The minimum value model was discussed extensively when we set up SW in quite a similar way to the one you describe. However, we really don’t think undercutting (and potentially devaluing) blog content is the way to go. If you publicly tell an editor your minimum word rate is, for example, $100 per 1000 words believe me, most – probably all – will take it :) And $100 per 1000 is bollocks…

Critiquing is again something we’ve discussed, it *may* come later. For now, we are concentrating on lining up the best blogs in niche areas and pushing them and their best content to editors in those areas.

1) Free content appraisal – As part of the sign up process bloggers should be able to list links to 2-3 typical entries. Scoopt would then appraise the content and submit to the blogger an idea of what their general negotiation range might be.
2) Content Minimum Prices – It would be extremely easy for bloggers to set a minimum value on their content. Within url of the “buy this content” button bloggers could easily set a min dollar value. It might look something like this. http://scoopt.com/words/user.php?v=20
3) Critiquing – Scoopt editors could periodically email bloggers with ideas on what they could do to improve their work. This could include grammar corrections, style…whatever.

Sam B
http://www.xelr8blogs.net

Ryan – interesting follow up. Great comments. I think we may have more on this for you soon.

Raj – we really can’t talk rates as it’s meaningless. One mag will pay $1 per word, another 10 cents. It all depends who, when and what. Every deal is different. But, you raise an interesting point. maybe should make our rate cards we have and will negotiate public at a later date. And, as we have mentioned, promoting bloggers and particular blog content and pushing it to the right people is key and is coming. Give us a chance. I will add that we are already making sales… So sign up, hang in and if you’ve got faith in your own blog, maybe someone else will enough to pay for it.

I was planning to create a plugin (for Wordpress) which would allow writers to sell directly to editors/ webmasters, with payment made immediately through Paypal. (Hey, people charge immediately for their e-books through clickbank, etc. Why not for articles? It may or may not fly.) However, as you pointed out, in the print industry, pymt is typically 30d, with a rare article advance. My idea may not work. What I was thinking for Scoopt was that, with your eventual street cred, you could negotiate 15d. But maybe that’s just crazy.

I’m not sure what kind of rates you’re negotiating. You give no indication of that. I’ve been paid $0 and I’ve been paid $1300 for my articles. But I negotiated those for myself. When agents represent someone, protocol dictates that you tell them what range you are negotiating. Maybe not publicly, but while you’re negotiating a piece. (Although, with a lot of bloggers, they’re not previously writers and will not know what they are worth.)

But as Ryan says above, as you have presented your services on the Scoopt site, you don’t appear to offer much for 50%. Unless I’ve missed something in the details, or unless you have some extra “free” services in mind that you’ve not yet revealed. At the very least, you’re going to want to promote authors on your site and build your own traffic. Otherwise, why should a blogger want to place your icon on my site(s)?

Please do set me straight if I’ve misunderstood.

I agree with what you’re saying in that an editor is going to go after a trusted source from an agency over joeblow. The problem with your example is you’re not calling the news desk to pitch my photo/story either. I’m still calling the news desk (hosting the button), hoping they’ll see that my agency is you and that they’ll care about that.

The multiple currencies is a bit of a non-issue, as having a PayPal account entitles you to their automatic currency conversion for money from CAD, USD, GBP, JPY, AUD and EUR. Now granted, there’s a chance someone might want to pay in a currency other than these … but for the majority it’s unlikely.

Sorry to be so combative about this idea. I understand that the bulk of your users are going to be people who’ve not got the first idea about selling their content to publications and you can be their shepherd for a steep 1/2 – 1/4 fee. However, I just don’t think you’re earning that fee under the current system. Even if I didn’t know what my words are worth – you can bet to keep 25%-50% more of my earnings, I’d take the time to learn.

Arbitrary numbers here. It takes 2-3 hours of time online to educate yourself in becoming a paid writer (not quality of what you write, but knowledge of the system, of course). Lets say you sell three articles through Scoopt at $100 a piece (obviously these prices range greatly, but arbitrary)… that’s either $300 in your pocket with 2-3 hours killed online (something we all do far too much anyway as bloggers), or $200 and you can spend that 2-3 hours trying to get that CSS just right, or aimlessly clicking on new Bloglines articles. Personally I like the $100.

You guys have a great idea empowering community journalism, and a way for amateur journalists to consider getting money for their writing. Incorporating RSS feeds of your members’ content to targetted publications would be an excellent service (as Graham mentioned is in the works). Having staff to review and suggest this content in a targetted way would also be a good service. Both of these might justify that huge cut you’re taking to pay your bills. Without it… I just don’t agree.

I’ll continue to watch and see. Perhaps I’m just too early to the game and pointing out problems you guys haven’t had the time to solve yet.

Writing, the kind that gets published, is a lot different than selling sensationalized situational photographs. A situational photograph is just you happening to have seen a politician cream some kid on the freeway and got a photo of it on your mobile. Writing involves sitting down, thinking something out and structuring it in an organized and readable fashion. Using the same business model for both just simply can’t work.

Darren, sorry to post such a long comment. Reviewing this, I double-checked your comment policy just to make sure I wasn’t in violation ;-). I’m not right? There’s no length limit is there? Guess I’ll see in a second.

I have a handbag blog, and sure some handbag blurbs might fit in with print magazines, or something, but I’m not sure about most of it, as there are fewer actual articles compared to discussions on handbag styles.

The thing is I’m quite interested in joining mainly because your website said you go after sites that steal our words, and I would love that for this blog.

Really, the next question is, do you go after splogs that steal our content (they do try to make money off of ads)?

If so, your site will be the best thing for bloggers in a long time, as long as they write the right content, I assume. Splogs are definitely a huge problem.

Yes, of course you can invite editors to republish your content. But imagine you;re an editor. What do you want to do:

a) Contact a blogger whom you don’t know, who is probably in a different time zone and unable to respond quickly enough for your deadline, who probably uses a different currency, who might know nothing about licensing or the value of words… and then, assuming you do manage to broker a deal, repeat the process time and time again and then persuade your accounts dept to set up a hundred different accounts in 3 or 4 currencies in order to pay suppliers on a one-off basis…

OR

b) click the ScooptWords button and deal directly with a single agency that makes your life really easy and gives you access to (potentially) all the content I need?

ScooptWords aims to serve your needs as a content creator but also a publisher’s requirements as a content customer. It’s similar to Scoopt pictures. If you take a snapshot of a newsworthy event, there’s nothing to stop you phoning a newspaper and trying to do your own deal. But the reality is that the guy on the picture desk a) probably won’t call you back unless you have something REALLY special, and b) doesn’t really want to deal with you for all the reasons given above. It’s just too hard. He doesn’t have time. He wants an easier life. He’d rather deal with a professional agency that understands his issues and deadlines and pricing policy and license requirements and supplies him with what he wants when and how he wants it.

So yes, with the explosion of user-generated content anybody can sell anything to any market. In principle. But in practice it helps to have an agency representing you and doing the business.

I’ll be tuning back in when you can bring me business… not when I can bring it to you.

I agree that with a 50% and then 25% cut you’re setting yourself up for a lot of suppliers that don’t really see this is a valuable source of income, but don’t mind plugging up your systems with it.

One question for you Graham. The intro page for bloggers (and the whole “button on your page” idea) leads me feeling like publishers/editors will have to source out your blog first, and then get redirected to Scoopt Words. Perhaps I’m unclear, but can you explain in which direction the traffic flows? From my site to yours or from yours to mine? Are you bringing potential buyers to me, or just handling them once they’ve found me?

Re: payment in 15 days. You say you’re an ex-editor, I applaud you if you ever/always made payment within 15 days. You are the exception as far as my experience goes. 30 days is standard for freelances before payment reminders are sent out. It’s not ideal, but it’s the accepted norm. At least in our part of the world. I would say most publications I have dealt with do not pay even within 30 days.

Automation will come. As soon as a publication makes it’s first purchase, the process is automatic as we agree an individual rate card. In future buyers can click and go.

How do experienced editors, etc., justify these percentages? Any good agent would never ask that much.

While I would really like Scoopt to work, in general, I’m hoping you’ll rethink the process, automate, get pymt in 15 days, etc., and realize that you don’t need to charge that much. Especially, on the Internet, where if you build a good rep, you’ll have lots of bloggers/ writers joining, and lots of editors buying. You’ll have enough volume from street cred to get by on 10-20%.