What is the Writer’s Room Program?
The Writer’s Room Program encourages Andelans to showcase their technical writing skills through monthly open blog submissions and ensures chosen writers will get paid for their published work. Our Senior Content Strategist will announce three to four blog topics each month, inviting open submissions on these subjects between two to three weeks. The Senior Content Strategist will choose four blogs for publication once the submission window has closed.
The four blogs will be published on the Andela blog and submitted to The New Stack for consideration and potential publication. In addition, the selected blogs will be featured on our social media channels and in two Andela newsletters. The authors of selected blogs will be awarded a $200 gift card each for their work.
Potential writers can hone their writing skills before drafting their blogs through pre-recorded webinars and PowerPoint guides available on Andela Learning. Our online seminar sessions also include seminars on technical and soft skill blog writing, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), social media, and long-form writing.
How can I submit my writing for the Andela blog?
- Visit Writer's Room Blog Submissions and click “+ new post”. Please copy and paste your article copy directly into your post, include an image, and follow the template instructions.
- If you submit an article featuring code, please ensure the code is listed directly in the document, with any additional links to hosting sites like GitHub. Please mention the programming languages used, too.
We announce our monthly priority topics on the third Wednesday of each month during the Community Town Hall event and in the Writer's Room space. You can post and submit your articles directly to the community in the Submissions category. Writers will have two to three weeks to write their blogs and submit them. The four selected blogs will be announced in the community.
Are there any rules for submission?
Yes! Please review and adhere to the following guidelines before submitting your blog:
- We are looking for new work that hasn’t been previously published.
- After your blog has been featured on The New Stack or Andela’s blog for two weeks, you are then free to publish the piece on your personal blog platforms.
- We discourage you from using AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools to help write your blog. Andela and The New Stack now analyze all submitted content for any AI usage before publishing work. AI content is heavily penalized by search engines, including Google, leading to poor engagement levels and low views.
- Please proofread and finalize your blog before submitting it to us.
How do blogs get selected?
Don’t worry if your blog is not perfect! We review all blogs, and the selected ones will be revised and edited by our senior content strategist and the editorial department at the New Stack. What’s most important is:
- Your blog topic matches our priority topics for the month.
- Your blog is interesting and has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
- Your blog is original and offers insights into a product, tool, language, or interpersonal skill.
- Your distinct ‘voice’ shines through! We want to hear from you in your own words. All blog submissions are revised for plagiarism.
How will I get paid if my blog gets selected for publication?
- Your published blog will receive a $200 virtual gift card.
- Winners are selected monthly and will be announced in the Announcements space.
- The status of your blog will be tracked in the Writer's Room Submissions space.
- You’ll receive your card via email 7-14 days after your blog is selected, but it’s usually much quicker than that!
If you have additional questions about the Writer’s Room Program, please direct message Eliza Power in the Andela Community.