Hello all -
I am new to CC and writing under the pen name Cameron Harper. With two articles already reviewed and accepted, I am well on my way and enjoying it thus far. Just wanted to introduce myself to the group as I hope to be an active participant in terms of writing articles and posting to the forum. I look forward to getting to know some of you.
With that said, do the more experienced writers have any advice or tips on how to best sell some content? As a part-timer, I am just looking to contribute a few hours each week and hope to pick up some extra spending money through my love of writing.
Thanks.
New to CC! An Introduction
Moderators: Celeste Stewart, Ed, Constant
Re: New to CC! An Introduction
Sell Well Guide:
1) Spelling and grammar - don't count on editors to catch everything. I've seen a few with errors slip past the editors and then sit unsold.
2a) Find a unique niche - subjects that are poorly covered by other authors often sell well, although you may have to wait longer for a client looking for that particular subject to stroll by.
2b) Find a unique angle - similar to 2a, but find a unique angle for a subject that's already well covered. Perhaps an opposing viewpoint or an analysis of previously overlooked facts.
3) Seasonal - If it's November, articles about Thanksgiving, Christmas or winter will sell well. In March, articles about Easter, spring and (early) summer will sell well. It's also best to write an article so that if it doesn't sell this year, it might still sell next year when the season rolls around again. All of my quickest-selling articles (less than 5 days after acceptance) have been of the "seasonal advice" variety.
4) Current events - People love the news so a lot of current event articles sell in a short time. The downside of this type of article is that once the event is no longer current, the article may never sell.
5) Advice, How-To, etc - Articles of the "self-help" variety sell well. I'd wager that this is the most popular type of article on the web (although not necessarily on CC). How To Save Money, How To Get The Guy/Girl, Why You Should Invest In Stocks Today, Why You Shouldn't Dance Naked In The Streets, etc.
6) Above all else, write. The biggest issue authors have is not writing. If you keep waiting for that inspiration, it will never come. Save the inspiration-waiting for your novel - it won't help with selling articles. It helps if you set a goal, either in the amount of income you want or the number of articles you want to write in a given timeframe. If you can produce just one good article a day, then you can reasonably expect to pull in about $500/month (see http://tools.sjhillman.com/cc_calc.php to help set an income-based quota).
1) Spelling and grammar - don't count on editors to catch everything. I've seen a few with errors slip past the editors and then sit unsold.
2a) Find a unique niche - subjects that are poorly covered by other authors often sell well, although you may have to wait longer for a client looking for that particular subject to stroll by.
2b) Find a unique angle - similar to 2a, but find a unique angle for a subject that's already well covered. Perhaps an opposing viewpoint or an analysis of previously overlooked facts.
3) Seasonal - If it's November, articles about Thanksgiving, Christmas or winter will sell well. In March, articles about Easter, spring and (early) summer will sell well. It's also best to write an article so that if it doesn't sell this year, it might still sell next year when the season rolls around again. All of my quickest-selling articles (less than 5 days after acceptance) have been of the "seasonal advice" variety.
4) Current events - People love the news so a lot of current event articles sell in a short time. The downside of this type of article is that once the event is no longer current, the article may never sell.
5) Advice, How-To, etc - Articles of the "self-help" variety sell well. I'd wager that this is the most popular type of article on the web (although not necessarily on CC). How To Save Money, How To Get The Guy/Girl, Why You Should Invest In Stocks Today, Why You Shouldn't Dance Naked In The Streets, etc.
6) Above all else, write. The biggest issue authors have is not writing. If you keep waiting for that inspiration, it will never come. Save the inspiration-waiting for your novel - it won't help with selling articles. It helps if you set a goal, either in the amount of income you want or the number of articles you want to write in a given timeframe. If you can produce just one good article a day, then you can reasonably expect to pull in about $500/month (see http://tools.sjhillman.com/cc_calc.php to help set an income-based quota).