Work for hire - requests

[BillPurkins]

When I click on requests, is that it? Is that all the open work out there? Or are there other pages. Also, how do I update my profile. I have a typo and a sentence I want out. Can't find where to do this. Tired of me yet?

Thanks,
Bill

[dsletten]

Hi Bill,

To change your profile, click on "Change your profile picture" that is next to the picture. It will take you to both the picture and the written profile so you can change it.
As for work available, click on Requested Content and you will find what some buyers are asking for. There are a lot of recent requests and I doubt if they have all been filled. Also, you don't have to limit your writing to requests, you can always write articles on subjects you think are relevant and put them out there to sell.

Good luck,
Deanna

[HayleyWriter]

Hi Bill,

I find that many customers will come in and browse for articles on the topic of interest, before placing a request. What this means for authors is that writing articles on a variety of topics and building up a good portfolio besides writing for requests makes sense. The majority of articles I sell are ones I have written on my own, without a request.

Check out the recently sold list regularly, as this gives you an idea of what is selling. You'll also recognise articles that have been sold for a request and will realise how many articles are sold that do not relate to requests. Some customers are in a hurry and want the articles straight away, so will search the current articles available. Writing articles on different topics gives you access to many different customers. It may take a while to sell some articles, but others will sell very quickly.

With the requests there is a lot of competition too, so even if you write a decent article for the request, the customer may choose another author's article on the same topic. Then you are left with the article on the site. It may eventually sell to another customer (and I have had some articles in this category), but there are no guarantees with the requests on sales. I think new authors are better off concentrating on building a decent portfolio of quality articles in different categories and then working on the new requests later on. Sales happen on this site every day and it is often easier to make a sale when you have written an article on your own ideas than competing with hundreds of other authors for the same requesting customer to purchase your article.

Hope this helps,

Hayley

[BillPurkins]

Thanks to both of you. I am used to bidding on projects and having money put in escrow before I start writing. Either that a steady staff paycheck as a magazine editor or columnist, ir an agreed upon sale before I write something. I have never written on spec before.

Except www.theothersideofmybed.com which is a book i am gathering and editing.

it's about sleeping alone.

[HayleyWriter]

Hi Bill,

CC does not provide a guaranteed income, but on the other hand, authors have a lot of freedom to write articles that interest the author, instead of just writing for other people. Selling an article you have written just for the fun of writing is a real bonus!

You can definitely make a good income from this site, by writing articles that customers want, both by responding to requests, and using your own ideas. Relish the freedom of writing and submitting articles when you want to, and on topics you are interested in. It makes life fascinating. This is a great site for that. I love being able to write about many different topics. Most of my sales have come from articles I have written from my own ideas, not requests, and I love a sale on those articles more because the customer is saying my idea is also good, as well as my writing style.

CC is different to other freelancing writing sites, because it offers authors the freedom to write what we want, and to price how we want, as well as responding to specific customer requests. It's exciting and fun to write here, and authors are friendly here too, because we don't have to "tender" against each other for work. If customers like my article, they will buy it. Easy! No marketing, bidding, tendering, or begging customers to pay attention to the article, which makes life easy for authors here. Give it a try - I'm sure you will like it when you get used to the concept of freelancing on spec.

Hayley

[Elizabeth Ann West]

Bill-
Welcome to C-C, as someone who has also pounded the virtual pavement in other bidding websites, writing on spec is so much less hassle. The sad reality is many "bidding" e-lancing sites are so full of garbage requests (customers who never wanted to really buy in the first place, but just see what the "going" rate is) and shoddy quality I always felt I was more in the business of sales than writing!

I will say experience in writing proposals will help you with the Short Summary field and customer communication once you start getting private requests or responding to public requests. Also, the area where you see work listed are public requests and you need to keep in mind everyone can write articles for them for consideration. However, I've been writing here for over a year and can honestly say well-written responses to public requests do eventually sell to other buyers. Before the new system gave 3 days of exclusive consideration to the original requester, popular topics would often be purchased by other buyers before the public requester had a chance!

Writing on spec also has a bit of thrill to it. On Thursday I submitted an article on SEO 2.0 and it had a reasonable offer for use within hours of becoming available. Be careful, the personal freedom and relaxed deadlines are very addictive.

[BarryDavidson]

Bill,

I'm another of those people who used to go through "conventional" channels using both online and snail-mail. I've even experimented with many "revenue sharing" sites in the past few years. Once I found this site, I was hooked.

Here, writing has become fun again. I love to write, but when it starts to feel like a job I don't want to do it anymore. On CC I can write about almost anything I want. I would recommend that you get a number of articles uploaded which are in areas you know and love. Even if customers don't buy them immediately, it's not completely uncommon to have a customer contact you for work because they like your writing style. That's how I developed working relationships with two customers. They wanted my writing style, but on subjects they choose. Luckily, they leave me a wide latitude on the direction of the articles. One customer sends me specs, and then writes that if I want to go another direction to feel free to do so. That is such a great feeling, especially for someone who didn't start writing again until a few short years ago. The only "articles" I had written in the last twenty-five years before joining Constant Content were satire. Unless you count arguing on political websites in blog-style.

So, my biggest piece of advice is to have fun. When you can wake up in the morning and look forward to what you're doing, you've won a major battle in life. Most people hate what they do, and can't find a good reason to get out of bed except to pay the bills.

[bwhite]

[quote="BarryDavidson"]Bill,

Here, writing has become fun again. I love to write, but when it starts to feel like a job I don't want to do it anymore. On CC I can write about almost anything I want....
So, my biggest piece of advice is to have fun. When you can wake up in the morning and look forward to what you're doing, you've won a major battle in life. Most people hate what they do, and can't find a good reason to get out of bed except to pay the bills.[/quote]

I agree. I do love to write (although haven't contributed in a month or two) and it is a wonderful thing to WANT to "work". Now, as soon as my computer is internet-ready again, I'll be submitting more of what I love. :)