few people get rich writing. Yet once you become a writer, or think of yourself as one, it’s hard to stop. Like a dog with an itch, you’ve got to get to it — regardless of the uncomfortable contortions required and how momentary the relief between itches/stories.
Technology makes it seem easy to become a writer. Just as desktop publishing lured us into imagining we were graphic designers in the 90s, things like blogging and social media convince everyone with a keyboard and the internet they’re Hunter S Thompson. But digital technology has also made things tough for writers, particularly those whose incomes depend on every word they write.
With ever more readers accessing information from multiple online platforms for free, publishers have had to cut rates, word counts and contributors. It sometimes seems the quest for a sustainable business model for digital journalism is like the quest for the Holy Grail — a myth. But is it?
Funded by prize money won in the Google-International Press Institute News Innovation Contest and incubated by the Guardian Media Group, Sarah Hartley, Matt McAlister and Dan Catt launched the online journalism community, Contributoria, a year ago. The initiative is something of an online anthology-stokvel combo.
It invites writers (2 500 at present) to pitch stories, name their price (in points), get backing from other members, benefit from the editing recommendations of others during the writing process (while retaining individual copyright) and get paid within 30 days. Contributoria also helps facilitate sales of the work to other publications.
Although writers can join for free, paying R40 per month to be a "supporter" or R105 per month as a "patron" not only provides advanced benefits, it also helps boost the coffers from which writers are paid. Free membership gives you access to 50 points per month, while paid subscription options give you 250 and 500 points a month respectively. (Patrons also get printed editions of Contributoria.)
Points are an internal currency, which fluctuates according to how much money there is in the membership pool and other resources, including sponsorship. During its first year, 727 proposals were submitted to Contributoria, 344 articles were published and more than R2.5-million was paid out to writers. Fees ranged from R1 150 to R11 500 per article.
Described by its founders as "community funded collaborative journalism", the site works as follows. Members submit proposals for stories for which they set a fee/goal in points. Other members use their monthly allocation of points to back the proposals they like. If the goal is achieved before deadline, the writer is commissioned to complete the story during the next "collaborative month". At this stage, drafts of commissioned work are visible to other members who can contribute editing suggestions.
Once complete on deadline (cycles are monthly), the article is published, becoming visible to all. The writer receives payment from Contributoria according to the original points value set as a backing goal/ fee.
The site makes articles (now edited and, in a sense, peer reviewed) available for re-use by other publishers, charging writers a small commission for the service.
Contributoria is valuable not only because it provides writers with another place to generate income and show off their work, but also because of what it teaches in terms of the business of writing. Generating an income from writing means identifying topics that intrigue and sell. Many successful freelance writers are also consummate salespeople.
Contributoria also demands unabashed self-marketing; you need to campaign to get the points before your story is commissioned. Once you begin writing, collaboration with others gives you the opportunity to learn and improve.
Above all, Contributoria demonstrates the hard work required by journalism. If you or someone you know is thinking about becoming a writer, take a look at the extent and depth of the articles published and proposals awaiting backing on the site. Writing, you’ll see, is an itch that requires more than a cursory scratch, technology notwithstanding.
