket. Diversify!
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          • Profile picture of the author Doug Wakefield
            I just want to come out and say that this community is simply amazing. There has been no shortage of support at all.

            Last night I did a sample for one client and am in communication with two others, so things are starting to open up a bit.

            I also have been thinking heavily about the kindle product, which is fitting simply because my little trial run has already made a few sales.

            Yesterday was just really a down day, and you guys lifted me back up. Thanks again.
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            • Profile picture of the author The Content King
              Originally Posted by Doug Wakefield View Post

              I just want to come out and say that this community is simply amazing. There has been no shortage of support at all.

              Last night I did a sample for one client and am in communication with two others, so things are starting to open up a bit.

              I also have been thinking heavily about the kindle product, which is fitting simply because my little trial run has already made a few sales.

              Yesterday was just really a down day, and you guys lifted me back up. Thanks again.
              In my experience, the hardest part about freelance writing is getting started. The concept for writing for a client over the Internet can be terrifying for someone who's never done it before. What if the client hates what you've written? What if you work hard on a project and the client stiffs you?

              But once you put energy into finding clients and then you get a few projects under your belt, it's all a snowball effect from there. More clients come in as word gets around and your happy clients start referring your services to others.

              Don't forget to create a referral bonus to encourage that word-spreading and also don't forget to up-sell once you've completed a project. A client that orders articles might be willing to pay you to submit those articles, etc.

              If you think outside of the box and you keep putting focus into your business, you'll see great results.

              Like Tony Robbins says, "Where focus goes, energy flows." As long as you're working at it and you keep progressing, you'll be amazed at how fast you progress.

              Good luck!
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              • Profile picture of the author Doug Wakefield
                You hit it on the head.

                I actually thought about taking the leap a few years ago, and it left me a little frightened.

                I always heard about getting some referrals by giving some freebies, so I did just that. The first few people were great to work with. I had a few minor issues, but I got through them. Then the flood gate of jerks came through the door, one of which just turned me away from wanting to freelance period.

                Since then I have learned to be a little more picky on who I work with. Keeping the day job allows me to cherry pick my clients a bit, since I can easily chug along the path that I have been on for years with little consequence.

                I did this post yesterday hoping to get started again, and the gates have started to open quite a bit. I know I always have a client since I can easily just create more PLR, it is just getting the confidence of working with other people firsthand that I really needed.

                My issues have always been confidence based.
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                • Profile picture of the author The Content King
                  Originally Posted by Doug Wakefield View Post


                  My issues have always been confidence based.
                  This is the biggest issue most freelancers face, in my opinion. Clients will push you around if you let them. They'll have you doing too much for too little and they know that all they have to do is threaten to go somewhere else and you'll acquiesce to their low prices.

                  Screw that. That was me when I first started. I was so afraid to lose clients that I never turned down jobs, even when they took way too long to be worth it.

                  I've learned since then. Work on your confidence now. Not just in dealing with clients, but in your writing. You must be able to express yourself to make your writing come alive.

                  You also need confidence when it comes to raising your prices. As you get better and as your portfolio grows, you'll be able to command much higher prices. Do you have the intestinal fortitude it takes to tell a client you're suddenly doubling your prices?

                  I just did that yesterday and it worked. I never in a million years would have done that a few years ago. But I learned that you must be tough. You're a business owner now. Your writing skills are a commodity just like someone carving and selling desks for a living.

                  You offer a service and should be paid for such. Always look for more business when business comes in (referrals, upsells), always test your pricing by sending out advertisements with double and even triple your prices and never give your writing away for free. Someone selling desks certainly wouldn't.

                  Hope that helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author JackRT
    I am sorry to hear about your situation... I will, however, suggest not to quit your day job... in this economy, I am sure there's a lot of folks out there who'd jump on the opportunity to have your day job... sorry...

    I'd suggest working on the writing career BUT not quiting your day job until you start making some money to compensate the day job...

    Best of luck to you!!
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  • Profile picture of the author Mac Wheeler
    Doug, a quick word of advice here.

    A lot of people are recommending you register and write for one or more of the known content farms.

    Google recently gave this kind of site a real slap down, and it is questionable whether they will continue to be successful. I would certainly think twice about expending energy to build a reputation with these sites until the situation become clearer.
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    • Profile picture of the author Doug Wakefield
      Originally Posted by Mac T Wheeler View Post

      Doug, a quick word of advice here.

      A lot of people are recommending you register and write for one or more of the known content farms.

      Google recently gave this kind of site a real slap down, and it is questionable whether they will continue to be successful. I would certainly think twice about expending energy to build a reputation with these sites until the situation become clearer.
      The way things have been shaping up, I'm not sure I will have much time to devote to them anyways.

      Trying to get time to work on my PLR has started to become a challenge.
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    • Profile picture of the author The Content King
      Originally Posted by Mac T Wheeler View Post

      Doug, a quick word of advice here.

      A lot of people are recommending you register and write for one or more of the known content farms.

      Google recently gave this kind of site a real slap down, and it is questionable whether they will continue to be successful. I would certainly think twice about expending energy to build a reputation with these sites until the situation become clearer.
      A quick word of advice. Sites like Need-An-Article and others produce good quality content for business owners just like you. What do you care how their sites index? If they pay you to write content, it's an opportunity worth pursuing. Especially when there's no income at all coming in.

      This Google Algorithm gossip train is getting out of hand. It's like the witch trials all over again. It's the Search Trials.

      I'm not coming down on you Mac T. But the Google algorithm change will only affect you if you're producing content that doesn't offer value. If you provide value, you'll be fine. It's all about user experience.
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      • Profile picture of the author Mac Wheeler
        I'm talking about content farms such as eHow.
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        • Profile picture of the author The Content King
          Originally Posted by Mac T Wheeler View Post

          I'm talking about content farms such as eHow.
          I know. I read the articles about how Ehow and others took a dip. Like I said, I wasn't coming down on you. Just venting. I didn't mean to sound harsh.

          But if Ehow pays Doug for every article he writes for them, it's really no concern of his how that article ranks once it's published. And if the article he writes provides value, and it gets a lot of traffic and 'Likes' and Tweets, then that article will rise in the ranks as a result.

          I'm not sure if Ehow shares ad revenue like Hub Pages, which in that case it would matter to Doug how they rank. But if he's getting paid regardless, Ehow could throw the article in the trash and he wouldn't care. Well, he might, but you know what I'm saying.

          Again, I wasn't bashing you. A writer should consider all opportunities, which might turn out to open up even bigger opportunities along the way. That's all I'm saying.
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          • Profile picture of the author bnwebm
            eHow no longer does revenue share and just this week or last, offered authors in their rev share program pennies on the dollar for their work that had been posted.

            Originally Posted by The Content King View Post

            I know. I read the articles about how Ehow and others took a dip. Like I said, I wasn't coming down on you. Just venting. I didn't mean to sound harsh.

            But if Ehow pays Doug for every article he writes for them, it's really no concern of his how that article ranks once it's published. And if the article he writes provides value, and it gets a lot of traffic and 'Likes' and Tweets, then that article will rise in the ranks as a result.

            I'm not sure if Ehow shares ad revenue like Hub Pages, which in that case it would matter to Doug how they rank. But if he's getting paid regardless, Ehow could throw the article in the trash and he wouldn't care. Well, he might, but you know what I'm saying.

            Again, I wasn't bashing you. A writer should consider all opportunities, which might turn out to open up even bigger opportunities along the way. That's all I'm saying.
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            • Profile picture of the author Mac Wheeler
              Originally Posted by bnwebm View Post

              eHow no longer does revenue share and just this week or last, offered authors in their rev share program pennies on the dollar for their work that had been posted.
              Reinforces my point rather nicely, thankyou.
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            • Profile picture of the author neojr
              You can be a freelance writer at oDesk.
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            • Profile picture of the author pbrite
              Originally Posted by bnwebm View Post

              eHow no longer does revenue share and just this week or last, offered authors in their rev share program pennies on the dollar for their work that had been posted.
              If you want solid money weekly, consider eHow's parent company, Demand Studios. It comes with a sacrifice, but it's doable.
              I still actively write for Demand Media Studios from time to time. IN fact,m my experience with them was the inspiration for my two e-books. The average they pay per-article is $15. You pick an available title,format, and write it up. Editors review it. They give you one chance to fix it if there are questions. If it passes mustard, you get paid every Wednesday or Friday, depending on when you article was accepted and published.

              First you have to get accepted there as a writer, which is much harder than it was when I got in. Now they are looking for professionals w/ writing experience or experts in a field that can do the type of content production they need. If you get accepted, it's possible to get paid very well. I was making 300 a week working about 2 hours a night, but it's because I developed a system.

              One thing you have to consider is the VALUE of what you publish with them. I don't like to spend more than a half hour producing each piece. And I tend to either write about things I can produce quickly and could care less about revenue because I don't get any. For instance, I write a lot on military and psychology topics because I already have the knowledge base and sources. What separates them from other content mills is that you HAVE to have reputable sources or specific expertise to back up your articles. You can't just make stuff up and hope it passes.

              If you want "ok" money with a possibility of high revenue, Yahoo!s Associated Content is a good way to go. Easier to get accepted as well. They only pay between 5 and 10 up front, but you can write on what you want and then get revenue based on your "clout". I have articles from 2006 that earn me 1 or 2 per month. That doesn't seem like a lot, until you start multiplying the articles daily. Then you can be like this one lady who earns 2 grand a month without writing a single thing. She's very good at what she does.
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              • Profile picture of the author bnwebm
                Hi Paul,

                Demand pays on Tuesdays and Fridays. Not sure if you missed the above post regarding their potential downfall, but you might be interested if you write for them.

                Originally Posted by pbrite View Post

                If you want solid money weekly, consider eHow's parent company, Demand Studios. It comes with a sacrifice, but it's doable.
                I still actively write for Demand Media Studios from time to time. IN fact,m my experience with them was the inspiration for my two e-books. The average they pay per-article is $15. You pick an available title,format, and write it up. Editors review it. They give you one chance to fix it if there are questions. If it passes mustard, you get paid every Wednesday or Friday, depending on when you article was accepted and published.
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  • Profile picture of the author PeterBirganza
    Originally Posted by Doug Wakefield View Post

    Hey guys, thanks in advance for your answers.

    Recently I have come across some difficult times and have really decided that it is in my best interests to cut ties with my day job for the simple fact that the math is NOT working any more.

    I work 60 hours a week for an asphalt company now with another 12 hours a week devoted to the drive to bring home a measly $544 a week. Of course gas takes $100 of that leaving me with very little to do anything else with after bills... even leaves groceries being a little tight.

    I ran a warriors for hire ad, not once... but twice, and simply have not landed any bites, so there has to be some other ways to get some work besides here. Can you give me any solid ideas on how to get some work starting as a writer?

    I'm not against doing much of anything that has a chance, but the situation is to the point that waiting on Fiverr payments to clear will not work well.
    Hi,
    Freelancing and content writing can really help you out in this regard. Your understanding and perfection in contents writing can make you superior in this field by other ones.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marx Vergel Melencio
    Hi Doug. Here are my recommendations:

    1. Specialize. Pinpoint profitable industries, sub industries and subject areas where you have specialized skills, knowledge and experience in. Then: Determine your specialized expertise which only some people around the world have the same expertise. Afterwards: Identify the specialized subject areas most helpful for improving the traffic and sales margins of corporations operating in such specialized industries, sub industries and subject areas. EXAMPLE:

    Specialised Industry/Sub Industry/Subject Areas: Digital Information & Communications Technology
    Specialized Skills, Knowledge and Experience: Native English-Speaking Writer with Expertise in Subject Areas Relevant to Digital Information & Communications Technology
    Unique Selling Point: Expertise in Improving Online Traffic and Sales Margins of ICT (Information & Communications Technology) Corporations, Businesses, Home Businesses and Individual Internet Marketers Through Optimized Internet Marketing Campaigns

    2. Develop an excellent business proposal and presentation along with your relevant portfolio...

    3. Cold contact local ICT corporations. Tell them you have a business proposal and presentation, your portfolio included, for them. Tell them you're an online marketing communications strategist, and your portfolio will show this. Tell them your business proposal and presentation along with your portfolio show how your proposed ideas and arrangements will greatly benefit their corporation...

    4. Once you start working with those local corporations during your free time: Show them your best performance by giving them results that count for their corporate goals...

    5. After a few weeks or months: Show them how you can further improve the results they need for their corporate goals by laying out campaign plans for conveniently and cost-effectively getting more qualified manpower resources, implementing training and supervisory processes and Q/A systems...

    Well, I recommend the things above because I did those things mid 2006, registered a company September 2006, grew our company after 3 (three) months upon company registration and business operations startup, from 4 work at home moms and dads to 2 capital city head offices, 9 provincial city offices, 11 long term contracts with 11 prominent North American and European ICT corporations (hence my example above), 60 employees, 30 subcontractors each with their own employees and 30 independent subcontractors, and now more than 80 long term contracts with North American, European, Middle Eastern, Australian and Asian companies, businesses, home business owners and individual Internet marketers. We started out:

    Without capital resources other than the skills and time of my wife and I. Without a business website. Without a blog. Without an office aside from our home with a residential DSL connection and a couple of ancient desktop computers. Without a business email. Without inhouse employees. Without eyesight...

    Here's the relevant thread <<== That's the startup story of our company...
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  • Profile picture of the author Claire Sharp
    You can go to Elance, Freelancer or oDesk. There you can get a writing job. But i cannot assure you a great payment. And you must have a great portfolio because most employers looking for the best provider by looking at your portfolio.
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  • Profile picture of the author mavmav
    Try freelancer.com and its better to have a couple of your sample articles ready just in case an employer wants to see them.
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    • Profile picture of the author bnwebm
      Excellent point and if possible, have an online portfolio of your work. I'd also like to caution any writer NOT to write to any title for someone they don't know (usually Craigslist is notorious for this scam). I've seen it happen time and again, writers will write a 500 word "sample" on a topic from the potential "client" and once submitted, never hear from the client again. It's an unfortunate and easy way for unscrupulous people to get free articles. Certainly, you should be required to provide samples of your work, but writing new stuff gratis? No, absolutely not. At the least, if they want samples related to a specific topic and you don't have any, arrange an escrow of some sort, via PayPal or something similar. That way no one gets burned.


      Originally Posted by mavmav View Post

      Try freelancer.com and its better to have a couple of your sample articles ready just in case an employer wants to see them.
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  • Profile picture of the author gorgybowe
    Hi, I'm new at this as well. I heard that triond.com is a good way to get views for your articles and they will pay you as well. Can i have some advice, was my friend right?
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    • Profile picture of the author bnwebm
      Triond is ok. They pay me every month still for articles I wrote over a year ago. Keep in mind that content mills like Triond (and EZine) are losing pageviews, since the Panda slapped them so you'll probably see even less $$.

      Originally Posted by gorgybowe View Post

      Hi, I'm new at this as well. I heard that triond.com is a good way to get views for your articles and they will pay you as well. Can i have some advice, was my friend right?
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