Constant Content

In pricing my articles, I have been using the "typical price" guidelines provided in the submission form. However, I have noticed that the prices of "recently sold" articles seem to be substantially lower. Even full rights prices are fairly low. I cannot see the articles sold at full rights so I don't know their length or quality.

I have not had any sales yet. I am not suggesting that the reason for my failure is pricing. However, I wonder if pricing is contributing to my problem.

Is "typical" pricing the same as successful pricing? Do I need to abandon the pricing chart?

Thanks

That's a very difficult question - and one that I'm sure a lot of authors here have asked themselves. Perhaps you should consider what you believe your articles are worth and price them accordingly. Look at how much research you undertook, how long you spent on an article, how much of your expert advice and knowledge it contains. Consider those factors when pricing. It's very tempting, when not having had a sale for a while (or a single one yet), to lower your price, but you have to price as you think fit. That's how I look at it anyway. Perhaps before amending your pricing structure, you should think about other factors such as writing articles similar to those currently selling, or writing to the public requests that come in... Just a few suggestions (although you've probably considered those already and are writing accordingly!).

Good luck. And that first sale *will* happen!

Jane

I am noticing this as well and was going to ask the same question!

I usually spend a couple of days on an article to ensure it is accurate and well done, but if it isn't going to sell due to price....

I never tick the "Best Offer" box as I assume this is only done if the article has been sitting around and you want to get rid of it. I have been considering articles marked "Best Offer" as SALE! BUY NOW! CLEARANCE! Perhaps I was totally wrong! Should a new writer tick this box as a rule, or would it show a lack of confidence?


AThompson

How you price articles seems to be a bit of an art. There are a couple of things to consider, I think. Number one, set a goal for what you need to earn per hour. Set your price accordingly, factoring in whether some research or much research is required, and how long the article takes you to put together. Don't forget, if you feel you should make 65 dollars, you need to sell it for 100.

That said, you should try to get as much as you can for your work, while at the same time realizing what the market will pay. True, kmd, you can't check out the articles that have sold full rights. But you can check out the work of other writers as they come up for sale in the articles section. Read other writers' work, check out the length, and see how articles are priced by other writers. (I personally keep a special eye on the "Best selling" writers) If you keep an eye on articles coming up for sale, and also watch the Recently Sold column (I check it a couple times a day at least) you begin to get a feel for what is selling, and for what price.

Also, of course, check in on the Requested section. The buyer often sets his guideline. If the buyer wants an 800 word article and is willing to pay 50 - 100, I don't see any need to offer an article for less than that. Of course, there's the school of thought that if you offer your article for less, you are more likely to get the sale, but I'm not sure that that's true. I think a lot of buyers seem to be looking at content more than quibbling over 10 or 20 bucks here or there.

It's comforting to know others struggle with the same issue.

I check the requests and the sales every day... several times a day. I have also checked the top selling authors. I am amazed by how quickly people are able to respond to requests. I just don't have enough free time to whip up 500 words on any given subject at the drop of a hat. I'm not even sure I want to.

I have written for one public request since joining. I am still waiting to hear on it. Honestly, I don't want to write about topics I have no interest in, knowing that my article will sit endlessly with ten others on the same topic if it isn't accepted.

I believe my writing is worth the asking price. I just don't know if the pricing is realistic.

I don't see myself as a top-seller anytime soon.

kmd

If it's any consolation, I've been writing here for nearly a year, and I still don't make enough money from this alone to be able to call it my 'job'. I'm lucky in that I can still view it as a hobby.

I write to the public requests I can (the subjects that I know a bit about or interest me enough to prompt me to carry out the necessary research). I won't lower my prices beyond what I think the content is worth though.

The bottom line for me is that I enjoy this and that's why I stick with it. It would be great if it took off enough for me to be able to earn a decent living from it. If the day comes when I have to bring home the bacon (so to speak), this will have to take a back-seat . But it will have been a very enjoyable experience

Jane

The key to answering requests that hold just a bit of your interest is to add your own unique twist to them. As you get private requests, you don't get the luxury of picking and choosing your topics so you have to learn how to take ownership of topics you might not otherwise choose.

Over the weekend, I had to write about a topic that I had absolutely no clue about. It turned out to be quite fascinating and fun to write! Challenge yourself and you'll be surprised at what you can do.

Umm... wait a minute - Celeste I thought one of your goals was not working on the weekends? ; )

And kdm, there are a lot of requests coming in. I don't think you have to choose things you have no interest in. But keep an open mind. Something might be interesting to find out more about. Also, look at what is selling. Whether business related, or real estate, or health, or environment, maybe a there's a hot topic that you feel you can contribute to. Or, maybe there's something you have mind that could be a future hot topic.

My first sale was not written for a request but just out of my interests at the moment.

Ha! You caught me. I only did it because I spent most of last week camping at the beach with no Internet access. Excuses, excuses.... but after two weeks with kids running amok requiring my constant attention, having a few hours of quiet time on a Sunday night couldn't be passed up...

CR is right, many sales come from within. The trick is to find a balance. Nothing is more thrilling than selling an article that you dreamed up on your own. If you have the remotest interest in a topic, you CAN give it your own unique perspective. What better way to stand out than with an innovative approach to mundane topic. . .

Anyhow, you can do it! Keep up posted and we'll be cheering you on.

Thanks for your advice guys.

Last night I thought about your comments. I have determined that price is probably not the only factor effecting my lack of sales. I know my topics are not popular ones. I know I will need to make a routine of studying the market and adjusting my choice of subject. I've never been very good at appealing to the masses in this way, but I'll try.

Another issue for me is voice. When I joined CC I felt like the biggest hurdle would be getting articles accepted. I have submitted 5 articles and they were all accepted without further editing. This leads me to believe that grammar and punctuation, while essential, are not enough to make an impression. I am going to try adding some color to my writing. Years of academic guidance had given me the impression that non-fiction was a literary term for 'dry and factual'.

My initial goal at CC was to get something accepted. My current goal is to get something sold. It's not about making money at this point. It's about having someone else read your work and say, "yes, this has value."

Anyhow... thank you all... I'm sure I'll have more questions as I continue working this out.

Remember, making it past Ed is getting that "yes, this has value" thing. It'll be a great thrill for you when a customer agrees as I'm sure they will soon enough.

Sounds like a good goal to work on your voice. If you think your writing is dry and factual, chances are so will your readers. Have fun trying to liven things up!

Honestly, I think "patience" is the key word. A well-written article may sit around for a year, or it may sell next week, but our customers are increasingly willing to pay for quality content. The trick is to write well and write often. Have a variety of articles for sale, and keep submitting on diverse topics.

Factual is fine, too. A clear and informative style is attractive to the widest customer base. Be careful that you don't detract from the information contained within your article or its usefulness by trying to spice things up. I'm not saying that you shouldn't try your hand at writing pieces with a more creative style, but sometimes authors can concentrate too much on one aspect of their piece to the detriment of the content.

Ed

Hi, kmd -- If you're Kate, I checked out a few of your articles. This is a personal opinion only, and I know if I were struggling to understand the way things work, I'd appreciate someone mentioning this.

I see nothing amiss with your topics. In fact, I think the original art article is pretty cool and interesting. I think the problem is just what you may have thought -- your articles are priced a bit high. Yours come in at about 30 cents a word (if my math is correct, which it quite often isn't). Many writers here, in my opinion, price their articles a bit too low, but I've been writing for a long long time (not just here at CC) and my experience seems to bear out the fact that articles priced this high won't sell. I want to charge 10 cents/word, but even that seems to be too high sometimes. Buyers see stuff for next-to-nothing, usually at other sites, and it influences their expectations.

If I were in your shoes, I'd cut my prices to between 5 and 9 cents/word and let buyers get to know my work. [This advice doesn't apply to answering requests where the pay range is spelled out. If the buyer's range is way too low and not worth the time, he just won't get much response from writers. That's about the only control we have re: pricing.]

BTW, I write lots of spec articles on things that interest me and I want to learn more about (pen name gigi). I sell a respectable number of those type. It's very gratifying. So don't stop doing that, OK?

Celeste~~ You're right. It was a big accomplishment to get articles accepted and I need to remember that.

Ed~~ Thank you for the advice. I haven't been on CC very long and I need to remain patient. I get very discouraged when I read others saying their first work was purchased with 24 hours. I guess it has a lot to do with subject matter. I know you are right about writing often and well. I suppose producing a more diverse collection will give me lots of practice. I welcome any other suggestions you might have.

Grouchy~~ Yes, I am Kate. Thank you for reading my article. I appreciate your advice and explanation of successful pricing. I think I am going to have to write a variety of articles, post them for a variety of prices, and see what happens.

Writing is easy. Selling is hard.

[quote]Writing is easy. Selling is hard.[/quote]

And that sums up the career of writing in a nutshell.

and yeah, forget about all that selling things in 24 hours. Sometimes that happens, or sooner. But other times you write something you are interested in, and it sits around for months, and longer, and finally someone else is interested too. Just concentrate on the writing part, and keep going.