Would-be writers find readers, paychecks online
Associated Press: Would-be writers find readers, paychecks online.
In her spare time, away from her duties as a chemicals specialist in the Army, Angie Papple fires up her computer and writes an article about something close to her, like life in the military. Other times, she'll analyze a piece of software. Or she'll churn out advice for travelers to Hawaii, where she lives, or Puerto Rico, where she's never been.
Some of these pieces bring her mere pocket change. The most lucrative ones earn about $40. Most of all, though, she's thrilled to be considered a writer.
"It was just a big surprise that someone would actually want to give me money for writing," Papple says. "It really shocked me at first."
The Internet is full of words written for no money at all, just for passion. And it's veined with pieces (like this one) written in someone's regular line of work. Now, though, more and more online copy is being cranked out by a hybrid class: people like Papple, happy to serve as ultra-low-cost freelancers for sites that - unlike many personal blogs - actually get readers.
Greasing the wheels are sites like Helium, ThisIsBy.Us and Associated Content, which dangle micro amounts of pay to amateur writers willing to contribute material. Virtually any topic is open, from advice about child-rearing to an exegesis of mood rings. ...
March 25, 2008 in Citizen media | Permalink
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As long as writers like this exist, all gushy about the "writer experience" and are willing to make less than the value of their work, writers will continue to struggle. Writing is a business. I wish all writers would treat it as such. I've written about it a number of times, but this article links back to all of the previous ones, if you want my full and unsolicited opinion: writerswell.org/?p=149
Posted by: leslie | Mar 26, 2008 11:10:59 AM
