articles that match a public request - but wrong price range

[stelle]

If you have articles that fit a public request, but are priced higher than the price specified in the public request, would you still send them (without lowering prices)? Or would that be a faux-pas?

Thanks!
S

[Kaytee]

I've had articles submitted by CC on my behalf which were priced much higher than the request, and they have sold. On other occasions I have received an offer at the requested price. All I would suggest is that if you are prepared to accept lower for the sale then you could enable the "best offer" feature so that the customer doesn't necessarily have to reject immediately based solely on price.

I sometimes think it depends on the article too. It's a bit cheeky to submit a more generic article for much more than the request, but for a well-researched or specialised piece it wouldn't seem out of place. With larger orders the requested price-range will be an average, with some articles being purchased from the catalog at both above and below that initial figure.

It also depends on whether you think the price on the particular request is fair for the work involved. If they are offering an acceptable price and there is no specific reason why your article should be worth more, then I would only submit if I was prepared to accept an offer near the request price. If you're not prepared to compromise, and aren't offering an outstanding piece, then it may not be very good form to submit.

That said, each customer has a choice and if you think that you have a quality piece of writing that would benefit them, why not let them decide whether or not they want it? As when setting your prices for anything, let your conscience and your common sense be your guide.

[stelle]

Thanks so much for the detailed response! It makes a lot of sense. Much appreciated!
S

[csjwilkinson]

Don't sell yourself short. If your work is worth the price then list it at that price. It helps us all in the long run.

[stelle]

I don't think I sell myself short. I price my articles at 9 cents per word, rounded to the closest 5. If anything, I sometimes doubt myself and wonder if I'm pricing too high when I see lots of 600-700 word articles selling for 20-30 dollars! I'm going to stick with my .09/word strategy, though...even if it takes a bit longer for some of my articles to sell.

I definitely see your point, though, about valuing our work enough to put a fair price on it.

[J. A. Young]

I generally don't like to submit work that is beyond a stated range, but I have. At such times I might say, "I realize this piece is beyond your requested range, but it seems to resemble what you're looking for so closely that I thought I'd point it out to you nonetheless. Thank you so much for considering!" On the other hand, I've dropped the price and sold it many times too. It just depends if it's a piece that's been sitting around for a long time and how easy or difficult it was to develop. If it's a tech piece--don't think I'm dropping the price. If it's a cold remedy article--sure I can accommodate. I'm so flexible Whether it's good or bad I don't know. On the other hand...I'm cruising for new clients and any way you can establish a contact, sell a piece, and get to work with them--well, it could (and has) led to other sales. There's a lot to weigh. That saying--I can only drop my price so far.

[SJHillman]

I think an important part of pricing is considering category demand. Let's say you have two 700 word articles, each took 90 minutes to research and write. However, if one is "Five Tips For Increasing Your Paycheck" and the other is "How South American Dung Beetles Choose The Perfect Poop" then you should probably price them differently. The former has broad appeal and will likely find many different buyers. However, the latter is a fairly niche piece that will only have a few (if any) interested buyers.

Personally, I price niche articles a little lower to help moderate how long it takes them to sell relative to general interest articles. You may find that buyers of niche articles are willing to pay more because the pool of articles is smaller, but the tighter the niche the more of a gamble you'll find a buyer at all.