Multiple purchases of a single article

[barrywiki]

This may be covered elsewhere but I wanted to ask more experienced CC authors about the frequncy of articles being sold more than once.

I have only had articles purchased with 'usage' licences so far so they are still there for sale. My way of thinking is that the original purchase almost puts a blight on the article as it has lost any unique quality.

Do buyers, I wonder, opt for useage gambling that future buyers will look unfavourably on that article and, as a result, are almost assured a unique article?

Have any of you sold a particular article many times over?

What is the record number of purchases for any one article? Lets find out!

[LindaM]

To my delight (and surprise) I have sold several articles more than once. I have one, in particular, that has sold 3 times and was featured on Helium before that. It seems that if you have an engaging topic, you can expect some strong interest from certain publishers who are willing to trade first rights for lower purchase cost.

Good Luck!
Linda

[jadedragon]

Since the buyer only bought usage rights you still own the article. The article is your asset. To generate a return on the asset you might sell usage rights again on CC or I believe you can use them yourself on your own site to generate revenue.

[barrywiki]

Since the buyer only bought usage rights you still own the article. The article is your asset. To generate a return on the asset you might sell usage rights again on CC or I believe you can use them yourself on your own site to generate revenue.

I understand that, Jadedragon. My question to the community was whether, in their collective experience, a usage only sale blights further sales of the article. I wanted to find out if many authors had had multiple sales of single articles or not, thats all.

[Celeste Stewart]

I do feel let down when an article sells for usage because it means I still need to sell the article a few more times in order to make what I really want to make from the article. I'd rather get the money upfront. I've had a few usage articles sell several times over, but it's slow going.

[Lor]

I've had a few sell twice, but no more than that. Unlike Celeste, I'm okay with it, as I still own the article. I may want it for something at some time. With Google penalizing duplicate content, I'm surprised buyers buy again, but buy they do and who am I to argue. A buck's a buck.

[Celeste Stewart]

I'm not necessarily upset when an article goes for usage, just a little let down. I do post my leftovers on other sites where I can get revenue share from time to time and a few have made more money than if they sold outright for full rights, but still, I'd rather just get the money and be done with it That's why I tend to price my usage prices high from the beginning.

[Lor]

And you've done very well with that method Celeste. It obviously works and I wouldn't knock it. Ever. It's just a personal choice. I hadn't thought about using those articles elsewhere. Something worth considering. I love the term "leftovers," by the way. I've been calling usage rights "rentals" for the past year and a half.

[eek]

I just sold an article for usage today, making it the third sale for that piece. I think only one other of my articles has enjoyed more than 2 sales, but selling something twice for usage isn't unheard of. There's no guarantee it will sell more than once, but when it does you can get as much as or more than the full price, depending on your strategy. I tend to like full rights sales myself, but I also appreciate keeping the resale rights, and having my byline out there when possible.

[HayleyWriter]

I've actually sold two articles four times, another six three times, and several twice. In answer to the original question, I think that you can sell articles several times here. However, the majority of customers do want full rights articles. I have a pricing strategy where I work out what I would like to earn from the article (lowest acceptable figure for my work). I add on the CC fee and put that figure as my usage price. I have sold usage rights for up to $50 (including the same article a couple of times at that price), so it is possible to get some decent returns on usage articles. I find that I sell just as many usage articles at prices between $25 and $50 as some other authors sell articles at that price for full rights. That way, if it sells once for usage, I have received my "minimum" amount for the article, so I am not unhappy or disappointed. I usually double the price for full rights, so if it sells for full rights, I am thrilled. If it sells twice for usage, I have made as much as a full rights sale and if it sells even more times, that's just icing on the cake!

Hope this helps,

Hayley

[Lor]

Hi Hayles
You've done really well with your method, but it does have a lot to do with your topics, don't you think? You are fairly expert in the topics you write about, based on your experience, history and love of the subject matter. And fortunately those topics are generally high paying as website content. They are sought after. Website owners are happy to pay those prices because they get it back and then some via the ads on their sites.

I am also most happy when I write what I know, and with gardening, I can slip in a few pretty shiny words and phrases and enjoy the writing even more. I have to love the topic, but unfortunately gardening articles have low-paying keywords for website owners who rely on Google AdSense to sustain their sites. I have sold gardening articles for much higher prices, but few, and I've experimented a lot with the pricing. I've just learned what gardening sites will pay on average and I'm okay with it. I've had success here with the topic, and for me the hourly rate ratio is fair and I don't feel I'm giving the work away.

All that being said, I've got some articles in draft that are business, relationship and insurance related. I think I'll pull them down today for a look/see. But I need to put a vase of flowers by the computer before I do that.

Hope you're well.
Lor