Freelance writing in the digital age

I, like most freelance writers, find it very hard to make a decent living solely by writing.

There was a steady stream of paying work coming out of Demand Studios for years.

Despite how many writers complained about the boring assignments and constantly changing guidelines, many freelancers made 60 to 80 percent of their wages through Demand.

Unfortunately, that work has dried up. Now many of us are left scrambling for paying work.

I write for several websites, like Examiner and Suite101. However, the payment formulas of these sites is somewhat foggy. I am not sure that any writer understands exactly how the formulas work.

The long and short of it is this - writers are paid a percentage of ad revenue, which fluctuates depending on page views.

What it means to writers

We have now gone from a system (Demand Studios) in which we were in control of exactly how much money we made - i.e. flat rate per article = dependable money - to a system that makes no guarantee of any money - i.e. the pay per click = who knows.

Even writers with thousands of articles and hundreds of thousands of page views per month have no guarantee of income from one month to the next. What is hot one month may be totally flat the next month.

Not to mention, Demand paid us twice a week - very nice when you need extra cash FAST. Other sites pay only once per month, assuming that you reach the minimum payout amount.

What we can do

Write quality articles.

Quantity might earn you a few extra cents a day, but it isn't going to lead to anything bigger.

Focus your efforts on writing quality articles. These articles will help you build a portfolio of work that might land you a paying gig or even a staff position.

If you have a niche; learn it, live it and love it. You may soon find yourself an established expert, which can lead to speaking gigs, television appearances and even book deals.