What it's like to write for chinahighlights.com (my experience)

Chinahighlights.com is a tour operator that uses freelancers to write articles on China, and it is pretty in want of good writers to share their knowledge. Most of the easy topics are already taken, but for people who have a pretty close connection with the culture and can write decently, it's a straightforward way to make $50 and up. Here are some things to think about:

1) Figure out how much would be worth it for you. The starting rate is only $50 for a roughly 700-word article and 2 photos. So unless you can bust something out in 3-4 hours, it might not be worth your time. Take into consideration the time spent corresponding and redoing your work to meet their requirements.

2) Redoing your piece will be required in order to make it meet their preconceived standards:
- Right length (700 words is basically the limit),
- Right format (know your H2s from your H3s)
- Right style (not too cheeky lads)
- Enough marketing bits (plugs for the tours the company offers)
- Enough links to other articles on their site (researching their site is required).
My problem was I wanted to write informatively; they wanted pithy, balding sentences that read quickly.

3) The rate you negotiated is only possible when you get it right. Editing your article to match their requirements to near exactness will get you the full amount, or you can opt for a lower rate. They'll finish editing your article for a docked rate of one-third the negotiated rate if it's barely passable, two-thirds if it's decent, and nothing if it's unacceptable. I think you can reedit it as many time as needed.

4) The two required images need to be related to your article, so you may give them your B-sides.

***My experience was that they paid the full amount by PayPal.***
That was what I was worried about the most. It came like a month or two afterwards, and they originally sent me a bit less than what we negotiated, but in the end it was corrected. Gavin (the guy you'll talk to) is one of those rare people on the internet that fully answers your concerns and more. There are also ample opportunities for proofreading and other article writing; this would only be for people who don't want to be paid well. Overall, I was satisfied, but the time I spent figuring out what they wanted meant I worked on it far too long.

Hope you read this before you started in on it.