Recycle your own material?

[CTLiotta]

Hey everybody -

I'm new to CC, and getting settled in and learning the ropes. I have a question in the aftermath of my first sale.

Not sure what to write about, I was searching Google Trends and a particular antibacterial soap was trending. So, I did some research and wrote a 500-word summary article about it. I was shocked when it sold a few days later.

The article wasn't plagiarized, but the soap has been around since 1968. There's nothing new about it. It's been written about over and over, and I simply happened to recycle known facts and write about it again.

Obviously I can't re-post the same article that was just sold for full rights. But can I make a derivative work of that article, similar in nature to the first? I'm not going to be the last person ever to write a summary article about this antibacterial soap, after all. And seeing as I've already done the research, it seems that I could do it again - maybe for a different audience, with a different tone?

I would imagine this sort of thing is commonplace for people who write about fitness, for example (flat-abs articles are never in short supply). Do any of you ever write about the same specific subject twice, with only minor variation? Or is this something to be avoided?

Thanks!
C

[KWilson]

Congrats on your first sale!

Yeah, doing the research once and getting multiple articles out of it is working smarter, not harder. As long as, like you said, you're mindful of the wording so you don't accidentally plagiarize either yourself or others.
Just be careful because you probably don't want to have a bunch of 'just slightly different' articles in your catalogue at once that are all a summary of the same soap

A good way is to hit different angles with the same research. Ex: with your flat abs example, you can have 'best exercises for flat abs', 'quick routine for flat abs'(focusing on quicker exercises), 'get flat abs with no machines/weights'(only bodyweight exercises), 'foods to avoid if you want flat abs', 'general tips for flat abs'(encompassing foods and exercise)... list goes on. So you see you're using some of the same exercises and the same food tips, just in different ways.

Now I think I'm off to write some fitness articles since I just gave myself some ideas

[HiredGun]

Do use caution when creating content on the same topic. Buyers can complain to CC if they find an article on the same topic in your inventory shortly after they have made a purchase from you. Try waiting a few weeks/months before adding content on the same topic to your inventory.
#LessonLearned

[Lysis]

Do use caution when creating content on the same topic. Buyers can complain to CC if they find an article on the same topic in your inventory shortly after they have made a purchase from you. Try waiting a few weeks/months before adding content on the same topic to your inventory.
#LessonLearned

Yeah, this. I've seen this before a long time ago.

I try to put a different spin on it instead of write the same thing. I didn't learn the hard way, but I remember seeing someone on here years ago complain that they got into trouble after a customer complained.

[HiredGun]

Do use caution when creating content on the same topic. Buyers can complain to CC if they find an article on the same topic in your inventory shortly after they have made a purchase from you. Try waiting a few weeks/months before adding content on the same topic to your inventory.
#LessonLearned

Yeah, this. I've seen this before a long time ago.

I try to put a different spin on it instead of write the same thing. I didn't learn the hard way, but I remember seeing someone on here years ago complain that they got into trouble after a customer complained.

Yup. Completely different articles, just happened to be on the same subject i.e. Google

[LMasterson]

A good way is to hit different angles with the same research. Ex: with your flat abs example, you can have 'best exercises for flat abs', 'quick routine for flat abs'(focusing on quicker exercises), 'get flat abs with no machines/weights'(only bodyweight exercises), 'foods to avoid if you want flat abs', 'general tips for flat abs'(encompassing foods and exercise)... list goes on. So you see you're using some of the same exercises and the same food tips, just in different ways.

I agree with this logic. If a client asks for something on one topic I'll often use the same research to reslant a few different pieces based on the same research. So if I have a client asking for one topic, I'll write a few spares for the catalog with things like 'Mistakes to avoid ....' or '10 top tips for...' or 'Surprising statistics on...' - that kind of thing. I figure if you're already in the head-space for that subject, you might as well make the most of it.

[CTLiotta]

Thanks, everybody!