Pros
I really enjoyed my time working for SuperSummary. I was a literature graduate student at the same time, and I found that when I could write guides on books related to my field and interests, it was doubly productive. The job is straightforward, and the template and handbook they give you is very helpful. The staff are very, very friendly and understanding. I had to take a hiatus or two, and they gave me no problems. They were also very good about having me write guides on books I was interested in and that aligned with my expertise. This was a great job for some side cash to hold me over in some hard times in grad school and to keep flexing my reading, writing, research, and analytical muscles. I was really glad to have it and I do recommend!
Cons
While they did increase the pay rate, I still found that the pay didn't feel like enough for the amount of time and labor it took to put together these really lengthy, thorough, and analytical guides. The work is meticulous, requires deep close reading, external research (to provide historical, critical, literary, etc. context), strong writing skills, and can get pretty all-consuming over a 2-4-week period if you're doing it well. I get the sense that if the pay were calculated at an hourly and matched the level of skill involved (e.g. I had a BA and MA in English prior to hire), the labor would actually be worth much more. But to be fair, it's freelance work, and after you finally submit the guide, it feels pretty great to get a "job well done," some helpful feedback for next time, and that payment notification. If you're young, great at reading and writing, and need a reliable side income, SuperSummary is a good place to consider.
