After looking at several different writing sites, I decided to start with Textbroker. Authors can choose from a pool of articles to write, and if you decide an article is not working out for you, you have the option to just return it to the pool and choose another without being penalized. The pay there seems substantially less than the others, they pay per word, but they accept writers with absolutely no prior experience, (that would be me) and it seems like a good site to get my feet wet.
It costs nothing to join and the application process was simple and fast. I had to write a small sample article (150 words) on the spot as part of this process. They use this article to give you a rating. The rating determines which level of articles you can choose from in the pool. A 2 being the lowest rating and a 4 being the highest, the pay increases as your rating goes up. The rating is based on your writing style, content, grammar and punctuation. There is also a level 5 rating which is reserved for professional writers, and I am not yet sure how you get a 5.
They also have something called Direct Orders. This is when a client likes your work so well,they can request you to write for articles for them. In this case, you can set your own rate per word regardless of your rating at the time. Textbroker also rates each article you submit, so that your rating can change based on how well you continue to write. They can raise your level for good articles, or lower it for articles they do not feel were professional, even if they were accepted by the client!
My sample article scored me a level 4 rating, which surprised me tremendously! I immediately choose an article from the pool about a company that manufactures back braces. With a little research, I quickly had a 400 word article submitted for approval. The client has 3 days to either accept your article, reject it, or send it back for a revision. My article was accepted within a few hours and I had earned a hefty $3.86 for my efforts. From my reaction, you would have thought it was $386. I was impressed that someone had actually just paid me for my work!
I quickly started a new article for a cruise line, and by that afternoon, had submitted my second article for review. This company promptly sent my article back with instructions for a few revisions, which I made and resubmitted. By the end of the day, that article had been accepted, and I was paid another $4.63. I had now sold two articles and was very excited.
The next day, while at work at my regular job, I received an e-mail with 2 direct order requests from the client I had written the back brace article for. I considered this a great success! Only a few days into this article writing thing, and I already had someone willing to hire me to write for them!
Textbroker automatically sets your Direct Price account at 1.5 cents per word. Once someone sends you a Direct Order, they are locked in at whatever price was displayed at that time. I had not given my Direct Price much thought as I was just starting out and didn't really expect any Direct Orders for a while! This company is now locked in at that price, so my next goal is to figure out what my work is worth. I have no idea what to charge!
I have at this point submitted one of the two Direct Orders and am waiting to hear back from the client as to whether or not it is acceptable.
You can check out Textbroker's website here.
Check back for my next update.
Trina
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