And Here He Comes

[BarryDavidson]

My story is a pretty simple one. About three years ago my wife joined a writer's site. She started pestering me to post some of my old poems and stories. Eventually I gave in and started posting my fifteen-plus year old work. One of the poems I posted wound up winning a quarterly contest and a publishing contract.

About that same time, someone gave me a review which kind of ticked me off. The reviewer said that one the lines in one of my poems was too 'cliché-like' and negated the whole meaning of the piece. After brooding for about thirty minutes, I made a decision. I wrote a short story almost entirely in clichés.

That story wound up winning another contest and I got my second publishing contract. From that point on I've written mostly humor and satire.

Then, about two years ago, I stumbled upon another site. It was for people to develop a political platform and run for president online. That's when I started writing political op/ed pieces. I don't write them often, but I do try.

As with many others, I've stumbled around from site to site trying to market some of my work. Most of those sites like Helium and Triond aren't worth the effort writer's have to put into them. Add to that the headache of individually submitting work to publishers, and you wind up with very little time to actually write.

The other day my wife came across this site, thought it sounded like it was right up my alley, and passed the information on to me. So, here I am. It's probably going to take me a while to settle in, but I hope to tighten up my writing and start submitting work soon.


Barry

[HayleyWriter]

Hi Barry,
Welcome to CC. I too have tried some of the other websites like Helium etc and never saw a red cent (or one of any other colour!) for my efforts. CC is very different. I submit my articles and customers purchase them, without me having to worry about marketing my articles directly to the customer. Start submitting articles. It sometimes takes a while to get a sale, but keep building up a good profile and portfolio by submitting many articles. I've sold some articles months after they were submitted, and others only hours after they were approved for the site, so you just can't tell when you will make a sale.

It's good to see you checking out the forums first, as there is a lot of good advice within these pages. Anyway, welcome to CC, and I sincerely hope you succeed here.

Kind regards,

Hayley

[BarryDavidson]

Hayley,

Thanks for the welcome. If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's to check the forums first. I've beta tested at least a score of sights, not to mention the ones which were already online, in the past five years. I didn't actually start writing again until three years ago, but I do have a bit of knowledge when it comes to websites. (Word of advice. Never offer to set up and maintain any PHPbb forums for free. Unless it's for your own forum.)

If I seem to be asking too many questions, please don't mind it. I have this annoying habit. Reading FAQ's and tutorials almost never help me, so I ask people directly and learn by doing. I'm not your typical guy when it comes to doing things. I will stop and ask for directions when needed, and if something breaks in the house that I know very little about, I'll call someone who does.

This site has already helped me, as I've had to rethink many of the articles I've written in the past.

Thanks Again,
Barry

[cgardener]

Hi Barry!
Nice to have you here. This is a great place. I've learned a lot, and met a lot of great people. I would be interested in reading some of your other work. You can reach me through the contact link in my profile to give me the links.

http://www.constant-content.com/Author/ ... ails-0.htm

I love humor and satire, so I always love reading it by good writers.

[Celeste Stewart]

Barry,
First, welcome! You'll like it here.

Second - $10 for an 800-word computer article? You'll get $6.50 for full rights after the CC cut. Hmmn... CC has a different price point than Helium. I won't tell you what to price your articles at but I will tell you that you might want to reconsider your asking price. The model here isn't a revenue sharing model or anything like that. Full rights articles, especially those with some depth, are in a much higher price range than that. Many writers with Helium or AC roots come here having been trained that their articles are only worth a few bucks apiece. CC has a different model and customers who want in-depth, original content and are willing to pay for it.

Think about what you need to make for however long it took you to write it. Did it take an hour? Is your time worth $6.50 per hour? Probably not or you'd be better off with a minimum wage job. Anyhow, I just noticed the article and recognized your name and had to spout off my opinion. (I do that sometimes).

[BarryDavidson]

[quote="Celeste Stewart"]
Think about what you need to make for however long it took you to write it. Did it take an hour? Is your time worth $6.50 per hour? Probably not or you'd be better off with a minimum wage job. Anyhow, I just noticed the article and recognized your name and had to spout off my opinion. (I do that sometimes).[/quote]

The actual article took me about twenty minutes to write, and another ten to look for typos. While I do miss some grammar and punctuation errors, computer articled don't usually take me very long to complete. I build my own computers and have eight working, internet capable computers in my home. You don't want to know how many parts are scattered throughout the house.

I will take your advice and reconsider the prices I put up. I'm used to submissions for small time publishers which either don't pay, or pay very little. Not to mention they're mostly for fiction and poetry.

I have some rough articles, short stories and poetry up on various websites. TNBW Publishing, Helium, Triond, Booksie, and Cynic Magazine to name where most of my "published" work is.

Too bad you don't have customers who want poetry collections. I've put together most of one book of poetry, and am working on a second. (The second one I don't have nearly enough work for because if it's nature.)

[Celeste Stewart]

So $26 per hour. You can do better for sure. Especially with your expertise in the area and writing abilities. I've observed so many writers who undersell themselves and can't believe others would actually pay them a decent amount for their expertise and skills.

[BarryDavidson]

Here is an excerpt from one of my favorite things to do, satire...

No Satisfaction for Alabama
By Barry N. Davidson, Journalist for the Maryland Capitalist

August 2007: In what appears to be a routine case of the minority imposing rules upon the majority, the Alabama legislature may soon find itself before the United States Supreme Court over a law passed almost a decade ago.

The law in question is the anti-sex toy bill (labeled as anti-obscenity), passed in 1998. Since the law took effect, the state has been to court on several occasions to defend its position. The latest verdict was handed down on February 14, 2007. Sherri Williams, an Alabama retailer, is initiator of those suits which question the constitutionality of the law.

Two of the last three times the case had been heard, she has won on behalf of “marital aid” sellers. Each time however, the state, through the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down victories.

Many Alabama residents feel that the law is unconstitutional, and violates their fundamental rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Soon, the Supreme Court may be hearing the case to determine if it is indeed unconstitutional, and newly released studies on the effects of the law on Alabama residents will figure into its decision. The studies, while not the usual evidence used in cases of the constitutionality of a law, do indeed show how the law has contributed to the loss of life and the pursuit of happiness.

The Center for the Liberation of Independent Thought............

[BarryDavidson]

To everyone else who is new...

Keep em coming, because this site does work. Within twelve hours of my first two accepted articles, one of them sold.

Don't be discouraged if your first few are rejected. The first three I submitted needed more work, and were rejected as a result. My only advice is not to change two or three lines before resubmitting them. If you have to, completely redo the introduction (which gets a lot of articles rejected because they're vague). Look and make sure you're not using "I" or "we" when writing the article, and make the information you give specific.

Also, look through the "Requested Content" thread for subjects you are comfortable with. I'm told that the FAQ also lists the subjects which sell the most.

Don't kill yourself by stressing over the work. Get someone else to look at the articles if you have the opportunity. (I have a tendency to overlook errors in my own work.)

[Lor]

Hi Barry,
Congrats on your early sale. You have found a home here, I'm sure.

Lor
Ps
I enjoyed reading your posts in this thread.

[BarryDavidson]

Thanks Lor...

I'd post the rest of that satire article above, but I fear it would violate a few rules in the TOS. It's pretty tame as far as language goes, but children can probably stumble across it in an internet search.

[BarryDavidson]

Celeste,

Thanks for the advice those first few days. I was underselling myself, but I am very new to this type of situation. Before, I'd always had to mail in the piece with a cover letter, and all the trimmings. Then there was the waiting, hoping that if they didn't want it they'd hurry up and reject it. The worst was waiting several months for a photocopied rejection without even a signature on it. (I would like to talk to you more about pricing in private messages. Things like, what's the average price for a 1400+ word article, and is it better to set a higher price with the best offer button checked?)

I like this setup, and have already recommended CC to several friends. Instead of thousands of large envelopes in a room somewhere gathering dust, customers can come here and do a search for the types of articles they're looking for.

I almost said, Too bad there isn't a Constant Content for books." Then I thought of the space they'd need on a server, and especially the poor reviewer/editor's who'd have to read every submission for acceptance or rejection.

[Celeste Stewart]

Hi Barry,
I knew you'd come around. I noticed you have been pricing your articles higher and that they've been selling just as easily as the cheap ones :)

Writing comes easy to most of us here but it's hard for others. As writers, we have spent most of our lives figuring out complicated grammar and punctuation rules, learning vocabulary and spelling, and generally immersing ourselves in language. We also have a knack for research and critical thinking along with the ability to communicate our messages. Further, we bring with us areas of expertise such as computers, gardening, health care, family law, etc.

Anyhow, pricing is a bit tricky. I always account for my time when pricing with a specific hourly rate in mind. I also pay attention to the per word price too and if my article was super easy to write but long enough to justify a higher price after accounting for my time, better yet.

For example, let's say I write a 1000-word article and it took me one hour to write it. Let's also say that I want to make $50 per hour. I would then charge about $65 or so (to account for the CC cut). That translates to about 6.5 cents per word. Now, let's move on to a second 1000-word article. Let's say this one took only a half hour to write. Should I only charge $33 since it took half as long to write? Hmmn. NO. Just because it was easier for me doesn't me I should undervalue the finished product. In this case, I'd look at the per word price and price it at $65 as well. In this hypothetical example, I would have made about $100 bucks per hour. Customers don't care if an article took you one hour or twenty as long as the article is relevant, well written, and priced reasonably.

It takes a while to figure out the math and come up with the rates that work for you. I use a spreadsheet to calculate my figures. I highly recommend it if you aren't already doing so.

Celeste

[BarryDavidson]

Thanks Celeste...

I do need to read the part about CC's cut. Also the charge per word thing.

Definitely something to consider in the future. I'm used to manual labor which is usually undervalued. I'll also have to figure in taxes. Does CC send a (I think it's a 1098) tax form on wages earned?

[Celeste Stewart]

As far as taxes, they haven't sent the form in the past though we are all responsible for reporting our earnings regardless. Part of my spreadsheet tells me how much I need to put aside for the taxman, too. I have a separate bank account where I transfer my taxes each month so that I don't come up short. I also pay quarterly estimated taxes. A pain but c'est la vie. Don't forget the self-employment tax. Ugh...