Since choosing to begin working as a freelancer back in mid-August and signing up for the email newsletter from freedomwithwriting.com, I have begun trying out various writing sites online. The results have been interesting to say the least. Some of the sites work on an assignment basis where you get to pick what you write and submit it before the deadline. Others work on an assignment basis where the site assigns writing tasks to you. I have yet to hear from those in almost three months. Then there are those where you earn what is called “residual income”. This is income generated by ad programs you sign up for at the site. You write whatever you wish, be creative with the various ways the site lets you present your writing, then either wait for people to stop by, find you in the search engine, or you tell all your friends to come visit. Of these sites so far, iWrite and Textbroker.co.uk are paying me regularly via their assignment based system where I pick what I write within assigned deadlines. The residual sites I signed up for are a mixed bag.
The most successful so far is Hubpages.com: http://hubpages.com/profile/Marilynn+Dawson While this site won’t pay you till your account reaches $50.00, I am earning anywhere from $.03 to $.25 per day with 32 hubs written so far.
The next one in line is Squidoo.com: http://www.squidoo.com/lensmaster/referral/songdove. I’ve got six lenses here, and on average tend to earn anywhere from $.30 to $.45 per month. They can let you cash out with as little as a $1 however, so I am getting close to that first deposit.
The last residual income site is Wikinuts.com: http://www.wikinut.com/author~qmqjlo/Marilynn-Dawson/ This one pays in Euros, which, in itself shouldn’t be a bad thing, especially for a Canadian. The exchange rate is decidedly in my favour. But the pay is the lowest of the three sites at maybe $.12 for the month if stats remain constant. They break their pay down into $.000 places, and it takes almost 1000 views just to break a penny.
Realizing this, I’ve placed my research for my next book on Hubpages, introductions to my books on Squidoo, and rejected assignments on Wikinuts whenever possible.
I am unsure why Contently and Skyword have never sent me anything. Scribd’s application process didn’t like me very much, and DemandMedia Studios is taking awhile to confirm my applications there too. oDesk is a challenge to find appropriate jobs for a new user of the site, and DoNanza, while great at scouring the ‘net for writing jobs, has yet to land me a task.
It is my desire however, inspite of this, to become a full-time freelance writer. If you know of sites accepting freelancers, let me know.
