Constant Content

Having got over the hurdle of getting a first article accepted, I'm trying my hand at writing for a public request. I think I can do reasonably well on the "Amsterdam" request - my memories need topping up with some research but I can distinguish fact from hearsay fairly easily - but I have some questions about public requests for more than one article.

Do buyers usually purchase all the articles from one author, or do they tend to cherry pick the best from different authors?
Is it worth my while to drop a note to the buyer saying that I've uploaded a couple of articles, and can complete the others by x date if they like them (not recommended, I assume, if the buyer can just walk away with two of my articles, two of someone else's and one each from other authors)?
Do buyers rate writers more highly (and hopefully make private requests to them) if they demonstrate that they can produce a specified number of articles within the time frame - or do buyers generally tend to ask for x articles and then take their favourites from all those submitted (this may be more relevant in this case as the buyer is clear they will buy full rights only)?

Can anyone help?

They pick and choose. If the topic interests you and you write several articles you might sell all of the submitted ones or just a few (or none).

Not recommended to alert the customer that you uploaded the article etc. Imagine if everyone did that?

Private requests come with time. As a customer sees consistent quality, a writer that "gets" his topic, and a reasonable turnaround time, he may start requesting articles directly.

OK thanks Celeste. So if there's a request for six pieces and I think that I'll only manage to get four written, it's still worth writing them? I know that the more articles I write overall, the more I'll sell, but in the case of requests for many articles on the same subject I'll still have a chance of selling, even if I don't submit as many as the publisher asked for?

Hi Steve,

You can write as many or as few articles for a public request as you like. If the topic interests me, I usually submit one or two, even if the customer has asked for 20. This gives me a chance to "test the waters" and see if the customer likes my writing style and picks up the articles. If I get a sale, I'll probably write a couple more articles on the topic. Watch the recently sold list too to get an idea of how many articles on that topic are selling. Remember that other authors are likely to be writing for the request too, and the customer does not have to purchase all the articles from one author. I have picked up two private requests by this strategy - by writing one or two articles for the request. Sometimes, no-one else writes in a way the customer likes, and the customer comes back to me and converts the public request for say 20 articles to a private request for the remaining 18.

The other thing to consider is how likely the articles are to sell to another customer. I have had several articles that I originally wrote for a public request and were not sold to the original customer sell a few months down the track to someone else. A topic like Amsterdam, for example, could sell to many different tourist sites, travel sites, and Amsterdam sites, so it could definitely be worth investing the time to write a few articles for the request. If the customer does not pick up the articles, someone else definitely could.

Hope this helps,

Hayley

Hi Steve,

The customer for the Amsterdam request usually doesn't rush into his purchases so you have at least several days to get them in. He does seem to purchase from several different authors, so you have an even better chance of selling one. Additionally, in the past, he's even purchased articles after he has made several purchases and the request comes down. I think it is worth writing for this one.

Happy writing!
WG