From the Forums: "Suite101 pays my mortgage each month. Honest."

Posted by Marci Hotsenpiller Apr 7, 2009

This might sound funny but we have an "active inner life” here at Suite101. This isn’t always apparent if you’re simply surfing the site or thinking about joining us as writer.

By “inner life” I’m referring to our community of writers. Imagine inviting 2,000 very eloquent wordsmiths from around the world to a large, ongoing dinner party. This is what the Suite101 Writer Forums are like. Some of the conversations at the table are inspiring, some are humorous, and some are super-helpful to other writers. (For a seat at the table consider applying to write for us.)

Some of the best discussions happen when writers help other writers. For example, new writers often ask questions such as ..."When will I start making serious money writing for Suite101?"

Angela England, our Feature Writer for Plants & Bulbs recently offered her straight-up thoughts on the topic. She did such a great job that I asked her to stop by the Limelight blog to explain it from a writer’s point of view. So over to you Angela! Thanks for stopping in to chat ...

"After a recent exchange on my personal website (http://angengland.com) I wanted to clarify some of what I shared about Suite101's potential for writers. It has a lot to do with the benefits of long-term, residual income. Like book royalties or compound interest, residual income from web writing can have profound effects on your monthly income.

Let me be very clear – no one is going to get rich from a single article on Suite101, or any other website for that matter. But after two and a half years of contributing to Suite101 I can say with confidence that the income is better for me here, than any other single site I have experience with. I make enough with Suite101 to pay the mortgage on my three-bedroom home.

How does residual income through Suite101 work?

When a freelance writer starts working with Suite101 they might get only a few pennies per article each month. However, as the amount of articles increases, the amount of payment per article increases. And since Suite101 continues to pay writers forever, that source of income never ends!

I found this out firsthand when I took a month off to have a baby last fall. Even though I didn't contribute any additional articles, I still got paid – enough to cover the mortgage bill. For articles I wrote a year ago. Or two years ago.

And two years from now I will still continue to earn income from these articles. Even if I quit and never contribute another article to Suite101 I will still continue to collect income each month. Like a tiny raindrop, each article contributes its small amount to your monthly income. Yet with just over 260 articles posted here, those raindrops have come together to create quite a healthy deluge each month.

The freedom to write across a wide variety of topics, keeps me interested and motivated. The increase in payments each month helps benefit my family. I love that I do the work once, and continue to earn money on that work forever. By writing when I am able, I create the potential for income during those times in the future when I might not be as free to write on a regular basis.

Like compound interest, residual income on Suite101 adds up slowly and inexorably, increasing the power of your writing as your articles become more valuable each and every month."