FAQ's for Suite101 Freelance Writers

Q: Do you assign me story ideas or do I write about what I know?
A: It's all you, baby. We want authorities on the subject, so skip the obvious and go instead for detailed, resource-heavy articles that cite others who back you up and offer a concise and engaging read that gives you the goods.

Q: Will you just publish my article and pay me rather than hiring me on contract?
A: Sorry, no dice. We don't accept single articles; we're interested in an ongoing relationship rather than a one-story stand.

Q: Can I write for more than one topic? Can I write more than 10 articles every 3 months?
A: Contributing Writers can write articles in any one of our 400 topics and 3,000 categories while Feature Writers represent a topic like a columnist and post weekly articles. No one's stopping anyone from writing additional articles, in fact, we'll cheer you on.

Q: Will I get help learning to be a writer for the Web?
A: We have an editorial team of 10 Section Editors who read, edit, flag (request improvements) and recommend your articles and seasoned mentors who respond to your questions in the Writers' Forum. 

But even before you put finger to keyboard for your first article, we heartily recommend you pull up a chair and read our handy handbook, focused seminars, weekly email tips, and (soon) watch our spiffy video and multiple-choice quizzes to test the basics. And our tools are pretty user-friendly if we do say so ourselves.

Q: So what do you consider an "original article"?
A: Articles must be written wholly by you and not appear anywhere else on the Web. Altering 10% of an article that appears identically on another site, does not constitute original material. Articles should be tightly focused, in context, well-balanced, objective, add to the debate, written in the third person, cite verifiable sources, limited in external links, and fascinating from lead to last paragraph.

Article formats include "how tos," pros and cons, introductions, reviews, op-ed essays, definitions, interviews, profiles, exposes, potted histories ... you get the idea. Suite101 is not a self-publishing site, we do not accept one-liners, book-length pieces, blogging, recycled press releases, self-promotion, thinly veiled sales pitches, fiction, propaganda or personal memoirs.

Q: How long are these articles?
A: 400-600 words - just long enough to stay focused and answer some key questions without losing the Web audiences who are on the move and don't have time for a weighty tome.

Q: Do I own the copyright to my work? How is this different from electronic rights?
A: Yes, always and absolutely copyright stays with the writer. You own the electronic rights if the work you post on our site isn't under contract elsewhere on the Web. You need to be able to grant them to us for one year exclusively (and after that on a non-exclusive basis) so we can post the material on our site. After that year, you can post the same material elsewhere, crediting Suite101 as the original publisher. Electronic rights are sometimes bundled with radio, TV, electronic book rights, but we are only interested in them as they apply to the Web.

Q: If I own the electronic rights to work in print that's never been online, can I publish them on Suite?
A: Sure, as long as you edit them to scan easily for a reader on the Web (who tends to like things short and suite)  - good titles, short paragraphs, subheaders, lists, links, photos, 400-600 words max.

Q: Can I write for other websites while I'm writing for Suite101?
A: Sure, it's a free world. We know freelance writers need to make a living and you have to spread the wealth, so we don't demand you're exclusive, but your content on our site has to be for the first year.

Q: Can I publish the same articles on some other site after a year?
A: Yes, that's your choice, we just want to be first.

Q: Will you go after sites that steal my work and/or don't credit it to me and Suite101?
A: We'll give you a letter to send to the offender if you bring it to our attention, or we discover it on our own, and we have a bulldog lawyer, but we need your help to monitor abuses and stay vigilant. Technically, it's your responsibility, but hey we're here to help.

Q: How do I get promoted to a Feature Writer and what do I have to do if this happens?
A: You've published consistently engaging, correct, optimized articles or Web readers, concentrated on a topic for which we have a FW opening, and your Section editor raves that you are stellar. We love you, you love us, and readers will love your content. Once you get the position, you need to post articles in the topic weekly (ie 4 per month), try to stay current to cover the scope of the material, and keep up the good work without resting on your laurels. You've hit the big time, so we hope you are a good ambassador for the site :)

Q: So experienced writers and Feature Writers receive a bonus. How does this work?
A: Let's say you have 25 articles on our site and get promoted to that vacant Feature Writer spot. Once you become a Feature Writer, you receive a bonus of +20% on all present and future articles. We also will offer an additional incentive at 50, 100, 300, 500, 750, 1000 article marks.

Q: What are the perks of the Feature Writer position?
A: You get a Suite email address, business cards, ability to request review materials and press passes to events, a chance to be a spokesperson for Suite when the media comes knocking, a star on your dressing room door (I mean next to your byline), a letter of reference, and some Suite swag, and that's just for starters - we're always looking for ways to show you the love and we're open to suggestions!

Q: How long will it take before I start to earn money as a freelance writer?
A: You start earning and accruing money right away, but how much depends on many factors including the rate at which you post new content, the quality of the articles, the aptness of your titles, the speed at which the search engines index and rank you... but you are paid your share of ad revenues on your material, in full, monthly. It could take quite a while before you consider quitting your day job, but writing for Suite101 is a "long tail" game so whatever you write will earn you revenue as long as it's on the site.

Q: What is "revenue sharing" anyway?
A: We are currently partnering with Google to advertise on Suite101. Google supplies ads to our site based on inventory matching the keywords (purchased by advertisers) that appear in your material. This program is called Google AdSense and it "delivers relevant text and image ads that are precisely targeted to your site and your site content. The ads are related to what your visitors are looking for on your site or matched to the characteristics and interests of the visitors your content attracts."

Only they know how much the ads generate when a visitor clicks on a link, but you get a predetermined share of that when it happens, and they track it whenever it happens and add it to your balance. The more pages you have, the more ads appear, the more chances readers will click on them and make you money. Even though we don't pay per page view, our equivalent is on average $4.15/1000 PV. Some of our top writers make $1500/month with many articles on the site.

Q: What happens if Google doesn't have any ads that match my content?
A: This is rare, and often temporary, but they reserve the right to filter content for words with which advertisers may not wish to be associated. If they don't have inventory, it won't be for long.

Q: Do I get a share of banner advertising too?
A: This is a separate program and revenue share is not yet available to writers in this format.

Q: How do I know what I'm earning?
A: Suite101 has a stats program that you can see privately whenever you log in so you can keep an eye on your revenues, pageviews, visitor numbers, keywords and referring sites that deliver traffic. Warning: obsessive checking may result in screen blindness.

Q: Do you send me a check? How often?
A: This is 2008 - everything is electronic now. You sign up with PayPal using your email address and your bank information and you are emailed when the money is  sent to that address monthly. It's automatically transferred to your bank account when you accept it. We can't send you a check or pay you any other way, I'm afraid, but fear not it works!

Q: What happens if I don't publish 10 articles every 3 months?
A: We'll remind you a couple of times in the weeks leading up to the deadline, but if you don't deliver we will politely remove your writer status. You will continue to earn money for content already on the site, but we honour our obligations in the contract and as a professional writer want you to do the same.

Q: If you keep my content on the site after I leave do I still get paid?
A: Yes, we continue to track and accrue revenues earned, and we pay you monthly.

Q: I can't think of anything else right now, but what if I do later?.
A: The site never sleeps, and our help desk is always an open inbox.

Q: Why are you still hanging around?
A: Hey, it's my job. I live to serve.