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A Note About the Price Change for User-Suggested Articles

Hi, this is Robyn, the Director of Content for Demand Studios. I know many of you have questions about our decision to change the compensation for writer-suggested articles, and I wanted to explain the reason for the switch. This essentially was a business decision. Our data demonstrates that the titles we assign consistently outperform writer-suggested titles. So we needed to find a way to encourage you to write more Demand-generated titles. Our editorial team reads your feedback in our forums, blog comments and on other sites. Many of you have noted that the prices advertised as "variable" seem stuck at $5. We are taking steps to move toward a wider range of payments, even though this may not be evident now.

If you wish to write about topics that you can’t find among our titles, we encourage you to submit your ideas. We want you to write about topics you're passionate about. However, you also have to make a business decision, and we understand if you decide it’s not worth your time to write an article for what we’re willing to pay. Demand Studios will always tell you how much we will pay before you decide whether to write your article. If you choose not to submit new titles, your earnings don’t have to diminish. We are committed to actively pumping more Demand Studios titles into our system to supply you with plenty of work at the $15 level. A primary goal for this team is to create as many earning opportunities as possible for our writers, today and in the future. As long as you continue to deliver quality work, we will continue as a reliable source of income for this talented community – and that commitment includes managing the business so that we can increase our investment in areas like our $15 articles. I hope you’ll be patient with us and continue to speak out. Demand Studios appreciates the feedback, suggestions and ideas that come through the forums, blogs and other areas.

Thanks, Robyn

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I don't understand this at all. I've written over 100 How-Tos and I am an expert on sports and history. I was told by a Demand Studios editor that it would be fine if I wrote about history, but I have had every single history-related suggestion rejected. Now if I go on to the titles up from grabs in sports, there are dozens and dozens about outboard motors and knives, but virtuall nothing about baseball, football, basketball, tennis, etc... I don't get it. I don't know anything about that stuff. I can't imagine that people are more interested in the sharpening of 50 different kinds of knives than about baseball! I love writing How-Tos, but I'm a full-time freelance writer. I can't spend a half-hour on writing these and get $5. And every time I write an editor about this, I get no reply. Please, please, please, SOMEONE address these specific concerns. Thank you! Marty Gitlin

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The reason they need the knives type of articles isn't because they don't value you Marty. This society is a mess and people would rather fool around with knives than pick up a tennis racket and stay healthy. Don't worry, it really isn't you or anyone else, it is the downfall of our moral society. When you have screwballs wanting this information, it is our Demand's job to supply this. I won't submit to those kinds of questions, but maybe there are screwball writers that can answer it. Your on the right track. Keep the faith that baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and chevrolet are still America's favorite. Now, if you need a knife to cut that apple pie, then DS will have that information for us!:) No...Thank you Marty, Cheryl

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Just coming back to the site after quite some time of being "away" due to family reasons - I'm liking the changes here! This blog is great - I have to catch up on a lot of reading, but it all seems pretty straightforward to me. I hope to get back to work soon. Work is work, in my opinion. More variety = more opportunities to earn money. Society has changed (as has been aptly pointed out here). This is still honest work and honest pay. Demand Studios has been reliable and upfront as long as I've worked with them, I've never had a problem with them. I had worked with two other freelance websites and I was lucky if I knew IF I was getting paid or WHEN - or how much, for that matter. At least with DS - they're upfront, and they've responded when I've had to contact them for various reasons. As for areas outside of my expertise - I'll have to take my chances and just do more research - I've got my kids to feed and bills to pay.

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I agree with Marty - I am also a freelance writer and have been writing and suggesting topics almost exclusively for the Health category for the past 6 months. Now, all I can find is "How to Build a Wheelchair Ramp", which is fine, but to be told that the price dropped from $15 to $5 on relevent and timely and informative medical topics and concerns is disappointing to say the least. Unfortunately, I don't care to write about "How to build a Motorized Bar Stool" or "How to Build a Rocket" in 10 steps or less. Sigh...

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Marty - It is fine if you write about history, however, it might be how you're writing them, not necessarily the topic itself. We have a freelance staff of over 50 editors who copy edit articles, so if you were told that history articles would be fine to write, that's true, although please keep in mind that there are guidelines to follow for articles. We have some great tips on this blog that might help. We have explained the change in user-suggested policy in this blog, on the forums and in emails. If you have specific questions that you can't find here or on the forums, please email us - the reason you probably didn't get a response is because we are currently having trouble with SBC Global, Comcast, BellSouth and Gmail email addresses. -Liana

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Hey, Liana! Thanks for writing back. I have suggested history-related titles and they have ALL been turned down. All I wanted was a suggestion from someone at Demand Studios as to the best way to word the suggested titles. Now it's too late for that because all I can get is $5 for them and I consider my time and 25 years of writing experience too valuable to write for that. This has been a terrible development. I consider myself an expert on a few different subjects, but I am a sportswriter by trade. There were more than 400 items on the “Sports and Fitness” listings and NOT ONE of them was about how to do anything in baseball, football, basketball, hockey, tennis or golf. It was all about knife sharpening and how to fix windshields and what to do with outboard motors! What is that??? Here are a few of the titles I saw on the “Sports and Fitness” list: How Many Stomachs Does a Dolphin Have? Seasoning a Dutch Oven? Scuff Marks on Hardwood Floors? What is a Mortgate Savings Account? Dating Sites in Germany? Costa Rica Retirement Communities? Ary Retirement Pay Scale? Do Catfish Lay Eggs? History of Treasure Chests? Please, Demand Studios, tell me: What do ANY OF THESE have to do with sports and fitness? I’ve been a writer for 25 years. I’ve written biographies and books on history and sports and I consider myself pretty strong on parenting and entertainment. Yet I went down the list of about 1,000 titles that paid $15 and couldn’t find more than two or three that I could do!! This is terrible! Please, folks, let me know what you think. Why aren't their sports titles on Sports and Fitness. You know….sports! Baseball, football, basketball, hockey, tennis…How is it possible to have 400 titles in sports and fitness and not include how to perform particular skills in any darn sport??? Also, I have seen NO real history related subjects on the Demand Studios suggested titles. Can someone please explain this? Thank you! Marty

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I agree Marty. I have suddenly been banished from Demand Studios after writing well over a hundred articles. I received a terse letter explaining that they had no articles that suited me at this time, and they would keep me on file. Strange, two weeks before I had received several emails claiming I was one of their "best writers". I am devastated and upset. This was one of the best freelance jobs I had come across, and all of the sudden they killed it. Please feel free to send me some links to other sites that are out there... it is a real shame. I enjoyed this and really needed the extra income.

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I'm a published author of fiction who has also written over 1,000 non-fiction articles, yet Demand Studios turned my application down. Interesting. Must be the economy. But, whtatever. I've got other gigs.

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I've noticed that about half of my suggested titles are approved at 15$ and the other half at 5$. I'm a Librarian, so I obviously have a good deal of random knowledge about a variety of subjects, but I don't really care to write about motorized bar chairs (LMAO) either. While this is certainly discouraging, I will say, that I have worked for other studios on THE SAME projects (ehow, About, etc.) and have been paid less. That's how freelancing goes.

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I'm a full-time freelancer who specializes in video scriptwriting, and I was thrilled when I discovered Demand Studios. With more than 20 years in the business, I thought the editors at Demand Studios would be equally thrilled to discover me. My client list includes many well-known national companies and organizations, so when I was turned down without so much as a phone call, I was a little shocked. I'm used to charging $100 an hour for scriptwriting, but the economy has put a good-sized dent in my business. Despite my willingness to take a major cut in fees, Demand Studios took a pass on me too. I thought perhaps they would be interested in pairing me with one or more prolific videographers, or at the very least, be interested in discussing the possibilities. The whole thing was particularly surprising since I'm also an experienced web content writer. In fact, I had a longstanding freelance relationship with America Online... submitting as many as 20 400-word "blurbs" every week for four years. Opportunity was knocking and Demand Studios wouldn't even look through the peephole. What a shame.

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A Note About the Price Change for User-Suggested Articles

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