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Bradshaw · 08-03-2010, 03:21 PM

Lol, the title makes it sound like I'm a marketer

I have a recommendation for anyone who writes and/or is interested in Freelance writing. Me and Andrew Gubb have been writing on this website.

This is a place where you can write and get paid for your articles. I personally write there and I have been paid quite well for a single article, but they only want good writers! If you write really well, getting paid $30-$50 per 500-word article is not uncommon.

It's totally and completely free. You just need to write well.

(I wrote an article called 'Installing Carbonite'; I wrote that in about 10 minutes and it sold for $32.5 extremely quickly.)

It appears that articles sell extremely well. And the rates are ten to twenty times higher than typical freelance websites where people sell their articles for $1-5 dollars.

Here is the link: Constant Content Register as an author.

(Yes, that's an affiliate link. Might as well, eh?

)

If you decide to register and submit articles, tell me how it goes.

Be warned, this site is picky. If you as much have a single grammar mistake or syntax error, they will reject you outright. As me and Andrew have found out, they do not tolerate bad English. Ever.

James81 · 08-03-2010, 03:25 PM

It's funny you mention those rates as being "good" rates. I've been on forums with some professional freelance writers, and it seems that even 25 cents per word is mediocre in teh freelance world. I have a real life freelance writer friend, and she just got paid 60 cents per word for a job she did.

At the mediocre rate I mentioned, a 500 word article should bring you $125.

(Unless, of course, you're just starting out and are trying to build a rep for yourself that is. Then, you do what it takes to get some references.)

rei · 08-03-2010, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Passing the quiz doesn't mean that your articles will automatically be accepted, it just means that you've passed the quiz, and allows your to begin submitting articles.

LOL How ironic, a linguistic error in the explanation about why you're taking a quiz to check linguistic errors

Thanks for the link, Bradshaw. I'm checking it out. I have been published before actually (even wrote a chapter for a two-volume reference book) but it's been a while so it would be good to build up some more recent connections.

(LOA, I took inspired action yesterday related to writing and last night and today I've seen lots of echoes in my reality about it.)

carenkh · 08-03-2010, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James81

It's funny you mention those rates as being "good" rates. I've been on forums with some professional freelance writers, and it seems that even 25 cents per word is mediocre in teh freelance world. I have a real life freelance writer friend, and she just got paid 60 cents per word for a job she did.

At the mediocre rate I mentioned, a 500 word article should bring you $125.

Wouldn't this be for articles, though, for major publishers where you submit a query letter? I haven't checked out the site, but it sounds simpler than the whole query letter, rejection, query letter, approval, submission route.

moonrambler · 08-03-2010, 04:47 PM

I think the problem with this site is there's no guarantee anyone will buy the article. So you could write 10 articles and only sell one, isn't that how it works?

Bradshaw · 08-03-2010, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moonrambler

I think the problem with this site is there's no guarantee anyone will buy the article. So you could write 10 articles and only sell one, isn't that how it works?

I thought about that too at first, but they seem to sell. In fact I saw some statistics on the site somewhere that 70% of the articles sell right away, and that they will all sell over time anyway. I mean, just looking at three random authors:

J.A. Young:
Number of Articles Written: 1374
Number of Articles Sold: 1325
Percentage of Articles Sold: 96.4%

Celeste Stewart:
Number of Articles Written: 2964
Number of Articles Sold: 2764
Percentage of Articles Sold: 93%

Word Gypsy:
Number of Articles Written: 3862
Number of Articles Sold: 3338
Percentage of Articles Sold: 86%

And some articles actually sell multiple times if you choose the usage setting. I'm looking at an article named "Is She Faking an Orgasm?" and it's sold 7 times for 5$ each.

The site gets a lot of traffic.

aabbcc · 08-04-2010, 02:54 PM

Hmm ... if the sign-up is anything to go by, it seems they accept writers in Canada as well. I find this very refreshing as many of these places only take US residents.

Curtis2011 · 08-04-2010, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bradshaw

And some articles actually sell multiple times if you choose the usage setting. I'm looking at an article named "Is She Faking an Orgasm?" and it's sold 7 times for 5$ each.

Lol... sex sells....

Ceoarob · 08-04-2010, 05:06 PM

Wow....

I think I actually might do this....

Ceoarob · 08-04-2010, 05:06 PM

DP:

How long did the payouts typically take for you?

Bradshaw · 08-04-2010, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aabbcc

Hmm ... if the sign-up is anything to go by, it seems they accept writers in Canada as well. I find this very refreshing as many of these places only take US residents.

I'm Portuguese. I'm living in Spain. And yes, I've already been paid. They pay twice a month.

mainstreetcm · 08-04-2010, 10:44 PM

Just signed up and submitted my first article for review. It was recommending that my 600+ word article was to be priced at $60 for full usage rights. All I can say is that if I could just sell one article at $60 every day I'd be quitting everything else I do online and just do this.

aabbcc · 08-04-2010, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bradshaw

I'm Portuguese. I'm living in Spain. And yes, I've already been paid. They pay twice a month.

Thank you. That's good to know. I just might sign up myself.

Bradshaw · 08-04-2010, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mainstreetcm

Just signed up and submitted my first article for review. It was recommending that my 600+ word article was to be priced at $60 for full usage rights. All I can say is that if I could just sell one article at $60 every day I'd be quitting everything else I do online and just do this.

Good job, a few things:

OK, first, you don't get $60 for selling it for $60. You get $39 because CC takes a 35% commission so they can pay affiliates, make a profit and advertise. CC has an estimated 1,228,000 monthly visits and they rank #1 on search engines for keywords like "buy articles", etc.

I personally feel it's a small price to pay considering over 40,000 visitors a day visit their website. It's not hard to see why articles sell.

Your success is their success.

I think people easily forget that not everyone can write really well... in fact, in the grand scheme of the whole wide world, this number isn't that great. And fewer people still believe that they could write for this kind of money, and even fewer people would dare to leave a job to freelance.

Secondly, that was rather quick, did you follow their guidelines to the letter?

You have to use font 12 and Arial or Times New Roman on the article you've written, for example.

Zaphod · 08-05-2010, 08:06 PM

Hi, I have written for both Constant Content and other online databases, and think I can offer some pespective.

Constant Content is not a bad entryway to freelance writing by any means. But it definitely has some downsides. The potential to sell for 10 cents a word is enticing (to the casual writer), but most articles sell in the 7 to 9 cent range; after the 35% editor fee, that is $23 to $29 for a 500 word article. Still not bad.

But it gets a little worse. The staff has found that overall, about 70% of articles eventually sell. Therefore, if you want to calculate your actual earnings per article, that is $16 to $20 per 500 word article.

Of course, you do not surrender those 30% that haven't been snatched up; you can still pull them and sell them somewhere else. But how easy is it to sell them? And how do you know that someone wouldn't have bought the articles you pulled after a couple more months.

And one final downside is that it takes a while for them to sell, usually at least a few months I think. So it is more passive than active income. For me, it is hard to justify working for an average wage when I will not get the money for three months or more. Reputation also plays a large factor -- as a newb, you do not rank as high in their writer or topic lists. I have had about 10 articles up for almost a year I think, and only one has sold. I did reject a couple offers though.

So that was probably majorly disappointing. I still think it is a decent opportunity for those who want to write lots of articles on topics of their choosing (possibly, as an alternative to blogging), but I wouldn't call it a huge opportunity.

mainstreetcm · 08-05-2010, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bradshaw

Good job, a few things:

OK, first, you don't get $60 for selling it for $60. You get $39 because CC takes a 35% commission so they can pay affiliates, make a profit and advertise. CC has an estimated 1,228,000 monthly visits and they rank #1 on search engines for keywords like "buy articles", etc.

I personally feel it's a small price to pay considering over 40,000 visitors a day visit their website. It's not hard to see why articles sell.

Your success is their success.

I think people easily forget that not everyone can write really well... in fact, in the grand scheme of the whole wide world, this number isn't that great. And fewer people still believe that they could write for this kind of money, and even fewer people would dare to leave a job to freelance.

Secondly, that was rather quick, did you follow their guidelines to the letter?

You have to use font 12 and Arial or Times New Roman on the article you've written, for example.

Well there was a time lapse in between everything and then coming back here to report back. It didn't take very long to write my article and I did follow the guidelines to a T. I am excited to get my review back and start making some cash and prizes!

secrets0stolen · 08-06-2010, 04:07 AM

Would it be possible to do this as a minor? I'm an excellent writer (although I've gotten sloppy recently) and was really wanting to fine tune my skills again. Plus, I *really* need the cash.

Bradshaw · 08-06-2010, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by secrets0stolen

Would it be possible to do this as a minor? I'm an excellent writer (although I've gotten sloppy recently) and was really wanting to fine tune my skills again. Plus, I *really* need the cash.

There is always a way.

CC pays by paypal. You can register on paypal, even if you are a minor. You're from the USA, so:

Go to a local store like Wal-Mart or other similar store. Buy a Pre-Paid gift card that has VISA or Mastercard logo and can be used online. Sign up for the PayPal account and use the gift card. PayPal checks this card and puts a dollar charge on it then immediately refunds it. If the credit card allows this transaction to take place, you have a PayPal account. To pay for the PayPal purchases you pay using the gift card. When you run out of money, you take the card to the store and "recharge" it with cash.

Also, you can have a paypal account or any bank account as long as you have your parents or guardians' concern.

secrets0stolen · 08-06-2010, 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bradshaw

There is always a way.

CC pays by paypal. You can register on paypal, even if you are a minor. You're from the USA, so:

Go to a local store like Wal-Mart or other similar store. Buy a Pre-Paid gift card that has VISA or Mastercard logo and can be used online. Sign up for the PayPal account and use the gift card. PayPal checks this card and puts a dollar charge on it then immediately refunds it. If the credit card allows this transaction to take place, you have a PayPal account. To pay for the PayPal purchases you pay using the gift card. When you run out of money, you take the card to the store and "recharge" it with cash.

Excellent!

James81 · 08-06-2010, 05:58 AM

You wouldn't even need to buy a prepaid credit card. Just go to a local bank and sign up for a debit card checking account. Minors can get those.

secrets0stolen · 08-06-2010, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James81

You wouldn't even need to buy a prepaid credit card. Just go to a local bank and sign up for a debit card checking account. Minors can get those.

That gets....complicated...because of various family ties.
But the pre-paid card will work, so I'm good!

MidasGirl · 08-06-2010, 05:16 PM

Maybe what you could do secrets, is get your parent (or older sibling if you have one) to apply as if they were going to write, and then "delegate" to you to write. There's always rules, and then there's always ways to circumvent them

elucidate · 08-06-2010, 09:13 PM

My first article got rejected

I've asked if I can see my submission so that I can see what I did that wasn't up to scratch. Do you think they will send it to me?

They said I didn't use arial 12pt...but I swear I did. They said that there were punctuation and spelling errors, but I checked it about 5 times for these.

They said I didn't leave a space between paragraphs, or enough lines...but I left 2 spaces?? They said not to use first person POV, but I don't think I did anywhere? I guess they're the editors.

I know they have hundreds to review...and I'm just another one...and they are a proffessional company, so I'm doing my best to not take it personally or be too gutted, it's only my first article, so there were bound to be some mistakes. I haven't really written anything professionally before, so I'm sure I am rusty...I just want to see the submission myself.

Hopefully they'll let me have a look at it , post-review...

Andrew Gubb · 08-06-2010, 09:16 PM

Constant Content is tough to get accepted on. However, it does have good rates for what it is. I'm sure you can earn more without a go between though.

elucidate · 08-06-2010, 09:19 PM

Do you have to have a degree, or post-doctorate in Literature or something...'cos I'm sorely lacking in that area?

Andrew Gubb · 08-06-2010, 09:21 PM

Nope

Just need to write well. I mean, it's tough for them to accept your articles. It's annoying, I think they like to be difficult just for the hell of it.

elucidate · 08-06-2010, 09:23 PM

Well, I can handle it if I actually did do the things they said...but I'm 100% positive I did use arial 12pt...so why would they remind me to use it?

It's possible I made a few errors in punctuation and spelling...I just want to know where?

I guess I don't trust them

Andrew Gubb · 08-06-2010, 09:26 PM

yeah as i said sometimes i think they like to be annoying. just keep it up and i suppose it can work

maybe they get less annoying later...

elucidate · 08-06-2010, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

yeah as i said sometimes i think they like to be annoying. just keep it up and i suppose it can work

maybe they get less annoying later...

Thanks...yeah, I'm not giving up...but it is annoying!

Andrew Gubb · 08-06-2010, 09:36 PM

tell me bout it!

08-03-2010, 03:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
Bradshaw Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Portugal Posts: 578	HUGE Opportunity for Writers Lol, the title makes it sound like I'm a marketer I have a recommendation for anyone who writes and/or is interested in Freelance writing. Me and Andrew Gubb have been writing on this website. This is a place where you can write and get paid for your articles. I personally write there and I have been paid quite well for a single article, but they only want good writers! If you write really well, getting paid $30-$50 per 500-word article is not uncommon. It's totally and completely free. You just need to write well. (I wrote an article called 'Installing Carbonite'; I wrote that in about 10 minutes and it sold for $32.5 extremely quickly.) It appears that articles sell extremely well. And the rates are ten to twenty times higher than typical freelance websites where people sell their articles for $1-5 dollars. Here is the link: Constant Content Register as an author. (Yes, that's an affiliate link. Might as well, eh? ) If you decide to register and submit articles, tell me how it goes. Be warned, this site is picky. If you as much have a single grammar mistake or syntax error, they will reject you outright. As me and Andrew have found out, they do not tolerate bad English. Ever.

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08-03-2010, 03:25 PM	#2 (permalink)
James81 Banned Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 12,690	It's funny you mention those rates as being "good" rates. I've been on forums with some professional freelance writers, and it seems that even 25 cents per word is mediocre in teh freelance world. I have a real life freelance writer friend, and she just got paid 60 cents per word for a job she did. At the mediocre rate I mentioned, a 500 word article should bring you $125. (Unless, of course, you're just starting out and are trying to build a rep for yourself that is. Then, you do what it takes to get some references.)

08-03-2010, 04:47 PM	#5 (permalink)
moonrambler Family Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: N.E. Wisconsin Posts: 3,473	I think the problem with this site is there's no guarantee anyone will buy the article. So you could write 10 articles and only sell one, isn't that how it works?

08-04-2010, 02:54 PM	#7 (permalink)
aabbcc Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: with the others in my head Posts: 293	Hmm ... if the sign-up is anything to go by, it seems they accept writers in Canada as well. I find this very refreshing as many of these places only take US residents.

08-04-2010, 05:06 PM	#9 (permalink)
Ceoarob Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 663	Wow.... I think I actually might do this....

08-04-2010, 05:06 PM	#10 (permalink)
Ceoarob Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 663	DP: How long did the payouts typically take for you?

08-04-2010, 10:44 PM	#12 (permalink)
mainstreetcm Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 167	Just signed up and submitted my first article for review. It was recommending that my 600+ word article was to be priced at $60 for full usage rights. All I can say is that if I could just sell one article at $60 every day I'd be quitting everything else I do online and just do this.

08-05-2010, 08:06 PM	#15 (permalink)
Zaphod Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 205	Hi, I have written for both Constant Content and other online databases, and think I can offer some pespective. Constant Content is not a bad entryway to freelance writing by any means. But it definitely has some downsides. The potential to sell for 10 cents a word is enticing (to the casual writer), but most articles sell in the 7 to 9 cent range; after the 35% editor fee, that is $23 to $29 for a 500 word article. Still not bad. But it gets a little worse. The staff has found that overall, about 70% of articles eventually sell. Therefore, if you want to calculate your actual earnings per article, that is $16 to $20 per 500 word article. Of course, you do not surrender those 30% that haven't been snatched up; you can still pull them and sell them somewhere else. But how easy is it to sell them? And how do you know that someone wouldn't have bought the articles you pulled after a couple more months. And one final downside is that it takes a while for them to sell, usually at least a few months I think. So it is more passive than active income. For me, it is hard to justify working for an average wage when I will not get the money for three months or more. Reputation also plays a large factor -- as a newb, you do not rank as high in their writer or topic lists. I have had about 10 articles up for almost a year I think, and only one has sold. I did reject a couple offers though. So that was probably majorly disappointing. I still think it is a decent opportunity for those who want to write lots of articles on topics of their choosing (possibly, as an alternative to blogging), but I wouldn't call it a huge opportunity.

08-06-2010, 04:07 AM	#17 (permalink)
secrets0stolen Retired Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: A Greyhound Station where I set my thoughts to far off destinations... Posts: 4,380	Would it be possible to do this as a minor? I'm an excellent writer (although I've gotten sloppy recently) and was really wanting to fine tune my skills again. Plus, I really need the cash.

08-06-2010, 05:58 AM	#20 (permalink)
James81 Banned Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 12,690	You wouldn't even need to buy a prepaid credit card. Just go to a local bank and sign up for a debit card checking account. Minors can get those.

08-06-2010, 05:16 PM	#22 (permalink)
MidasGirl Family Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Off this forum from 10/27/10 to 10/27/11. Yay me! Posts: 2,944	Maybe what you could do secrets, is get your parent (or older sibling if you have one) to apply as if they were going to write, and then "delegate" to you to write. There's always rules, and then there's always ways to circumvent them

08-06-2010, 09:13 PM	#23 (permalink)
elucidate Banned Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 12,751	My first article got rejected I've asked if I can see my submission so that I can see what I did that wasn't up to scratch. Do you think they will send it to me? They said I didn't use arial 12pt...but I swear I did. They said that there were punctuation and spelling errors, but I checked it about 5 times for these. They said I didn't leave a space between paragraphs, or enough lines...but I left 2 spaces?? They said not to use first person POV, but I don't think I did anywhere? I guess they're the editors. I know they have hundreds to review...and I'm just another one...and they are a proffessional company, so I'm doing my best to not take it personally or be too gutted, it's only my first article, so there were bound to be some mistakes. I haven't really written anything professionally before, so I'm sure I am rusty...I just want to see the submission myself. Hopefully they'll let me have a look at it , post-review...

08-06-2010, 09:16 PM	#24 (permalink)
Andrew Gubb Family Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Nationality: British Soul: Otherworldly Current Location: Barcelona, Spain Posts: 5,960	Constant Content is tough to get accepted on. However, it does have good rates for what it is. I'm sure you can earn more without a go between though.

08-06-2010, 09:19 PM	#25 (permalink)
elucidate Banned Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 12,751	Do you have to have a degree, or post-doctorate in Literature or something...'cos I'm sorely lacking in that area?

08-06-2010, 09:21 PM	#26 (permalink)
Andrew Gubb Family Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Nationality: British Soul: Otherworldly Current Location: Barcelona, Spain Posts: 5,960	Nope Just need to write well. I mean, it's tough for them to accept your articles. It's annoying, I think they like to be difficult just for the hell of it.

08-06-2010, 09:23 PM	#27 (permalink)
elucidate Banned Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 12,751	Well, I can handle it if I actually did do the things they said...but I'm 100% positive I did use arial 12pt...so why would they remind me to use it? It's possible I made a few errors in punctuation and spelling...I just want to know where? I guess I don't trust them

08-06-2010, 09:26 PM	#28 (permalink)
Andrew Gubb Family Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Nationality: British Soul: Otherworldly Current Location: Barcelona, Spain Posts: 5,960	yeah as i said sometimes i think they like to be annoying. just keep it up and i suppose it can work maybe they get less annoying later...

08-06-2010, 09:36 PM	#30 (permalink)
Andrew Gubb Family Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Nationality: British Soul: Otherworldly Current Location: Barcelona, Spain Posts: 5,960	tell me bout it!

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