What are the prices for text content?

[MaDalton]

Hey there!

I found someone who is quite good in writing hot stories. That lets me think about hiring her and sell that stuff. Who has a clue how the specifics for text content (length, file format, copyright, prices) are?

Thx!

:gbounce:

[Newton]

Mate hit me up there are plans within plans ;)

[TheEnforcer]

Wish i could help ya but I have no clue. I've never bought stories before myself.

[Red]

Originally posted by MaDalton@Feb 14 2005, 06:32 AM
Hey there!

I found someone who is quite good in writing hot stories. That lets me think about hiring her and sell that stuff. Who has a clue how the specifics for text content (length, file format, copyright, prices) are?

Thx!

:gbounce:
Unfortunately there are no set specifics for stories.

the length depends on what the buyer is looking for. I wouldn't go for anything under 1,000 words. Less than that barely gives time to meet, strip and fuck. Most of my stories run between 1,000 - 3,000 words unless someone requests something longer.

File format can be text, word doc or HTML, that would be your preferrence.

Copyright is something you would need to work out with the writer. Everyone is different. I retain copyright to all my work unless the buyer is willing to compensate me enough to give it up. And even then I feel like I'm giving my child up for adoption. It's a very hard thing for me to do.

Pricing. Ah, here's were we get into trouble.

When I first started there weren't many quality writers out there and I felt that since my work was so much better than the drivel that was found all over the net, I could charge more and get my price, which I did. Unfortunately there has been a glut of what I consider "sweat shop" writers who mass produce pure crap and sell it for $10-$20 per 100 or more stories. Also unfortunately there webmasters that don't care about quality they just want stories so they buy them, not caring that there are no real story lines, that there are spelling errors throughout and that grammar and sentence structure are non existant.

If you want quality work, you should be willing to pay for it.

If someone is writing you custom stories, and the work is good, you should be willing to pay $50 per 1,000 words. If the writer is just starting out or you're buying in bulk, then $25 per thousand. Anything less than that would be an insult to the time and energy it takes to write a good erotic story. You get what you pay for.

Those are just my thoughts, some of the other writers may have different opinions.

Hope that helps.

[coy]

Excellent points Red.

I've seen writers have to almost sell their souls to sell stories and it just shouldn't be like that. I’ve been in this industry for almost 5 years now and all but one webmaster has been not only happy with the well written text, but was more than happy to pay more than the “sweat shop stories.”

You get what you pay for... my mother told me that when I was just starting out and that has stuck with me the past 10 years because of the fact it is absolutely true.

Here’s an excerpt from an article I recently wrote regarding the use of text and audio on adult sites...

"Just what can text and audio do for you? Well as with pictures and videos, quality does matter. As with picture and video content, you should watch for stolen content. One of the many ways sites gather mass quantities of stories to sell dirt-cheap is by taking stories from free listing sites. If the deal seems too good to be true, normally it is. You can bet at least one of three things, the content is stolen, poor quality or has been sold more times than anyone can remember. Would you want to wade through tons of previously seen, typos, poorly written descriptions or choppy non-flowing stories to “enhance” your visit? No, and neither does your member. In this case, quantity does not rule over quality. A good quality story, both text and audio can really capture the member’s attention and in turn become real in the member’s mind, shaped by his or her imagination."

As far as price, as with anything it depends on what the terms of the agreement are, since the stories can be longer, or shorter and exclusiveness can range from sole owner to anyone can own it, not to mention the amount of stories bought at once.

Lets use the most common… 1000 word story, completely exclusive to the webmaster. Just as Red said, $50.00 should be expected if the writer is good and you’re not buying in mass.

I agree with Red on every single point actually.

You want quality text where your surfer doesn’t have to struggle with what the author was trying to say. Ugh! Can you imagine in the middle of the sex scene peak the story reads:


“He jerked a few times and shit his load.”

Instead of…

“He felt the warmth travel up the length of his shaft and he could feel his balls tighten as his climax washed over him. He gripped her waist tightly forcing his cock in deeper as he fired his white stick spunk deep within her spasming pussy.”

Which one would you prefer? Huge difference due to spelling errors and description wouldn’t you agree? :yowsa:

[MaDalton]

Thank you very much, Red! That helped me a lot - exactly what I wanted to know. :wnw:

[MaDalton]

boah, and a second excellent post about that. Thanks to you too, Coy!

:bjump:

[Red]

Originally posted by MaDalton@Feb 14 2005, 04:01 PM
Thank you very much, Red! That helped me a lot - exactly what I wanted to know. :wnw:
I aim to please.

though that has gotten me into trouble once or twice. :awinky:

[MaDalton]

Originally posted by Red+Feb 14 2005, 04:14 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Red @ Feb 14 2005, 04:14 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-MaDalton@Feb 14 2005, 04:01 PM
Thank you very much, Red! That helped me a lot - exactly what I wanted to know. :wnw:
I aim to please.

though that has gotten me into trouble once or twice. :awinky: [/b][/quote]
well, no one has ever gotten into trouble for pleasing me :biglaugh:

and i always try to give double in return. :zoinks:


very interesting sites you have, btw. i nearly did a sign-up on dixietrailertrash.com - i love stuff like that :hic:

[Red]

Originally posted by MaDalton@Feb 14 2005, 04:30 PM



very interesting sites you have, btw. i nearly did a sign-up on dixietrailertrash.com - i love stuff like that :hic:
Then you should be here for the shoots and the parties, they're insane.

and I tell everyone that my top selling affiliates get personal invitations to the orgies if they want.

[coy]

Originally posted by MaDalton@Feb 14 2005, 06:06 PM
boah, and a second excellent post about that. Thanks to you too, Coy!

:bjump:
cool beans. thanks for the compliment... I'm glad I could add my two cents in :yowsa:

[coy]

Originally posted by Red+Feb 14 2005, 07:17 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Red @ Feb 14 2005, 07:17 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-MaDalton@Feb 14 2005, 04:30 PM



very interesting sites you have, btw. i nearly did a sign-up on dixietrailertrash.com - i love stuff like that :hic:
Then you should be here for the shoots and the parties, they're insane.

and I tell everyone that my top selling affiliates get personal invitations to the orgies if they want. [/b][/quote]
whooo hoooo! *readjusts her to do list* :biglaugh:

[Red]

Originally posted by coy+Feb 15 2005, 10:31 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (coy @ Feb 15 2005, 10:31 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Originally posted by Red@Feb 14 2005, 07:17 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-MaDalton@Feb 14 2005, 04:30 PM



very interesting sites you have, btw. i nearly did a sign-up on dixietrailertrash.com - i love stuff like that :hic:
Then you should be here for the shoots and the parties, they're insane.

and I tell everyone that my top selling affiliates get personal invitations to the orgies if they want.
whooo hoooo! *readjusts her to do list* :biglaugh: [/b][/quote]
Coy my darling, you've got an open invitation. Defiant would kill me if I didn't offer that to you. :agrin:



And Ma Dalton, if you want an example of what an erotic story can do for the imagination. Go check out the story that I've posted in the text talk forum. (but you might want to keep some tissues handy) :awinky:

[The Other Steve]

Ma Dalton just let me add my two cents worth to what the others have already said.

1. Never buy story content based on price alone. If your only prepared to pay peanuts then the only people who will read the story are monkeys. If you want good written work then you need to be prepared to pay for it.

At the same time the normal market forces apply here just as they do anywhere else and you can get a good story for a very reasonable price. If a writer advertises a price on their website don't always take that price as being set in concrete.

2. It's far better not to use stories at all than to use poorly written stories just because they're cheap.

3. Most of the people who claim to be writers aren't. Writing a good erotic story that will capture the interest of your readers is about more than just two people copulating.

4. Most of the people who claim to be writers aren't. There are special techniques that should be used when writing a story for the Internet and most people don't understand that or can't adjust the way they write to accommodate those techniques. Long paragraphs are just one of the BIG no-no's when writing for the Internet.

Oh and did I say that most people who claim to be writers aren't?

:)

[Raven]

I'm sure this is going to get me into trouble.......adult is the cheapest....when it comes to text.

Mainstream writers command so much more....yet, on the web....everyone says text is essential.....well, hell yeah, it's essential. It's not as if we can call the surfers up ...all we have are words and graphics...

I don't get it.

Sorry, Red and Coy....and The Other Steve...custom stories? 50 dollars?

No and hell no.

Writers, especially in THIS industry, should be revered...because we CAN write advertising text and come up with those catchy lines and phrases.....we can take fifty words, condense them into ten, keep all the keywords in tact and give the surfer a hard on....

We ARE that good....

Everyone wants 'em and no one wants to pay for them.

We've learned to accept $50. for a story. For a thousand words...that comes out to what.....2 cents a word?

Go visit some copy writer boards....many of them command 2-4 dollars a word...

And, advertising? Well....'got milk'....earned 100 G.

:::stepping off of soap box now:::::

[Red]

Originally posted by Raven@Feb 23 2005, 07:28 PM
I'm sure this is going to get me into trouble.......adult is the cheapest....when it comes to text.

Mainstream writers command so much more....yet, on the web....everyone says text is essential.....well, hell yeah, it's essential. It's not as if we can call the surfers up ...all we have are words and graphics...

I don't get it.

Sorry, Red and Coy....and The Other Steve...custom stories? 50 dollars?

No and hell no.

Writers, especially in THIS industry, should be revered...because we CAN write advertising text and come up with those catchy lines and phrases.....we can take fifty words, condense them into ten, keep all the keywords in tact and give the surfer a hard on....

We ARE that good....

Everyone wants 'em and no one wants to pay for them.

We've learned to accept $50. for a story. For a thousand words...that comes out to what.....2 cents a word?

Go visit some copy writer boards....many of them command 2-4 dollars a word...

And, advertising? Well....'got milk'....earned 100 G.

:::stepping off of soap box now:::::
You wont get into trouble Raven, at least not with me.

In principle I agree with you 100%. But unfortunately we have to go with what the market will bare. Adult writing has always paid shit. 10 years ago when I was writing for men's print mags, the standard payment was $25 for a 4 page letter to the forum and $100 for a 10 page story. I don't know what they're paying now, but I'll bet it's not much more.

The best compensation I've received was when Lensman hired me to be the Amateur Pages copywriter. I was paid an extremely good salary, but I also did a lot more than just write copy. When I left him and started Eroticopy I was commanding a good price for my work. That lasted for 3 months. After that, a bunch of other copywriting services opened up, undercut my prices and I had to lower them to compete. When it comes to adult webmasters, text is at the bottom of their "necessary expenditures" list. You, of all people know how many hacks are selling stories for $5 and webmasters are buying them.

You're right that it is shamefull when you look at what mainstream writing pays, but adult webmasters don't want to hear it. So what do we do? If you're ready to start the revolution, I'll be right behind you, picket sign in hand.

[MaDalton]

it's the same with pictures. when i worked in the marketing department of a mail order company we paid about $60 or $70 for one fucking packshot of a dumb box of paper tissues for example. now see the prices in adult market when you even have to pay the model and all of the other stuff.

you can't compare it.

[coy]

Originally posted by Red@Feb 24 2005, 10:07 AM

You wont get into trouble Raven, at least not with me.

In principle I agree with you 100%. But unfortunately we have to go with what the market will bare. Adult writing has always paid shit. 10 years ago when I was writing for men's print mags, the standard payment was $25 for a 4 page letter to the forum and $100 for a 10 page story. I don't know what they're paying now, but I'll bet it's not much more.

The best compensation I've received was when Lensman hired me to be the Amateur Pages copywriter. I was paid an extremely good salary, but I also did a lot more than just write copy. When I left him and started Eroticopy I was commanding a good price for my work. That lasted for 3 months. After that, a bunch of other copywriting services opened up, undercut my prices and I had to lower them to compete. When it comes to adult webmasters, text is at the bottom of their "necessary expenditures" list. You, of all people know how many hacks are selling stories for $5 and webmasters are buying them.

You're right that it is shamefull when you look at what mainstream writing pays, but adult webmasters don't want to hear it. So what do we do? If you're ready to start the revolution, I'll be right behind you, picket sign in hand.

I agree totally. We writers... TRUE writers have had to basically bend over the barrel when it came to selling our content. We do have to charge what the market will bare, unfortunately in our case; text is one of the last things webmasters want to budget for despite the necessity.

I’ve been laughed at when I’ve told webmasters I charge $50 a story and have turned away a lot of disillusioned ones who were under the impression we can just whip full custom story out in a few minutes. It takes no talent, no thought, all we’re doing is typing. WRONG!

I’ll join you both... I am so utterly tired of scum pushing stolen or horribly written content, not only on principle but also because we have to compete with that. Now I’ve never had an unsatisfied customer. I’ve have a great many come to me, very skeptical of the price and the quality, but once they’ve seen the difference between real erotic stories and the crap they’ve been fed, they come running back.

*heads off to find the picketing smiley*

[Raven]

For me, it's lasted longer...because I simply won't back down.

I've expanded my business into consulting and financial planning and I've given up writing stories.....except on occasion....

I'm what people now call a financial planner, marketing dynamo, professional nag..and writing comes with the retainer....

I look around and I see writers...damned good writers....sell their souls for peanuts...and I can't stand it.

There is a program who offered me a whole dollar for advertising text links and told me I was insane for my asking price.....and I was giving him a deal because he wanted bulk.

When will people wake up and realise that ad text ....is comprised of very few words designed to attract....to entice.

Advertising people make quite a bit of money...to come up with that catchy phrase....

But, this industry? They think anyone can write an ad?
Or a story?
Or a bio that surfers will actually read?

Or keyword rich descriptions?

This is something that cannot and should not be outsourced and it's a shame that everyone goes to the message boards and asks for textual help.....and everyone says how important text is..and it is...because y'all are reading text now...that's all we have on the Internet.

No matter how fancy the graphics..no matter how beautiful the model...even the flash....you have to have text.

Marry the graphics and the words and you've got success. Otherwise it's just another cookie cutter site.

I've had this debate before with so many.....it's truly a shame....but, mainstream..thank goodness they haven't figured out how to be so cheap...they're still paying dollars per word.

[nlphoto]

Originally posted by MaDalton@Feb 24 2005, 05:11 PM
it's the same with pictures. when i worked in the marketing department of a mail order company we paid about $60 or $70 for one fucking packshot of a dumb box of paper tissues for example. now see the prices in adult market when you even have to pay the model and all of the other stuff.

you can't compare it.
Bingo MaDalton !

I have not shot for a general webmaster CD in over 4 years, because
I can never get back the investment of what one of them cost to produce,
since I'm not willing to put out shit. But since prices have dropped in the
toilet, the ROI timeframe is now longer than I'll be alive... I remember
being one of the first photographers providing softcore internet content,
in early 1998, and getting laughed at by established photogs at only asking
0.50 per image.

[The Other Steve]

Raven - Marie and I certainly agree with you but as Red said there are market forces in play here that don't always come into play in mainstream.

For example in the real world there are lots of people who can tell the difference between a fine wine and a can of Pepsi and are prepared to pay the difference. Here in this industry most people wouldn't have a clue what the difference was and even find Pepsi too expensive for their tastes.