Name Your Price: Constant-Content.Com--A Great Marketplace for Your Work!
March 3rd 2007 12:51
If you're looking for a website where you can earn more for your work than at many other sites, give Constant-Content a try. Constant-Content doesn't actually buy your work; instead they sell it for you--in effect, acting as your online literary agent.
This site attracts many different people who are in the market for writing--much of it content for their websites or blogs--though, at times, you will even come across individuals who are looking to purchase writing for publication in various types of print media. At this site, the deal is simple: You provide the written material; they provide the customers. What could be easier? It's the proverbial 'marriage made in heaven'! With this arrangement, everybody wins! The writer earns money, Constant-Content earns money, and the customer gets the desired written material for his or her website or other project. Everybody's happy!
At Constant-Content, you, the writer, are the one who sets the price for your work. Of the price you charge, you will receive 65% each time your article is sold. (C-C receives 10% and their affiliates receive 25%.)
If you sell "usage'" rights, the buyer will be allowed to purchase your writing for a one-time use, which means you'll be free to sell and resell it over and over again. (If your work has appeared elsewhere in print or online, "usage" rights are the only rights Constant-Content will allow you to sell on their site, since they guarantee their customers that any work for which they sell "unique" or "full" rights has not previously appeared anywhere other than the Constant-Content website.)
"Unique" rights means that, after your article is sold, C-C will remove it from their site, because buyers who purchase unique rights want work that will appear only on their website. You will, however retain the rights to your work, and, as with 'usage' rights it will contain your byline (as long as you put your name on the article itself before submitting.)
When you sell "full" rights, which are often referred to in publishing as "all" rights, your work is likewise removed from the site, and the buyer may do whatever he or she desires with your piece--including modifying it, reselling it, and even removing your byline from it and taking credit for writing it.
Of course, depending on which rights you're planning to sell, you'll want to price your work accordingly. You'll also want to charge a reasonable amount for your articles, based on their quality, complexity, length, and nature--and possibly also on your writing and publishing experience, your expertise or credentials in your subject area, and/or your popularity as an author. Obviously, if you charge much more than the average buyer is willing to pay, you might very easily price yourself right out of the market, which will not help you to sell your work. (Of course, there's always the chance that you'll find just the right buyer who loves your writing so much that he or she will be willing to pay a higher price for it--but it may be just as likely that this individual will continue browsing the site for lower-priced content.)
Constant-Content pays authors at the beginning of each month for work sold during the previous month, and payment is made through PayPal. There is a $50 payment threshhold, however, which means that you will only be paid for work sold in the previous month(s) if, as of the date of payment, (generally the first of the month,) your balance has reached or exceeded $50.
The new site is great, and you'll find it very easy to input your work into their templates. (One nice feature of the new site is that you can go back and edit your articles after uploading right up until the time they've been posted to the site for sale. If you find any errors after that, you'll need to contact C-C's editors.)
If you haven't checked out Constant-Content now that their new site is up and running, drop by for a visit. You'll be pleased with the improvements they've made to the site! And if you've never visited Constant-Content, check them out. They're a first-rate marketplace for your work!
Good luck!
Jeanne
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Comment by Wendi
In another thread, you've mentioned selling 2 of 19 pieces, and of being contracted for personal writing assignments, but I'm wondering if you've had any experience yet with responding to the calls for content. I ALMOST submitted to one, but I found it impossible to keep within their low word count considering the amount of information they wanted. I'm just curious to know if you've had success answering calls as much as with posting your own content or contracting private work.
Thanks,
W
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks for dropping by! To answer your question: I have responded to several public requests at Constant-Content, but have only actually submitted one public request article, which hasn't been purchased though it was submitted probably two weeks ago. I'm assuming, of course, that it will not be--at least not by the requester. But only time will tell.
The messages I sent in response to the other public requests received no replies, though one was only sent a few days ago, so I could yet receive a response. One can never really make too many assumptions about such things. There are times when the requester is simply swamped with work and doesn't have the time to respond sooner. (This happened to me with my private request.) So it's better to just be patient--and work on other projects while you're waiting for a response!
I've sold 4 articles so far on CC since I joined in mid-February: 3 usage licenses for work I'd previously written and later posted to the site and one unique license for an article written in response to a private request.
If you wouldn't mind a bit of input on the article you ALMOST submitted, I would say go ahead and submit it--even if it IS a little longer than the requester's maximum word limit--telling him or her that you felt your article would be of higher quality and would more thoroughly cover the topic at this length. Just be sure to also express your flexibility and willingness to work with the buyer by offering to shorten it, if necessary. (Attach the article to your message once it's been reviewed by CC and accepted for posting to the site.)
Judging from the quality of your writing, I suspect that you find it difficult, as I do, to cut out words or phrases that you feel add a great deal to the flow of your writing simply for the purpose of being concise. But painful though it may be to cut out sometimes large portions of your well-written prose, there will unfortunately always be those times when conciseness is necessary. And I do feel it would be a shame to waste all the hard work you've done so far on this article!
So, if you can bring yourself to do it, without feeling that you're being untrue to yourself and your abilities as a writer, I would recommend that you submit it, with the full intention of shortening it to whatever length the buyer may ultimately decide upon (within reason, of course.) Should you later realize that it's simply impossible to shorten it to the specified length, you can always attempt to find another buyer or a totally different market for it.
Hope that helps! Good luck on your writing endeavors!
Jeanne
Comment by Wendi
This particular piece I'm talking about was for a birthstone charm bracelet. To my understanding, the requestor wanted information on the qualities and origin of each stone (there are more than 12), when and where to apply them, etc. -- and wanted it all in 650-700 words.
I do like my words, that's true... I share them in abundance and have had trouble cutting out favorite lines from time to time. However, as a former Editor, I completely wrap my brain around the concept of required word limits, space availability, unnecessary information, etc. -- but all things considered, how can you possibly provide the history and qualities of more than a dozen stones in less than 700 words? I have to head rattle at that one and wonder if (A) Maybe the requestor really doesn't have a full grasp on what 700 words looks like compared to the information they're requesting, or (B) I'm not as efficient as I'd like to be.
I'm struggling a bit today in regard to writing. I'm sure much of it is the fact that I'm "coming down" from a road trip high. I'm torn over what direction, if any, to take with my writing, and am attempting to create a road map for my writing career, providing I choose to follow that path. I don't even know if it is a choice, really. I tried to quit, but can't. I've had so many people close to me lately encouraging me to get back into the field, and sometimes that feels really exciting and natural and like the right thing to do. Other times, I think I just get overwhelmed, which leads to being lazy, which leads to being disorganized, which leads exactly to where I am in this moment! FRAZZLED! *LOL*
You've given me hope, anyway, that Constant-Content is a good starting place for me, and I've registered at the other site you recommended, "Associated Content." Then, I got sidetracked with thinking of career goals, work habits, etc. and allowed myself to trail off.
I just keep asking myself, "Do I really want to do this as a business, and if so, what's my business plan?"
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Have you checked out some of the other jewelry-related articles posted to CC? Perhaps it would help you if you were to see how some of CC's other writers approached this or similar assignments. It seems to me that it might be more practical to break this assignment up into two or more separate articles, each of which covers as many of the stones as can be discussed in a reasonably complete manner. The number would, of course, depend on how many stones could be covered in each article, based on the specific info presented about them. Perhaps two articles, each covering six stones would work; though, if enough info is required about each stone, three or four different articles, each covering the appropriate number of stones, could be required.
I went to the Fashion>Jewelry section at CC and looked around, because your comment got me curious, and I found a variety of approaches--though not all were about birthstones. Some were about different categories of gemstones or gemstones beginning with a certain letter of the alphabet, etc. Sometimes it's interesting to see the way other writers approach an assignment. It can get the creative juices flowing and give you a few ideas of your own! (Of course, I realize you may have already done this!)
I can definitely relate to your difficulty in knowing exactly what direction to take with your writing! Freelance writing can certainly be a challenge--particularly when you hope to eventually (though the sooner the better!) make a living at it! That challenge can seem awfully overwhelming at times and the likelihood of it's ever happening can at times appear pretty remote!
Yet we must remain optimistic, taking it one day (and if necessary, one article or one assignment at a time)--trusting our innate ability to create works that others will not merely want to READ but also be willing to happily PAY us for--and patiently awaiting the day when our work will finally receive the recognition it deserves, thereby commanding higher prices and more widespread dissemination!
Again, good luck to you!
Jeanne
Comment by Wendi
Glad I wasn't out of my head regarding that one call for articles. I may try writing back and asking if they'd be interested in longer pieces. Geesh, maybe if I get clever, I could phrase my question in 650-700 words so they can see exactly how small that is! *LOL*
Hey, I've made derned near $3.00 on Orble, now... I'm calling it progress! *giggles*
Thanks for the advice. It's nice not to feel so all alone in the big, scary world of writing. And you're right... it's a keep on keepin' on kind of gig where ya just can't lose the faith.
W
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
I've been with AC since the first of the year, and my earnings bonus is a pitiful $1.60; but at least it's SOMETHING, and at least it has the potential to grow in direct proportion to the number of page views my work receives in the future! That means there's HOPE, and that's good enough for me! (Haven't checked lately to see whether I've earned anything at Orble. Got tired of looking at all those depressing zeros and stopped checking! Dollar signs and zeros don't go well together in my book--unless they're on my monthly billing statements!)
Enjoy that cup of coffee with your mom! Have a cup for me!
Jeanne
Comment by Wendi
Thanks!
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
I currently attend college, serve as Treasurer of my campus's chapter of our State Honor Society, volunteer in two different capacities at my church, do periodic work as a Notary Public, and help my elderly mom out--all IN ADDITION TO writing--so I, too, know what you mean when you say 'juggle'!
Hang in there! It will all come together! And always remember: You can only do what you can do! So do what you know in your heart to be most important and don't stress about the rest!
Every day is a brand new day! No matter how badly things may have gone today, or how badly they may go tomorrow, with every sunrise, you have another chance to start anew!
Blessings!
Jeanne