fairly priced spec vs. underpriced team: which is better

[weagle87]

As I view the available team articles, I find myself hesitating to accept any. Has anyone done the math? I'm trying to decided which is better, writing spec articles for decent prices or writing "sure purchase" team articles for $20.

This close to Christmas, I would normally take the $20 articles and write quickly, but the recent editorial difficulties make writing quickly impossible. My most recent 8 got through, but I spent as much time editing than I did writing them. On the other hand, it's been so long since I've written spec articles that I have no idea if they are selling. Any thoughts?

[EFowler]

I've given up on that $20 writing pool, because my private client work has picked up so much away from here, it's just not worth my time to do them. I still write articles for the catalog that are for less than I'd usually get through my own work, but I do still like sitting down and writing about whatever I want

[weagle87]

That's kind of what I thought. I miss writing about things that actually interest me. The $13 take-away is awfully low.

[tayalltheway]

I detest the $20 writer pools. I think 4 cents a work BEFORE CC's commission is insulting, so those emails all go straight into the trash.

[Gail Kavanagh]

I agree abourt the writer pools,the low price is not worth the hassle of dealing with the editors. They are like English teachers, if they cannot find spelling and grammar errors they reject on personal opinion, and its just not worth trying to figure out what they want, let alone what the client wants. Why are the guidelines still presented as docx. files? I can't open them anyway. So little reward, and so much disrespect for the writer.

[ReneeF]

I agree abourt the writer pools,the low price is not worth the hassle of dealing with the editors. They are like English teachers, if they cannot find spelling and grammar errors they reject on personal opinion, and its just not worth trying to figure out what they want, let alone what the client wants. Why are the guidelines still presented as docx. files? I can't open them anyway. So little reward, and so much disrespect for the writer.

EXACTLY THIS!

[ReneeF]

The latest writer pool request is worded:

Recipe Writers: We're looking to fill a large request and are looking for any available writers who can start working immediately. The client needs over 500 recipes that need to be completed by Friday. The client will provide a list of recipes and additional nutritional information. They are offering $36 for every 30 recipes.

I feel sorry for the writer desperate enough to write 30 articles/recipes for $36 . . .

[EFowler]

The latest writer pool request is worded:

Recipe Writers: We're looking to fill a large request and are looking for any available writers who can start working immediately. The client needs over 500 recipes that need to be completed by Friday. The client will provide a list of recipes and additional nutritional information. They are offering $36 for every 30 recipes.

I feel sorry for the writer desperate enough to write 30 articles/recipes for $36 . . .

Same here Renee, I saw $36 in that email and thought "Ooh, I wonder how long those recipes have to be, sounds fairly interesting", and then my brain clicked into gear and saw the 'for every 30 recipes'. Eek!

Here's my recipe for $1.20:

Slice bread.
Put in toaster.
Slather butter on top.

[Isabelnewth]

The latest pool I've seen has a few ethical issues for me, and the other articles published on the destination sites seem to have been written by mildly deranged robots into the bargain.....

[Lysis]

I'm not in that pool, but I think the open pool is better. After work, I might sit down and write 2 articles at $50/each. I always figure that at least 1 will sell and I don't have to worry about a customer not liking my stuff. I just write and hope the editing problems have finally ended. So, I usually think the open pool is better unless the word count and price for the customer is higher in the pools.

[remoteriverman]

Never-ending issues with editors, inability to respond to writer's emails, and now CC wants its writers to do rush jobs for next to no pay. There seems to be a race to the bottom going on here, and it's gaining speed. What a shame.

[Constant]

I agree that this latest project is priced somewhat low. I do want to clarify though, that these "writer pools" you're talking about are not created by Constant Content. As we're a marketplace to connect customers and writers, the customers are able to offer a price they're comfortable paying and interested writers can respond. We do help them get their projects completed, but these are individual customers' projects and you've been added to their team and hence able to claim their requests. I fully understand that these requests aren't for everyone, and if you don't want to write for these requests, please feel free to leave the clients' projects by finding it on your My Projects page and clicking the "leave project" link in the top right of the screen. You won't be contacted by them any further.

I do want to caveat this by saying that many of our clients' projects do pay very competitive rates, as do projects from the writer pools.

I do apologize if anyone feels that their work has been rejected by the editors based on the editor's opinion. That isn't our intent in any form, and if you do ever run into that please email me (Eric) at Support and I'll make sure we look into it.

[Isabelnewth]

Hi Eric, thanks for responding!

Would you be able to clarify the distinction between the 'writers pools' that are created by customers and the other writers' pools that you mention as also paying competitive rates, please.

Could you also say whether there is a target response time for messages sent to 'support?

Many thanks.

[Constant]

Hi Eric, thanks for responding!

Would you be able to clarify the distinction between the 'writers pools' that are created by customers and the other writers' pools that you mention as also paying competitive rates, please.

Could you also say whether there is a target response time for messages sent to 'support?

Many thanks.

Hey Isabel. Sure, requests for customers' projects will have this text - "Project: Client's Project Name" on them in the Requested By column. Writer Pools, on the other hand, won't have the "Project" bit and will just say the name of the writer pool the request belongs to. For example, Blog Posts, Press Releases, White Papers, etc.

I can appreciate it's not overly clear. We've got some planned improvements coming very soon that will clarify all the different types of requests and make it easier for writers to claim work.

We do aim to respond to messages to Support within 24 hours.

[Gail Kavanagh]

I do apologize if anyone feels that their work has been rejected by the editors based on the editor's opinion. That isn't our intent in any form, and if you do ever run into that please email me (Eric) at Support and I'll make sure we look into it.

My dealings with the editors lately have been supremely frustrating. I had a number of private requests with short deadlines and somewhat esoteric subjects that I did accept and manage to complete in the time allowed. What was frustrating was that all of the articles I submitted for private requests (making sure that I informed the editors what they were for) were rejected and sent back to me, causing me to miss the deadlines. I had to contact the project manager at CC every time to get them sent through to the client - who accpted them and paid for them without complaint. Not only do we have to meet tight deadlines, research difficult subjects and in a specific style, but we also have to battle editors who have no idea what 'private request' or even deadlines mean, and have an 'English teacher' approach to style that goes against what the client has asked for. I have seen writers here in the forums say that they were rejected because they put 'private request' in the short summary box and it 'wasn't to be used as a message box." For Heaven';s sake how else you get across to these people that it needs to be seen by the client?

I am not complaining abouit the short deadlines - I remember years ago sitting up all night (I am in Australia) submitting one astrology article after another for a private request. The editor was you, Eric, and it was a great writing experience. You let the client decide every time if that was what he wanted and we got a long request with a very short deadline done by sunrise in Australia. That wouldn' happen now. By dawn I would be tearing my hair out and swearing never to write for CC again.

Things have changed, I do appreciate that - and I have always appreciated the CC editorial process and understood why it is place. I do not understand why writers of long standing on CC now feel they are out in the cold, and have even been banned because someone 'doesn't like their style'. As for the cheap requests - well, 30 articles for $36 will get what it deserves and the editors will have a field day. The client won't expect quality for that price, but the editors will, and it just won't be worth the hassle.