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Resources for Writers13 March 2006

Suite 101 is Looking for Writers

This might be old news for some, but for those of you who are new to Written Road, check this out. Make money writing for Suite101.com Writer Guidelines Basically they're looking for writers who can turn in weekly content. It's not long, and they have several topics to choose from including, travel and culture, and outdoor adventure. I think if you're looking to make additional income writing, and you can choose topics of interest that bring in readers, you can make some nice supplemental income. While they pay $2/1000 page views, they also expect topics to bring in 50k page views a month. So, that's what, $400/month for doing less than what most blogs require. If there are any Suite101 writers out there who've taken on this job, please comment on the realities of the position and the pay. Read on for the full details. Writers must bring their topic to life, have strong writing skills and:
  • write 1 original, focused, and timely 250- 400-word article/week
  • write 1 promo 200-word blog entry on the topic homepage/week
  • update Topic homepage with features, polls, contests, news etc.
  • respond quickly to readers' queries and posts in Discussions
  • improve site metrics: #page views, length of visit, return rate etc.
  • ensure content has keyword density, good links, strong first para
  • monitor traffic to meet and exceed monthly page view targets
  • comply with the contract/Suite101.com's policies re plagiarism etc.
More details: Grant exclusive electronic rights for 1 year from pub and shared rights thereafter (Writers own copyright and all other rights). Writers will be paid for content for as long as it appears on the Suite101 site, from the date of contract signature onward, regardless of active status. Candidates must:
  • have excellent Web communication skills and publish to schedule
  • demonstrate subject expertise via credentials and experience
  • develop Web readership and meet traffic goals through self-promo
  • identify future trends/gaps in coverage and write to these needs
  • proactively contribute to teamwork and company-wide growth
Compensation: US$2.00 per 1000 page views (entry level) of all material authored by the writer subsequent to signing the contract. Pay rates will be reviewed and/or adjusted quarterly. To apply to be a writer at Suite101.com, write to apply@suite101.com with the Topic applied for in the subject line and attach:
  • a cover letter outlining work experience, education, and credentials
  • a complete resume with contact info and names of 3 references
  • a one-paragraph outline of each of your first four articles
  • 2 print or online published articles
WRITERS MUST SUBMIT ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS TO BE CONSIDERED. If you are interested in, and qualified to write about, more than one Topic, please indicate your first, second, and third choices. A link to the Suite101.com contract will be sent to you via e-mail after an interview and upon offer.

6 comments

  • Mel14 March 2006
    There was a thread on Travel Writers BBS a while back about this: https://main.travelwriters.com/bbs/listthread.asp?ID=2449 It looks pretty scammy to me, and in terms of site design and quality of writing, I think beginners would get better clips for nonpaying online pubs like WorldHum and Pology.
  • Tim15 March 2006
    It looks like a writer's sweatshop to me. Anyone who can crank out that much content on a regular basis would be better off setting up their own specialized site and doing it for their own gain. Who is going to visit a mish-mash site like Suite 101 except someone who has stumbled upon it because of a Google search?
  • Jen Leo16 March 2006
    These are good comments, and I tend to agree with you. But I also think that there are some beginning writers out there that are at a hobby level. And there are plenty of writers out there that need money. If you needed some extra cash and happened to be good at cranking, you could have this work done by breakfast. It's not all about literary quality, some people just want to write.
  • Mel30 March 2006
    Sure, but GoNomad and Transitions Abroad pay better for amount of work and are at least as attainable for the beginning writer -- and both look better and carry better reputations. I am a beginning writer, and I don't want to look back in ten years and cringe at where I let my writing be showcased. Suite101 both looks bad and allows some pretty bad writing to go up.
  • Jodi18 April 2006
    Hi there, I used to work for Suite101. In fact, I not only wrote on several topics, I also managed, both in lower and upper levels, as well as acting as "dean" for two of the schools in their University section. Not long ago, in one of Angela Hoy's Writer's Weekly newsletters, she listed a warning about Suite101 and included an article I wrote after being fired without 30 days notice. Every single writer at Suite101 was fired with only 11 days notice in October of 2005. For years we wrote without pay, simply for the love of the community. Some of us wrote courses, and for a while we were paid. I have not received a payment since January, nor will they reveal statistics. Some course authors have never been paid - not once. Our compilations, known as "Best of Suite" are no longer being advertised on Suite, but on someone else's site - North46.net. No notice, no contract, and most certainly, no payment. If anyone wants to write for Suite101, be prepared for no-notice firings, no respect given to a contract, no respect given to those who work for them. ALL the contracts in the last 6 years have been broken in one way or another...to the benefit of those in charge (and those who say they've retired, but haven't) and to the detriment of those who actually put the work into the site. The writers were the life of Suite101. Look how we were treated then, and be warned.
  • Jen Leo21 April 2006
    Thanks for giving us your perspective, Jodi. We appreciate your first hand account.

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