I Take Back Everything I Said About Demand Studios

In this previous post, I told you how Demand Studios was so much better than it used to be. I take it all back.

After working with them again for several months, I've found that DS is still just as messed up as everyone remembers. They say they want quality articles, but the truth is they don't have the slightest idea what quality is.

To test my theory, I decided to contact experts to get information and quotes for the topics I was writing about. As anyone who's gone to journalism school or worked for print publications (and almost anyone else) knows, expert interviews are one of the best ways to get quality information for articles.

Apparently, though, Demand Media Studios didn't get the memo.

I received more rewrite requests than ever. In many of the requests, the copy editor claimed that the experts didn't know what they were talking about and the CE had a link to some shoddy website which proved that the expert was wrong. My research scores plummeted.

In contrast, when I used questionable websites as my reference sources, my scores went back up.

The "audits" are my favorite part of DS' new quality control. Out of the blue, an editor contacts you through your personal email address. The editor informs you that he has been looking over your articles and has found ways to improve your writing. Okay, that seems reasonable, except that these editors have the power to edit your article weeks after it's published. One editor informed me that a sentence in a recent article was too long and he fixed it. He fixed it all right. Here is the results:

Sports was once a male-dominated activity. And women were left to cheer on the sidelines. Eventually, however, cheerleading became a sport of its own. Yep, that's some good stuff. I'm no grammar savant, but that was so wrong. Even my 4th grader laughed.

Needless to say, I went to my DS profile and changed my real name to a pen name (which I should have done a long time ago). When you do this, in a few days the bylines of all your previously written DS articles changes to your pen name. At least that's how it used to work. I've got my fingers crossed.

Novel Update

Last month I made a post about doing a National Novel Writing Month in July. I thought I'd post about how last month went for me. I ended up writing a little over 36,000 words. This is in addition to my normal non-fiction writing I do as a freelancer. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

What's really great is that I know where I'm going with the novel, so I am going to keep writing until it's done.

Today I bought a bunch of line and unlined index cards. I'm going to put a scene from the novel on each of the cards and pin them up on a board so I can keep track of everything. It's like a re-workable outline since I usually need to rearrange my outlines many, many times.

How do you organize your novels?  

Managing Your Search Results When Doing Research

When I'm writing articles for clients, there are times I need to look up some information and nothing burns my biscuits faster than Google tossing me crap sites. I need info quickly and don't have time to wade through sites with questionable information. So, I have employed the use of Google's site blocking tool to keep certain sites from reappearing in my results. If you want to do the same, you can borrow from my list of blocked sites, below. Do you have any sites to add to the list?

answers.yahoo.com 1 second ago Manually blocked Unblock

www.squidoo.com 37 seconds ago Manually blocked Unblock

hubpages.com 54 seconds ago Manually blocked Unblock

lifehacker.com 1 minute ago Manually blocked Unblock

www.wikihow.com 2 minutes ago Manually blocked Unblock

ask.com 3 minutes ago Manually blocked Unblock

ehow.com 3 minutes ago Manually blocked View details Unblock

www.ezdia.com Jan 9, 2012 Searched for sample cover letter ... Unblock

www.thoughts.com Jan 9, 2012 Searched for sixth generation bre ... Unblock

www.wordsdepot.com Jan 9, 2012 Searched for sixth generation bre ... Unblock

Freelance Writing Tips from Professional Elance Contractors

Guest Post by Jessalynne Madden

Are you considering a career as a freelance writer? Have you heard about Elance?
Elance is a social media platform specifically designed to connect freelance professionals with short-term work as well as long –term projects and consistent clients.
Does this sound good to you? There’s more!
Elance provides an area for serious writers to develop their abilities as freelance professionals. Sharpening your techniques on Elance will equip you to be a successful freelance writer long into the future.

Are you already familiar with Elance?

If you have taken the time to set up a profile on Elance and started to bid on jobs, you know that Courtney Allison, author of Elance Freelance Writing, is correct in saying ,  “In this day and age, freelance writers stand at the door of opportunity.”
There is a high demand for professional writers which means that your words can make you money. 
 
Are you ready to begin your career as a professional freelance writer?

Elance Freelance Writing offers comprehensive advice for new and seasoned freelance writers alike.  Let’s take a look at one of the many topics this eBook discusses: portfolios.
Successful freelancers often create their own websites, professional bios, profiles and portfolios.  Creating a stunning portfolio can be challenging as you consider what pieces should be included.  However, the portfolio is a vital part of an Elance freelance contractor’s digital profile.  While other aspects of a profile may grab clients’ attention, the contents of a portfolio will convince them whether or not a freelancer is worth hiring.  Here are a few tips to consider as you work to create your portfolio:

Keep it current.  It is a good idea to regularly upload current portfolio pieces.  This will ensure that potential clients understand the full range of your capabilities as a contractor. Strive for diversity.  Be sure to display diverse pieces of work in your portfolio.  Though you may want to showcase your strongest style of writing, demonstrating the range of your abilities will prove to potential clients that you can handle a variety of jobs. Build your portfolio with “Mock” work.  If you are new to Elance or freelancing, you may not have any “display” pieces.  You can still create a portfolio by uploading pieces that have not been completed for a client. Share “public property” pieces.  Did you know that individuals can download your portfolio pieces should you make them public on a job site like Elance?  With this in mind, comprise your portfolio with work you don’t mind becoming public property.

Now is the time to launch your freelance writing career.  Go ahead and open the door of opportunity.

Byline:  Jessalynne Madden is the Director of Blog Communications at Cali and Son Communications, a premier blog writing service.  Cali and Son recently published Elance Freelance Writing, a manual for freelance writers who want to create a full-time career on Elance.  
Learn more about it: Elance Freelance Writing.

July is National Novel Writing Month, for Me

This month I have decided to do my own little NANOWRIMO. Yes, I know that National Novel Writing Month is in November,  not July, but to hell with it!

Every November, I promise myself that I will participate in writing a novel as a gift to myself, since my birthday is November 22. Every year I end up mad at myself because I don't even start a novel, let alone finish one. It's like saying, "Here's your birthday present. Oh, the box is empty? Oh well."

I write non-fiction to pay the bills, so jumping into a work of fiction is difficult. I've programmed myself to produce for money.

Yesterday, I had an fantastic idea (so humble!) for a novel while I was getting ready for bed. I ended up writing an outline for my novel while sitting in my pajamas.  I mean, in the breadth of 20 minutes I came up with the novel from finish to end.  Of course, it's missing details, but the skeleton is there. I've never had the whole skeleton of a novel done before I start, so this is exciting. Usually I just throw mud at a wall and see what sticks. Sometimes it works (I have had some works published in the past) and sometimes it doesn't (I have several half-done novels). 

Want to join me for a July NANOWRIMO?

Is Demand Studios Getting Better?

For many writers, you say the words "Demand Studios" and they cringe. For years, DS has been the poster child for content farms, low pay rates, poor editing and headaches. Recently, though, they gained a new editorial staff, so I decided to give them another try.

I have to say, I am amazed. They are offering higher paying gigs with well-known publishers. I've only run into one editorial glitch, but I think it was due to a new copy editor that hasn't fully read the article requirements. If you've ever written for DS you know what I'm talking about.

There aren't near as many titles, or writers for that matter, and that can only be a good thing when it comes to getting rid of their content farm rep.

Overall, I am very pleased with the changes they have made and will be spending more time writing there.

I take everything back. After some research, I've found that DS still doesn't have its act together.

Read more about what I learned.

Freelancing Opportunity: What is Skyword?

I've found a new way to get freelancing jobs and I love it. The company is called Skyword (this is not a referral link) and it is a middleman of sorts that connects writers with big publishers.

At first, I was leery of using them. All of their clients were paying very little for articles, so I waited. After a while, the site started to get bigger and bigger clients. Currently, they have clients that are paying $10 to $200 per article.

Once you are a member of the site, you can apply to write for clients. If you are accepted, you follow the client's writing guidelines and write a specific amount of articles each month. (Some clients don't have limits to how much or how little you can write for them.) Once your article is published, you get paid on the 1st and 15th of the month. Skyword doesn't take a cut from your pay. What you are offered by a client is what you get paid.

I have found a large number of my current clients through Skyword. I suggest you give it a try. Let me know how you like them in the comments.

I Said 'No' to a Book Deal, Too

I Guess I Wasn't Hungry Enough to Accept 

I saw this article, I Turned Down a Book Deal Last Week, on Facebook and had to click on the link. Normally, the name of the blog would have been enough. You turned down a book deal? Gasp! But for me, it was more than that. You see, I too have turned down a book deal. 

It was two years ago and it was on a subject I love: home food storage. I came up with an outline and a table of contents. I was excited. Then, I learned how much I was going to get paid.

The editor offered a measly $1,500. No, that isn't the advance. $1,500 was to be the whole shebang. I didn't even get royalties and the publisher would own all of the rights. 

I said 'no thanks.'

Have you ever turned down a book deal?

Demand Studios Changes Payment Policy

For any of you writers out there that still creates articles for Demand Studios, I have some news. Demand has changed their payment policy. Here is what they posted in the forums:

Hello everyone,

As you already know, Demand Media Studios has been expanding to include writers, editors and translators in Latin America for the growing eHow Espanol site. As the Studio community grows to include additional roles in new parts of the world, we have needed to review and update our current practices to best support our international community.

As such, starting June 5 we are making a change to the way payments are transmitted by the Studio. You will continue to be paid twice a week via PayPal. But going forward, payments will only be transmitted to you each pay day if you have earned at least $10 in the previous pay period. Anything below the $10 threshold will automatically be rolled over to the next pay period towards that minimum payment. So if your earnings for a given pay period were only $7 and the next pay period you earned $4, you would be paid out at the end of the second pay period the full amount of $11.

If you have any questions or concerns about this change, please post them here.

Thank you,

Demand Media Studios Team

Freelance Job Opening: TMDM Writer's Platform

I received an email from TMDM and I thought I'd pass along the information to my readers:

Dear Alina - 

Thanks for your interest in our platform: http://tmdm-llc.com. Please start with an application here : http://tmdm-llc.com/apply/

Once inducted - you can start accessing dozens of daily orders posted on there. The pricing is better than industry standards - therefore you would have write-ups that come with rates starting from 0.02$/word all the way up to 0.07$/word. Remember - these are flat rates paid directly to you - we do not take a cut because it is us, the platform, posting orders and not third party clients. In addition to the high pay, you would be dealing solely with the site's management - assuring you a professional experience.

TMatrix Digital Media LLC is a small Pennsylvania company, which owns and manages the above mentioned platform: http://tmdm-llc.com. Please think of us as an elance/odesk type of platform, only we collect and publish all orders from our varied sites and accumulate them on the platform. From there, all our tutors/authors can fish for orders automatically. The exact way the platform works is found here:
http://tmdm-llc.com/faqs/

The rest of the platform would not be accessible until your application is approved by the editors.

Best-
Will
Author Relations
TMatrix Digital Media LLC, PA
931 Congress Hill Road, Franklin, PA.

Best-

How to Deal With Rude Clients Without Ruining Your Week

Facepalm!

What is wrong with people?

One of my new clients recently used "ugh" and "this is really terrible" when sending back three articles for edits.

Now, usually, this unprofessional attitude wouldn't bother me. I would make the edits, collect my money and be on my way. Not with this guy, though. This guy told me to make edits that didn't even make sense. He said that even though my grammar was correct he still hated my sentences. He didn't like that I used the word "people." It went on and on.

Then, at the end of the tirade on what I should correct, he told me to just scrap everything and start over or quit. You know what I did? I quit.

After a while, you can also get a feel for people. Some clients will never be satisfied no matter what you write. I had a feeling this guy was one of those people. Super-rude and unprofessional clients get the door. That has been my policy for years and it has never lead me astray. Life is too short to spend time on people who can't act professional.

Busy, Busy Freelance Writer

It's that time of year again. Offers for writing jobs, editing jobs and book cover art projects are flying at me from all directions! I love it when I am overloaded with work.

Part of a freelancer's life is dealing with dry spots, but soon there are floods. You have to be prepared for both.

I stay prepared for the floods by staying organized. I keep track of due dates, estimate how long each project will take, and break it down into manageable chunks.

I prepare for the droughts by saving up money when I can and downsizing as much as possible.

How do you handle the ebbs and flow of being a freelance writer?

What is Writer Access?

I have recently joined up with Writer Access. They tend to pay on the lower side for projects, but, like other sites I've written about lately, they are a good way to fill in your income in-between bigger jobs. They pay on a sliding scale, which is posted on this page.

There are various types of projects, including articles, web page writing and blogs. Some of their customers ask a lot for very little money. For example, there was a post the other day requiring the writer to write three web pages for a total of $17.50.

The biggest problem with this site is that there are rarely any jobs posted. Here's a tip: They post jobs at 4:02 Central time every morning. You've got to get up pretty early to grab those elusive projects. It reminds me of Demand Studios.

Freelance Writing Jobs: Scripted

I have recently been doing some writing for Scripted. This site is basically a middleman. Business owners go to Scripted with a project and Scripted finds the best writer for the job using their database. Writers sign up, apply for niche areas to write in, and then are assigned work as it comes available. The rates vary, depending on the type of work. Blogs usually pay around $20, for example. You don't get paid extra for photos, though, which is my only complaint.

I really like this site. There's no need to submit bids or hunt for work. If you need a good site to supply you with filler work, then I highly recommend this site.

Here is some more information on Scripted.

Analyzing Other Writers and Articles

Recently, on one of the Facebook groups that I am a member of, a writer posted a link to an online article. She then proceeded to ask the other writers how they felt about the article because she was confused about how the article fit with the voice of the site. Another writer promptly posted that it was wrong to critique another writer's work in a Facebook thread because it may hurt the writer's feelings.

Umm, huh?

If a person can't stand being criticized then they have no business being a writer. God knows many editors (in the publishing world and online) are very blunt and tactless when it comes to their crit of a piece. When you put your work online you're opening yourself to being analyzed. Don't want your work analyzed? Show it to your mama. Either you get a thick skin or you self-publish or you cry in your soup every night.

We all, as writers, have the right to analyze other writers publicly. How is this any different then posting a review of a book on Amazon? If we post a negative review of a book are we supposed to be afraid that the review will hurt the author's feelings? Of course not.

I'm not saying there is a green light to flame writers we don't like, but critique is a normal part of being a writer. Receiving it helps us grow and giving it can help us see errors to avoid in our own work. Constructive criticism is good for everyone.

Most-Read Articles Ever on How to Be A Freelance Writer

I came upon a blog with a posting that listed links to their most-read blog post. I think that's a great idea. I mean, how else are your readers going to know where the hot information can be found? So, I made a list for this blog. (You should try this on your blog, too!)

Here is How to Be a Freelance Writer's most read posts:

Freelance Jobs: What is Emerging Cast?

May 24, 2010, 21 comments

A New Residual Income Site: Wizzley

Jan 5, 2012

Demand Media Studios Now Charges for Revenue Share...

Jan 5, 2011, 3 comments

Tweet for Money

Jul 20, 2010

What is 4Writers.net?

Oct 14, 2011

Job Opening: What is Yovia?

I have been a member of the Yovia group for a long time now and they are a great way to fill in the holes of your freelance writing income. They pay on the 10th of the month and have a payment threshold of $50.

Usually, I don't deal with people who have a payment threshold, but I almost made the threshold today after 30 minutes of work. It's quick money for writing blog entries, posting Facebook photos and networking.

You can also sign up for a lot of free stuff, too.

Give it a try and tell me what you think in the comments.

Blog Changes Boost Earnings: Avoid Blogger Dynamic Views

If you visit often, you may have noticed that this blog has been redesigned. Since I have made these changes, the earnings have gone up 1,088% in just a week's time.

I'll explain why.

The other template I was using was the new Blogger Dynamic View template. These templates look very professional, so I figured they would be a great way to spruce up the blog. I noticed after a few months of using the template that my views rose but my earnings all but stopped. I ended up just making a couple dollars per month. This is because when you use Dynamic Views, Blogger doesn't let you add anything to the sidebars other than one Adsense block. So you can't add affiliate advertising, links to your favorite blogs, in-line advertising...nothing. I tested my earning/views with Dynamic Views on one of my other blogs (that had a completely different audience) and found the same results.

So, if you also write your own blog you may want to avoid using Dynamic View templates if you want to have control over your earnings and your sidebar information.

Freelancing Moms: Here's How to Get a Scholarship for Moms

Kim Stezala is known as The Scholarship Lady because she knows the best tips for finding scholarships. Here are her best tips on how to find scholarships for moms:

Know who you are.  Sounds simple, but busy moms might not take time to look carefully and closely at their personal profile including volunteer work, accomplishments, family heritage, memberships and more.  Were you a Brownie Troop Leader?  Well, that’s called leadership.  Sunday school teacher?  That’s volunteer work.  These traits matter when seeking and applying for scholarships.

Know the keywords to use in searching such as “returning adult student” or “non-traditional student.”  Scholarship providers have their own way of describing who they are trying to reach.  Know their lingo and increase your odds of finding a match.

Know that you are more than a single mom or a woman and expand your search beyond your marital status or gender.  It’s good to identify scholarships for your situation but don’t overlook scholarships based on career choice, geography, diversity, intended major and other categories.  If you meet the criteria, you can apply.

Know how to combine the power of the Internet with the power of the press and good old-fashioned word of mouth.  Use internet databases (www.scholarships.com, 

www.fastweb.com

 are a few)  and      search engines but also read the local newspapers, check in with women-oriented associations and membership groups and most of all, tell people in your network about your search for scholarships.  The small local scholarships might not make it into search engines but through networking you can find out about scholarship resources such as 

Women Empowering Women

 and the Edmund Springman Daycare Grant, both focused on adult female students. 

Know that persistence pays off!  Just like you make time for buying groceries, driving your daughter to soccer practice, mowing the lawn or any other task, a meaningful scholarship search takes time.  Put time on your calendar and don’t give up.  Your competition might lose faith after a few days or weeks but you are slowly but surely building your scholarship empire.

Source: Information Provided by Kim Stezala, The Scholarship Lady (SM), author of Scholarships 101:  The Real-World Guide to Getting Cash for College (AMACOM 2008) and founder of www.scholarshipstreet.com, a free site for scholarship advice.

Fast Style for Freelancers

Okay, I usually don't post style tips here, but I've just learned a tip that I think will help a lot of the mommy/freelance writers out there. You know when you need to do your hair for a video chat with a client, but only have a few seconds? The answer is the sock bun.

Yes, you use a sock.

And it comes out beautifully.

Apparently, women in the military have been using this trick for years. Well, now it's our turn, ladies. Here's a video to show you how: