About 5 years ago who would believe if they were told that they can make good money if spent 8-10 hours a day writing content for web, very few or none right?

You will find at least one person around you who is directly or indirectly making money or benefiting in some way from internet. As internet continues to grow it opens new windows of opportunity to people who want to pursue their interest and still make money. For example you can pursue your interest in photography and at the same time make money through selling pictures online.

This article talks about once such fast growing online professions, Content Writing/Content Writers. Essay writing, Technical writing, etc.. is all part of content writing.

Content writing is fast catching up with wannabes, amateur and professional writers. Writing has become much more than just passion; it’s become business not only for writers but for services which link writers with the ones who need written content. Lot of factors are taken into consideration but a writer can make anything from Rs.500($12) to Rs.3000($70) per article.

Elance.com, oDesk.com, Ifreelance.com, Contentwriter.in and many more services like these let you register as a content writer and bid for the projects and get some part of your earnings in the form of service charges or commission.

For writers who want to make some extra money, registering with such services and also joining content writing/writer groups on social joints like Facebook, Orkut, etc… Will certainly help them make contacts and get more projects.

We spoke to one of the writers (Deepti Tanikella, dtanikela [at] gmail.com) who has been writing and generating content since close to 5 years now. She is registered with services like oDesk and other similar sites.

TNerd:  What are the perks of being a content writer?
Deepti Tanikella: You are our own boss. You become good with self motivation, there is no one here to push you .so your mind works brilliant when you set yourself a determined target. You work from home, coffee shop or any place. As long as you deliver the article no one is there to question you about the way you dress, look or where you sit. the more efficient you work becomes the more you get paid. You decide when to increase you pay pack and when to decrease. At the end, you have to think of it as a job and give yourself specific timing like you do at work. That way there is a schedule and your work will be done faster and more efficiently.

TNerd: How much do you charge per article?
Deepti Tanikella: They are lots of parameters here. What is the content? Who are the target audience? Does it require a lot of research? Specific content can fetch you upto about Rs 1500 ($35) for 500 words. There is also a time limit if the time is less and you end up doing a lot of work and research, you must understand that here you are at home and the money has to justify both the work and the effort. If the article is really technical then I charge up to 3000 ($70)for 500 words. Hey sometimes I end up writing about cyclone effects in Srilanka, the thought and the research that goes into it is vast. I cannot write what I do not know. So it takes a lot of patience to research through website, call people you know and so on.

TNerd: How many articles can one write in a day?
Deepti Tanikella: About 4 per day

TNerd: Best place to start for a fresher?
Deepti Tanikella: Websites and word of mouth, for beginners I suggest they go through orkut they are many communities for content writers. Log in send an mail to the person who posted the project. this is not tough as they give you specific projects for e.g. – write a 500 word article on golf all you need to do is write everything you know and hear and research about golf and then there a few specific search words that you have to insert and voila your first article is done.

TNerd: 3 Sites to register to get projects?
Deepti Tanikella: oDesk.com, Chillibreeze.com, Orkut.com

This should give a good idea to our readers about content writers and content writing online and abot the perks and benefits of being one.

Special thanks to Deepti Tanikella for sharing her insights with us. She can be contacted at dtanikela [at] gmail.com for contract work or any information regarding Content Writing.