Re:Show HN: I made wits.io where writers can earn money with...
by asdfman123 on Friday August 17, 2018 @01:40PM
(#17784491)
I think it's a mistake to distribute payment based on likes, reading time or engagement.
Firstly, the writer is doing all the work only to be paid based on a completely opaque formula. I read it as "maybe there's a chance you'll get paid, but it's most likely nothing." Why would I go through the process of applying and contributing if I'm not getting paid shit?
Furthermore, your site will benefit from having a wide range of book reviews on all sorts of obscure topics, so people will know they can visit your site for any kind of review. However, I imagine there will be some kind of power law distribution as to the kinds of reviews people will actually read. So the guy who writes a review for Jane Eyre will make a decent chunk of change, and everyone else will basically get nothing. Why would I want to write a review on this cool, non-AP-English book I just read when I'm going to maybe make three cents off of it?
Firstly, the writer is doing all the work only to be paid based on a completely opaque formula. I read it as "maybe there's a chance you'll get paid, but it's most likely nothing." Why would I go through the process of applying and contributing if I'm not getting paid shit?
Furthermore, your site will benefit from having a wide range of book reviews on all sorts of obscure topics, so people will know they can visit your site for any kind of review. However, I imagine there will be some kind of power law distribution as to the kinds of reviews people will actually read. So the guy who writes a review for Jane Eyre will make a decent chunk of change, and everyone else will basically get nothing. Why would I want to write a review on this cool, non-AP-English book I just read when I'm going to maybe make three cents off of it?