Is CC too good to be true?

[DavidPeta28]

Ok, so here's a question for my fellow authors: is CC too good to be true?

I don't ask in jest. I am a keen photographer and until last year was making a minor killing on micro stock sites but that ship has sailed: oversaturation of the market, gazillions of eager new talent with cameras, and greedy stock site owners scooping ever greater royalties means that that cake has been sliced & eaten.

Next I went on to DS, a great writing gig albeit very pressurised considering you had only a limited amount of time to write an article that you didn't create. The cash was brilliant but there was always the feeling that that ride was going to come to an abrupt end, so it was no surprise when the thousands of article choices was cut to a handful.

Now I'm on CC, and I'm wondering why I didn't get my act together years ago. I write articles about my pet subjects, at my own pace, then watch them sell at prices I set. And they are selling - particulary when you consider I've only been writing fr just over be full month. The rate is astonishing.

So - is CC the net's best kept secret for writers? Will it one day be oversaturated & unsustainable? Will the owners get greedy & demand ever greater slices of the cake? Or are we just damned lucky to have been chosen & kept on by CC because of our writing skills?

It's mostly speculation, I know, but please humour me!!

David

[jadedragon]

CC has been around for years. There are never tons of writers jumping on the bandwagon (many can't make the grade here). Many want instant results and quit. Most who sign up never submit the first article. There will always be a market for quality.

[jellygator]

I've only been here a few months myself, but I think you've hit the nail on the head. It really is a "best-kept secret" for writers.

I don't think that it will get over-saturated necessarily, but I do believe it's important for us as writers to get the word out to people who may purchase content. If you know business owners, bloggers, and people who work with their corporation's websites, let them know about Constant Content's high quality so they can make their own work easier and keep us freelancers in business.

[Judith]

It's not too good to be true. It's good and true! When I first joined, a little over a year ago, I had very little time to write, as I run my own businesses. I am cutting back a little more each month so some day I can retire (hopefully) and just write for extra income. That was my purpose for joining CC. My check on the 1st of this month, and my next check (I choose to be paid twice a month), will total almost $900.00 as of today. That's enough for a new laptop, or a new lens for my camera, or a week in Nova Scotia (the motel only). So I think CC is definitely good and definitely true. For me it isn't enough if it was all I did, but it is certainly possible for someone who can spend 8 to 10 hours a day writing to make a living.

I think it's important for all of us to take time to discover what sells before we spend time writing something that no one is going to buy. A dissertation on the blobfish, no matter how well written, may be sitting in the archives for a considerable time. Articles on social networking, technology, real estate, lifestyles, and health can sell within a few days, or even the day they are approved.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth!

[Celeste Stewart]

I've been writing for CC since January 2006. I've seen CC survive the Great Recession and the Great Google Panda update. It's awesome!

[DavidPeta28]

Thanks for the replies. I got a helpful nugget out of each of you.

Jadedragon: 'many can't make the grade here'
Jellygator: 'get the word out to people who may purchase content'
Judith: 'take time to discover what sells'

If the site lasts - and there's no reason to suggest it won't - it may well be the 'earn lots of money quickly online' scam that isn't actually a scam.

[DavidPeta28]

I've been writing for CC since January 2006. I've seen CC survive the Great Recession and the Great Google Panda update. It's awesome!

As I'm beginning to realise...

[Lor]

Well done on your early success here, David. I'm sure there are lots of DS ex-pats joining CC right now. I've never put all my eggs in one basket. I know a lot of DS writers did and they are really hurting right now, losing apartments, can't buy groceries etc. I am with DS, but never liked working to those restrictive formula-based style guides, and decided from the start it would only be a once-in-a-while thing. All the best on your continued success.

[squonk]

Forgive my ignorance, but what's DS?

I just started looking for freelance writing jobs last month, and so far the only good sites I've found are this one and Textbroker. Textbroker is nice because you can write something there and get paid right off the bat, and there are a lot of jobs. The negative is that almost every job there is either dry as hell (write a 1,100 word piece comparing two life insurance companies' services) or so technical I can't even begin to think of what to write. On CC, I can just write what I know, and I've sold two articles already. So they're both nice to have accounts on.

[Lor]

Well done, Squonk. DS is Demand Media Studios. You've seen all those e-How articles in the search results? That be them, along with a bunch of other offshoots.

[DavidPeta28]

Thanks for your kind words Lor, long may the success continue for all!

[jadedragon]

This thread inspired me to write this article: http://www.infobarrel.com/Demand_Studio ... _Solutions Of course CC gets top billing.

[jellygator]

This thread inspired me to write this article: http://www.infobarrel.com/Demand_Studio ... _Solutions Of course CC gets top billing.

Nice article!

[dbvirago]

Wow. Just found this thread. DavidPeta28, you could be writing about me. I'm still doing ok on the microstock side, but it sounds like I got in earlier than you, so I've built a large portfolio. It's definitely not something to try and get started with today. Did DS for a while. Still hanging on - I'll grab a bunch of titles one month, then do nothing for two. I write here on subjects I like, or anytime I am curios enough about something to research it. Once I've researched, might as well write something up.

My feeling is that the microstock field became saturated because anyone with a $200 point and shoot can get in. Standards continue to get tighter, but it's too late. Not everyone can write a coherent sentence, so the field is thinner from the start. Add to that, many people would rather write SEO crap for a penny a word at TB, than try to write something that will sell on its own merit here.

[Judith]

Wow. Just found this thread. DavidPeta28, you could be writing about me. I'm still doing ok on the microstock side, but it sounds like I got in earlier than you, so I've built a large portfolio. It's definitely not something to try and get started with today. Did DS for a while. Still hanging on - I'll grab a bunch of titles one month, then do nothing for two. I write here on subjects I like, or anytime I am curios enough about something to research it. Once I've researched, might as well write something up.

My feeling is that the microstock field became saturated because anyone with a $200 point and shoot can get in. Standards continue to get tighter, but it's too late. Not everyone can write a coherent sentence, so the field is thinner from the start. Add to that, many people would rather write SEO crap for a penny a word at TB, than try to write something that will sell on its own merit here.

Have you tried writing travelogues with photographsincluded? They pay quite well. I've been doing it for several years. You can frequently get free trips as well. It takes a little research to find out the schedule and article format of different magazines, but if your photography is professional quality, you can start building a good income. I have contracts with five magazines for this year, and inquiries from three more. Airline magazines pay very well as do state travel magazines.