5 ms·

Why are only 50% of profits (not even revenue) redistributed to contributors? The content creators are the ones adding all of the value to your website. Or am

Why are only 50% of profits (not even revenue) redistributed to contributors? The content creators are the ones adding all of the value to your website. Or am I reading it wrong and that is ON TOP of the revenue they get from engagement? Either way, nice website.

warpech 8y ago
Connecting the contributors to the readers is also value, isn't it? Anyway, 50% comission by the platform seems much to me too. Are the rights for distribution given exclusively to Wits.io, or can the author publish the same content elsewhere?
- zaheerbaloch 8y ago
  Changing to 85/15 based on feedback. Is that fair?
zaheerbaloch 8y ago
Its just a start... I wasnt sure about the number hence started with 50%.... I can bump it to a bigger number... What makes sense? 70/30... or 80/20? or 90/10?
- masukomi 8y ago
  no way i would read an entire book, to write a small summary, and then get only 50% of "profits" (even if it is changed to 85% (still says 50% for me)). On top of that there's no clue how much that would be. You're basically asking people to work on spec for have of some unknown future profit. The word "distributed" makes me concerned too because you may mean, " we take all the profits and distribute them evenly across the people who wrote summaries" which could have dramatic consequences for pay vs work. Without any real numbers i see no reason to believe that this would result in anything more than working for WAYYYY below minimum wage. Remember, it takes a while to read a book and you're asking me to do it as a way to "make money". Also, i don't understand how someone "liking" my review converts to "profit" are they paying to "like" it? That seems unlikely. If not... i'm not seeing where money ever enters the system, and thus how profit is ever generated and thus why i should ever expect to earn anything from my work.
- asdfman123 8y ago
  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?
- owens99 8y ago
  I would go with 85/15. This is what Skillshare used to charge (15%) when they had in-person/live classes marketplace. I think it's pretty fair. Good luck!
  - zaheerbaloch 8y ago
    Done. Its now 85/15 :)
    - allannienhuis 8y ago
      I know its only a few minutes since the change, but the contributions page still shows 50%. Edge Caching?
      - zaheerbaloch 8y ago
        Can you please try again. Should be fixed by now.
        danbower 8y ago
        https://www.wits.io/writer https://www.wits.io/writer says 85% but https://www.wits.io/contribute https://www.wits.io/contribute still says 50%.
        allannienhuis 8y ago
        yes, the linked/submitted page is /contribute, and it still says 50%
        allannienhuis 8y ago
        check /contribute. :)

warpech 8y ago

Connecting the contributors to the readers is also value, isn't it? Anyway, 50% comission by the platform seems much to me too. Are the rights for distribution given exclusively to Wits.io, or can the author publish the same content elsewhere?

zaheerbaloch 8y ago
Changing to 85/15 based on feedback. Is that fair?

zaheerbaloch 8y ago

Its just a start... I wasnt sure about the number hence started with 50%.... I can bump it to a bigger number... What makes sense? 70/30... or 80/20? or 90/10?

masukomi 8y ago
no way i would read an entire book, to write a small summary, and then get only 50% of "profits" (even if it is changed to 85% (still says 50% for me)). On top of that there's no clue how much that would be. You're basically asking people to work on spec for have of some unknown future profit. The word "distributed" makes me concerned too because you may mean, " we take all the profits and distribute them evenly across the people who wrote summaries" which could have dramatic consequences for pay vs work. Without any real numbers i see no reason to believe that this would result in anything more than working for WAYYYY below minimum wage. Remember, it takes a while to read a book and you're asking me to do it as a way to "make money". Also, i don't understand how someone "liking" my review converts to "profit" are they paying to "like" it? That seems unlikely. If not... i'm not seeing where money ever enters the system, and thus how profit is ever generated and thus why i should ever expect to earn anything from my work.
asdfman123 8y ago
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?
owens99 8y ago
I would go with 85/15. This is what Skillshare used to charge (15%) when they had in-person/live classes marketplace. I think it's pretty fair. Good luck!
- zaheerbaloch 8y ago
  Done. Its now 85/15 :)
  - allannienhuis 8y ago
    I know its only a few minutes since the change, but the contributions page still shows 50%. Edge Caching?
    - zaheerbaloch 8y ago
      Can you please try again. Should be fixed by now.
      - danbower 8y ago
        https://www.wits.io/writer https://www.wits.io/writer says 85% but https://www.wits.io/contribute https://www.wits.io/contribute still says 50%.
        allannienhuis 8y ago
        yes, the linked/submitted page is /contribute, and it still says 50%
      - allannienhuis 8y ago
        check /contribute. :)