Writing CC Articles
Moderators: Celeste Stewart, Ed, Constant
Writing CC Articles
How long do you spend writing an article for CC, and how many articles do you try to write per week?
Re: Writing CC Articles
I hear some people write as much as 3 articles per day! I've been with CC just a few months and have averaged about 3 articles per month! Of course, I write a lot of other stuff too...
It would be good to have some sort of idea of revenue in relation to article production. At (say) 1 article per week you'd have about 50 articles in a year. If this is the minimum an author writes, and they sell 75% of them at an average of $15 per article then that'd be about $560. I have not looked at the stats to work it out, but if it's correct then 10 articles per week seems like a much better part-time income.
I'm sure someone else has worked this out more scientifically
It would be good to have some sort of idea of revenue in relation to article production. At (say) 1 article per week you'd have about 50 articles in a year. If this is the minimum an author writes, and they sell 75% of them at an average of $15 per article then that'd be about $560. I have not looked at the stats to work it out, but if it's correct then 10 articles per week seems like a much better part-time income.
I'm sure someone else has worked this out more scientifically
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Celeste Stewart
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Re: Writing CC Articles
It's pretty simple, really: The more you produce, the more you make.It would be good to have some sort of idea of revenue in relation to article production.
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Elizabeth Ann West
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Re: Writing CC Articles
It is. I just combed through three years of data, and I am a super part-time writer. Here is what I figured out about myself (keep in mind, my word counts and subject matters are pretty consistent per price point, 500 words is usually $15-$35, 1000 words is $50+)
By Price Range:
$15 average 14 days on the market
$25 average 30 days on the market
$35 average 60 days on the market
$55+ is 17-30 days on the market
Technology and business articles sell the fastest for me, on average 30-60 days, Health and Merchandise articles take an average of 100 days to sell, and the other subject matters take a little longer. Does this mean I can't write a piece that fills the Society categories and have it sell in less than 30 days? No. There are outliers, of course. For me it seem like price point/word count is a more predictable indication of time on the market, than category. I was surprised to see $55+ sell on par with my cheaper articles, proving to me at least, that cheaper doesn't always mean sells faster.
I excluded any articles I wrote for private requests, these are just on spec articles. 62 article titles total were analyzed. I will note that the higher priced articles sold more in 2007/2008, rather than recently, but then again, I've priced lower thinking that's what was selling, so maybe I've been a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. I don't price high, therefore high priced articles do not sell.
By Price Range:
$15 average 14 days on the market
$25 average 30 days on the market
$35 average 60 days on the market
$55+ is 17-30 days on the market
Technology and business articles sell the fastest for me, on average 30-60 days, Health and Merchandise articles take an average of 100 days to sell, and the other subject matters take a little longer. Does this mean I can't write a piece that fills the Society categories and have it sell in less than 30 days? No. There are outliers, of course. For me it seem like price point/word count is a more predictable indication of time on the market, than category. I was surprised to see $55+ sell on par with my cheaper articles, proving to me at least, that cheaper doesn't always mean sells faster.
I excluded any articles I wrote for private requests, these are just on spec articles. 62 article titles total were analyzed. I will note that the higher priced articles sold more in 2007/2008, rather than recently, but then again, I've priced lower thinking that's what was selling, so maybe I've been a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. I don't price high, therefore high priced articles do not sell.
Re: Writing CC Articles
True, Celeste, but it's nice to know a basic minimum so that CC is effective!
Judging by Elizabeth's last post I think it works out something like this:
I work out that the average, based on her costs and time to sale, is around $150 per month based on 8 articles. If 75% of articles sell, then that must be increased to 11 articles.
Therefore writing 11 articles per month (about 1 every 3 days) will give you around $1800 per year - this does NOT include repeat usage sales or private requests, however, so it is probably a misleading figure.
Personally I would like to make a minimum of $150 per week as a goal. This suggests I should be writing an article at least every day - more if possible...(maybe 10 per week)....
Thoughts?
Judging by Elizabeth's last post I think it works out something like this:
I work out that the average, based on her costs and time to sale, is around $150 per month based on 8 articles. If 75% of articles sell, then that must be increased to 11 articles.
Therefore writing 11 articles per month (about 1 every 3 days) will give you around $1800 per year - this does NOT include repeat usage sales or private requests, however, so it is probably a misleading figure.
Personally I would like to make a minimum of $150 per week as a goal. This suggests I should be writing an article at least every day - more if possible...(maybe 10 per week)....
Thoughts?
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Elizabeth Ann West
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Re: Writing CC Articles
That kinda works out Word Gypsy. Last year, I think I claimed $1900 for my writing total (though some of that was writing in other venues) the majority of it was C-C. Again, I write SUPER part-time. I have a 15 month old daughter that is worth two kids, she is into everything and climbs everything! My stepson also just moved in with us, and started 5th grade. Writing, for me, is below hubby, kids, bible study, and housework. My husband is a senior chief in the Navy, so writing is my hobby that happens to make money. When Catelynn is a little older, I will probably write more, maybe take it back on as more regular thing.
I also made a graph from November 2007 until now tracking what I wrote vs. how many articles sold each month. You can't sell what you don't write. And consistently, places where I took a month or two off from writing anything, I would sell articles, but then say I started writing again, I would end up with a dry spell in sales roughly equal to the time I wasn't writing. For personally, I would say 10 articles a month would be a good goal. I haven't managed to do that, but it's because I have other pursuits. I've made C-C "worth it" just by writing 3-4 articles a month, some months nothing at all. Only once did I write 9 articles in one month, and that was February 09. There are only 4 months other than that I exceed 5 articles. Other months were 0, or 1-3.
I also made a graph from November 2007 until now tracking what I wrote vs. how many articles sold each month. You can't sell what you don't write. And consistently, places where I took a month or two off from writing anything, I would sell articles, but then say I started writing again, I would end up with a dry spell in sales roughly equal to the time I wasn't writing. For personally, I would say 10 articles a month would be a good goal. I haven't managed to do that, but it's because I have other pursuits. I've made C-C "worth it" just by writing 3-4 articles a month, some months nothing at all. Only once did I write 9 articles in one month, and that was February 09. There are only 4 months other than that I exceed 5 articles. Other months were 0, or 1-3.
Re: Writing CC Articles
I wish I was Word Gypsy, I've got about a dozen articles to my name and she (?) has a great deal more 
I'm super busy too - genealogy, lay minister, trying to eek out a living with Internet marketing and, of course, always working on my novel
(and an avid reader too). 10 articles per month would be a good goal for me. Although I've written about three articles in the last few days, I am not consistent enough. I shall have to set a minimum goal of 3 articles per week I think...
I'm super busy too - genealogy, lay minister, trying to eek out a living with Internet marketing and, of course, always working on my novel
(and an avid reader too). 10 articles per month would be a good goal for me. Although I've written about three articles in the last few days, I am not consistent enough. I shall have to set a minimum goal of 3 articles per week I think...Re: Writing CC Articles
I would timidly put forward a point of view from a European writer... aka from another continent, and an expat Uk citizen. Dear old Winston Churchill said of North America and Britain 'we are two countries separated only by a common language' and thereby hangs the problem for all UK- educated witers who write for the global market.
I have had a modicum of sucess on this site, for the amount I have submitted I suppose it could be judged as good but compared with US and Canadian writers it is pretty pathetic..... 72 sales from 89 articles (and I've been a C-C writer for about 3 years) but the bulk of these have been from a single customer who probably bought about 50 as private sales. These were for a European property site as were the vast majortiy of the others..... travel being a niche market for me.
The problem as I see it(if there is one)for writers such as Wordcraft and myself (and many others)is that bit of water (the Atlantic) seperates us more than just geographically - it's language and culture.There are some public request for subjects I, as a simple European, have never heard of ! And it would be the same for American writers on the UK market.
I believe that the vast majority of buyers on this site (DK may correct me!) are looking for US writers - which means grammar (oh that's a very contentious point!) style ( bit more in-your- face than us Brits) and of course the most important point... up-to date knowledge on what is mostly N.American news, lifestyle etc.
This is not to criticise ( different spelling) but to try to explain in a rather clumsy way why Wordcraft and those of us who write on this site may not achieve the sales figures that US based writer do.
I'm retired so my writng is 'bunce' on top of that... hands up all you US writers who have never heard that word before! Sometimes I wish it wasn't, then I would really get down and graft.
Of course when I do sell an article on C-C it gives me a great kick, as if I've done it against the odds!
To Wordcraft I would say keep submitting and with every one you sell you'll probably get the same buzz as me. But don't give up the day job!
I have had a modicum of sucess on this site, for the amount I have submitted I suppose it could be judged as good but compared with US and Canadian writers it is pretty pathetic..... 72 sales from 89 articles (and I've been a C-C writer for about 3 years) but the bulk of these have been from a single customer who probably bought about 50 as private sales. These were for a European property site as were the vast majortiy of the others..... travel being a niche market for me.
The problem as I see it(if there is one)for writers such as Wordcraft and myself (and many others)is that bit of water (the Atlantic) seperates us more than just geographically - it's language and culture.There are some public request for subjects I, as a simple European, have never heard of ! And it would be the same for American writers on the UK market.
I believe that the vast majority of buyers on this site (DK may correct me!) are looking for US writers - which means grammar (oh that's a very contentious point!) style ( bit more in-your- face than us Brits) and of course the most important point... up-to date knowledge on what is mostly N.American news, lifestyle etc.
This is not to criticise ( different spelling) but to try to explain in a rather clumsy way why Wordcraft and those of us who write on this site may not achieve the sales figures that US based writer do.
I'm retired so my writng is 'bunce' on top of that... hands up all you US writers who have never heard that word before! Sometimes I wish it wasn't, then I would really get down and graft.
Of course when I do sell an article on C-C it gives me a great kick, as if I've done it against the odds!
To Wordcraft I would say keep submitting and with every one you sell you'll probably get the same buzz as me. But don't give up the day job!
Re: Writing CC Articles
I just made my third sale 
I'm actually writing my novel in US spelling (and set in America) - but am going to have an American look through it for things which are not so obvious...such as idioms and terminologies. Evidently, Americans do not say things like "Ee lad, ecky thump and ee by gum..."
I will never get used to putting punctuation inside quotation marks....the practise is just "iniquitous".
I'm actually writing my novel in US spelling (and set in America) - but am going to have an American look through it for things which are not so obvious...such as idioms and terminologies. Evidently, Americans do not say things like "Ee lad, ecky thump and ee by gum..."
I will never get used to putting punctuation inside quotation marks....the practise is just "iniquitous".
Re: Writing CC Articles
Jowal
How I echo your sentiments! I'm a UK writer living in Canada who writes most of her articles in US English. If it were only the spelling and punctuation - single quote marks vs. double quote marks, inside or outside the full stop, er, I mean period! - that I had to grasp then life would be a lot simpler. I try to write my articles in a fairly formal tone so that I don't have to include any American idioms/slang, and therefore run the risk of getting it all completely wrong! I've spent ages trawling the internet looking for the US equivalent of many everyday UK expressions. And like you, there are some requests that I just don't even consider writing for as I know that it would take me ages to research the subject because it's unique to the US (finance and property regulations, for example). In addition, without that background knowledge, I worry that my article would come across as too 'false' and not read naturally enough.
I remember one public request I wrote for, which was from a UK customer who wanted publicity material for something like advertising boards, and it was almost a pleasure to write (and given the subject matter that's saying something!). I sold that article but felt that I had been given a head-start on many of the other writers here.
I would echo the 'just keep writing' advice that many others give. I think it also pays to be disciplined about this, if you really want to make it work: set yourself a schedule, stick to it, and treat it like a 'proper' job. That's where I fall down, I think.
Jane
How I echo your sentiments! I'm a UK writer living in Canada who writes most of her articles in US English. If it were only the spelling and punctuation - single quote marks vs. double quote marks, inside or outside the full stop, er, I mean period! - that I had to grasp then life would be a lot simpler. I try to write my articles in a fairly formal tone so that I don't have to include any American idioms/slang, and therefore run the risk of getting it all completely wrong! I've spent ages trawling the internet looking for the US equivalent of many everyday UK expressions. And like you, there are some requests that I just don't even consider writing for as I know that it would take me ages to research the subject because it's unique to the US (finance and property regulations, for example). In addition, without that background knowledge, I worry that my article would come across as too 'false' and not read naturally enough.
I remember one public request I wrote for, which was from a UK customer who wanted publicity material for something like advertising boards, and it was almost a pleasure to write (and given the subject matter that's saying something!). I sold that article but felt that I had been given a head-start on many of the other writers here.
I would echo the 'just keep writing' advice that many others give. I think it also pays to be disciplined about this, if you really want to make it work: set yourself a schedule, stick to it, and treat it like a 'proper' job. That's where I fall down, I think.
Jane
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Celeste Stewart
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Re: Writing CC Articles
I don't know how you guys can do both US and UK! I once wrote a private request for a UK client and it felt so unnatural. I do know that you can change Microsoft Word's spellchecker to use different versions of English, so that could be helpful as far as catching spelling differences go. But yeah, tone and expressions have got to be tough.
Re: Writing CC Articles
I'm a UK writer who has been battling with this here for three years too. Sometimes I give up and write in UK English on spec. I've just done that with a wedding reception article, as I feel I don't know enough about weddings in the US, really only what comes across in films and on TV. However, I did once fly to NY for a birthday party which was held on a boat going around Manhattan - and a great time I had too. Before we left our berth on the East River, we witnessed a gay wedding ceremony on the boat moored next to us. I'd love to be able to write about that, though I suspect it was more the exception than the norm.
Re: Writing CC Articles
I am in the UK and have learnt to acclimatize to the language peculiarities (I think). So much so that I am now finding myself using 'z' instead of 's' when writing everyday stuff here in the UK! Yes, there are subtle differences in style, but I think overall, apart from spelling and grammar, there is not a huge chasm between US and UK style. Unless you structure your article in a historical english style (think Charles Dickens, Samuel Peeps, or Charlotte Bronte) there will hopefully be no problem.
I have sold most of my work to US customers and I am from Yorkshire. I am fairly sure that there is not a huge similarity in regional dialect between the East Ridings and any US state! But I will agree about some requests being favorable to US citizens. But that does not stop any UK writer from doeing some research and learning about the subjects requested. Personally, I tend to leave area-specific requests alone. There are plenty more to concentrate on that are suitable for a writer from the UK.
I did write a whole set of articles for a private customer over a period of time and was eventually asked if I could use UK spellings for future pieces as he was UK-based! It is always worth checking.
And it appears I have used US spellings in this post. I am having an identity crisis!
I have sold most of my work to US customers and I am from Yorkshire. I am fairly sure that there is not a huge similarity in regional dialect between the East Ridings and any US state! But I will agree about some requests being favorable to US citizens. But that does not stop any UK writer from doeing some research and learning about the subjects requested. Personally, I tend to leave area-specific requests alone. There are plenty more to concentrate on that are suitable for a writer from the UK.
I did write a whole set of articles for a private customer over a period of time and was eventually asked if I could use UK spellings for future pieces as he was UK-based! It is always worth checking.
And it appears I have used US spellings in this post. I am having an identity crisis!
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Elizabeth Ann West
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Re: Writing CC Articles
You know, the whole U.K/U.S. thing seems to mean less and less as our world shrinks. Aside from cliches or slang, I have no issues reading U.K. spelling in an article.
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jadedragon
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Re: Writing CC Articles
"America and Britain are two nations divided by a common language" - George Bernard Shaw