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. Each month, our Senior Content Strategist will announce three to four blog topics, inviting open submissions on these subjects for a two-week duration. 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 are featured on our social media channels and in two Andela newsletters. The authors of selected blogs will be awarded a $200 Hoppier card each for their work.
There are pre-recorded webinars and PowerPoint guides available to potential writers on Andela Learning, to hone their writing skills prior to drafting their blogs. Online seminar sessions 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?
We announce our monthly priority topics on the third Wednesday of each month during the Community Town Hall event and in the Announcements. You will then be able to post and submit your articles directly into the community, in the Writer's Room Blog Submissions category.
Writers will have two weeks to write their blogs and submit. The four selected blogs will be announced on the community.
Are there any rules for submission?
Yes! Please review and adhere to the following guidelines before submitting your blog:
- Head to Writer's Room Blog Submissions, and click on “+ new post”. Please copy and paste your article copy directly into your, 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 such as GitHub. Please mention the programming languages used too.
- 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 own personal blog platforms.
- We discourage you from using AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools to help write your blog. AI content is heavily penalized by search engines including Google, leading to poor engagement levels and low views, so Andela and The New Stack now analyze all submitted content for any AI usage before publishing work.
- 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 receive get paid if my blog gets selected for publication?
You’ll receive a $200 Hoppier virtual gift card for your published blog. Winners are selected monthly and will be announced in Announcements, and the status of your blog will be tracked in the Writer's Room Blog 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 DM Eliza Power in the Andela Community.