Why Writer Access is a Good Opportunity to Broaden your Freelance Career
It’s a difficult time for freelance writers and online web content writers. Many once lucrative websites offering well-paying writing jobs were severely harmed by Google’s infamous “Panda” algorithm. There are many scams out there aimed at writers butWriter Access(WA) is not one of them. WA is the real deal.
WA is only open for writers who are American citizens or who live in the United States. This is because of tax reasons. It’s also to attract American clients, which prefer to hire writers who are native English speakers. It may not be the most PC of business policies, but it works for WA. Perhaps this policy will change in the future.
How it works
Writers choose assignments from the job board, listed as “Available Content” on a writer’s dashboard. Writers then carefully read the client’s directions, such as what keywords to use and how many times to use them, and then submit the finished article on WA’s template, which is similar to blogging platforms like WordPress or Blogger.
Writers are paid by PayPal once a month. Writers have to send in an electronic W-9 tax form each January. If they forget to do so, they will not receive any payments until they do. Writers will need to provide their home address and Social Security or Taxpayer Identification Number in order to fill out this form.
The writer level system
Writers have to take a grammar test before they are hired. Take plenty of time with this test. It determines what level the WA editorial staff will assign you. The higher the level, the more assignments will pay. The lowest level is 2 and the highest is 5. Occasionally a client may be so pleased with your work that he or she will give you a bonus, but do not count on it.
Writers assigned at a Level 2 can apply to become a Level 3 after 20 successfully completed assignments. Editors will look at the quality of your work and any comments or complaints from your clients in order to make their decisions. Filling out your profile as completely as you can improves your chances of getting promoted.
About casting calls
WA has a section on the job board called casting calls. These are requests from clients who want to be more selective of the writers they hire. The regular job board is a first-come-first-served basis, so a client does not know what writer will get the assignment. Putting up a casting call is a good way for the client to save time and be assured of getting quality content. Applying for a casting call or even “winning” a casting call does not guarantee that you will receive paying jobs.
However, casting calls are a good way to strut your stuff to an interested client. It’s also good writing practice for writers applying for other freelance writing jobs. You can quickly see what approaches work and what don’t.
