A few months ago, I got a request to write an article on spec. I debated, but ultimately decided to go for it. And today my decision paid off. It had been so long with no answer that last night I considered submitting it elsewhere. As if on cue, I got an email today saying (more or less), “we’re excited to publish your article, where do we send the check?” (And by the way, the pay is about twice as much as I’d expected.) Score!
I admit that I wouldn’t write solely on spec, but it does have its perks, like getting an acceptance and already having the darn thing written. Here’s my line of thinking: it’s a little iffy to write a whole article without any prior communication with the editor (except for personal essays, those are in a class by themselves). What if she’d just accepted a similar article from someone else? Or if she had no interest whatsoever in my idea? I sparked this editor’s interest with my query, so at least I knew she was mildly interested in the topic. That was my justification. Anyone else have a speculative experience to share?
Shades of Speculation
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Sometimes I have articles that practically write themselves. The research is typically left-over from another project and all I have to do is pull it together on a theme. I write those types of articles on spec because it usually takes me less than an hour to bang it together. If I struggle to find a home for it, I put it up at Ezine Articles so it can serve as a marketing tool, so I still win in the end.
I think that’s a smart way to go. You don’t miss out on opportunities, but you protest yourself against spending a lot of time writing something that will never be published.