Writing Articles For $$$ And My Brain

Discussion in 'Self Employment' started by Richard Paradon, May 7, 2015.

  1. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Senior Wire is a syndicated provider of articles for senior publications, including newspapers. They accept submissions (750 words) from seniors on a variety of topics, which are outlined in its submission guidelines, in the event that anyone is interested.
     
    #16
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  2. Bess Barber

    Bess Barber Veteran Member
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    I was nosey, so I check it out. I wonder why they keep half of the author's money? What a crappy deal.
     
    #17
  3. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    It's not a charity. They are doing the selling.
     
    #18
  4. Bess Barber

    Bess Barber Veteran Member
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    I didn't mean to be negative. I just thought 18 - 20 % would have been a more fair 'agent' fee.
    It would still be extra money for someone who enjoys writing and has something interesting to share.
     
    #19
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  5. Craig Wilson

    Craig Wilson Veteran Member
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    I attempted to write a book once. It was one of those James Bond spy like things. I got to about 100 pages and then hit writer's block. So I canned the idea. I did however keep the draft for many years in case I ever wanted to continue and perhaps even finish it. But it was lost in a later house move.. and with it my only claim to fame.:(
     
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  6. Von Jones

    Von Jones Supreme Member
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    I started joining forums that paid for content writing when I got laid off as a way for pocket change and gifts cards and to fill my time while taking a break from doing job seaches.
     
    #21
  7. Craig Wilson

    Craig Wilson Veteran Member
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    @Von Jones If only I had known about forums offering paid writing work back then. I was also a writer.. a journalist and towards the end of my career I was constantly being challenged for my job by smart young university graduates. So found myself with only part time work.
     
    #22
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  8. Von Jones

    Von Jones Supreme Member
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    Every little bit helped.
     
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  9. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    @Von Jones Well, I am feeling like a real dummy. I joined forums for the first time when I was bed ridden for 3 years. It gave me something to do besides writing novels, poetry, drawing cartoons, etc., none of which ever made me anything, but rather cost me money. I am still wondering how writing for forums benefited the forum so they could afford paid writers. Were these forums sponsored by businesses?
     
    #24
  10. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    I wrote 6 novels all of which met with reject. Only published articles I have written were non paying. Everything I wrote for cash, went into the trash. I decided writing was an exercise in futility.
     
    #25
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  11. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    It’s a lot more work and money (no doubt) but several aspiring writers are now self publishing / copywriting and selling on Amazon. I believe Etsy even has a spot for self published books and articles.
    Quite a few bodybuilders and nutritionists are selling their own stuff on YouTube.

    I have a fairly good friend in England who, after being rejected a couple of times, now has a travel magazine on line which she benefits from.
    I also have another friend from a think tank who owns a science magazine on line. I have been asked to publish on both sites but thus far, I haven’t written anything of value and really don’t intend to at this time. When I get involved with the think tank I spend too much time in research to write a paper and for the travel mag I really do not regard my travels as being anything spectacular.
    That said, the options are always there if I need to make a few bucks.
     
    #26
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  12. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    When a person first starts a forum, you need writers to get the forum started, and as more people join, then you eventually get enough members that you do not need paid writers anymore.
    There are several websites that you can sign up for and write posts and earn money, just do a search for “paid posting” and see what turns up, or PM me for more info.

    I discovered paid posting around 2012-13, and really enjoyed writing on forums, although you don’t make much money; but it did help keep gas in the car, and was something that I could do , even when my heart was so bad that I could barely move around the house.
    When you work thorough a website, they attract the forum owners, and you can choose through the forums available as to what topics you are interested in writing about.

    Unfortunately, forums seem to be dying out , as more and more people are using things like Facebook groups to communicate with instead. Writers from places like Pakistan, Africa, or India now predominate the market for writers, and many of them have a barely working knowledge of the English language.
    Instead of writing good quality posts about something they know about, most of them just add stupid stuff like “thank you for telling me that” posts, which totally wastes the forum owner’s money spent for worthwhile posts.

    There are also websites that will pay you for writing articles, if a person is interested in doing that. I have looked at these , but haven’t tried writing articles, although it is something that I might enjoy doing; so I should probably try it out and see.
     
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  13. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    @Bobby Cole I once had all my novels published on Amazon and the royalties were a real rip off. I made a few hundred, but had a couple thousand invested in software, registered copyright, and a few hardcover copies for my personal collection. I did my own formatting and illustrations and it was way too much work for the paltry return.
     
    #28
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  14. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    Thanks, Yvonne! I never knew that forums would pay for writers. They must be forums sponsored by businesses that draw people to their websites. Just my opinion but a paid writer on a forum that writes from research instead of personal experience, sort of defeats the purpose of the forum.

    The main thing that attracted me to this forum was the conservative air and the use of real looking names. I hated other forums that always had some person using Devils Advocate as their name, handle, or whatever. Maybe this was a paid writer to stir up controversy and attract new members. Returning to the original post by Babs Hunt, I originally joined other forums to share my experiences and hear those of others. I quit because of the lack of sharing and caring.
     
    #29
  15. Von Jones

    Von Jones Supreme Member
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    Some could have been but I never paid attention to that. Some were gone a year after I had joined. As @Yvonne Smith mentioned there are writing opportunities to get paid for writing. I wrote an article of personal experience back in 2017 for AARP and it was selected as a subject of interest on their website. I think it was a gift card for $50 CVS pharmacy.
     
    #30
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