Tuesday, August 12, 2008

New Site for Freelance Writers to Make Money

Yesterday, I was conversing via email with fellow freelance writer Jacob Malewitz, and he brought up the subject of a relatively new site where freelance writers can make money.

DailyArticle.com: A Good Place for Freelance Writers to Sell Content?

I’d run across this site a few months ago in my web surfing, but dismissed it because as I wrote to Jacob, “I tend to stay away from those sites -- with what I charge [as an experienced freelance writer], it would be a waste of my time to compete with those who are willing to write 500-words for $8.00.”

But, Jacob opened my eyes and proved to me that this just might be a good site for freelance writers -- especially new ones who want to know what it feels like to actually sell something (it’s a grand, grand feeling I still get a kick out of).

Why New Freelance Writers May Want to Check Out DailyArticle.com

One of the most frustrating things when you are just starting out as a freelance writer is landing that first client, completing that first job and seeing funds hit your PayPal account (ie, getting paid).

Once you experience actually getting paid for your work as a freelance writer, you feel official -- it’s like, “Yeah, I CAN make a living doing this!” It’s an amazing feeling. Sites like DailyArticle can make you “official” long before you land repeat, specific clients. They can even lead to repeat clients.

How DailyArticle.com Works

The site works very similar to Constant-Content ONLY. Jacob had the following to say about it, “They are much like Constant-Content, just newer, and you get a better rate for your articles. They accept just about everything, but unlike Constant-Content the articles are for ALL rights, not just USAGE or UNIQUE rights. That turns off some writers.”

What is this Usage and Unique rights? There are many different kinds of rights associated with freelance writing. In this case, what it basically means is that you sell all rights to the article when you post it to DailyArticle. Following is their official copyright policy.

“Upon verified purchase, full rights to the materials purchased are transferred to the purchaser. Upon purchase, the purchaser has the right to use the content in any way, including but not limited to publishing, distributing, reproducing, and amending the materials to suit the purchaser's needs. The content becomes the intellectual property of the purchaser.” [DailyArticle.com]

Read more on the various types of freelance writing rights/copyrights you should know about as it relates to freelancing.

Freelance Writers: Price Your Articles Right for Them to Sell

This is one reason I don’t like sites like this for freelance writers is because if you don’t set your price high enough, then you wind up selling a 500-word article (and all rights to it) for mere pennies. On the other hand, if you do set your price high enough, then it likely won’t sell. And by high, I’m not talking a whole bunch of money either.

$15-$30 Article?

So, why would I recommend DailyArticle? Jacob emailed me the following, and it gave me pause. He wrote, “Actually, while many articles just won't sell, and some are priced low, I have sold several pieces for upwards of $30. My highest sale was $35. But my average is around $15 an article . . .”

While this is certainly not a king’s ransom, it beats the $3 per article article writing gigs that many new freelance writers (especially SEO writers) get sucked into thinking that this is where they have to start.

Freelance Writers Can Get Paid Even When There are No “Clients”

DailyArticle and sites like it (eg, Constant-Content.com, AssociatedContent.com) are places for freelance writers to still get paid even when there are no “clients.” And, many times these can lead to more lucrative assignments? How?

Let’s say your specialty is insurance and you write a lot of insurance articles. Once a purchaser gets to know your work (your articles), they may request your services outside of the site. This is how relationships are born -- and freelance writing careers start.

So mosey on over to DailyArticle.com. While you’re sitting around waiting for “real clients,” you can start feeling official as a freelance writer before you even land your first one.

FREELANCE WRITER CAUTION: I just have to add that while I think sites like DailyArticle.com are great for newbies who want to get their feet wet and experience what it feels like to actually sell something, or for more experienced freelance writers who wants to pick up some extra cash during dry spells, it is NOT (in my opinion) the way to make a real living as a freelance writer.

To make good money as a freelance writer, you need to find your own clients. That means constantly marketing.

Thanks Jacob for the inside info on DailyArticle.com. Jacob can be found online at Smiles-Media.com and CoffeeAndHeroes.Wordpress.com.

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Sincerely,
Yuwanda Black, Publisher
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

While this is a nice post, your friend Jacob is no where to be found on the list of writers that are listed on the Daily Article website. It appears to be a nice way for freelance writers to get more work but there is only one Faq section for general inquiries.

Freelance writers can register, but there aren't any Faq sections listing information about the process of submitting and selling articles on that website, what the payment terms are, what the payment timeframes are, etc. etc. etc.

I find this to be very odd.

Yuwanda Black said...

Nicole, are you sure you checked the right site. I clicked over and found 2 of Jacob's article right there on the front page (Creative Business Blogging: Writing Voice; and Horror Blogging 101: Make Money Blogging).

Jacob's profile is at this link: http://dailyarticle.com/view_art_writer.php

There's also an extensive FAQ section at http://dailyarticle.com/faq.php.

Hope this info helps.

Yuwanda

lissie said...

I agree with Nicole - Iwent as far as to register - and still got no info regarding whether they pay non-US writers (though they accepted by non-US address)- what is their fee (which is kinda major) or when do they pay , payout thresholds etc. The faq link you provided is info for article purchasers not authors

Yuwanda Black said...

Lissie, Nicole:

My mea culpa. I haven't used the site, so don't know the innerworkings of it. You can either email Jacob to ask for more info, or contact DailyArticle (thier contact form is here: http://dailyarticle.com/contact.php) to ask your questions.

I would have assumed that once you signed up as writer, all pertinent information would have been provided.

FYI, you can contact Jason through his sites: Smiles-Media.com or CoffeeAndHeroes.Wordpress.com.

Thanks for making me aware of this so that I could alert others. The one thing to remember -- it is a legitimate site for freelance writers to make money. Seems like they just need to be more thorough in their info though.

Good luck to you both.

Yuwanda

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I registred recently, and posted one article. But i can't really understand how the pay Non-US citizens. Please, is there anyone who had been paid as a Non-US. And also, how/when do they pay? Thanks