I currently write for about five blogs, some more frequently than others, and get paid in different ways for my efforts.

On the blogs that I own outright, I generally use advertising like Google AdSense to generate revenue whenever someone clicks on an advert.

Effectively, I’m revenue-sharing with Google. I’m also (generally) earning more based upon traffic and writing levels. It’s often the case that the more you put in, and the more traffic you attract, the better the generated revenue will be.

On the other hand, I also write for another blog where I am paid a fixed sum of money each month, in return for an agreed number of posts.

With this fixed-fee model, it doesn’t matter how much traffic my articles generate, or how many times those visitors click through – I get paid the same.

I know some people that work on a combination of these – they’ll get paid a certain monthly rate, plus a share of any revenue that ads bring in.

So which is best?

Unfortunately, the answer is different for everyone, depending on their personal circumstances, how much risk they are willing to take, and how much they want to be their own boss.

At present, I’d rather have several fixed-fee contracts which guarantee a regular income in return for my writing. I’m still in ‘employment mode’ and am used to receiving a monthly pay-cheque – I’m not quite ready yet (nor do I have the traffic levels) to rely solely on revenue share.

When I start writing full-time, I will be able to devote more to the sites that I own outright, and can start to develop their revenue potential far beyond their current level. Maybe I’ll reach a point where they effectively guarantee me enough of an income. Maybe I’ll always write for one or two sites for a flat fee.

At the moment, I’m happy to get a guaranteed extra income – at least, it’s assured for as long as I keep writing articles of sufficient quality and quantity.

Your thoughts?