Question about usage

[BethFields]

Hello,
I'm hoping someone can clear up my confused state of mind! I recently sold two articles for use rights. (Yay!) I have them listed with all three licenses, but after they sold, they only show that they can be purchased for use rights. When I look at my content pages and go to edit, it shows the prices I have quoted for use, unique and full rights price.

I was under the assumption that after you sell a piece for usage, you can still list it here for use, unique and full rights. Am I incorrect? Do the rights automatically revert to usage only after you sell for use rights?

Thanks in advance for helping me understand. :)

Beth Fields

[Celeste Stewart]

Hi,
CC recently changed this. In the past, articles sold for usage could be sold for other rights but now, that is no longer true. And yes, it's automatic.
Congrats on your sales!

[BethFields]

Hello Celeste, thank you for clearing that up for me. I wish I had known about it before hand though. This definitely has a bearing on how much I will charge for usage. One of the article was worth much more than the usage price to me and now I will have to settle for the lower price. Oh well, I guess I will just have to hope it sells a few more times to make up the difference!
I'm off to reconsider how to price things. Thanks again.

[Celeste Stewart]

Yeah, price usage articles with what you can absolutely live with if the article only sells once (with hopes of selling it a few more times). If you don't want an article to go for usage at all, price it the same as, or close to, unique or full rights.

[BethFields]

Just out of curiosity, I would like to know if this was mentioned anywhere else on the site? I thought I had read just about everything I needed to make educated choices, (guesses!) before posting my work.

[Celeste Stewart]

It's in here somewhere. . . Try doing a search for "Usage price" or something similar.

[HayleyWriter]

Hi Beth,

You can still alter the price for usage licence on the one that haqs sold for usage. I have upped the price on a couple of mine after they sold for a pittance, and what do you know - another customer purchased them at the higher price for usage too! That made me change my mind about how I priced in the first place!

Generally this forum thread is a case in point for pricing articles for decent prices, not a pittance in the first place - I have got on my soapbox a couple of times about pricing in the past!

I generally price my articles at a minimum of 3 to 5 cents per word. I have my usage fee at about half of my full rights licence, although sometimes slightly less. I figure if I sell the article twice for usage rights or once for full rights price I am even and have made what I wanted to make. If I happen to sell the article for usage more than twice, that is a bonus and I can really celebrate.

I don't price my usage articles so low that I have to sell them more than twice or three times to make a decent profit on the article. If you price an article at only $5, even for usage, you really have to sell it at least five or six times to make a decent amount on it to pay for the time it takes to write and submit the article.

Kind regards,

Hayley

[BethFields]

Hi Hayley,

Yes, I did go and change a few usage prices. Thanks for the advice. I read in another forum about low priced usage and could never sell an article for $5 or less. I sell 100 word blurbs to other websites for more than that. But, pricing is and should be up to the person selling the article. I just know how much work it takes me to finish an article and what I feel I can sell it for. I'm not super fast though I am getting faster. I guess I just place a different value on my work. Originally, I thought about using a per word charge as a guideline and I think that is the way that I will go from now on.

I'm off to write the next great novel.... :0

[Celeste Stewart]

I usually figure out how much I want to make per hour, though I also consider the per word price. The goal is to find a fair price for the time spent (and account for the fees involved) while still being attractive to customers. It's kind of tricky finding the right balance, but eventually, you get a sense of where you need to be to meet your personal goals.