An Appeal To Evan Williams
I wanted to say this for weeks…
Dear Ev Williams,
Writers are not happy with the way they are being dealt with. It is not about the behavior of an editor or a team member; it is about the money being paid to them through the Partner Program. I am not talking about all writers. The website has over 30,000 writers, and only 6 percent of them make $100 a month. The worst part is that many of them have stopped publishing content, which is because they think that their hard work is not paid off.
How Many Writers Are Publishing Content Every Day?
As far as I know, only a handful of writers are publishing content every single day. These writers can be divided into two sections: the ones who have recently joined the website and don’t know about its pros and cons and the top writers like Tim Denning.
Even Tim Denning once said writers are being screwed. Here’s the screenshot of his email.
According to this Aussie writer, the writers’ community has been abuzz recently because the site is stripping away our earnings. Believe it or not, but this is the truth. We need to accept it, and if something is not done, writers may switch to other websites like NewsBreak, Vocal and Blasting News, etc.
New Writers Are More Upset
Naturally, a writer who has just started working on this platform is expecting good money in the coming weeks. If they publish one or more articles a day and end up making pennies, then there is no reason for them to continue.
These days, a large number of aspiring writers are looking upset. They have more concerns and issues than the top writers, as many of them are writing for a living. Top writers probably have earned much. The way they are being screwed may not affect them a lot, but what is the fault of newcomers? Should they stop writing? Do they need to switch to other professions or platforms?
Publications Are Looking For Writers And Editors
As more and more writers are quitting or switching to other websites where they are paid at least $1,000 per month, publications have started looking for writers. A few examples are Blank Page, Curious, and MindCafe. It looks like so many writers have lost their interest in the site, and there are two possible reasons for that. The first one is that they are not being rewarded properly, and the second one is that they are tired of rejections.
In my opinion, the ILLUMINATION family is the only place where writers don’t have to worry about rejections. They can write anything and their work is published in a couple of hours.
On the other hand, editors are leaving publications because of the amount of work they have to do. They have their families too; they cannot work as volunteers for a lifetime.
Please Find Solutions To Our Problems
Ev Williams, I’d like to request you to do something for your writers’ community. Even if this is your side project, you should pay us fairly.
I know you are willing to pay for good content, but what’s the fault of those who are new to the writing field and cannot write high-quality articles? Do they need to say “goodbye” to this platform?
If you only pay for good content, then the site should not allow everybody to sign up and publish freely. Instead, the platform should be more like NewsBreak where applications are checked and approved or rejected manually.
I feel that every writer deserves $100 to $1,000 because money is what will keep them with this site for a long. Otherwise, they will surely find alternatives because nobody wants to work at a place where they are underpaid. I am also a little tired of being screwed, and I have already started taking gigs from other platforms. This is what every writer will do sooner or later.