Earn Money Writing for Textbroker.com
In an earlier post I mentioned Textbroker.com as a way for newbies to make money. It seems to be a legitimate site whereby upon acceptance, you’re paid for your article. I do have to warn you, however, that the pay scale is rather low.
Here’s how it works. You go to Textbroker.com and sign up for an account. After you agree to their terms and conditions (you have to check the checkbox), they’ll send you an email through which you can activate your account.
After your account is activated, you have to give them a sample of your writing. In my case, they listed 4 topics from which I had to choose one and write an article with a minimum of 120 words. They use the article to grade your writing on a scale of 1 to 5.
I ended up in the middle with a grade of 3. The higher your grade level, the higher the pay scale. I’ve got to admit, unless there is a tremendous jump in payment from a level 3 to a level 5, it’s barely worth it in my opinion.
Here’s a sample of the difference between a grade 2 and 3. I’d love to hear from Textbroker writers who have a higher rating to see if the pay scale increases significantly.
 Level 2 Pay Scale |
 Level 3 Pay Scale |
Armed with your rating, you get to choose topics on which to write. They will only display topics for which your rating qualifies. After you select the topic, you follow the instructions and write and submit the article accordingly and wait for approval (or revision if necessary).
Upon approval, your earnings remain in your Textbroker account until they exceed $10. Once your balance exceeds $10 you may request payment. Textbroker pays by PayPal by the 10th of each month. You must put in your request for payment before the 5th of the month. If not, your balance is rolled over to the next month.
Just for grins, I signed up and wrote a 320-word article for a payout of $1.54. Like I said, it was just for grins. I’m still waiting to see if it will be approved.
I don’t think Textbroker is a service that I’ll use, but for newbies looking to get their feet wet and earn a bit of cash, give it a try.
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Comment by Josh on 26 August 2008:
Actually it’s not bad if you commit yourself to gaining a 5 star rating. Everyone starts at level 3, and you go up according to how you are rated over a span of your last 5 articles. 5 star ratings earn 5 cents per word, so a 500 word article shells out $25. 4 of those a day, and you can earn upwards of $500/week… that’s actually incredibly good for a “newbie” wanting to earn extra cash. LOL
Comment by Felicia on 26 August 2008:
Hey Josh,
You’re not kidding about it being a good start for a newbie (or for anyone else looking to earn some money writing). It seems the trick is to get the 5 star rating.
Thanks so much for the info.
Comment by Josh on 26 August 2008:
No problem. I’m pretty impressed with the site so far, and I’m working on my 5 star rating. TextBroker also seems to provide really good support for it’s writers. So far I’ve released 10 articles, worth about $40 in my account… 5 of those have been accepted and paid for already. It will be interesting to see how well the process works at the higher rating.
Comment by MY on 27 August 2008:
It’s rather improper that the service is limited to the U.S. Why don’t they make it open for the world? They may re-consider…
Comment by Josh on 27 August 2008:
Well I may have to amend my earlier comments about it. I’ve run into some road blocks on my test run with TextBroker. For one, the number of available jobs has gone to almost nothing. Second, after getting my first evaluation, regardless of receiving top notch comments and ratings from customers, TextBroker is holding me at 3 stars. I e-mailed them and asked how their system works, and where I could find the “Rating” button they talked about, so I could see a break down of my evaluation. In their reply, they didn’t resolve the issue of the button, but they did inform me that they only have about 5 professional writers who have earned those 5 stars.
To my understanding a professional writer is one who makes his living writing. I’m starting to have trouble with the idea of a service which grades its writers so harshly regardless of how happy the client is with the document.
Anyway, I’m still communicating with them, so we’ll see what happens.
Comment by Felicia on 28 August 2008:
It sounds to me that Textbroker benefits from writers working hard to achieve the difficult to achieve 5 star rating. In the meanwhile writers are writing tons of content for a rather low rate.
I’d be interested to see how your situation works out.
Comment by Josh on 28 August 2008:
That may indeed be the case. They never did resolve my issues with finding a button on their site that had anything to do with a breakdown of my evaluations.
I sincerely hope they aren’t just out to benefit from cheap work. That kind of thing is bad for the freelance industry. It takes advantage of beginners who don’t yet know any better.
I have learned that they are only about 3 weeks old, which is why they don’t yet have a lot of jobs streaming in. They’re still trying to get clients out to the site.
I’ve sent them one final e-mail and I’m working up a full scale review for a buddy of mine. So far the outlook isn’t good for TextBroker, but I’ll give them a chance to reply first.
Comment by Josh on 28 August 2008:
Hello again,
Well everybody, this is strictly my personal opinion, but stay far away from TextBroker. Try as I might I couldn’t find another writer who could get above their rating system, nor could I find anyone who’s had particularly good experiences with them.
They’re a start up business, only less than a month old. So hopefully they won’t survive.
Sorry if that seems harsh but I definitely wouldn’t waste my time with this service.
Comment by Felicia on 28 August 2008:
Hey Josh,
Thanks for your input. They approved my text and gave me a rating of 2. Remembering your comment I didn’t get upset. I realized that this just wasn’t something that I was going to spend my time and effort on.
I can’t thank you enough for sharing your experience with us.
Felicia
Comment by Josh on 28 August 2008:
Hey no problem!
Thank you as well, I like the way you have your blog set up. I think it’s laid out nicely and will prove to be a good source of information for people to look over.
Thanks again for the opportunity to post and share what I learned about the site.
Josh
Comment by Sue Molenda on 29 August 2008:
I just received notification that I was accepted with a rating of 3 on textbroker.com. I didn’t find any orders available at the moment, but I do hope textbroker will survive, because it’s a way to start earning legitimate (if small) income and publication credits as a writer, without having to invest a great deal of time creating a blog that doesn’t pay and hoping to be “discovered” and offered a paid gig someday.
I’m busily working a dead-end job as a receptionist, where I’ve scribed several screenplays, some stage plays, and a plethora of poems and songs, most of which I’ve never bothered to market. The stage plays were requested and produced by non-profits for honoraria so low that I felt guilty cashing the checks, and donated the entire amounts back to the organizations who paid me– except in the case of the half-hour comedy show I wrote and performed on the evening of the first day I’d spent watching my best friend die from a suicide attempt. In that instance, it was weeks before I could drive to the bank to cash a check without weeping uncontrollably.
I’m often told that I should write a novel. I’m told it would be a bestseller. But I feel an urgency to find a better-paying job, and I waste countless hours perusing Craigslist and Monster for a career I won’t hate. Nothing fits the bill. By now, I could have written an entire series of novels, or several series. Perhaps that’s what I should do.
In the meantime, if I’m able to earn five bucks for a few hundred words, I won’t complain. But I might feel underpaid, considering I once won a year’s subscription to Artist’s magazine for a single paragraph, and a $169 soymilk maker for a 200 word essay that just happened to flow out of me in perfectly rhymed couplets of iambic pentameter.
Comment by Felicia on 29 August 2008:
Hi Sue,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting here. It’s obvious that you have writing talent and should be paid a handsome wage for it. There’s got to be better paying markets for your talents.
I’ve never entertained the thought of writing screenplays or novels so I never spent time looking online in that direction. However, after reading your post, I’ll spend a little time looking around to see what’s available. I can’t promise anything, but you’ve got me curious.
In the meanwhile, places like Demand Studio, although they only pay $15 per article, pay higher than Textbroker. The articles should take about 20 to 30 minutes to complete depending on the topic (that’s including uploading them to Demand Studio).
With your writing ability, you should be able to blow through a few Demand Studio articles a day in your spare time while looking for better paying opportunities.
As far as Textbroker goes, use them if they’ll help you, but I really think you can find higher paying gigs elsewhere.
Comment by Josh on 29 August 2008:
Hello again
An update, TextBroker finally got back to me, and this time on a positive note. Due to my frustration and concerns with previous experiences Jan ( who appears to be handling the support end of TextBroker ) wrote me an e-mail explaining that she personally reviewed my latest articles and found no errors or mistakes herself. She made a note of it to the editorial staff and my rating for the last article went to a 4 star. I was informed that if my quality continues in this manner, my rating will keep rising.
So that’s a first positive note about the service. I’ll be a guinea pig and try some more articles to see what happens.
I have nothing better to do at the moment, as I’m on a semi-vacation anyway. lol
I do however agree, Sue, that your writing talent is obvious. Your contribution to this blog was worded well and really flowed. If you haven’t done so already, take a good look at some of the other posts on here. I’ve visited several interesting sites and writing tools that I was unaware of thanks to Felicia and her information.
Best of luck to you in kicking off a new career! You definitely have what it takes to make it in freelance.
Josh
Comment by Alyssa on 2 September 2008:
Hello Felicia,
I have to chime in to the latest comments made by Josh and Sue regarding Textbroker.
I have to question Textbroker’s legitimacy and professionalism. They have placed their credibility on the line with the design of their Web site. After perusing the Web site and registering with them, I was left flabberghasted.
They claim that authors must submit work that is flawless (i.e. free of grammatical and spelling errors) to achieve a high rating. However, just a quick glance at their Web site, such as in the FAQ section and content under each tab (Authors, Clients, etc.), any decent writer would be appalled. The passive voice blared at me, commas were missing so that the sentences fell apart, and the sentence structure was such that I was mentally stumbling over their words.
I find it laughable and ironic that they would make such a demand on writers when they can’t even write engaging, coherent content for their own Web site. I have to wonder, how desperate am I, as a startup freelance writer, to allow them to pass judgement on my writing when they blatantly display mediocre work as a way of enticing writers or clients?
I’ve worked with technical editors and I encouraged their feedback only because these editors were exceptional and superior writers, had the technical skills of a wordsmith, had an ear for writing, understood individual styles of different writers, and made others’ ideas and copy better not worse.
My parting comment is that I hope the editors at Suite 101 are better qualified. From what I can see at Suite 101, when compared to Textbroker, there’s a world of difference. All I can say is, caveat emptor!
Comment by Nick on 2 September 2008:
Hey, I’ve been on Textbroker for a month. I’ve made 48$ thus far. Almost all of my articles got a 3 star rating, but two of them got a 4. To get to a 5 star rating, you have to consistently get 4 star ratings for like 10 articles, then you can advance. I don’t feel safe giving out SSC info..but I’ll have to, if I want to receive payment.
Comment by Felicia on 2 September 2008:
Hi Alyssa,
For some reason, I get the impression that English isn’t the native language for the folks at Textbroker.com. I’m not sure if I’m giving them an excuse or not, but I would think that if English were the native language, their content would be much more engaging.
As far as Suite 101 goes, there are several editors and they are better qualified than Textbroker editors in my opinion. You will, however, find a few that take their job too seriously and get picky about things like “not using up all 170 characters” for the intro paragraph (I used 159 to come up with a compelling intro). Comments like that I ignore.
Comment by Felicia on 2 September 2008:
Hi Nick,
I’m glad you’re having success with Textbroker. I understand what you mean about giving your social security number, but unfortunately, in order to get paid, you’ll have to share those precious numbers. The good thing is that at least you get a chance to earn a few dollars and get a better feel for the company before you share your social security #.
Some organizations require the social security number up front. I usually stay away from those.
Keep us posted with your progress on Textbroker.
Comment by Josh on 3 September 2008:
That’s pretty interesting information all around. If my next article gets accepted it will put me at just over $70 in earnings. They’ve consistently maintained 4 star ratings on my articles since I posted my questions to their admin. We’ll see if that lets me advance to 5 once I have enough 4 star scores.
Alyssa, thank you very much for your contribution. Thanks to everyone, actually. I’m glad I am not the only who feels that there is something a little off about the TextBroker rating system. What we do is creative writing and very few creative writers, even best selling authors, would pass an English term paper with their writing styles.
Grammatically correct English and creative writing just don’t have much in common. This was the concern I posted to TextBroker when I began to suspect that their grading system worked in this manner.
I’m still holding out to see about that 5 star rating, mostly because I’m just curious. I’ll be back to post on it should anything come of that.
Comment by Alyssa on 3 September 2008:
Hello Felicia,
I have an update on Textbroker. I registered with them yesterday and submitted a brief paragraph as a sample of my writing. I received a 4-star rating.
I’ve taken a look at the OpenOrders and the variety of offers available for anything at 4 stars or above are skimpy at best, which is understandable. After reviewing some of the orders for 2 and 3 stars, I have some reservations about doing this. I don’t know where it comes from, but let’s just call it a “gut” feeling. I’d like to know more from you, Josh, Nick on how things went when you submitted your first text for an OpenOrder. The orders seem to originate from overseas.
I also like to add to Nick’s comment that if you don’t want to provide your SSN, you can provide your Employer Identification Number (EIN), which is also known as the Federal Tax Identification Number. It’s probably a good idea to present yourself to the public as a sole proprietor when you’re freelancing. You can apply for one from this IRS Web site: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=102767,00.html
I think I’m going to do this before I begin asking for payouts. Has anyone done this before?
Comment by Josh on 3 September 2008:
Hey Alyssa,
My first submission for an OpenOrder on TextBroker went smoothly. I’m using the site to help build a portfolio. If nothing else, it’s at least good for that. Many of the clients I’ve written texts for will gladly direct you to the website that your text will be published at. I’m formerly a full time ghostwriter. While the pay is excellent, the bylines are non-existent.
Today when I logged on there were twelve 4 star articles and nothing in the 5 star category. Now at one point I was told this company is only about three to four weeks old and that they are still in the process of getting traffic to their site. So maybe it will pick up, who knows.
I would like to direct you to another resource, if you haven’t already been there.
http://www.online-writing-jobs.com/
You do seem to be a very talented writer and this site is a pretty good director for finding jobs almost on a daily basis. You can look up various ads and apply. Some require extensive background and experience, while others don’t so just browse them and see what fits.
NOTE: There is a ghostwriting section on that site. If you try your hand at it, power to you, but as I said there are no bylines with most of those jobs. You won’t expand or start a portfolio by doing it. However the pay is excellent… if you take on a ghostwriting job, be sure you charge what it’s worth.
I’m waiting for a few more 4 star ratings from TextBroker to see if they advance you to 5. Thanks for the information on applying for sole proprietor, I might consider that too.
Josh
Comment by Alyssa on 5 September 2008:
Hey Josh,
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I also checked out the online-writing-jobs Web site and was impressed by the array of job offerings.
I recently spoke with my accountant who said that filing for the EIN should be painless, and it doesn’t affect the way you file taxes except for an additional schedule. You need to keep in mind that some clients will ask for a 1099 if payment to you exceeds $500. My accountant also mentioned that if I want to switch from an individual filing of an EIN to a corporation or LLC, the $500 benchmark is raised to $600. And as I mentioned, if you filed for an EIN, you won’t need to provide a SSN on the 1099 form.
This strays a bit from the creative side of writing, but I realized that I need to treat my writing like a business, too.
Keep us apprised..
Comment by Nick on 6 September 2008:
Okay, well I requested my 48$ dollars and it was processed and put safely into my paypal account. Success =). That’s only a months work. Textbroker isn’t good for a job, but for extra money, it’s certainly worth it.
Comment by Felicia on 7 September 2008:
Congrats Nick. At least we know for sure that Textbroker is legitimate.
Comment by Amie on 14 September 2008:
I just signed up with Textbroker and had my first article reviewed…I received four stars. But the pay is rather pathetic. They gave me a rate of 1.50 ppw…at first I thought it meant $1.50 per word…then I found out they meant a cent and a half! Some of the text requests for four stars want some serious research done, with statistics, but earning $3.50 or so for a 450 word piece that requires research is really not worth the time it takes!! They also asked for what I do…I own an independent cleaning service…but some of the text requests they sent me wanted me to write about the benefits of franchising!!! I’m independent…I hate franchised cleaning services (actually I love them because I get their business when clients find out they don’t actually clean..but that is another story)…but why would I want to extol the benefits of something I would never do?? I don’t know about this..I also agree that English doesn’t seem to be these folks first language. the site is not user-friendly.
Comment by Damien on 18 September 2008:
I have been on textbroker for a while now. I have had six articles in a row rated excellent by the customer. All of these articles have been rated 4 stars by textbrokers reviewers though. I am hoping to get to the five star level soon but I am not sure what more I can do.
Does anyone know for sure that the five star articles pay .5 per word?
Comment by Nick on 18 September 2008:
I just had a whole batch of reviews rated, 8 of them I believe. They were very happy with all of them, and I was immediately upgraded to 4 stars, which is awesome. I’ve never heard of anyone achieving 5 stars yet, but I do see 5 star assignments on there, so someone has to be doing them.
@Amie- You were expecting $1.50 a word? That’s seems..ridiculous. If I was achieving $1.50 a word, I’d be rich after a few years.
Comment by Jen Brister (14 comments.) on 18 September 2008:
I should be getting a payout of around $40.00 from textbroker this month. I stick to the articles that require very little research. I’m at 4 stars and would love to move to 5.
Comment by Nick on 22 September 2008:
I’ve noticed the more you do articles, the better you’ll get at doing some that you didn’t even know you knew anything about. There’s still two weeks left before payout and I’m already up to $50.
Comment by Damien (2 comments.) on 23 September 2008:
It would be nice if they had more four star and even three star articles though. It seems that most buyers have realized they can get fairly good quality and not pay the higher rates. I don’t even bother with the two star stuff and will only do the three stars if I can crank it right out off the top of my head.
Comment by Nick on 23 September 2008:
Yeah..the majority is 2 star. I’ve done plenty of 3 star and a couple 4 star articles too though. I just recommend doing all sorts of different articles, because then you start getting noticed as well. I’ve been receiving direct orders recently, and 1.50 a word isn’t bad. I’ve been thinking of raising it a bit though, if I keep getting orders
Comment by Josh on 24 September 2008:
I received my payment too, in the amount of $80.54 after just over 20 articles. Tons of 4 star ratings now, with absolutely no indication of getting to a 5 star rating. So I think this company is probably going to go down in flames before long. They have a good idea, just not great execution.
And in reference to $1.50/word, some jobs will pay $1.00 - $1.50/word, believe it or not. But you better have the resume to back up your writing.
Also, try ghostwriting. I’ve mostly done ghostwriting up to this point and it helped me with my house, two cars, all my bills and a couple of nice vacations. You won’t get credit for true ghostwriting jobs, no bylines, no seeing your name on the cover of a book… but you will enjoy some outstanding income.
Comment by Damien (2 comments.) on 25 September 2008:
I agree on the point that a 5 star rating seems to be unattainable. I do however think that it is a nice way to make a few bucks during down time. I would never write anything I had to do research for, but the ones I can just crank out in 10 minutes are worth the short money they offer.
I think they have a great interface though. The ease of use factor is a 10 out of 10. If they just upped the money a tad it would be my favorite online resource. As is you can make a lot more with sites like elance. I am not ready to give up on them yet, I like the concept too much.
Damiens last blog post..Troy Brown Retires
Comment by Nick on 25 September 2008:
Yeah..the site is just so easy. You’re receiving money for almost no work at all..at least that’s what it seems like to me. It’s my only source of online income currently.
@Josh- If you’ve got like, 20 4 star ratings, you may want to ask them about the 5 star rating. It says in the FAQ to do that.
Comment by Lisa on 14 October 2008:
Hi, great site!
I came across it this morning in a search for online jobs for writers.
I have been writing for them for about a week and I like it, but I do admit the pay is low. But it is hard to make money writing, so in one way it is great for writers. I was just wondering if you know of any other companies of this type that hire freelance writers. I would love to write for one more company of this nature.
Thank you,
Lisa
Comment by Felicia on 14 October 2008:
Hi Lisa,
Browse around my blog. I’ve been adding writing sites as I come across them.
Have you tried Demand Studios?
Comment by Lisa (2 comments.) on 14 October 2008:
Yes, I tried Demand Studios months ago but in their email they said they did not have anything for me at the time.
I will have a look around the site, thanks!
Comment by Veronique on 17 October 2008:
Textbroker is a good site for newbies who wish to polish their skills for the craft. I have recently acquired a 5 star rating, since then clients have contacted me for direct orders. I have the opportunity to write sixteen articles for $10.00 each, and this is a wonderful opportunity when other freelancing opportunities slow down a bit.
Comment by Felicia on 17 October 2008:
Congrats Veronique,
For a while there I thought that Textbroker never gave out a 5 star rating.
Good for you!
Comment by Veronique (11 comments.) on 18 October 2008:
Thank you Felicia.
I was feeling the same way for quite some time. I was shocked when they contacted me about the 5 star rating. I believe Textbroker is a great way to gain experience and clients who wish to work with the same writer.
Comment by Lisa (2 comments.) on 21 October 2008:
Hi Veronique,
That is great to hear! Congrats to you. I hope I get to that level soon. I am at level 4 now.
If you do not mind me asking, how long did it take for you to get to that level? I moved from 3 to 4 in about two weeks.
Lisa
Comment by Veronique (11 comments.) on 22 October 2008:
Thank you Lisa.
Of course I don’t mind you asking. We are all here to help each other out.
I registered for my account Sept 8th, submitting a short article. On October 6th they rated me at 5 stars. I was shocked. On the downside, there hasn’t been many 5 star assignments.
The client who sent me a direct order hasn’t contacted me even though the article I wrote for him was accepted. I was so looking forward to the sixteen articles he mentioned. I’m not sure if he is just busy or didn’t like my style of writing. LOL
Good luck to you on Textbroker, I know you will do fine. : )
Comment by Nick on 28 October 2008:
That’s great to hear they give out 5 star ratings. I recently made 90 bucks on textbroker, so I was happy about that. I’ve written 56 articles now, so I expect to advance to 5 stars eventually.
Comment by Alyssa on 29 October 2008:
I’m with Nick, I’ve written only four articles with Textbroker so far, and stand at 4-star rating. However, this did not preclude me from receiving direct orders from the same client.
Like Veronique said, the 4- to 5-star rating articles are slim pickings, so you have to rely on your good writing skills to attract clients who wish to work with the same writer with whom they’ve had a good experience.
The downside to Textbroker is that you’re a ghostwriter, so your byline never appears on your work and you really don’t have a way of knowing where your work will appear. It’s like working in a silo. I think if you had a better understanding of your audience, you’d be able to write focused articles. Textbroker is great for honing your skills but you can’t build a portfolio if you can’t show (prove) that you’ve written the articles and for whom.
That’s why in a different post, I asked whether anyone had experiences with Constant Content, where you get a byline and set the price.
Good luck to all. And Nick and Veronique, keep us posted on your successes with Textbroker.
Comment by Anon on 29 October 2008:
I was bumped to level 4 in less than 10 days, so it is not an impossibility. Higher ratings are definitely slim, and some require more research, but worth it for the higher pay. Level 5 is significantly higher though. Level 4 is $1.40 for every 100 words, while level 5 is $5 for every 100 words. Man, it must be great to be a 5.
Comment by Shannon on 30 October 2008:
Hi everyone,
I have been writing for textbroker for about two months now. My original rating was 3 stars, but after my first 5 articles I was upgraded to a 4. That is where I remain, however I have only completed 15 articles so far.
I haven’t really had too many complaints about the system. Other than the same that Alyssa just mentioned about ghost writing aspect. After I complete a text, I always send the client a message thanking them for the work and asking where the text will be located. About 75% of them will respond and advise of the website where your text is being used.
Recently I received my first set of direct orders from one client. My question to pose to anyone who has experience is what rate have you set for your direct orders? I had never changed anything in my profile on that, so I assume the default is 1.5 cents per word? That was what mine was at.
Being a newbie freelancer, I have no idea of what is normal to charge. I hate to set too low and miss out on extra money, but hate to set too high and never get offered work, you know? Any advice would be most appreciated!
Great blog by the way Felicia! Lots of great info for a stay at home mom looking to make a buck or two!
Comment by Dan on 2 November 2008:
Hello All,
I sincerely hope that you don’t mind me writing on here but I’ve followed this stream of comment with interest and wanted to submit my own view/question…
I am a UK business owner and I came across this site because I am looking for unique copywriting/articles for my website. I Googled “Textbroker review” to see what other people had to say about the service because I thought it looked good from a client point of view.
Does anyone know of any good ways to find unique content (websites/messageboards etc) aside from Textbroker? From my point of view I’d be happy paying good rates for quality, well researched content for my website/commercial blog that matched my own brief. I would need full/exclusive ownership of it though.
Any thoughts/comments would be very welcome.
Thanks
Dan
Comment by Felicia on 2 November 2008:
Hi Dan,
I cautiously approved your comment because I like to share opportunities with my readers.
I’m taking you at your word as one who is willing to pay for quality content. While this is not an offer that I personally am willing to investigate at this point in time, I allowed the comment for my readers to take it at face value and investigate further.
Dan, I have not publishes your email address. How should my readers contact you if they wish to find out more information?
Felicia
Comment by Tricia (1 comments.) on 3 November 2008:
Hi Felicia and Everyone,
This is a great thread, Felicia. I’ve enjoyed reading the comments from fellow Textbroker writers. I, too, began as a 3, went quickly to a 4, and am now a 5-star writer. There is indeed a tremendous pay difference when you hit 5-star, but the downside is the scarcity of assignments on the upper end. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to strike a chord with one client and, through direct orders, I’m writing six to eight articles a week for them now. There are definite opportunities for writers on Textbroker. And adhering to deadlines and word counts, while still being creative and unique, is great for polishing those writing chops. I’m not a newbie writer, and I still find this type of writing very challenging. But I love a good challenge, so I also find it exciting. Good luck to everyone!
Comment by Sam (2 comments.) on 13 November 2008:
I have been a banker and finance professional for the last 20 years and about 5 months ago started blogging for http://www.allbusiness.com. After blogging for several months they asked me to do a weekly podcats for them. Recently they asked me to write 5-600 word articles on a variety of finance topics that were all within my domain expertise. Each one took me about 2 hours to write and proof. They gave me bylines and a link to my business website.
Now I want to hone my writing skills and found Textbroker. I haven’t written anything for them. I guess I have been spoiled on the money I am earning from allbusiness.com. My 3x weekly blog pays a stipend of $250 / mo.
After reading everyone’s posts about Textbroker, I am guessing I should keep asking my current client for more work.
My question for others is about their pay cycle. I understand from reading their agreement that they pay by the 15th of the month following work submission. Is that other’s experiences?
Comment by Sam (2 comments.) on 13 November 2008:
One thing I was thinking about as I read these posts. If you don’t feel comfortable giving out your social security number for the 1099s, then get a federal employer TIN for your writing income. You can get it over the phone from the IRS and protect your SS #.
Comment by Veronique (11 comments.) on 14 November 2008:
Hi Sam,
Textbroker paid me on the 7th of November. I wish they paid twice monthly; that would be great.
Keep working with your current client and start with Textbroker as well. New doors are opened once you start receiving direct orders from clients who love your work. I have been keeping busy with a ghostwriting service, direct orders from Textbroker and “5″ star orders that have peaked my attention.
You start out small with Textbroker, but lovely opportunities are presented. Clients will come to you specifically with director orders because they may like your writing style and feel comfortable with you. Also, be sure to send a short note to clients after they have accepted your articles, letting them know they are dealing with a kind, considerate human being. It breaks the ice and you form a type of “relationship” with the client believe it or not.
Good luck to you.
Comment by Alyssa on 14 November 2008:
Hi Sam,
I agree with Veronique. Stick with your current client, but test the waters with Textbroker.
In my opinion, if you’re rated anything less than a 4 for Textbroker, you are wasting your time. The orders placed for 1 to 3-rated authors are ridiculously underpriced and the requirements are so poorly written and obscure that you can’t comprehend the client’s needs. As Veronique mentioned, your goal is to write your best on an open order that intrigues you. Then, if you’ve produced quality work and the client likes to maintain a business relationship, you’ll receive the direct orders. That’s when you can generate slightly more income and eventually set your rates.
As you mentioned, I obtained my EIN a while ago so that when I was ready to request a payoff from Textbroker, I didn’t have to divulge my SS#. I think it’s best to work this way.
Veronique, I’m curious to know if you have changed the rates for your direct orders or have kept them at the default set by Textbroker. If you have, was the client receptive to the rate change?
Comment by Veronique (11 comments.) on 15 November 2008:
Hi Alyssa,
I changed my rates for the direct orders from $1.50 to $2.00 and the clients that have approached me have no problem with that. The articles may vary from 425 - 500 words. I have eight more articles to complete with one client and I’m hoping he will have many more after that, he has been a real pleasure to work with.
Textbroker is indeed a wonderful site. I’m hoping to see them expand to provide more many making opportunities for those of us who enjoy writing. I wish there were at least ten more sites just like them. : )
Comment by Alyssa on 16 November 2008:
Hi Veronique,
It’s good to hear that your clients haven’t balked at your rates. It’s an indication that there are Textbroker clients who are willing to pay for good work and have serious offers to fill.
I think good writers and professional clients are trying to find each other, and as you mentioned Textbroker is acting as somewhat of a conduit. But I also think they need to be more vigilant about filtering out the garbage and tweaking the rating process. Writers have no idea of the guidelines and criteria they use for rating.
‘Nuff said..
Comment by Veronique (11 comments.) on 17 November 2008:
I totally agree with you about the rating process; it does confuse me to no end. The clients will leave a comment such as “excellent” or “great job” while Textbroker may rate my articles with 4 stars. It is rare when a client ask that I revise an article. I hope that with time, they will indeed tweak the rating process.
Comment by Gabriella on 20 November 2008:
Thanks, Felicia, for this website and for all the great information! I had just started with Textbroker when I found it and all of the comments have been very helpful and reassuring. Thanks to all!!!
Comment by Felicia on 20 November 2008:
Gabriella, I’m glad we were able to help you.
That’s why I keep this blog, to share what I learn and hopefully it helps someone else (and me too).
Comment by Alyssa on 21 November 2008:
Hi Veronique,
I don’t want to belabor the point of Textbroker’s rating process, but I have to question the timing of it. The fact that they’re rating the articles AFTER they’ve been accepted by the client implies that they don’t think much of the client’s professional judgement.
If Textbroker is concerned about the quality of articles, the rating/editorial process should occur before the articles are sent to the client. That does not mean that I would rely on them to edit my article; I’m my own proofreader and editor. It’s easy to become lazy and careless when someone else is doing it.
If I understand their rational for applying the rating process, it would be in their best interest to assign higher ratings as it equates to a higher commission for them. No?
But I’ve said enough…
Comment by Rhonda (1 comments.) on 24 November 2008:
I found Textbroker,and I intend to make over 50.00 each and every day from them. IF there is something to write about on the website,that I can compose intelligent advertising, or whatever they need. Usually it’s advertising or marketing. Makes it easier if I understand the subject.
But the thing is, my rating is 3. So I can only see the number 1-3 requests. If you have the patience, it can be done.
Rhondas last blog post..How to Pay to Play
Comment by Alyssa on 25 November 2008:
If you can earn $50 a day by writing articles rated between 1 and 3, more power to you. Given the price points on these articles, you would have to write lots and lots of them.
The direct orders that I’m receiving require deep research that lends credibility and integrity to the articles. In fact, I am considering a price/rate increase. As it is, the time spent researching and writing is out of balance with my word rates.
I am posing this question to everyone out there; how do you maintain your writing speed while maintaining quality? I see quite a bit of online content that is superficial and without much substance. I have to assume that these are novice writers who are trying to generate residual income at the risk of putting out substandard work. If I’m reading a “How to” article, I’d like to be reassured that the author either researched the content or is an expert in that domain. But I don’t get a sense of this at all, judging from some of the eHow articles. Although, I have seen very good work on Suite 101. I wonder if the difference is active editors who pore over the content beforehand.
Sorry for getting on the soap box (sheepish grin)