Are there hubbers that actually make a living from just this site?

1. 87

   Pico Trianoposted 9 years ago

   Just curious. I did meet someone who used to make a living writing on Squidoo before they made some changes. I know some people on Bubblews who live in some "third world" countries that make enough on there to survive as well.  It seems reasonable to me that there are at least a few "big guns" on this site that are making a modest living from their work here.

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      lovebuglenaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I am sure that there are plenty of people who are very successful here earnings-wise but I bet there are only a few that are able to use these earnings alone to pay their bills... From my experience I earn faster on B than I do here... And on B reach the min payout much faster too than I do on here.

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      1. 87

         Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         B's changes recently might impact my earnings there more than I thought. Not worried though. Once everyone gets used to the new format I'm sure my earning will stabilize again.

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      Nabil Ansariposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      This might sound ridiculous, but there are websites that actually pay you $50 per guest post. I have been doing this lately, and because of that I am not able to write hubs. Do some research because this can really get you started. Then again, you should not put all your eggs in one basket. I would say that you should not even deal with eggs, instead, use stones.
      
      So it is better to put all your stones in one basket, but make sure that each stone is of a different type. Or else it would not have any purpose other than throwing them on other people.
      
      If you understand this, then you are great. But if you don't, then you should probably spend more time on the internet learning more things. Lastly, I would say that I didn't wanted to share the exact websites, because those have been my primary source of income lately. Also, I live in India (if you might want to know), and so, the exchange rate of dollar is enough for me to live a decent life while I'm still in college.

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         Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for commenting. I will keep this post in mind when I seek to branch out further. Right now I want to establish myself firmly here.

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      moneyminditposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Money should be the last thing on our minds when we write Hubs or when we write for any other sites.  You should write because you love to write.  You should focus on creating unique and interesting hubs.  Nothing else should matter.  If what you write is good, then you will make money by building an audience.  If all you do is focus on making money, then you will not create great content.

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         sunilkunnoth2012posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         That is wonderful advice and I very much endorse your view. I strongly believe so and that has given me some success here.

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      2. 87

         Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Money as a byproduct of becoming a better writer is good advice. I won't deny that the money still means something to me though.

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         Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         So are you saying that journalists, who earn a living with their writing, never think about money?   What about the many composers who wrote to please their wealthy patrons?  They wrote to please a paying audience so they had to think about what they wanted, but they still managed to turn out masterpieces. I don't think the two are mutually exclusive at all.

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         mrphyshposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         right

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         Huntgoddessposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, I very much agree.

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   4. 84

      Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      No.   I also know people who made a significant income on Squidoo and HubPages in the past.  At one time, there were several Hubbers earning over $2,000 per month.   
      
      That is no longer the case, and it has nothing to do with  Squidoo or HubPages making changes. It's due to Google making changes which drastically reduced the traffic to both sites.

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      1. 92

         Susana Sposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Have to disagree that it's no longer the case. There are still people earning that and more, they're just far less vocal about it than other people have been in the past.
         
         Paul E said fairly recently that the highest earner was making about 30K per year from the Hubpages Earning Program.

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         1. 94

            Suzanne Dayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Wow, that sure gives me some hope!!! Though might need 1 million hubs the rate most of mine go....or 10,000 of my top performers.

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         2. 87

            Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Making it to the top for me would be an unrealistic goal. It is encouraging to know that it is still possible.

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            1. 94

               Suzanne Dayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               I'm gonna work at it, I have 20 years to play with in my spare time.

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2. 73

   csmiravite-blogsposted 9 years ago

   I can only talk for writers from the Philippines. There are a lot of people from our group who can make a run for your money when it comes to online writing. They do marketing campaigns, web content for site owners in the US, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and some Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and even China before the  political fiasco that we have with them lately. Some others can be successful in social blogging sites like bubblews etc.
   
   Most serious writers in the group, though, are not your ordinary run of the mill. They do serious stuff like technical writing, marketing campaigns, and academic research, among other things. I should know as I am part of that group. However, there are kids --- high school and college students and even stay-at-home moms---who dabble in online writing, since earning in  dollars is something that is very attractive to us. The exchange rate as I have said in various forums, is P43: $. So, we may earn a few dollars, but once converted into pesos, that amount becomes humongous.
   
   You cannot say that Filipinos are one of the lucky groups that's having a good streak of luck in social sites like the B. Nope, really not true. Some of our best writers have not been paid or their accounts were unceremoniously deleted as what I have observed lately. The B still owes me $150, which has remained unpaid for 6 mos. now. It just amazes me that some of our younger compatriots with half a brain of English (as high school and college students are wont to do) are getting paid continuously.
   
   I guess, earning online can be fickle. Some can have the luck of being paid and some not. I also think, that it always pays to have various sources of income to live a financially rewarding life, and not only  rely in one or two sources.
   
   My one cent... 
   
   writer_csm

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   1. 87

      Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I wholly agree with you on having more than one site for income. I don't expect to draw all my income from one source and even I have income from two different sites. Once I'm more established here I might start looking to add a third. Depends on my time.

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3. 93

   Barack Jamesposted 9 years ago

   There are a number of sites out there where you can work for a passive income; however, when you want a reliable long term income plan, some are not worth your time: Article and Academic writing pays well---  though you have to write for every earning and that's why Prefer writing for the web and search engines-- you can still earn while in a long vacation

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   1. 87

      Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I'm hoping to pull a small passive income here. I've noticed some you make consistent payout here don't have that many hubs. They just have ones with staying power.

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4. 94

   Suzanne Dayposted 9 years ago

   Plenty of people have made a living on here. Whether it's because they do better out of the currency coversion or they've written lots and can pay some big bills, or they're an SEO superstar and marketeer, they are around. There used to be more before PANDA, but there are still some here.

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   1. 87

      Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I'm sure I'll cross paths with a few here eventually.

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5. 61

   sunilkunnoth2012posted 9 years ago

   Yet some make huge money like 500 or 1000 dollars a month. I am getting a meager amount from here but still I am happy and hopeful of getting more in future.

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      Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      You and me both.

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         Huntgoddessposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Right :-)

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      Kain 360posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I used to make that amount on another account. But unfortunately, Google Pandas etc.. made me lose traffic. I failed to meet my goals and it has haunted me since.
      
      Although I do want to make more income writing articles, I want to get books published in print.
      
      I might just start writing insane amount of articles like I used to. Work on like 500-1000 page articles and maybe up to 2000. I'll try and use both logic and faith.

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      1. 87

         Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Good luck with writing books. I have one published book. My publisher wants a series from me but my schedule isn't working well for me in that regard. I'm hoping a few changes will get me in print again.

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6. 96

   DrMark1961posted 9 years ago

   Relache knows more about this subject than any other hubber. You should read
   http://relache.hubpages.com/hub/Improve … b-Earnings
   And look at her site to figure out how to increase page views.
   The majority of hubbers do not earn from this site, some earn a good living.
   Most people are not going to give you specific numbers, but after the third month I was able to pay my dog and poultry feed bills, and with a little work and more articles was able to earn minimum wage. (At least where I live. If I was in Western Europe it would not be enough, so it really depends on what you need.)
   And by the way, once you have a body of work you can earn a lot more here than you can from Bubblews, even if your computer is not working and you are offline for several weeks.

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   1. 87

      Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I've already happened across her work. I am interested in the residual potential here that Bubblews just doesn't have. Thanks for the reply.

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7. 76

   MG Singhposted 9 years ago

   Frankly one swallow doesn't make a summer and if a few out of thousands make money its as hood as zero. I think the big majority do not make any money on hub pages. This Iis a dangerous sign and   one must remember some big writing sites crashed.

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   1. 87

      Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I think this is true for most serious writing sites though.  Big writing sites have crashed and burned and others have changed the rules. I'm a Mylot veteran. I learned a few lessons there.

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8. 43

   Mikeydoesposted 9 years ago

   If you know what you are doing and make the right hubs you can certainly make a living.. However it is not easy! Especially if you don't have a plan to execute.

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   1. 87

      Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I think I'm on the right track and have a good approach. I don't doubt I'll make money here, I'm just curious as to my potential here.

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9. 92

   madscientist12posted 9 years ago

   I don't make a living, but I do enjoy the little bit of earnings I get. I use it for things like getting my hair done or filling up my gas tank :-)

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   1. 87

      Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      It helps though and that is encouraging.

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10. 73

    relacheposted 9 years ago

    Throughout the history of HubPages, the majority of writers have always reported making less than $10 per month, so if you are looking for some sort of "average" experience, that seems to be it.
    
    Pre-Panda and pre-Penguin (two Google algorithm updates) there were a significant number of writers who found they could make enough money here to cover all their cost-of-living expenses.  Please note this was back in 2010-2011. 
    
    I'm not seeing anything resembling the overall traffic or CPMs that HubPages drew in those days at this time.

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       Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I try to be realistic but in the long run I want to be above average.

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11. 96

    incomeguruposted 9 years ago

    Before with this site alone I was pretty OK with my earnings, but just of recent it dropped drastically. Although, the drop in earnings I see it as my own negligence because I left the site for two years.

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    1. 87

       Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I am aiming at consistent long term effort here. I know an on again off again approach isn't going to accomplish much.

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12. 79

    LeanManposted 9 years ago

    I earn more on here than some of my neighbors earn doing a full time job here in the Philippines. No where near what I would need if I were back home in the UK........
    
    Hubpages is where I learned to earn money online and it is still an important contributor to my monthly income although it is no longer my biggest earner.
    
    The earnings here have dropped as they have for many other sites similar to HP.. While my own sites have gone from strength to strength.
    
    Google however is prone to making changes on a regular basis, so what was working and earning one day will hit rock bottom and something that was struggling could suddenly start earning.
    
    Put your eggs in several baskets is my advice and don't rely on one single source of income. Some of us earn a full time living online but just trying to do it from HP would be foolish - but not impossible.

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    1. 87

       Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Gotten similar advice from other writers. I learn on each site. I will likely expand to other sites once I feel comfortable here.

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       Brie Hoffmanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       What other sites do you use or do you have  your own?

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13. 84

    ologsinquitoposted 9 years ago

    If you want to earn money online, enough so that you depend upon it every month, you should definitely diversify and not put all of your eggs in one basket.

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    1. 87

       Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I'm doing my best to diversify online with the time I have. We're connected on Bubblews so I know you're there as well. Once my schedule is improved I'm hoping to add another site along with my own blogs.

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    Jcpuddlesposted 9 years ago

    What else is there other than Bubblews (which clearly doesn't want me) and Hubpages?

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    1. 84

       ologsinquitoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Infobarrel is another great site. Wizzley is good for affiliate sales, although you will likely need hundreds of pages to make it worthwhile. You should also have a site or two of your own, which, in the long run, may prove to be the most profitable, if it's successful.
       
       Maybe put up a handful of lenses on Squidoo and promote the heck out of them. But not too many lenses, because the rules are ever shifting. Seekyt is a nice site if you want to promote certain products and you can also put a few articles there, as well as on Writedge.

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       Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I've not had trouble with Bubblews. I get paid there regularly. I have a couple of my own sites but I haven't made money with them yet. I'm learning though and I think eventually I will have a modest stream of income from there as well.

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    3. 84

       Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       In my experience, HubPages pays better per hour of effort than any other writing site, because articles earn slowly over time without needing to be constantly promoted.
       
       If you are serious about making money from your writing, posting articles on writing sites is not the way to do it (unless you live in a developing country where a few cents per hour is a good income).   It was a model that worked in 2010, not today.    If you look at Relache's survey, less than 5% of Hubbers make more than $500 a month.  And I know some of those people have built up their portfolio over a long time.
       
       To make money writing today, you need to be selling your work freelance.

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          Chinaimportposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          I wish your statement is true, but it is not any more.  Things have changed considerably in the last decade, at least in big cities.  Salary in Guangzhou, China for an entry level college graduate who can speak and write English like a sixth grader is RMB 5000 (USD 800) and that’s about $3.5 per hour.

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             DrMark1961posted 9 years agoin reply to this

             How about "in the outback"? I do not know what living expenses are like in rural Australia, but I do know that metro Rio or São Paulo is more expensive than the rural U.S., and rural Brasil is even a lot cheaper than that.
             I would imagine it is the same in rural China.
             I guess the earnings from HP are okay for some people, some of the time, but definitely not enough for everyone and everywhere.

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                Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                If you can produce all your own food and keep housing expenses to a minimum you can probably live cheaply most places.

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                   Brie Hoffmanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                   Yes..off the grid is the way to go!

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                   DrMark1961posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                   I read your first hub on your neighbor´s homesteading failure. It can be anywhere, but some people just cant manage, unfortunately.

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                      Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                      It can be a tough road.

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15. 60

    Brie Hoffmanposted 9 years ago

    Is it within the rules to say how much you make on HP?

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       Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I don't think we're supposed to. I'm sure one of the long time writers here will give you a definitive answer on that.

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       fpherj48posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Brie......This would be listed somewhere within the "rules" or TOS, I'm sure.  In any case, I don't know why some hubbers purposely make this information public.  Do they seriously think it's anyone's "business?"   Are they bragging?   Do they secretly hope what they make is associated with their talent as a writer?  Or do they just not understand that the money is a direct result of the "type" of hubs they write and their abilities to be keyword & SEO savvy?  If the general consensus of readers is that your writing is garbage....will attaching big bucks to it make a difference in their opinions?  NO.
       The number ONE suggested rule in training lessons for any Business or Company is that discussing and/or announcing one's "income"  is: 1.  In very poor taste.  2.  A disclosure that may come to haunt you or cause significant issues.  and 3.  Setting yourself up to the envy and possible sabotage of fellow employees.......(HUMAN NATURE)........
       The reality is that if you're GOOD at what you do, you're work is recognized and appreciated..and you are happy & self-satisfied.....No need whatsoever to don a neon flasher of dollars signs!

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          Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Well said

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          csmiravite-blogsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Hard to earn money by merely writing. All the big bucks come from offline work. I make a few dollars here and there writing, enough to buy weekly groceries. But the big earners (1 to 2 years of writing work) come from offline jobs. Hence, my definition of spreading yourself would be..., both offline and online work. Without the former, it would be very difficult financially.

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          Brie Hoffmanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          I don't blame people for wanting to know because I was the same way before I started writing.  I guess I just hate secrets and I feel sorry for people who are trying to make money on this or other sites who have no idea how much they can make, realistically.

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          ChristinSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          All great points fpherj - and it is against the rules here to state your exact earnings.  I would also add that if you are a high earner here and you go about bragging about it, it's kind of like inviting people to plagiarize your content.  There are enough problems sitewide with scraping - I don't think anyone wants to unnecessarily put an extra large target on their back right?

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    Amy Naylorposted 9 years ago

    I don't think I ever will earn a living here as I suffer terribly from the conversion rates being from the UK and all. If I were to earn $100 it would only amount to £58 which kinda sucks.

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       Brie Hoffmanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I think, in order to make a living, off of HP, you would either have to live in a 3rd world country or be completely off the grid, having no expenses.

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          Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          I would agree with you there. We're almost off the grid and what I earn isn't nearly enough writing.

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17. 93

    peeplesposted 9 years ago

    It's possible to earn enough to pay a bill or two, with LOTS of work and LOTS of patience. However I don't think anyone is going to openly say if they are making a lot of money here. If they did it tells outsiders or spammers that their hubs make money. Which in turn makes them a target for plagiarism.

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       Brie Hoffmanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Very good point.

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       Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       I'm happy when in pays a bill or two.

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18. 52

    pateludayposted 9 years ago

    Some people may be making money on this platform. But for people like me (SEO) we would prefer dofollow links...kets see how difficult it is with these new changes in place. Lot of time is required to create hubs and then continuously polish them

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       Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Even without making a living here, I think my time on Hubpages is well spent. I'm constantly learning.

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       Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       If you need to continually polish your Hubs, you are doing something wrong.  The only time you should need to edit your Hubs are if you get a broken link, or if the rules change.   Otherwise, if it ain't broke don't fix it - you'll be much better off writing new Hubs that constantly tweaking old ones.

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          Suzanne Dayposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Totally agree. Gotta have evergreen topics, cover them well, and know when to "finish" the hub without further tinkering.

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    dessavposted 9 years ago

    Thanks for the advice. I'm new to HP and while I'm not looking to totally replace my current income a little extra would be nice. I'm a single mom so if after I get established a bit more if I'm able to pay a bill or 2 or do a little extra for my son I'll consider that a win.

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       Pico Trianoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Positive attitude goes a long way. Good luck writing here.

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       sunilkunnoth2012posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Keep on writing.  Just forget about money.  Eventually your hard work will pay and you will earn from here. Best of luck.

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          dessavposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          That's the plan. Thanks.

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    writelaneposted 9 years ago

    Who makes an income anymore - if you work for the government.

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