How to Determine Which Rights to Sell to Associated Content

If you've submitted even one article to Associated Content, you know that there are immediately two decisions you have to make. The first decision is whether or not you are submitting the article as exclusive or non-exclusive. The second decision is whether or not to submit the article for pay.

In this article I'd like to delve into a the ins and outs of how to determine whether or not to submit your Associated Content articles as exclusively or non-exclusive.

First off, it's important to understand what those terms mean. If you sell an article to Associated Content as exclusive, that means you cannot sell it or even give it away to anyone else. If you sell it as non-exclusive, you are free to use the article again anyway you please.

People who sell articles to Associated Content as exclusive do so for the following reason: higher pay. Generally speaking, Associated Content pays more for exclusive articles, than for non-exclusive articles.

To determine whether the higher pay that Associated Content offers for exclusive articles you might want to consider the following:

Do you write exclusively for Associated Content, or do you sell your work other places as well? If you write exclusively for Associated Content, then you may as well sell your article as exclusive, since you would most likely not submit it anywhere else anyway.

Are you in need of quick cash? If you have some major bills that need to be paid and little money in the bank, you may want to sell exclusive rights to Associated Content, since you'll make more money quickly.

Is there a chance that you could sell reprint rights to another publication? If there is even the slightest chance that another publication you are interested in writing for may want to buy the article (or even part of the article), it is better to sell your article to Associated Content as non-exclusive. In the long run, you may make more on reprints than you will on the higher amount initially paid by Associated Content on your exclusive articles. In fact, many writers make much of their writing income from reprints, and you give up that right to that additional income if you sell exclusive rights to Associated Content.

Is there any chance you will want to give someone else permission to use your article in some way? If you feel strongly about the topic you are writing about, and want the article to be read by as many people as possible, you may want to sell nonexclusive rights to Associated Content. Although many people read the articles on Associated Content, there are many people on the planet who have never even heard of Associated Content, or, for whatever reason, choose to spend their online time elsewhere. If it is important to you to have your article read by the masses, you may want to submit it as many places as possible (even free) so that more people will read it. That can only be done if you have sold non-exclusive rights to Associated Content.

Much of your decision regarding which rights to sell will be based on what your other options are. I personally sell exclusive rights to Associated Content when I write something that doesn't quite fit with most of my other writing. For instance, since I write primarily for the Christian market, I really don't have the desire to hold onto the rights for a product or restaurant review, so I sell those articles, and other secular articles to Associated Content as exclusives. On the other hand, if an article I write and submit to Associated Content is somehow related to Christianity or the Bible, I sell the article as nonexclusive, because chances are, I'll want to use the article again, perhaps numerous times.

The bottom line is that there is not one right choice. For some people, selling exclusive rights to Associated Content is the way to go, and for others, selling nonexclusive rights is the way to go. Perhaps most people, like me, do a combination of the two. Do whatever works for you, but do it thoughtfully, in view of the big picture, rather than just looking at the immediate payoff.