Help! Question About Articles for Requests

[SuzanneBosworth]

This is probably a really dumb question. When I write articles for requests and they're accepted by Ed, I'm not absolutely clear what happens to them. Are they automatically submitted to the buyer or do we have to submit them ourselves? I think it's the former but I wanted to triple check!

[Debbi]

If you have chosen Public Request and the specific request in the submission form, the article is automatically sent to the buyer. It tells you in the acceptance email that it's being sent to that request. Here's a snippet from one of my acceptance emails:

**********
Your article "10 Hunting Dog Breeds" has been automatically submitted to the request titled "Hunting dogs article" for customer review.

The article will remain exclusive for the request during a 3 days period.
***********

I think it might be 4 days now in review........

[SuzanneBosworth]

Thank you Debbi. I thought that was the case but didn't want to misunderstand anything! Yes, when you read the email it's perfectly clear now, but when you're new and don't want to screw up, you (I mean I) get over-cautious

Thanks again and it looks as though it's still three days.

[Debbi]

No problem It's always best to ask. How else do we learn anything?

[SuzanneBosworth]

Thank you Debbi - you're sparing my blushes. But I'm afraid I have yet another stoopid question.

If articles have been submitted to buyers, but they haven't yet looked at them (I'm going by the "views" thing) and time is running out on the exclusivity (going into the general marketplace after three days), do we submit them to the buyers again or just drop them a note to ask if they have had a moment to look at them? Or do we just say oh well and hope some nice person comes along and has a look instead?

(again)

[TammiKibler]

I wouldn't write the customers. My sense is that some customers let the articles pile up and then they come back and choose the ones they prefer. They are working to their own deadlines and not ours. Articles I wrote for the Balearic islands and Candy public requests went into public view for several days/weeks before they were purchased by the requesting customers. Another article I wrote for a different public request was snatched up by another customer when it went public.

You should not be discouraged if customers don't buy during the exclusive period, they may be waiting until their deadlines apply (why pay for something before you need it?). If the articles go into public view, and some other customer buys them, the customer's loss is your gain.

[SuzanneBosworth]

Tammi thank you for that. I'm getting a better grip of how things work as time goes on!! I see your point absolutely so I shall stop worrying about it and do something worthwhile with my time instead

Thanks again