How to Resell Your Articles

Create Resellable Articles

Whether you write for content sites, magazines, newspapers or special features, you can write articles that are resellable. There are several aspects to consider when writing articles you want to resell. The first and most important is marketability. To resell articles, they need to be highly marketable to a variety of venues. For example, if you write an article of 1500 words on a heating system, the revenue you earn from writing the original can be repeated for at least another dozen or more times. Marketing your articles means having an acute knowledge of your markets. To write resellable articles, you need multiple markets to pitch your articles to. Take the time to study your markets. Next, study the editors who occupy the leading positions in these markets. Editors play a huge role in how often a single article can be resold.

To create a resellable article, begin with an attention-getting title of six or less words that grab interest immediately and incorporate the basic topic in the body of the content. The first paragraph of an original article can contain a specific focus with the following paragraphs outlining major points of interest. The last paragraph should be written in a way that offers a conclusion but leaves readers wanting more. This is how your article develops into multiple articles.

Before submitting the article for publication, review it and consider other perspectives for the next article based on the original. Resellable articles are like ripples in a still stream of water. The original is the still water. Your writing is the pebble thrown into the stream that creates the ripples in an ever-widening readership.

Timing is the Essence of Resellable Articles

Reselling articles strikes at the heart of refining your writing timing. That article you wrote on heating systems becomes a second article as winter approaches. In spring and fall, it becomes an article on system maintenance. In summer, it's an article that is a reminder for a basic system inspection by a professional HVAC expert. Fashion articles are always resellable. If you regularly write fashion articles, with a bit of tweaking, they can become a wealth of new articles.

Create Relationships with Editors

Breaking down the hallowed doors of publishing houses can be a daunting task. Obviously, the more well-established the publisher is, the more daunting the task becomes. This is an indication of where to start relationships. Build your reputation by creating your "writing portfolio" and your writing image. Beginners marketing their first articles can offer to write a few for free to get your toe in the door. Don't dismiss the importance of your local editors of newsletters, journals and business news. As a writer, getting to know editors is crucial to resell your articles. Ideally, choose half a dozen editors who fit into the genre of resellable articles you prefer to write. For example, if hair styles are your genre, you may want to check out the editors of beauty magazines focused specifically on hair styling. Your local hairdresser will often display these types of magazines. For online content writers, create a database of related blogs and business websites. Email the editors with your query or, better yet, try to get an interview with an editor or associate editor. This also applies to local business owners. If you are looking for a business genre to connect to your resellable articles, don't overlook interviews with local business owners. They make great human interest articles connected to your original article on any topic. If your article is accepted, stay in touch regularly with your editors. Out of sight for writers is out of mind to editors.

Handy Tips to Resell Your Articles

Use your original article as the template for future articles. Remember, you can resell a single article as many times as the topic can be refreshed, reslanted or redeveloped by "branching" off into the details contained in the original article.

Writers aren't just writers. They are interviewers, researchers and developers of creative ideas borne of a single article. When writers take the trouble to interview experts, professionals or other celebrities of interest, they draw a wide ripple in the stream of readership. Save those quotes from your interviews for future articles.

Another way to generate interest in your articles is the use of printed flyers. Not everyone is on the internet 24/7. Your readers shop, do laundry in laundromats and drop off their dry cleaning. They visit local libraries and museums. Take the time to make your presence felt in these venues by taking part in their activities. Keep your flyers handy and ask if you can post them. Each flyer can be an article that directs readers to other articles. This is one medium that is often omitted. The erroneous assumption is that "everything" is online. Contact local businesses and ask if you can write an article on their business experiences in the community. Then, pitch the article to local media and widen the ripple effect by pitching it to a regional and national publication.

The Writer as Salesperson

In order to embed your writing reputation, you have to be willing to hone your sales skills. In today's writing world, the writer is also the sales person who pitches their "product." How good are your sales skills? Most individuals know how to attract interest. They don't always know how to "close" their sale. The writer, as a salesperson, needs to bone up on how to close a sale. Look for a willing, experienced sales person to help with this.

Writers tend to grow into "rejection" as an expected part of their business. To resell articles, writers need to "sense" that fraction of a second when they "have" the opportunity to close the sale of their article. For each editor, that moment differs. Learn when your "prospect" is most receptive to listening to your sales pitch. Monday morning is not a good time. Editors are beginning a week and their desks are usually overloaded with "To Do" work. Try to sense when editors are least hurried or stressed. This is how some of the best sales of articles are closed.

One Article, Many Topics

No matter what topic your choose for your original article, the divergence to multiple topics are always an option. This takes creative thinking to turn an article about sea turtles into one about extinct sea mammals.

If earning a fair price for your resellable articles is your goal, keep your editors close and your articles in a constant state of rebirth.