Constant Content

I really enjoy writing for CC. Two years ago, I wrote 8 articles (priced at 7-9 cents per word). 4 of them sold in less than 2 days, 2 of them in 2-3 weeks, and the last one sold a year later. Only one of them is still in my catalogue. The odds seemed pretty good for selling articles, especially since I wrote those articles in the summer - usually a slower time for most online businesses.

Then we moved, and I started a new job, and we got a new puppy, and...well, fast forward two years. So far this month, I've submitted 29 articles. It started with a bang...I sold four articles on my second day. But nothing's moved since then. Is that normal? It seems a lot slower than it did a few years ago, so maybe times have changed?

My articles are mostly between 450 and 700 words. I write about evergreen topics (health, fitness, weight loss, nutrition, wellness, online presence). I also try to write to any public request offering reasonable rates. I price my articles at 7-8 cents/word, which seems fair and reasonable.

I know that everyone is different, but I'm wondering if there's a "magic number" for articles. How many articles does it usually take before sales start trickling in? Is this just a generally slow time for CC, or is it me? I'm thinking that I might continue writing and submitting articles every day until I've hit at least 50 in my catalogue, but I can't pour this much time into it forever unless I know that there's a good chance that some of them will sell. I'd be very happy with 50% sales within 3 months of submitting. Is that reasonable to hope for? Or has the online market changed so much in the past 2 years?

Thanks for any insight!
S

PS I also remember that the forum was a lot busier two years ago. Everything just seems so quiet now.

Hang in there - it's tougher for spec articles to find a home. Also, some customers buy in bulk once or twice a month. For example, the solar energy customer tends to buy hundreds at once in a single swoop. If I recall, there's a standing public request for these so if you write on that topic, make sure to link the submissions to that request so the customer is alerted.

Thanks for the encouragement, Celeste. I have to admit that I'm a little bit discouraged...I have 30-some views for several of my articles, but no one's buying them. I'm staying positive though! I won't give up!

I'm also making a list of publications that I'm going to pitch as a freelancer. I'm kind of nervous, but we'll see! I'd really like to try trade publications, but I don't have much technical experience, so I'm not quite sure how to get started.

I'm also playing around on HubPages. I realize that there isn't really money to be made there, but I have a few now-defunct blogs with lots of first-person writing. I might just put some of those on HubPages...even if it's only a few dollars a month, at least I might make a bit of money on writing that I did years ago.

Thanks again,
S

Don't be discouraged. I haven't written a lot of articles here, but my sales are better when I remain active. I have several pieces that have been up since I first joined. I get a nice surprice when one sells out of the blue.