Even More Benefits of Textbroker: Team Orders, Weekly Pay and Extended Author Profiles

By Lisa Kroulik © September 23, 2011

Since posting my last writing-related Hub about earning $2,000 online in the month of June, I have come to appreciate Textbroker even more and the other writing sites even less. Before I go on to tell you about some of their cool new features, I feel I should state that Textbroker does not have a referral program. I have no ulterior motive for writing this Hub other than helping fellow writers. When I find something that is helpful for people who have similar interests, I enjoy the satisfaction that comes from sharing it.

That being said, I went on to earn $2,100 in July. August and September? Not as good. I attribute that to taking a vacation, the kids being home from school and some personal issues that had to be dealt with. The cool thing? I could take the time to deal with them without anyone telling me I had used up all of my personal time. The not so cool thing? No work equals no pay, but I'll take my freedom any day over so-called job security.

Now, about those new Texbroker features.

A month or so ago, Textbroker introduced extended author profiles. These profiles give you the opportunity to tell potential clients more about yourself if they are looking for someone to fill an open or team order, which is explained in detail below. You can include up to three writing samples, list the industries you have worked in, upload your resume, include foreign languages and places you have traveled and discuss your specific writing interests in-depth. You also have the option of including a picture.

These new profiles appear to be working, because I received an invitation to the personal finance team from a client I had never worked with before.

There are now three ways to earn money on Textbroker: open orders, direct orders and the latest, team orders.

Open orders are ones that are listed on the board for anyone to take as long as they have been assigned that quality level. I am at Level 4 and never have any problem finding enough work to keep me busy in open orders.

Direct orders are ones that a client sends to only you, and you determine the pay rate. The clients can view your per-word rate before choosing to work with you. Mine is set a half-cent above the open order rate for Level 4. I have had three direct order clients in six months. It's a wonderful gig if you can get it.

Team orders is a new concept that Textbroker introduced about two weeks ago. It is touted as a combination between open and direct orders. Clients may be looking for a group of writers who have experience in a particular topic. For example, I write a lot of articles about personal finance and was immediately invited to join a client's team about that subject. You may receive an invitation to join a team, or you can apply for one that suits you under the Team Orders tab.

With team orders, the pay rate is set by the client. The rates start just a little lower than what Level 4 writers make on open orders and go as high as what Level 5 writers earn. I have worked with one team order client so far and have really enjoyed it. It is a good option for clients also, because going with just one writer through an open order can be risky for them if the material is time-sensitive and that particular writer may not be available.

Since starting with Texbroker in late March 2011, the pay-outs have always occurred on the 5th and 20th of each month. They have made yet another change and now offer weekly pay every Friday to your Paypal account. You need to request the payout by 11:59 pm on Thursday to get paid that week. I had no problem with the old system, but I will probably try this out and see which one I like better.

In the online writing world, getting paid this fast is almost unheard of. You can wait up to two months on other sites. Textbroker has an auto-accept feature for articles if a client has not approved them in three days, so between that and the fast pay, you will have money in your pocket in no time.

I make my living primarily on Textbroker, but I love writing on Hub Pages too because it allows for self-expression and the ability to connect with people on subjects that are important to me. They're different, but both fill an important need. Hub Pages introduced me to the world of online writing, and I will always be grateful for that.