Written and Sittin'? 5 Ways to find a home for "orphan" articles...

No matter how talented you are as a writer, chances are your acceptance and placement rate is not 100%.

There always seems to be those " labored" over babies we can't seem to quite find a home for.

...An interview with a local entrepreneur, a poem about nature, a relationship piece penned after a bad break-up, a travel article from a past vacation. True?

As a matter of fact, the inspiration for this post came about when I was trying to identify and target some new markets, and in the process, found some folders with articles I had written long ago that have yet to find a suitable home.
Truth be told, I had forgotten all about them, in my weekly efforts to pitch new people, break into new markets, and maintain momentum.

Perhaps you have too.
If so, let's look at a few ways to turn past pieces into future sales. Shall we?

First things first...
As Dr. Phil often says, "You can't fix what you don't acknowledge first!"
So, it's important to examine WHY those articles remain in your pending files instead of your paid files.

HERE ARE A FEW POSSIBLE REASONS:

1. It's a piece that requires a very special and specific market that you have yet to identify. For example, an article written about your pet rock collection.
2. It's controversial, and you're trying to work up the courage to publish it, or decide whether or not to do so under a pen name. I have two such articles that I'm sittin' on now. 
3. Though it's well written, it's outdated or no longer "news-worthy." Like helpful hair tips on how to maintain your Jherri Curl.
4. It's finished but it doesn't feel "complete." You have that gut feeling that it's missing that "secret sauce."  
5. Time is a factor. In other words, you're too busy trying to keep up with new projects to handle old ones.

Any of these sound familiar?

HERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO CONSIDER:

1. In an effort to work "smarter, not harder" it sometimes makes more sense to work on projects from the past that require minor "tweaks," than to start from scratch with brand new ideas and new directions. If you don't want to take time from your usual routine and regular assignments, devote just one day a month to look at old pieces with new eyes. I have done this with some of my former personal essays, and as a result, was able to "find homes" for them as submissions for anthologies for women. Some were even paying markets.
2. Give your pieces a "make-over." Add current stats or studies to old findings, to make pieces news-worthy or relevant. This works well for articles on education, travel, the economy, social media, technology, and even political issues. 
3. Consider sending them out as guest posts to blogs outside of your niche. The benefit here is that it can help to build your following, and also build relationships with other bloggers that can sometimes lead to paying assignments in the future.
4. If it's a controversial piece, sleep on it for awhile. Remember that in the age of the Internet, once it's published, it's pretty permanent. Many of us have issues that we are passionate about, but we need to weigh whether writing about them in a public forum is worth the potential backlash. To quote a famous expression: "Choose your battles wisely."
5. If it's a piece that feels unfinished, have someone else read it and render their opinion.  It could be that you're being too perfectionistic, or simply over analyzing things. Perhaps an editor will still find it perfectly marketable; you'll never know if you don't try. Send that baby packin'.

Follow these timely tips to give new life to old work, and to increase the odds of publication.

Your turn.
Thoughts? Agree or disagree?

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