Yesterday I received a little surprise in the mailbox. My first check for a magazine article! I was so excited to pull out that envelope and see my name in print, along with a $35 check stapled next to it. I wrote the article back in June and was waiting for it to come in, hoping the editor had not forgotten me.It definitely has given me another push to get out more magazine article queries. After purchasing and reading Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer: How to Win Top Writing Assignments
, I have been eager to try out some of the things I've learned. Now I think I have the confidence to do more since I have a couple of published clips not internet related. (BTW, if you haven't read this book, DO IT. I think it is literally the best book out there on freelance writing!).In other news, I have been writing quite a bit for Demand Studios. This week I managed to write 10 articles, which is my goal for each week. I was ahead by an article or two, but then received two complete rewrite requests for the first time. I was frustrated since I had spent quite a bit of time on those articles! But I decided to go ahead and rewrite each article entirely. They were both approved, so that's good. I then took the original versions and posted them on eHow. It's nice to have a back-up place to publish.
I also wrote my 2nd and 3rd articles for Suite 101. I tried to vary the categories to get a feel for what might earn more. I don't want to write on the same topic too much if it's not a high earner. Well, each article also received revision requests! I do appreciate the time each editor at Suite 101 puts into looking at the articles, but it seems a bit much for such a low pay. I have yet to earn one cent from any of my articles! But I am holding out hope since I have heard of many people who make their highest residual income there. Next week I plan on writing more, and hopefully by then I will have somewhat mastered the format for Suite 101, which tends to be my main barrier in revision requests.
On a side note, eHow earnings have been extremely low the past week. Although I earned almost 9 dollars last month, I have only earned 0.71 for August. This is very disheartening and I really hope things start to pick up soon. I have published 3 or 4 new articles this week on new topics, so hoping that will help things.
Good luck with your writing career! It's always hard at the start, but you need to keep going without losing any momentum (that's the hardest to build). Learning from the pros is also a great way to get ideas that you may not have thought of otherwise.
ReplyDeleteCheer!
Usha
www.writechoiceforyou.com
Congratulations on getting paid for a magazine article! That is so exciting.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe your eHow earnings are actually decreasing ... I've never heard of this happening before. :( Usually, everyone reports that they keep going up. I wonder what's happening.
Congrats on the check for the magazine article. I remember how excited I was when I sold my first magazine article - made me feel like a "real" writer! Sounds like you are off to a good start with everything else too. Found your blog from a comment you made on "No Job for Mom".
ReplyDeleteCheers,
DeAnna