Dealing with Textbroker

I have a new appreciation for Textbroker. I believe they are a top-notch operation. I believe they’re trying to do things in a fair and honest way. When I signed into my Client account and uploaded money for the articles I needed, I was contacted by Textbroker. They wanted to make sure that it was actually me that uploaded the money and not someone who had gotten a hold of my credit card.

During the confirmation process I got a chance to chat with Christina Zila. She was very pleasant and helpful. I was a bit humbled to find out that she was familiar with the NJFM blog and reads it every so often.

Placing My Request

Here’s where I think I messed things up a bit. I needed 5 articles on one topic. Each article was to explain a different aspect of the topic. So, for example I had article “A” which was an overview of the topic. Then I had article A1, A2, A3 and A4 all which took a different part of the overview to explain it in more detail. Well…that’s what I wanted.

What I wanted and what I got were two different things. The overview went just fine and article A3 was fine (with a few modifications). My problem was article A1, A2 and A4. What I got was three different versions of my overview “A.” They were all fluff (one was a well-written piece of fluff, but fluff nonetheless).

It took quite a bit of time going back explaining what I wanted, how I wanted it, what I wanted the reader to walk away knowing when they finished reading the article. By the time I received the revisions on all of the articles, I dreaded opening my emails from Textbroker because I knew I would have to spend time correcting and re-explaining what I wanted.

I thought about it for a bit. Of the 5 articles written, I believe 2 of the writers put their best foot forward, one tried hard and the other two…well, let’s just say that I stopped requesting rewrites and figured it would be less stressful if I were to write the articles myself.

How Could I have Made the Experience Better?

Maybe I needed to spend more time on my original specs explaining what I wanted and how to approach the articles. Maybe I should have requested level 4 or 5 writers instead of level 3 writers (although the articles were not difficult to do at all). Maybe I should have written them myself. After all, I’ve had to rewrite three of them.

Lessons Learned:

• Textbroker is still a top notch operation.
• I see why some writers get direct orders and others do not
• I’m a writer who earns money from her own writing. Don’t fix what aint broken.

Grandma, our resident Textbroker expert,  has been a very active member of the NJFM community. She has shared her knowledge, experience and insights when it comes to making money with Textbroker. All you have to do is review the Textbroker post (with over 500 comments) to see how she has helped fellow  writers.

Very recently Grandma earned over $2,000 in one month with Textbroker alone. With such credentials it only makes sense that she write a book sharing her secrets for success.

A Must for Textbroker Writers

I’ve got to be honest with you, I don’t write actively for Textbroker (I only wrote one article way back in 2008 and never wrote anything else). After reading her book I decided to explore Textbroker again.

If you’re serious about earning money with Textbroker, you should checkout Grandma’s
”Little Black Book – How to Make Money Freelance Writing for Textbroker.”

Pat Myself on the Back

I cannot take any credit for the book, but I do take credit for giving Grandma the nudge to write it. After all, she’s provided so much information here on NJFM, it only made sense that she put it in book form and earn something for sharing her knowledge.

Congratulations Grandma! Way to go!

Hello Felicia,

Based on U.S. tax laws, we decided to only to hire U.S.-citizens as writers.
While processing the 1099-MISC forms for 2008, we discovered that several authors have registered with fake information.

Starting 02/06/2009, all authors exceeding $200 annual payment are required to send us an IRS W-9 (Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification) form, before any further payment is processed. You will automatically receive the W-9 form for download once you passed this income figure.

As soon as we receive the completed form back via fax or mail, your account will be verified, and you will be able to proceed as normal.

Furthermore, you will no longer be required to enter your SSN / TIN when using our site.

Important Information:

This rule takes effect on 02/06/2009. The current payoff (02/06/2009) will not be affected if you file your request before this date.

The W-9 form is a standard form and is used by nearly all employers hiring freelancers. Filling out the form will only take 5 minutes, and simply ensure that your provided information is truthful.

Kind regards,
Your Team Textbroker
Textbroker International LLC
5940 S. Rainbow Boulevard
Las Vegas, Nevada 89118
e-mail: mail@textbroker.com

In an earlier Textbroker post, many of my readers shared their Textbroker writing experience. Unfortunately, I’m not in a position to contribute much to the conversation because I’ve only used Textbroker once to see what it was all about. My experience is minimal and therefore I’m asking those more familiar with them to help this person out.

Here’s the original comment:

“I recently started writing for Textbroker to see if I could earn a few extra dollars from my home. The only experience I’ve had writing came from college research papers and that was many years ago. I was accepted at level three and have written ten articles so far. This has been a good refresher course for me because I was downgraded to level two because of some spelling errors, the original sin of composition!

So far, all of my articles have been accepted but the biggest hurdle I have to overcome is figuring out exactly what a client expects. Creative writing has always been fun but informational content requires a lot of research time.

If anyone has any advice for a novice it would be greatly appreciated.”

Thanks in advance for helping Ben out.

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.