Associated Content Stops Paying
An email from AC just arrived in my inbox. As a sometime contributor (mostly in the past) to the site, I have been receiving regular, small payments for per-view publication of articles.
Unfortunately, AC have now changed their rules: non-US publishers who are not a part of the Featured Contributors scheme will no longer get any kind of per-view payments.
Here’s the text of the email:
Important Announcement: As of May 1, 2010, Associated Content will be making changes to our payment system that significantly impact Contributors who are not United States taxpayers.
After evaluating our payment policies in regard to international Contributors, our legal team has determined that Associated Content must immediately start withholding a portion of all international Performance Payments pursuant to U.S. tax laws. Due to the cost involved in this process, we can only offer continued Performance Payments to international Contributors enrolled in Associated Content’s Featured Contributors program.
Contributors who are not enrolled as a Featured Contributor, or are not accepted into this program, will no longer be able to earn Performance Payments from Associated Content as of May 1, 2010. If this applies to you, you will receive a final Performance Payment on May 12, 2010 for your page views through April 30, 2010 (if your balance exceeds the current $1.50 payment threshold).
If you are not currently enrolled as a Featured Contributor, we encourage you to apply now. Please note that the program requires you to have top-notch writing skills, and a strong body of work in one of our featured topic areas. You can read all the details and apply to one of the programs here. Note: There is no deadline for applying to the program, but you will not be able to earn further payment until/unless you are accepted.
If you are accepted into the program, you will be asked to submit a United States W-8BEN tax form, enabling Associated Content to withhold earnings on Performance Payments pursuant to U.S. tax laws. In addition, your earning threshold will increase from $1.50 to $100, meaning Associated Content will only process Performance Payments when the total payment balance passes $100. The good news: As a Featured Contributor, you will receive high value assignme nts [sic] every month, and will continue earning Performance Payments on all content published.
That’s going to be a big hit for a lot of writers who used AC as a source of residual income outside the US.
AC will remove writers’ content if requested: contact them at community@associatedcontent.com
Hiya Spike. This is a bit of a bugger. I’d uploaded some articles and was toying with the idea of making this crowd my chief repository for pre-loved works. Not so sure now.
You seem to know your way around these things. Where would you recommed an Australian chap park his business articles (and fiction?) for a few coppers?
Or are content aggregators all a one-way street of empty promises? Should I just bung everything on a WordPress blog and point the traffic to my home site?
Best regards, P.
Paul: Good to see you.
The content aggregator/directory debate rages eternally online – are they a waste, are they underpaid, are they screwing everybody. It’s like discussing rates of pay: there’s never an answer.
That said, there are places to park content “for a few coppers”: Helium’s too much work for that, AC no longer pays, so you’re pretty much reduced to somewhere like HubPages or Squidoo (and so on), either to push people to your site or get a bit of associated income (Amazon, eBay, etc.).
That said (again), if you have some “publishable” content – that is, content which stands on its own as professional articles magazines would like – you could also list them on Constant Content’s marketplace with appropriate rights.
Someone like Deb at FWJ would probably have more pointers, though she’s less directory-friendly (and far better for top-paid gigs).
Many thanks, Mate. That is most helpful. I’ll get out my divining rod and have a fossick. Best regards, P.