Published on October 14, 2009
We have been profiling content mills and companies that have revenue sharing / pay-per-click programs. You know the type. They either offer insultingly low rates for articles (and often take all rights)…or you work your butt off to fill their site with content, and promote their site to get lots of clicks and/or ad revenue. They then earn money on ads placed on your content pages and you usually end up earning less than minimum wage, if anything at all.
Last week, I issued a call for writers who write, or have written, for Demand Studios / DemandStudios.com…
Published on October 14, 2009
In response to the question I asked in this article, an attorney (who is also a BookLocker author) shared this:
Hi Ang-
Concerning the “pay-per-click” issue:
I’d have to read the agreement but, based on what I understand of the process, the writer has agreed to such terms and conditions, unattractive as they might be, and therefore a court would probably say he or she has no right to complain. Accordingly, his or her seeking legal recourse, especially in light of the sums involved, would probably be counterproductive from an economic prospective. The better answer might be: Refuse to agree to such a provision.
Harvey
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Hi Angela,
I am mystified by the response from Terry accusing you of elitism because you dared to explain the workings of AllVoices.com. You are unmatched as a reputable advocate for writers and I thank you for that.
Keep up the good work,
Glenna
Published on October 14, 2009
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, a very good friend went looking for a book to teach her how to help me through the cancer ordeal. She inquired in bookstores, went to the Internet, asked relatives and friends, and tried every avenue available in her quest for information. She came up empty handed each time. After a year of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, I sat down and wrote the book she was looking for. I titled it Lessons from a Bald Chick: How to Help Yourself or Someone You Know Through Cancer.
Published on October 14, 2009
The last time I argued with my muse, it landed me in a writing slump for months. I hid it well, bringing resurrected pieces to my weekly writing group, and sharing market news and contest announcements with fellow writers in lieu of new stories, articles or essays.
Published on October 7, 2009
This is the time of year when everybody wants to visit us…because of the miraculous Fall show we get in Maine, of course. This weekend, Richard’s mom, step-dad, aunt and uncle will be arriving for a 5-day stay. The next week, his childhood friend, Scott, will be visiting with his girlfriend. And, on Halloween weekend, my mom is coming. We are so excited!
Published on October 7, 2009
Two weeks ago, we pondered if AllVoices.com, which runs lots of ads for writers, is just another pay-per-click meat market.
Last week, the CEO and founder of AllVoices.com refused to reveal how much her contributors are (or aren’t) making.
This week, we’re going to wrap this up by letting readers weigh in on these types of services…including one who is a previous AllVoices.com contributor…
Published on October 7, 2009
This week’s letters appear in: The Latest from Angela Hoy
Published on October 7, 2009
From the time I was a kid, all I wanted was to be a published author. I think I was strongly influenced by the Peanuts comic strip that had a recurring storyline where Snoopy was writing his “it was a dark and stormy night” book.
I achieved my goal of becoming an author in 2001, but I didn’t reach the level of success I had planned until I made one simple change in mindset a few years later.
Published on October 7, 2009
I’ve had lots of stuff published in the consumer zines and in professional journals. I’d like to take some of these and put them on my MySpace thingie, hoping perhaps it’ll generate more business.
My concern is that the articles and manuscripts essentially now belong to others and I was wondering if, even though I was the author and they would be going onto a social networking site, if plagiarism issues can result. If so, what if I added to each article or manuscript “This article/manuscript appeared in such-and-such magazine (or journal) on (whatever date)”? Would that cover me? Or, should I just drop the whole idea altogether?
Published on October 7, 2009
Sometimes we writers, especially fiction writers, make our job harder than it needs to be. We would force feed our readers the literary equivalent of chicken Cordon Bleu when they would be happier
