Overcoming Strict Demand Studios Copy Editors (Part 4)

Posted by Christina Crowe in Passive Income on May 12, 2010 | no responses

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This is Part 4 of the series Become a Successful Demand Studios Writer.

Now that you’ve gotten accepted into Demand Studios (if you haven’t, keep working on that portfolio!), you’re probably itching to start submitting your first few articles. Before you do, though, you should be aware of a few things first. If you’ve done your research, you probably know that Demand Studios copy editors are pretty strict. Every time you submit an article for approval, Demand Studios copy editors will look over your article, give suggestions, and send it back to you for a rewrite if they find any problems with it. This sometimes upsets freelance writers, especially those who put a lot of work into their articles. Many writers don’t want to spend the extra time correcting their articles and completing the rewrites, since doing so adds to the overall time spent on the article. This conflicts with how much money is made per hour, since you’ll be spending more time rewriting the article than you would necessarily spend on the original piece.

Because of the company’s strict guidelines, a lot of people end up getting discouraged before quitting altogether. However, there are some freelance writers who will stick by Demand Studios until the very end, eventually making their way to the top amongst the experts. These people often get paid more per hour, receive fewer rewrites than the average Demand Studios writer, and reap the benefits of many experienced Demand Studios writers (such as articles with higher payouts).

But, how do you cope with the stress of dealing with Demand Studios copy editors? You won’t get far with Demand Studios otherwise. The following is a few tips that will hopefully help you not to lose your cool.

Overcome Strict Demand Studios Copy Editors

Put yourself in their shoes. Yes, I know you don’t want to hear that. However, the Demand Studios copy editors reviewing your articles don’t want to tell you negative things about your work, especially if the article needs to be completely rewritten. They’re job is to give you suggestions on how to make the article better while also having the article meet the company’s guidelines. If they make a mistake whereas the advice they give doesn’t help your article at all, realize that they’re only human. They don’t want to discourage you or make you feel like the world is crashing down at your feet. After all, Demand Studios copy editors are writers as well. They’ve probably had to have articles rewritten plenty of times, and maybe some of them have even seen rejection. They know how it feels. Think about it before you start screaming your head off at them, and know that they’re just trying to do their job.
Read the Resource Center thoroughly. It’s there for your benefit. Memorize the Blacklist and take notes on the Editorial Guidelines if you have to. There were times when I had an article sent back for a rewrite because one of my References violated the Blacklist. So, make sure you read everything there is to read in the Resource Center.
Don’t spend too much time writing each article. You’re more likely to get discouraged if you spend a lot of time on one given article only to have Demand Studios copy editors send it back for a rewrite. Instead, spend 5-10 minutes researching the article topic, 5 minutes working on the introduction paragraph, 10 minutes working on the body, and 5 minutes linking your references and adding pictures. This is the method I use and it works pretty well. However, everyone types at various words per minute (mine is 80-90 wpm), so you may have to adjust the time you spend on each section according to your needs. Just don’t spend too much time on the first copy. If they send the article back to you for a rewrite, follow all of their suggestions and then you’re done with that article.
Swallow your curses and thank the copy editor for reviewing your article. At the bottom of the article edit page, there’s a box where you can type a message to any Demand Studios copy editors correcting your article. Before you submit the article back after doing the rewrite, simply type a small thank you note and describe the steps you took to correct the article (if you want to). Everyone likes the warm feeling of appreciation, and, though you may want to strangle the person’s neck, it’s just polite to let them know that you appreciate their critical feedback, no matter how harsh. Maybe they’ll be more sensitive to the next person they review. Who knows?
Attempt to fix the article, even if you may not agree with advice from the Demand Studios copy editor. Unless the copy editor requests something that is absolutely outrageous, try to correct the article according to the copy editor’s advice. If you can’t fully agree with the Demand Studios copy editor, attempt to correct the article half way and then write a small note thanking the editor for his/her critical feedback and explaining the steps you took to fix the article.
Submit a Demand Studios rewrite appeal request. Sometimes Demand Studios copy editors will request you to do something that violates Demand Studios guidelines. If you can’t correct something a copy editor asks you to, submit an appeal form explaining how the copy editor’s request went against the style guide and the steps you took to fix the other concerns your copy editor had. Make sure you find something to change in your article, though, so it doesn’t appear like your just complaining over spilled milk.
Drink tea. As stated by Anahad O’Connor of the New York Times, drinking tea won’t exactly reduce your stress, but it will decrease the level of stress hormones faster than an individual who doesn’t drink tea. One more reason to relax on the couch with a cup of tea in your hands!
Have fun. Writing shouldn’t always be about work and making money. Find topics on Demand Studios that you like writing about and enjoy the process. Writing about what you know will also speed up the first draft.
As a last resort, delete the article in need of a rewrite and publish it elsewhere. Sometimes requests can be unreasonable or appeal forms may not go through. If this is the case, simply take the article and publish it on another content website like Associated Content, FireHow, or Helium. Remember to change the title from the original title, since that title is Demand Studios’ property.