Would more words for more money = mo' or no sales?

[ProseyRosie]

Hello out there. Relative newbie here with a question about selling articles for a bigger profit: suppose a client is offering $50-100 for 1000 words, would shopping 1100 words for more than $100 pique the client's interest or push him/her away? I welcome all responses, as I'm trying to "get my legs" here at CC.

[Lynnemac]

It could go either way.

If they have a budget and no more cash to spend, going over the limit could put them off.

Alternatively, they may be quite happy to pay a bit more for a well-written, well-reasoned article.

I tend to be quite cautious, but perhaps it may be worth the gamble if you feel the article really needs the extra word count.

Cheers,
Lynne

[Celeste Stewart]

I advise against going over the word count just to get more money. A concise article is more valuable than one that rambles. Use your words wisely and you'll be able to get top dollar for them.

[ProseyRosie]

Thanks for your input, Celeste and Lynnemac. It was just a thought. However, I'm beginning to have second thoughts about trying it. I don't wanna push the envelope and have it backfire on me.

[SJHillman]

Look at it this way. If you push the envelope, you'll likely have higher profits per article but fewer articles selected. If half of all buyers were willing to spend extra money for a longer article, then you'd need to make at least twice as much per article to make up for the other 50% that did not buy because it was too long. Selling for full rights does give them the option to cut your article down to size, which might tilt it a little more in your favor.

I don't have any hard data to back it up, but I don't think you'd make enough extra from longer-than-requested articles to make up for the clients who pass you over for being too long. Of course, if you feel you have a really exceptional article that's too long, it probably wouldn't hurt to submit it as many clients may cough up that extra $10 if they feel its worth it. In the end, it's really more of an art than a science and the only way to really know for sure is to take a risk, at least on a few articles.

[Celeste Stewart]

Imagine two writers being asked to write an article of about 1,000 words. Now imagine they both generate a first draft of 1200 words covering the same general material in a comparable manner.

Writer A edits unnecessary words, cutting the word count down to 800 words without losing meaning. With room to spare, Writer A adds 200 words of extra information for a grand total of 1,000 words.

Writer B submits the 1,200 word article as is. Writer B's article has less information and extra "fluffy" words that could have been eliminated.

Which article is worth more - Writer A's 1,000 word article or Writer B's 1,200 word article?

It's fine to charge top dollar but make sure the article is worth it. Customers who pay by the word don't want articles filled with wordy/redundant/meaningless phrases such as "But of course you'll also want to consider and think about a few more important things."