Comments on: Exploitation of Writers: Fact or Fiction

By: T.W. Anderson

T.W. Anderson — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:48:44 +0000

It’s a frightening concept. I honestly think it would take more than a hundred years to make it work, however. Just looking at Greece and Spain, for example…each one of those countries took 15-20 years before their currency changes finally balanced out, and when you look at a global currency…it would take several generations to even out all the kinks.

By: T.W. Anderson

T.W. Anderson — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:47:50 +0000

Personally, I don’t see Demand Studios slowing down anytime soon, Kimberly. They are actively looking into launching an international team of writers in the near future, which means they are only looking to expand further. While I do think eventually things will get over-saturated, I personally think it will be another 3-5 years, and in the meantime there’s a lot of money to be made on that disposable content. I’m definitely on the bandwagon. I use DS regularly in between other clients. As you can see from my Writing Experiment, I regularly make 60+ dollars an hour using Demand Studios, which is phenomenal.

By: Anne Wayman

Anne Wayman — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:44:57 +0000

You know I agree with you… what I do wonder about is if wages ’round the world will become the same… will US cost of living drop, China’s get higher until we eventually have similarity.

Doubt I’ll live that long but I think about it.

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:28:25 +0000

Interesting post. When I first started out freelancing, I worked for a content site that provided consistent work which padded my income nicely while I worked to get more private clients. Many writers love writing for places like Demand Studios because it’s much less stressful than querying businesses, bidding for work and trolling the job boards. They pick what they want to write, submit and wait for payment. Many writers write exclusively for sites like these and make a “full-time” living easily.

I do, however, agree with your theory that eventually the web will become saturated with so-so content. Of course this leads to another reality associated with content sites; and that is that they have a reputation of suddenly running out of work or shutting down unexpectedly. This doesn’t seem to be anything Demand Studios writers should worry about right now. The fact that they are constantly hiring is a good sign.

By: T.W. Anderson

T.W. Anderson — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 05:26:28 +0000

It’s the same for me living in Bulgaria, Lucy. The USD ranges from 1.3 to 1.5 in the conversion rates. When it’s 1.5 I’m loving life, but when it creeps down to 1.3 it’s not always so hot. But it’s definetely one of the benefits of living here and getting paid in USD. I’m even happier when I get paid in Euro, and getting paid in GPB is always the best, because it can range as high as 2.8/2.9.

As far as writers not having access to Demand Studios…it only applies if you aren’t a US citizen/resident. I’m a US citizen, and I don’t live in the States, but I write for Demand Studios because I’m a tax-paying citizen. So while I understand your comment, the fact is there are actually plenty of content sites out there which do offer writing opportunities to global writers, paying similar rates to Demand Studios, which is why I use them as a basis of comparison.

However, even *if* the writers using Demand Studios are living in the United States, by the admission of the owners of Demand Studios their average earners make between 15 and 30 USD per hour. As you can see from the Department of Labor, CareerBliss, the US Census site, and the other sources I pulled, 30 dollars an hour is 5 dollars an hour MORE than the highest paid middle-management employee in America, making 25 dollars an hour for 50k a year. That is *far* beyond the “livable wage”. In fact, the lowest paid employee at Demand Studios makes 15 dollars an hour which, while a low wage, is still within the livable wage bracket for US citizens. In fact, if you look at the numbers from the 2nd quarter 2009, the average US citizen is making just over 18 dollars an hour…just 3 dollars above and beyond what the lowest paid employee at Demand Studios makes. Which means the lowest paid employee at DS is making just about the same amount as the regular US citizen working an 8 hour a day, full time job requiring a college degree and 3-4 years experience.

The proof, as they say, is definitely in the pudding.

By: Lucy Smith

Lucy Smith — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:40:59 +0000

Interesting post. Of course there’s no oppression. Nobody’s putting a gun to anyone’s head. Sure, there may be better ways of going about things, but people have to figure that out for themselves and chase their own dreams their way.

However, something to remember is that it may be possible to earn middle-management money on Demand Studios, but how well they pay has to be defined according US ‘livable wage’ – since they, and some other content sites, don’t accept writers outside the US. So you can’t really talk about DS rates based on what they might mean to someone in Mexico or India, because they won’t be writing for them anyway.

Being in New Zealand, I can get away with charging competitive rates to clients in the US because, by the time it’s converted into our dollars, it’s not bad at all. The problem is when the US dollar creeps up and you get less bang for your buck.