Hugh is new

[Hugh]

Hi everyone. I'm a newbie here and looking forward to a good experience. My first article's been submitted and I'm cautiously optimistic about a positive review. Even though I proofread it before submission, I found some parts that I've subsequently reworked to read better. Generally I'm pleased with it though.

Just FYI, my first article runs about 2700 words, which I think could be broken into 4 or 5 serialized pieces. The article's about business, but that's about as much as I'm comfortable divulging.
I'm curious to know how the more experienced of you would issue rights on a larger piece like this (it seems to me that there's a lot of 500 word articles) and would be grateful for any insights in that regard, especially as I'm planning on at least 5 more pieces of roughly the same length.

I noticed that the keywords were identified in the piece, with the specifically addressed subject running at about 4%. Is that okay?

Finally, does anyone here write for those traffic churner sites like hub pages or squidoo? I've opened an account at Hub Pages and to be honest, I was going to write these as Hubs, but I think there's a better opportunity here. I'd really like to hear your thoughts on this last issue (can/do you write for both?) especially, though your experience with longer articles is also welcome too.

Thanks and Hello!

[Celeste Stewart]

Hi Hugh - welcome to CC. In my experience, five 500-word articles on tightly focused topics will do better than one 2500-word article covering those topics in depth -- at least here on CC. Naturally, some exceptions exist, but for getting started here, I'd recommend shorter, tightly focused pieces.

I've tried some of the revenue share sites back when I first started freelancing. Fine for honing skills and getting some experience and the occasional royalty payment, but not ideal for the long term IMO.

[SJHillman]

I did some math based on the articles I sold in 2012. In general, sales price rose more slowly than wordcount. IE: Articles in the 400-500 word range sold for about $25, but articles in the 800-1000 word range only averaged around $45. Articles in the 1200+ word range rarely saw sales over $65 and usually took much longer to sell. To maximize your profits and speed up sales, I would break very long articles into 500-800 word articles. You may also find that buys only want parts 1, 2, 4 and 5. By breaking it up, you might sell 80% of what you wrote for 90% of what the original article was priced at, whereas the original article may not have sold at all. It's all a delicate marketing game.

[Hugh]

Thanks Celeste, SJ.

The article was rejected, which I kind of expected anyways, based on being a newb and all.
It was rejected for its length though, so I'm not entirely sure whether it actually got read or not!
So I guess now I've got to decide just how to break it down, which frankly will be pretty tough. I might as well explain that it's about business culture in Russia. If you're wondering how to get that topic to 2500 + words, just be as comprehensive as possible!
Which is both a blessing and a curse I guess, because I'm really stuck at how to break it all apart. Explaining that meetings always run late and that sometimes unexpected people show up (And it's all "part of doing business" there) doesn't make much sense unless you'd already been prepped about the general nature of the culture. Somebody might read or buy the section about the reduced role of women (and how to act if you are a female exec) in Russian society and completely miss out on the taboo of shaking hands with their gloves on!
Ugh! Any suggestions?

[SJHillman]

Don't worry about trying to tell the whole story in every article. Focus on each section for each one rather than making it part of the overall business culture. Your introduction may be very similar for each article and it may take a bit of revamping, but don't give up on it (you already have my interest from your brief description).

One of the most important things to remember when writing articles is that readers typically have a very short attention span. If every sentence doesn't engage them, then they're going to find something else to do which is exactly what buyers don't want. You may need to sacrifice detail to keep things brisk.

Another way to approach it is a compare-and-contrast method. Compare the role of women in the West to Russia or even China. Turn it into a 1000 word article about how women have different business roles in different parts of the world. Maybe use your articles about Russia as the basis of comparison for many articles about business practices around the world - international business is a HUGE market. For example, something as simple as accepting business cards varies from country to country... something common in San Francisco may be a huge insult in Tokyo. How does that compare to Moscow?

The key is that you have to be willing to go in a different direction than you originally had. And always remember your goal in any article is to engage the reader to the benefit of whomever buys your work.

[Hugh]

More great help there SJ.
Yes, I'd more or less prepped to do a series of these, ranging from Russia to Singapore, etc. Stylistically, I'm confident I'm on the right track. Sentences are short, declarative for the most part and I'd already organized it according to certain aspects; Law and Government, Entertaining and Socializing, etc. So this isn't impossible by any stretch, but it does make each piece a bit fluffier as a result of having to intro and outro for each one instead of just moving linearly through the process as a whole.
Yes, I can do this, but the "comprehensive educator" in me has to make way for the feature writer.

Once again, I appreciate the insights and your kind assistance.

[Hugh]

Okay, well, I've pared it down to 550 words or so and it's a decent overview. I still expect it to be rejected, though this might be more of my own nature more than there being anything particularly bad about it. I did kind of write "up" as it were to the audience, meaning it's not especially chatty or conversational in tone. Mostly declarative sentences. It's a kind of "it is what it is" attitude, so I explain, for example, that homosexuals and Jews are often publicly denigrated in the country. Because the fact is - they are. Yes, we westerners wish that such things weren't that way perhaps, but I think it's valuable to know that the mores and values elsewhere fundamentally differ from ours. I guess what I'm getting at is that although I respect the somewhat obvious directives of CC as far as being racist and sexist, etc, we're better off knowing that some societies are less "liberal" than many western countries. Still, I kept the tact intact!

So now my question is: should I prep the other 2000 words (ie: four additional pieces) by keeping the title, but changing the sub title? So they'd look something like: Doing Business in Russia: Law and Government, Doing Business in Russia: Office Procedures and Work Ethic, Doing Business in Russia; Protocols and Negotiations...

[jak]

That sounds like a good idea to me, Hugh. You've got a great subject there. All you need is one buyer who can keep coming back for more. Good luck.

[SJHillman]

I think CC's guidelines about racism, etc is more about the articles not being racist... articles about racism would be fine as long as they don't condone racism.

Good: Homosexuals, Jews and other minorities are often publicly denigrated in Russia, not unlike the Western world of the early 20th century.
Very Bad: Russia is better because they keep gays, Jews and other inferior races in their place. America would do well to return to that attitude.

You can get away with articles on almost any topic as long as you remain objective and present both sides of the facts, which is something I wish more journalistic writers (I'm looking at you Fox and NBC) would do.

I would lean towards keep the title and changing the subtitle like your examples simply because it helps an interested buyer come back for more. You may even want to go so far as mentioning in your short summary for each one that it's part of a series on business in Russia. Buyers like series because it makes their job of providing regular content easier for as long as the series lasts, as well as keeping readers on their site as they go from article to article within the series.

[Hugh]

Yes, the ongoing aspect's important I think, so I'm inclined to make the subtitling a key part of that strategy. I guess the benefit of having done a 2500 word piece right off the bat is that there's no problem keeping the tone consistent, where if I'd written everything piecemeal, it would be tougher to maintain voice. The longer item was actually a little more difficult than I'd imagined to structure properly, because as I'd mentioned before, you can write linearly, but after a few go-arounds, I think I managed to get a sound format that will enable me to accommodate chopping it up. Still...
For example, when the intro explains that being drunk or getting there is ummmm.... "endemic" in the country, you don't really have to cover the same material by mentioning that it's something participants are expected to do after a long meeting, but you can contextualize it in that specific social setting (ie: "as noted previously," ...) . It seems a little like cheating to have to repeat what you'd written before, but I do understand keeping things brief and to the point.
re: the wording - Here's an excerpt: "There are strong undercurrents of racism throughout Russia and this becomes more pronounced in the more westerly and rural regions. Both homosexuals and Jews are openly denounced throughout much of the country."

I think the style's more or less as you've indicated it should be. As I stated before, I'm expecting a few rejections before I get a piece accepted, since it's all about learning the process here, but I'd like to offer my appreciation for your insights and support.
Thanks!