Before You Start to Write for Demand Studios (or any other company for that matter!) Read This
Since I began my writing career I have seen a lot of people trying to get in to the field. Everyone has different backgrounds and everyone is doing it for different reasons. There is only one thing in common; to make money.
I think too many people are getting in to writing for the wrong reasons, and end up being the ones who complain about it the most.
Do you like writing? Do you like research? If not, then this type of work is not for you.
Are you writing just because you do not like phone work? This may not be the type of work for you. Writing really needs to be something you enjoy instead of something you feel like you have to do because there is nothing else. Trust me, there is something else. There is millions of work from home jobs out there; you just have to learn how to seek them out.
If writing is something you enjoy, please check out “The Elements of Style” and you can download a free copy by clicking the link (there is no copyright infringement).
Do rewrites get on your nerves? Sorry, but that is the name of the game in the writing world. We all have them; all companies make us do them, whether it is content writing for a website, a magazine article or even a bestselling novel. Rewrites are a part of life. If you cannot handle them, and you take them too personally, than this job/career is not for you.
I have had my fair share of rewrites, and I have had to deal with the same Copy Editor that everyone else had to deal with. But, they do not know me personally, nor will they ever. This is my place of business and I can walk away to take a break whenever I feel like it. Do I get frustrated? At times, sure I do. But at the same time I remember we all have a job to do, and they are trying to do theirs as best as possible. Another thing to consider is in the online world, when all you are reading are a person’s words without really knowing the person, you may not understand fully the tone or the point they are trying to make. Not only that, we are all unique individuals with different educations, backgrounds and upbringings. We all view things differently. Think about those things next time you get a rewrite. Think about it from all angles, not just your own.Put yourself in the Copy Editors shoes. Often your frustration and anger will just wither away. Most rewrites take only a matter of seconds. If it takes you an hour, you are putting too much thought in to it and are making it harder than what it really is. Nothing on any of these content sites should take you over an hour.
If it does, writing may not be for you. Not for $15. It is not worth it to spend over an hour on something you are only getting paid $15 for. I understand for those who are new, it does take time to learn the system and the requirements. But time is money and money is time. You want to be able to write more words in the least amount of time. I will make no less that $15 per hour, and I often double that.
Many jobs are going to have their own type of “rewrite” or do-over. That is the joy of work. When I was working in the accounting field, there were often times when reports and financial statement would have to be redone. In every job I have ever had, something always had a do-over at some point in time. High School and College was no different. As the slogan goes “All in the Game of Life!”
If you are going to whine about how those that write magazine articles or short stories get paid $100 plus for their work, be sure to ask them how many words that is and how many hours it took them to write it, even with rewrites. Just because one company pays 1 cent per word, while another pays $1 doesn’t mean anything. Writers have got to stop thinking in terms of per word, or you are never going to make it in this field. No matter what your writing forte is. What you want to start thinking about is how much research I need and how long is it going to take me to write it, in terms of hours. Like I have stated before, I do quite well with Demand Studios, and writing in general and can pull in $30 per hour easily.
Even with my Associates in Accounting and being 5 classes from a double major degree BA in Business and Accounting, with already being accepted into the grad school program (while researching other schools), there are not very many places I can start out at making $30 an hour. And those that do start at that rate are an hour drive for me. So I for one am grateful for any writing assignments that I get.
Another thing to consider, Copy Editors got their jobs for a reason, because they are qualified and meet the requirements of having such a title, they are not writers, we are. I understand some of us vent just to get out the frustration of a rewrite we think is silly. I have been known to do it a time or two. But, if you honestly think a rewrite is out of line, gripe about it and then report it as such. Sitting around complaining about it is not going to change anything. You are wasting valuable work time, and that you wonder why you did not meet your goal for the day.
After my post on “I DID IT” , I continue to get my PM there flooded with questions. Well, this is how I do it. I work, and I work hard. I make a schedule and I stick to it. Granted my health has been a problem for me this year, but I am still managing to get around it. I treat my own business as if I was going to work for someone else. Actually, I treat it better. I still have a set time schedule to work (even though it is flexible), and I limit my time on forums and social networking sites to break times only.
Demand Studios or any of the other writing sites out there are not your “job.” They are not your employer. Your employer is you. You are your own business. You are now a freelance writer and a business owner. These writing sites are merely your clients. We are contract workers. We sign the contract, we send in W9 forms and at the end of the year we are sent 1099 to report our earnings and pay our share of the taxes.
If you do not want to do this, than being a writer is not the type of work for you. You would be better of finding a company where you are an employee either at home or at a B&M business since most of the writing companies are contract work.
As a 1099 independent contractor they do not have to pay any sort of employment taxes since you are not an employee.
That is why you pay self employment taxes when you file a schedule C. You also have the option of making quarterly payments yourself to the IRS. As a business owner this is your job and your responsibility, not the clients.
Those that give you a W-2 and a check with federal, state and in some cases local taxes also pay in to social security and Medicare.
Self Employment and Social Security Information can be found by clicking the link,and the IRS website.
Personally I would rather be an IC because I then get to take deduction that I otherwise would not if I worked from home with a company that did take taxes out (like West or Alpine). Most of these writing companies are IC and do not take out taxes, and generally that is the joy of being a freelancer. You are your own business and therefore those responsibilities are up to you. I have had my own freelance/IC business for a long time and I always end up with a refund at the end of the year.
With a company like Demand Studios who has thousands of writers, to pay someone the cost of doing payroll for all of those people, who all live in different states, would be a huge expense, which means us writers would get paid less then we already do. Not only that, the joy of getting paid 2X a week would fall to 2X a month due to the time constraints it takes to do payroll. Been there, done that. It is also a time consuming burden to any small company who neeDemand Studios writers to work with them. Writers come and go, since projects are not constant. Projects only last as long as it takes the writer to write the article. Writing companies have a high turnover due to this reason. Magazines, websites, blogs, and newspapers all have a high turnover as they freelance out a lot of work. That makes it difficult to keep track of, not to mention costly for payroll.
I would rather put money aside out of every payday to cover costs if there was a chance I owed at the end of the year.
The IRS will allow you to make payments to them quarterly, just like an employer would. They allow this for self employed and business owners. It takes 5 minutes of your time to put the money from pay into savings, and then write a check every quarter for your taxes. Or, you can just do it all at the end of the year. There really is no difference to the IRS whether you pay them, or they company pay them. In the end, it all comes out the same.
That's the name of the game when you are an independent contractor that means you are your own business, and therefore, the responsibility falls on you.
Because I am a tax accountant, all of this is very easy for me and just second nature to take care of it. And, I have been filing schedule C for so long I pretty much have all the rules and regulations memorized.
Again, that’s just the name of the game when you are in business for yourself and you are contracting with these companies.
They are not in the wrong, nor does it make them a bad company as millions of companies out there 1099 people.
I can make an average of $15-$30 an hour with Demand Studios, and it pays my bills. All of my other eggs and private clients are what I consider “extra play money.”Even with my education and degree, not many places around here will pay me $30 an hour. Not to mention I would have to commute at least 30 minutes. No thanks, it doesn't take much for me to set a few dollars aside and take a few moments of time to save money and keep records of all my expenses.
Another thing that I see a lot people complaining about is the "insurance" Demand Studios offers (and how others offer none at all). It is not insurance, but rather just a medical savings plan. There are a lot of insurance companies out there that do offer self employment insurance. Some is reasonable, some is not. Demand Studios for some is not reasonable, but the thing is, when you work for yourself, it a bonus that a company you contract with (not work for, as you work for yourself) is offering you some help with covering the cost of medical. Demand Studios does not have to offer us this as a perk or anything else for that matter and we as independent contractors should be grateful that at least one of these companies out there is offering us some assistance with medical costs.
One thing you need to do as a writer is protect yourself. Getting set up with some sort of health plan is one step. Having your eyes checked yearly is the next. If you are supposed to be wearing glasses, wear them!
Often I am asked how I can sit at the pc all day. I have FireFox and I put a program on my desktop and my mini called NoSquint. It will make your screen bigger so you can read better. It really helps on my mini, as I do not need to use it much on the desktop.
I have a good chair, I just have back problems and I know the way I sit makes it worse. My chiro insisted I start using a ball to sit on, which I do from time to time. It really helps.
It is also best to take breaks to stretch, and rest your fingers.
Personally, I love writing (maybe not so much all of the topics) and have always wanted to be a writer. When I was young I was always told there was not money in writing, no good career and that NY Best Sellers were one in a million. I get my talent from my mom who actually did take a few college classes in Creative Writing until I was born. I have taken quite a few in college. When I graduate I will use my degrees to advance my online writing career becoming an “expert” writing in those fields. I already have a few clients lined up. Grad school will give me even more knowledge and things to write about. I may never be a million dollar novelist, but at least I am doing something that I love.
To those of you who have had issues with any of these companies, again, I have been there. Just like a B&M place of business, things happen and there are differences for whatever reason. Do not let it get you down, and do not let it question your ability as a writer. There is an egg out there that is perfectly suited for all of us. What works for one person, may not work for another. It is best to form your own opinion because you could have a high success rate with a place someone else did not do so well, no matter the reason. Remember, there are two sides to every story.