Jun 15 2009
The June Demand Studios Challenge
One of the sites for which I write is called Demand Studios. Usually you will then find those articles on one of my eHow accounts; however, Demand Media also serves at least a dozen other websites.
To become a writer for this site, you have to fill out an application and submit writing examples, preferably previously published articles from a different website. Not everyone is hired to work for them, though. I know a couple of talented writers who just cannot get their foot in the door.
Working for Demand Studios can be fun, as you can choose from titles within your expertise, or try other titles that require a little bit of research. My current favorite area is Health and Fitness, because it gives me an excuse to research medical conditions plaguing me, my family, and my friends. Once you have the research for one article, you can often find the topic again and again and maximize your money.
Demand Studios pays upfront for their articles, ranging anywhere from $5-15 for a title. They have been experimenting with a revenue share series of titles, as well, that in theory will earn you more over a five-year period. Pay periods run from Wednesday to Wednesday, and pay day is every Friday.
One of my writing friends on Facebook is challenging herself to write nothing but DS articles for the month. Her goal is to write 10 articles a day, for five days a week. I told her I would love to join her challenge, but would probably aim for 5 a day, because I work for about 11 different websites at this point.
Last night, she adjusted her goal to a financial one, as there were more of the lower-paying articles available. But it’s all about cranking out quality content for the titles for the money, right?
So far, for this pay-period, I have only written four flat fee articles, and one revenue share article. I have also proofed 120 titles. (Title-proofing pays 8 cents per title you either accept as is, adjust to fit the site, or reject, and is done in increments of 20. It’s actually quite easy, and those pennies add up!) With the pay-period ending on Wednesday, and allowing for review times, many more will have to be written today to qualify.
I get to cheat a bit with the financial aspect, because I am close to receiving a revenue-share bonus. For every 10 written, you get a bonus through the end of June. I need one more written, then would like to aim for the next ten.
We’ll see how the challenge goes!
How are you challenging yourself, this month?
