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In August, the Demand Media Studios community teamed up with First Book to provide 15,149 brand new books to children from low-income families through the “Write for a Cause” program. For every eight articles that writers and editors at Demand Media Studios created, the company funded one new book through First Book. In just 18 days of writing for a cause, the team created a whopping 121,192 articles.

During the past year, three “Write for a Cause” campaigns have funded more than 40,000 books for kids who need them most. A big thank you goes out to the Demand Media Studios team for being a committed partner in our battle against illiteracy!

We are lucky to have Robyn Galbos from Demand Studios with us today to answer some questions we've received about becoming a writer for them. She has provided some tips for applying and writing articles and information about some of the new Demand Studios programs, so let's get started!

WOW: Hi, Robyn. Thank you for taking time out to talk with The Muffin about writing for Demand Studios. What kind of writers are Demand Studios looking for? Specific genres? Certain experience or college degrees?

Robyn: Demand Studios is looking for all kinds of writers with a variety of backgrounds and interests. We are primarily looking for people with solid researching and reporting skills, and ideal candidates have had their work published in print or online. During the application process, writers must upload a résumé and a writing sample; the stronger the writing sample, the more likely the writer will be accepted.

WOW: So, writers can use their knowledge they gain from hobbies and other careers to write articles and make extra money on Demand Studios. What are two or three tips you can give writers who are applying for positions?

Robyn: First, take the application process as seriously as you would for a full-time position. Because this is an independent contractor position, sometimes writers think that they don't need to try as hard. Upload a recent résumé that highlights your writing experience and any expertise you may have. Proofread your résumé for typos. Typos in a résumé are a red flag when you're applying for a writing position.

Second, put your best foot forward with your writing sample. Take time to research the sites for which you are applying to write, and take note of the voice and tone of the writing. Attach writing samples that would fit well on those sites. If you don't have published work, try writing an article in the style of eHow, L

Guest blogger Yury Polnar is the Marketing Acquisitions Manager at Demand Media, an online community of freelance writers and copy editors that creates informative articles for popular websites like LIVESTRONG.com, eHow.com and many others.

Last December, more than 4,000 Demand Media freelance writers and copy editors put their fingers to keyboards around the country and kept busy writing for a cause. For every eight articles created that month, Demand Media agreed to donate one book to a child in need. And in the span of just one month, this talented and passionate group of writers and editors created enough articles to put 16,072 brand new books in the hands of thousands of children across the country!

Today, I’m happy to announce a two-week return of the “Write for a Cause” program. In partnership with First Book, we hope to help rewrite the future for thousands of underprivileged kids and empower the next generation of writers, editors, business owners and space explorers to reach the stars through adequate access to literature and other educational resources.

For more information about First Book’s partnership with Demand Media and how you can help, please click here. And to monitor the progress of this campaign, please visit the Write for a Cause Facebook page.

Guest Blogger Mike Cowan is the Director of Marketing at Demand Studios, an online community of freelancers and copy editors who produce articles for several online outlets. Demand Studios is partnering with First Book this December to provide thousands of books to children in need.

I believe you are a lucky child if you grow up in an environment surrounded by books.  Considering that my mother is a librarian, I feel that I truly hit the jackpot in this regard.  In our family room we had a huge wall unit filled with hundreds of books and before my brother and I could read we had already chosen our favorites based on their size and colors.  I was a huge War and Peace fan due to its sheer enormity while my brother was a fan of a book called Trinity by Leon Uris because of its green color.  When we were actually able to read these books my brother was drawn to the fantasy of books like The Hobbit while I seemed to gravitate towards non-fiction titles like The History of Hockey and The Guinness Book of World Records.   Safe to say that his choices won him a little more credibility with my mother.

Now that I’m all grown up, I’m lucky enough to work with the thousands of creative, literary people every day at Demand Studios. As one of the world’s largest communities of freelance writers and copy editors, we bring together more than 5,000 talented creators to produce top-quality articles for sites like LIVESTRONG.com and eHow.com.  And just like me, they all have a story about how they first fell in love with the wonder of the written word.

That’s why we decided to reach out to First Book to create a program that would inspire our freelance community to take action and support childhood literacy.  Our “Write for a Cause” program is simple: For every eight articles written and approved by Demand Studios during the month of December, we’ll donate a book on behalf of our writers and copy editors.  We’ve challenged our creators to contribute their talents to the cause, and we’re targeting a total donation of 20,000 brand new books this holiday season.

We’re excited to put our scale to excellent use, by mobilizing our freelance community to play an active role in increasing childhood literacy.  In partnership with First Book, we hope to rewrite the future for thousands of kids. Please visit our “Write for a Cause” information page to learn how you can help!

Happy holidays!