DEMAND STUDIOS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
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AN OPPORTUNITY TO EARN MONEY THROUGH WRITING
Demand Studios offers an excellant opportunity for freelance writers to experience earning money through their writing ability, sometimes for the very first time. The opportunity presents itself as the option to publish articles at $15 each on the worldwide web, or select specific articles that offer a revenue share program. The freelance writing contract opportunity always offers more article selections than a writer could ever complete, allowing the writer to publish as many articles as he or she can possibly do within a week's time, and be paid every Friday.
THE GOOD
Everything above is true. The pay is dependable, and arrives every Friday without fail. Demand Studios pays through paypal, either account or debit card, so one need never fear that his or her bank account information could be abused, or used without the consent of the writer. There is no limit on the number of articles you can write, and the topics available are almost without boundaries. One does have to select from the list, but article opportunities exist on almost every topic, and every field of study. The opportunity provides the chance for new writers to become published writers, and have first hand experience in dealing with copy editors, a very necessary experience in all forms of writing, and one allowing the writer to learn that what seems perfect initially, often has some need of correction or revision.
The demand Studios opportunity offers the writer flexibility in hours, days, and location, meaning that a writer can complete the work at any time and from any location anywhere in the world, and in my case, still have money loaded into my paypal debit card account every Friday, ready for use, regardless of where I may be. Travel is possible, as is work at any hour of the day or night.
THE BAD
Pay at $15 an hour is low, as articles well written generally take this writer well over an hour to complete, meaning that in my case, I generally earn around $5 per hour for my contributions. In addition to that problem, copy editors sometimes ask that articles be rewritten, meaning that the pay drops from $5 an hour to less. While I have only experienced two outright rejections to date, having your article rejected entirely after a rewrite attempt, is also a possibility that means you may spend many hours writing an article and not be paid at all. Rejections also go against your record, and could eventually cause you to lose your opportunity to write for demand Studios at all, losing a source of income on which you may have become dependent, at least partially.
THE UGLY
As an Internationally Certified Substance Abuse Professional, I have both a Masters Degree, as well as over thirty years of collective experience in my chosen field. I have managed and directed programs, counseled clients directly, presented training workshops, and written numerous articles on the subject of Substance Abuse and Treatment options. Unfortunately, demand Studios does not allow professionals to dispute the rejection of articles once they have been rejected, even when the professional is sure the article should not have been rejected on the basis shared by the copy editor in question.
While I will state without reservation, that the copy editor is usually correct when rewrites are requested, twice rewrites have been requested for reasons that were inappropriate from my professional point of view, and in one case the change requested by the copy editor would have been dangerous to potential readers.
In that case, Terrance Gorski was quoted as recommending that pregnant women always consult their doctors before taking any prescription or over the counter drug, due to some drugs being dangerous at any time during pregnancy, and others being dangerous at specific stages of pregnancy. Gorski did not specify the names of any particular drugs; the implication was that pregnant women should consult their doctors before using any drug.
The copy editor requested that I specifically name the drugs that had not been named by my reference, and a group that probably included more than a few drugs. I did not comply with the request because to name every drug of this type would have used up more space than is allowed in demand Studios articles, and would have been difficult to do, even for a licensed pharmacist or medical doctor, without running the risk of leaving one out. It goes without saying, that if even one pregnant woman assumed a particular drug to be safe during pregnancy because it was not on the list, that person or her unborn baby could have been placed in harm's way due to the incompleteness of the list of drugs in my article.
The copy editor consequently rejected the article, harming my record, and causing me to not be paid at all for many hours of work. In spite of that fact, I do not regret my decision, and feel that to practice outside of my area of expertise (I am not a licensed pharmacist or medical doctor) would have been unethical behavior on my part. Whether or not the copy editor, in this case, knew enough about substance abuse to be judging my professional writing is uncertain; however, it is obvious that he or she did not know enough about professional ethics to do so.
A WORD TO THE WISE
If you hold a professional license or certification, it is advisable that you not go against ethical considerations recommended by your board in order to publish a $15 or even $15,000 piece of writing. In the end, the responsibility will fall on you as the certified or licensed professional. Many opportunities exist for publishing, and demand Studios offers many advantages for new writers, but beware of anyone who makes requests or suggestions that could put your professional credentials at risk.
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Thanks for your comment, Tamara. As I wrote, in most cases the copy editors provided good suggestions, and found sentence structure issues I benefited from correcting; however, there were a few occasians when I felt they did not know enough about my particular field to correct me, and were unwilling to accept me as someone who knew more about my particular field than they did. I applied for expert status, and never heard anything back.
I have been focusing my writing efforts elsewhere, recently, due to the extreme amount of work required at demand, and the very low pay, but in this case, I did make the copy editor aware of my credentials, and almost as if this made him or her angry, the article was rejected. That is why this incident made print in his hub, and why I seldom write for demand Studios any longer. With all due respect for Demand Studios, and their efforts, if I am going to even pick up a pen for $15, which I hope not to do in the future, I do not intend to keep rewriting the article as if I were making $1000. They simply are not paying me enough to work that hard.
Professional copy writers of commercial writing earn $1 per word, not $15 for a 500 word article that also requires hours of research, and is then rewritten again, making the pay much less than minimum wage. Perhaps it is not necessary for everyone to spend as much time as I do writing the articles, but for me it was not paying off, and I suspect Demand is still making money off of my work, while I made very little profit from it. My seven years of formal education in my field, as well as the three additional years I spent obtaining my International Certification, may not mean much to demand STUDIOS, but I believe it will mean a great deal to others in my field for whom I design professional websites for much more pay.
Please visit my website at www.poetrytogo.net to see some examples of my website design. Demand Studios served to enable me to call myself an author of published articles on-line, but I never intended to write for $15 any longer than I had to do so, since I made $200 per Substance Abuse Assessment through my contract business before the governor of Georgia cut the state budget for my field by 24%. Demand is a good opportunity for new writers, but unless you enjoy poverty, and hard work for very low wages, it should be only a means to an end, and that is what it was for me.
I believe I have communicated with you before on their forum, and it was nice to hear from you again. keep in touch, become my fan, and we can compare notes as writers. Hopefully, demand STUDIOS is not the only agency for which you write, as there are many others. Thanks again for responding to my site. Hope to hear from you again. (: V
The editors are vague. When it comes to a strategy format they all seem to want more details than the format claims is necessary.
True, and while I can work with editor demands, even when I feel they are more than reqired by the format, at times the editor requires something that is not realistic, or even in a professional's best judgment, as in the case sited in my article. Thanks for your comment. V
Hi Valerie,
This was a great hub. I just joined Demand Studios and I agree...the pay works out to be about $5 per hour after all the time spent on each article. I like the idea of picking and choosing the articles I write, but geeze I could make more money bagging groceries...(but am not that desperate yet!)
Actually I would $5 per hour is good for me. I tried to go to freelancer.com and my client pays me $0.75 per 100 words. Really frustrating but I really need to earn for a living. Living in this world is really hard.
Hi Davy,
It is indeed a difficult point in time for many of us financially, but I presently earn more than $5 an hour, so I'm not willing to do the research demand Studios requires for that amount of money. I have hope that the seeds I am planting on hubpages will eventually pay off; however, I have no illusions that it will happen quickly. I wrote about 80 articles for demand, and wish I had discovered this site sooner; however, at the time I needed the $15 immediate payment, so I sympathize with you. Hang in there and good luck. I believe $5 an hour may be better than what your other on line writing group was offering; the problem is with the rewrites and rejections. I can't afford to write and not get paid at all, or rewrite an article for $15 total pay. Still, it was a beginning, and helps me appreciate what I'm doing now. No real regrets about having had the experience. Thanks for commenting on my hub.
Valerie
As someone who doesn't write for money, I've found this very informative...
Just a note to Tamara: Even if you repeal a rejected article and win, you are not paid for the article. They say they "will not hold it against you". However, the article never disappears from your Rejected article queue.
I do have problems with the process of demand Studios. I, too, have been asked by a copy editor to compromise ethical standards - in my case, the copy editor insisted that I provide instructions regarding how to use a freeware program to crack the password on a PDF document.
I just hope that when the copy editor sends back the article to the writer with some unreasonable request, that when the author chooses to let the article expire in the Rewrite phase, that the copy editor at the very LEAST, is not paid either.
I don't write for demand Studios at all, now, and don't plan to do so in the future. The pay is minimal, and by the time you rewrite articles over and over, you are not makiing enough money to even notice on an hourly basis. Hubpages won't get me rich, but I can also market my own writing while I earn a few pennies, and the pay grows as you increase your number of articles up there. Demand is an organization that takes advantage of people who are either desperate, or trying desperately to succeed as a writer, but I don't think you will ever promote your own writing by working for them.
I don't really know about Demand Studios, but I should thank you for this honest review, I guess. Good hub though.
If you are a good writer, and a serious writer, all you need to know about dmand Studios is that you don't want to waste your time working for $15 an article, spinning your wheels, and dealing with editors on ego trips who don't respect your own knowledge in your perspective field. They'd better thank their lucky stars I was ignorant, and desparate enough to write about 85 articles for them before I wised up, because they are still making money off of my writing, and that is writing for which I'll never earn another dime. I absolutely hate big companies that make big bucks off of the work of others who never make enough money to notice. I hate Wal-mart, demand Studios, and all the other parasites of the little man. So there is my lecture. Write and work for yourself. If anyone else could pay you what you are worth, there would be no money left for them.
Great article. Linking it to our site if it's ok.
We started a completely open forum for writers from Demand who want to talk about working there. That way you don't have to fear from the Demand Studios team.
Link is next to my name. Sorry for the cheesy domain name. Demand Studios SEO rubbing off on me.
Thanks.
Thanks patrick. Sure you can use it, as long as I still get credit whenever somebody reads it; in other words,do use my link. I love educating people about demand Studios, as I practically gave my writing away for several months right after my business failure. You don't make much money on hubpages either, but you don't sell your writing or research, here. This is just a way to earn pennies, and try to get attention.
Expose them. Great. They use desperate people for profit, and in this recession, people are THAT desperate. Knock yourself out. I hate Wal-mart as well, and all the other huge businesses that work millions of people part time for minimum wage for profit. Hate outsourcers too. Guess I'm becoming a socialist at heart, or someone who favors extremely tightly regulated capitalism.
I wrote approximately 200 articles for Demand Studios, and I admit I did it because I was desperate to supplement my other business (which had taken a hit with the economy) with some type of additional income. But making $5 or less an article was draining me, draining my life. My husband started calling it "Over-Demanding Studios."
I made enough to pay some bills, but I'm glad I left. My husband and I have brainstormed other ways to bring in additional income (no more $5/hour!).
I'd also written articles for eHow, and I saw how much income I could make (some of those articles have brought in 4 to 5x more than $15, so imagine what Demand Studios is making on its thousands--millions?--of articles). Demand Studios has created a sweatshop of writers, editors, others.
Best wishes to you, CK
Yes, demand Studios has definitely taken advantage of the problem economy. I wrote about 80 or so articles for them, before moving on to Hubpages. I regret doing it, but no point crying over spilled milk. I like your husband's nick name, "over demanding Studios." With all the re-writes those power addicts require, you should be making $15 a minute, but a sucker is born every five minutes. Sad.
Wow, and just think I just applied to this company. I feel however that though I do write good, I just don't really know how to go about finding the professional $1 per word type of organizations. Would you happen to have some advice about that?
I wish I had advice for you, TVChatten, on how to make good money writing, but all I have is advice on what not to do. You'd make more money at Wal-Mart than you'll make at demand Studios, and like Wal-Mart, they are getting rich off of your effort and ability. I'm just not willing to use my talants to make somebody else rich, when there is little or nothing in it for me. They wouldn't be able to use your talants for pennies, if people did not allow it. I am no longer allowing it. Hubpages is not a big payer, either; however, I can promote my own agenda here, include my novels, lyrics, and whatever I choose. Also, if the public reads my stuff, I begin to earn money, and don't do rewrites, unless I choose to edit my own writing, or have articles rejected. What demand Studios does is little more than workiing people at slave labor. I'm not willing, but if it doesn't bother you, that is your choice. I'd rather do some job that does not use my important skills, for surival, and use my writing and Masters level education, to promote myself.
You might send some articles to some magazines that you have an interest in. Whatever your interests are, those are the magazines you might consider sending articles to, and when you consider that they often pay $3000 for a single article, its worth the time. Working for $15 an hour is like being a cheap whore. Demand Studios can kiss my ass, along with Wal-Mart, and all the other slave traders. If I'm going to work cheap, I'll at least do it for a small business, where the boss knows who I am. Somebody told me they made three times as much money going to the group demand sells your writing to, and I think they are called "ehow." I just like writing what I want to write, and at this point, I have fans, and am beginning to earn money, but with hubpages, it takes time. Thanks for responding to my site. (: v
Very interesting and motivational. I'll definitely take a look at some magazines that I found on WritersMarket.com. I'm not sure if you're aware of that but if so, you may want to definitely help your audience in where to go. This was definitely an eye opener for me and I'm glad Demand Studios denied me lol.
Hello TV, I've gotta say I'm surprised demand Studios denies anybody the right to work for nothing and make them rich. lol. They would probably deny me at this point as this hub has been read many times, and they no doubt know about it. They can't hurt me in any way so I don't really care. They ae welcome to stop me from working two days or more for fifteen dollars, whenever they wish to do so. (: v
This article, as others I've read here about DS, made me think twice. Today I submitted my first article, and have to rewrite it. The editor made some great points, but some, in regards to policy were so vague. I have a slight inkling it may be rejected because I looked at the PDF policy again after a second submission, and was like 'crud.' Bleh, well, after the length it took me to write a 500 word piece, that $15 doesn't seem too enticing...and not anything I'd put on my resume. :s We'll see. Great hub!!
Hi torimari, If you've gotten wise after just one article, you're doing better than I did. I wrote 85 or more freaking articles before I figured out they were getting richer and I was getting poorer. LOL. To each her own, but don't expect to get rich at demand Studios. (: v
Valerie,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with Demand Studios.
So sorry to hear about all that you went through with them. I was looking at them as a possibility for writing for them but, after reading your hub, I feel that it might be a waste of time and a source of frustration!
Best wishes,
Margit
It might actually look okay on a resume; I've never used it on one, but one could. When its all said and done, a writer is judged by his or her writing, there for all to see. I don't know that I regret working for demand, but definetely won't be doing it again. (: v
Thanks for an interesting opinion and discussion on Demand Studios. As they have recently opened up to writers in the UK I've taken another look at them. I agree the pay rate isn't good even before allowing for revisions and rejections but I suspect there are many of us writing here and on other revenue share sites that will effectively work for a lot less on many articles that don't generate enough returns. I guess it is a choice between a modest up front payment against the potential for a better return over time. As you mentioned the experience of working with a copy editor is potentially valuable in itself.
On another note it is a good sign that when interested in opinions on Demand Studios the first place I've come to look is Hubpages!
Yes, alexhd57, you are correct. It is faster money, though not very much, and has probably opened up to the UK to attract new writers since many no longer want to write for them at this point. Like any business, they must attract new people to maintain their present income rate. As I shared, I certainly did it until I secured another part time job that took care of the need for immediate money. I am trying to build both a following, and an eventual constant income on hubpages, that does not require pushing myself every week to barely make it. By the time I retire, I hope to have money coming in monthly from my hubs. Thanks for sharing, and good luck with your writiing. I would certainly not leave hubpages, for demand, even if I did have to write some articles for them, to keep money flowing, because there is no writing future in working for $15 an article, and I would continue to put my best work on hubpages. (: v
Good work, valeriebelew. This is one of the more balanced pieces I've seen on DS.
I write for them myself. I'm relatively new there, but I've learned the system somewhat. Choosing your titles is key. Go for the ones you can write quickly and finish up with some fast research. If it's something that will take me longer than an hour to complete, I'm losing money.
Obviously, it won't be my best stuff, and I don't see DS as something that would look good on a resume. But they pay, they do it on time, and even the copy editors don't bother me very much.
I have Hubpages and my blog; with those I write good stuff that doesn't pay much.
Thanks Ericsomething. I don't think any of it pays that much, but there is a chance of this adding up to more later. Thanks for commenting on my site, and good luck with your writing and continued effort. (: v
Hello Valerie,
I'm a new writer at HubPages. Writers at eHow have been switched over to Demand Studios and to date, they have asked me 8 times to re-write my bio! This is absolutely ridiculious considering I would hope readers will pay attention to my articles than my bio. I don't have a specialized degree and only plan to write about general topics. Therefore, I can't understand why they are being so anal about the bio. Clearly, this tells me that I will be doing a lot of re-writes with my articles, even after following the guidelines, that will be nothing but a time waster. So far, I am NOT impressed with Demand Studios and I doubt I will be doing a lot of article writing for their website. However, hats off to you for being so patient with them because I am beyond frustrated right now.
I'm hardly patient with them, anymore, my friend, Nisa, as I have not written an article for them in almost a year. They demand too much, and pay too little. If you are going to ask for a rewrite, be prepared to pay me twice. They don't, so I don't write for them. (: v
had same experience as you being 12 years profession interior designer, editor asking asurb questions, telling me to change out correct terms for incorrect term, had a blow out with the president Mr. Lally gave piece of my mind. good article
The editors know much about writing form, but little about some of the professions about which we write. I am not going to write incorrectly about my field in order to please someone who doesn't know enough about it to judge, for $15. Thanks, but no thanks, demand. Not for me. Thanks for responding dawnm. We're on the same page. (: v
Doing a little back-tracking. I now totally understand but hope you find some other places you can share your expertise in little bites scattered throughout the Internet. If not, at least I know where I can always find you. LOL Take care Val!
Dar
Thanks Dar, you have proven to be a concerned and good person. I think you for commenting on my site, and for reading my writing. (:v
thanks for good peace of advice. haveing had some little experience on online writing for cash, it turns out there are quite many possibilities to be explored. looking forward for some more useful tips.
Thanks for your comment, Oscar. Judging from the popularity of this hub, people are looking for on-line writing opportunities. Perhaps there are some that would satisfy me more than demand Studios did. I haven't really looked that hard since beginning hubpages, but maybe I will sooner or later. (:v
Great article. I like Demand.. although it can be frustrating at times with constant changes and some editors; however, it helps pay some bills. Where I live the economy is in the toilet.
I post opinion articles and don't have ads here at hubpages unless they insist but still for no pay. My writings that I put myself into will one day bring their worth or they won't, I know what is good and what is not and anyone with my own good work will never get it for a pittance.
Thanks for your comment, pollyannalana, I amire your spunk. (:v
In a few weeks or less I will have my own site and write all I want,my way, many like my writing, it is thrilling hearing it so many times.
Thanks and congrats. Good move. (:v
I also have written many articles for DS. It seems it has gotten more difficult lately to get my articles published. I have been getting frustrated, and thus I looked for anyone else that has had similar experiences. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to try it and made around a thousand which was great to see in my paypal. I'll have to decide if I will continue or not. Thanks for being honest.
Yep, dfayne, that is everyone's own decision. I'm not willing to work that hard for that little money, but to each his own. Thanks for commenting on my site. (:v
No problem, Valerie. I understand your frustrations. It does make it tough to watch companies post profits in the millions and see all the workers who make those high profits happen only making peanuts. I watched Capitalism: A Love Story the other day and was very shocked about corporations and practices that go on. Did you know that there is a thing called "peasant insurance"? For example, let's say you worked for Wally World.. they take a life insurance out on you, knowing that you have some health conditions. You are essentially worth more dead to them then alive. They collect a large amount of money when a person passes away!. How is peasant insurance legal for employers to buy? I felt so bad for a few mentioned in that film.. they had no money to pay for funeral expenses and Wally World make over a million bucks on their deaths. Do you think they offered to help pay for funeral expenses? Nope. I guess it is a common thing, it's just not talked about much. Look at what Goldman Sachs has been doing. I think capitalism, a "free market" had good intentions but when you see what corporations do.. it makes you sick. These corporations exploit it to their advantage.
Goldman Sachs being the winner... How the government allowed Goldman Sachs to be essentially part of the treasury is beyond me. Conflict of interests! Here's a link to the guy, he even looks very shady..http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/andrew-clark-on I really recommend that people watch this film. If you have Netflix, you can stream it over the internet. It's on Netflix. I believe YouTube also has it on their site. There are too many people split on what the government should do about such practices, so I don't see things changing much. Honestly, I have no idea what would be a good step towards a good solution to things either. There aren't really any unions left to protect workers and if there are, I suspect that most don't do anything to help.
Oops.. watch the film mentioned in the above post. Sorry, I have only had a few hours of sleep. I'm dragging, lol
Jaymelee, I was already aware of this, and it is just another reason why i support regulation of captitalism in our country. Still, I fear it has already gotten so out of control, it will be hard to pull the reigns on it at this point. Especially with the fear tactics used to prevent regulation of WAll Street, and big business from being regulated. i fear the rest of us will eventually become nothing more than slaves to the very rich. (:v
Yup.. I agree with everything you say. It is far too out of control. People don't like to stick together like they did in previous generations... I really think things will get much worse. It's a good idea to stock up on canned foods and other "survival" foods. I wish I could afford gold; I think being it's the oldest form of currency, that it would be beneficial in the future. You could at least trade stuff with gold. I wonder how silver would be for trading. Anyway, I think it's best for people to prepare and try to pay down debts quickly. It's just better to be prepared, you never know.. and with everything that's been going on... it looks bleak.
Yes it does. I think bartering or trading one service for another will occur for many of us. Don't know that gold or silver will matter in a would where people don't have enough to eat. Congress is more interested in throwing party pep rallies than in solving the nations problems. (:v
This is very thorough information and exactly what I have heard about DS. I have never written from them, I only write for Elance, which I have had nothing but success with and I like the fact that I bid my price and if you don't want to pay it then don't hire me. I did however at one point apply to DS and they turned me down....I found this amusing. lol
Be glad they turned you down. They are getting rich using desperate people to do their work. Thanks for commenting on my site. (:v
Love your hub valeriebelew - it was just recommended to me by another great hubber (above) who is also a dear friend because I think she got tired of me complaining about DS and their rewrites. It can get quite ugly.
I think with DS writers complaining so much they have had to effect such changes like paying 2x a week, and offering monetary contests. But the editors are still a major complaint with the rewrites. I've been writing for them for several months to supplement my income - and they are forever changing the rules due to complaints but it still seems like one copy editor has an opinion and that differs from another - hard and fast rules are so
vague and it's hard sometimes to figure out what the rules are. I uploaded 2 articles and one editor told me I couldn't use a resource while the other let it go. One editor told me a law didn't seem correct and made no sense. Sigh. The law is the law, but the editor misread the distinction between two similar but very different laws. Yes, my rewrites were accepted but this becomes very very time consuming. And as you pointed out it can reduce your hourly pay to very little.
As one commenter above wrote - DS has recently purchased ehow and much of the writing I do is for their ehow part of DS.
Oh, and I had a rewrite from a editor suggesting I include information that had nothing to do with the article - it was rejected then when I intelligently explained that I was writing about soluble fiber and she was asking for information about insoluble fiber. I have since then not done any rewrites when the request is vague, or just stupid or I don't feel like it.
I know my days at DS are numbered now - because you are right - it is too much work for too little pay with what seems like thousands of rules, regulations - just so much to wade through. The best route of course is passive income like hub pages. And growing your own food. And of course not taking this whole DS business seriously and I admit I have been thinking 'wow, I'm a real freelance writer' - I can laugh about it.
Oh, I wrote a hub about how New Yorkers are earning extra cash because you may have heard that the cost of living in NYC as of Aug. 1, is 4x the national average. This is not true - it's actually higher because we pay a city tax in addition to state and federal. New Yorkers have always been hustlers.
We have to learn to be creative and enterprising - it's not a new concept. We've become so dependent on living in a culture that sells credit and nothing else. Everything is based on a ridiculous credit report - because we have no real money.
Your hub is on point. Nice to meet you too by the way!
Hello BKCreative, I am just not willing to spend hours and hours working for a set rate of $15. I work part time at $8 an hour, which means I earn over $15 in only two hours. While I am not earning much, I am guaranteed that much for only two hours work, so I'm certainly not going to spend three hours writing an article for demand Studios the first time, and then spend two or three more hours rewriting it with no additional income generated. I think what they do is criminal, and can't believe so many people are still doing it. It is also insecure because you never know for sure your article will be approved or that you'll get paid at all. I just don't have time for such nonsense. Thanks for commenting on my site. (:v
Valerie I had a minimal experience with Demand Studios when I started this writing thing and that was through eHow and I never even wrote one thing directly with them after checking the forums and reading their rules. I thought who would do this for this amount - oh why? It didn't take me long to realize how many egotistical wankers there were hanging around that place as editors or writers. Your hub and this discussion sums it up nicely.
Thanks Billyaustindillon. I don't anybody, including the editors, make enough money at demand Studios to feel all that powerful, but I guess from some just the illusion of power'll do it. Thanks for commenting on my site. (:v
I'm glad I read this, Valerie. Thanks for sharing your experience in such detail. I was seriously considering signing up with Demand Studios, but after your well thought-out review, I'm having second thoughts.
I've been searching for good, decently-paying writing opportunities. I'm considering Constant Content as well. If I might ask, are there any freelancing opportunities that you'd recommend besides HubPages?
So far, I'm happy here; I'm glad I'm testing the waters of freelance writing on HP, where my writing is actually appreciated. Awesome hub.
Thanks Benny. I doubt there is any way to make any big money writing on line, but perhaps there are sites I don't know about. I write mainly for pleasure, and to expose my creative writing. I don't really expect to make enough money on this site to support myself, but do hope to expose my writing ability here, and hopefully build a reader base. I fear any on-line site would be the same, and pay pennies for a lot of time and effort. You might ask some other writers, and hopefully someone else has better news. (:v
Thanks a lot. By all means, I encourage you to keep writing for pleasure. I'm trying to build a reader base myself, although I'm in need of a supplemental income as well. In any case, I'm under no illusion that I'll get rich online :)
Thanks again; I'll be sure to ask around!
Dear readers, I am no longer accepting comments on this hub. Thank you for your readership. (:v
Hi Valerie-- Although you state you are no longer accepting comments I hope perhaps that is not true!
I came upon your hub in an odd way. However, that doesn't change the fact that it was just what I needed to read tonight!
I was amazed to be accepted to Demand Studios (since I lack the professional certification and years of professional experience you have, but certainly have my share of "in the trenches" experience with substance abuse).
Anyway, it took me something like 4 rewrites just to get my PROFILE accepted! That was telling right there.
Not only that, but the editor (I checked their website and all the editors look about 12) sent back a correction that my degree is in English and Psychology. Sorry. I've been at this game long enough to know that most majors -- including psychology -- are not capitalized.
I have been busy working on other projects and have yet to even look at the Demand Studios site to start writing. Not sure I will bother now.
Thanks so much for the candid and honest review. MM
Thanks Mighty Mom, Some of my fan friends have actually identified and flagged someone who is targeting me and this hub. It is against the rules, and I have confidence the hubpages team will take care of the problem in due time.
Benny the writer, Have you checked out Hilium. I think they have a better system than demand Studios, and some claim to have earned up to $1000 in a month's time. (:v
Thanks valerie for a great and informative hub. I do not write for the site but I wouldn't go through the stress of trying. I like hubpages as I can write what I want without having someone tell me what to change. I think that is why there are good writers here because we feel open to write freely.
Thanks minnetonka twin, I agree. On line writing does not pay enough for me to jump through so many hoops, but to each his own. (:v
Good info...thanks for reviewing it so well! WB
Thanks Wayne, apparantly there have been some changes since I wrote for demand Studios, and they now offer variations including some articles that pay more. I would still not want to write for them, but many appear to be happy doing so. Thanks for commenting on my site. (:v
Am I the only one who Demand Studios turned down? I applied the other night and the first thing the next morning I got a rejection e-mail, it didn't seem like they had enough time to even look at my writing sample (I am trying to be positive and not let rejection get me down), I don't have the kind of experience that you have Valeriebelew but how do you get experience if you don't try?
Hello Rachellrobinson, I don't work for demand Studios so I don't have a clue what their logic was in denying you work. I also don't know exactly why they accepted me. I'm not having any luck finding gainful employment at this point so I do empathize with your feelings. Good luck finding something that helps you feel more positive. (:v
Hello Valerie,
I must say that I am shocked that DS would try to undercut you on certain articles, when you have much more professional experience in your field than their editors can claim. How personally insulting.
Well, I don't want incompetent editors looking over my shoulder, so that is why I'm here at HP.
I looked into eHow a year ago, and the biggest gripe I have with them is their limiting format, which I take to be the same as the one for DS. So I never signed up with them. I can develop a voice here at HubPages, and on certain topics, that "voice" is very much appreciated and undergirded by life experience and personal credentials. It amazes me that some EHow articles are ranked higher than mine in some areas, but eventually, I think I will close in on them, because the articles I read from eHow have some of their facts wrong.
Thanks Gracenotes, I understand that some changes have been made in demand Studios since this article was written. Some people were ready to cut my throat recently over this article, and called me everything but a nice person. I still have no interest in writing on line for money, because I believe you can make as much money, or more, working for minimum wage on a service job, and such jobs don't demand nearly as much mental work, but to each his own. Hubpages is a good site to communicate your feelings or views and have them read, but it still took me a year to earn $100, and I doubt any of these advice givers are earning enough to make much difference either. If you really need enough money to make a difference, on-line writing is a waste of time. If you just want to get your writing out there, hubpages provides more freedom and is probably your best choice.
I think my problem is that I don't consider $1000 a month for working 15 or more hours a day real money. You can earn that working 40 hours a week at minimum wage. So, I've given up on writing as a revenue source, and will write occasionally when I just feel a need to share my feelings or views. Other than that you are wasting time. (:v
Interesting hub. I've had a different experience (I agree with you, anyone who spends 15 hours to work a minimum wage should really look into a new line of work), but it's important for people to see all possible angles.
jayduve, with all due respect I have enough confidence in my ability as a writer not to believe that anyone else's experience with writing on line is that different from mine. Up until a year ago I was being paid $200 a hit for writing case narratives of Substance Abuse Assessments, and they took no longer than the work I was doing writing for demand Studios. I have been insulted continuously by people who claim the problem was my inability to write quickly enough, but my guess is that none of you were ever paid $200 for any single writing assignment accepted by demand Studios. That is what I consider reasonable money for a single writing assignment, so perhaps the difference is not in my writing ability or speed, but in what I consider appropriate pay. Demand Studios does not pay anyone enough for me to bother writing for them, and my guess is that most of you are earning about what I earned with few changes. When they offer me $200 for a single assignment that can be completed within a portion of a day, I will believe they are worth writing for, but until that happens I will consider them a waste of a writer's time. Your experience is that you are willing to write for much less than I am, and nothing else. If that works for you, go for it, but please don't hint that the problem is that you are capable of making more money than I am due to strength on your part. I don't buy it and only see a lot of tall fish stories. (:v
I realize it's been 7 months since anyone has commented on this but here I go. I came across this on a different website and I must say Great hub! I currently write for Demand and I took a break there for about 3 months or more because it was becoming difficult to find 'sensible' titles. They were all becoming too outlandish and quite honestly many of them made no sense at all and still remain in the queue. I was beginning to think they were simply adding all these titles to make it appear as though there really were over 100,000 titles to choose from, however 99,000 of them are practically impossible to write about. Expert or not.
They have recently implemented a new thing where they enter certain writers in a development program. 3 Senior copy editors review the individual's work but they cut you down to 3 titles only and these 3 titles are what they review your work on. They basically see if you still fit the requirements and write accordingly, etc. I was chosen for this and it is no surprise. Anymore I have a hard time getting an article accepted without a rewrite and sometimes just for the piddliest of things (add a colon here, etc)
However, I have realized that I end up spending an hour looking through all the guidelines and references and their backlist has grown to a crazy number backlisting many reliable resources making it harder for us to cite an appropriate resource. After seeing I was put in this program and may lose my writing abilities, I was upset at first until I started to really think about it.
Some titles take me more than an hour to research and complete and then like you said, you still risk a rewrite or rejection so it's a VERY risky position to be in. I do need the money even though I work a full time job making a very decent wage i'm beginning to second-guess just how much I need this gig......I love to write but I agree with you on writing online to earn money, it's a competitive market these days and people just aren't willing to pay enough to make it worthwhile.
I joined Demand years ago when they were not so nitpicky and didn't own eHow and I actually enjoyed it then. Better titles, guidelines etc. They have taken it to extremes today though where they honestly do not pay me enough to work my heart out for them... Thanks for listening to my rant!!
*I apologize for any misspelling or grammar errors, etc. I am currently very under the weather so the meds are talking more than myself :)
Thanks Emmareedtree,
I am also working full time now, back in my field, with health benefits and a stable income. I write occasionally on hubpages and continue to earn minimal amounts from what I have aleady written, but living off of writing on line is a joke. That is, unless you live in a homeless shelter and only purchase fast food during the day. Ha. Thanks for your comments. I relate. (:v
Tamara 2 years ago
Hi Valerie,
I just wanted you to know, that if you have another problem like this, just appeal it. This has happened to me before and on appeal it was taken care of. Another thing I have done after I appeal and there seems a possibility that an answer may not come, is that I list my qualifications in the area as well as my reasoning in the notes to the editor.
Hope that helps!
:)
Tamara