Almost every time I submit an article they say they already have enough articles covering that subject. I just had an article containing tips on writing fiction stories rejected. How many articles about that could they really have? What the hell are they looking for?
I wondered that too after submitting perfectly original good content on topics that are very easily monetized, but had them rejected. So I asked them. I sent them a message, and their reply was to go to google trends, see what's popular and new these days, and write on it. Have I tried doing this? Heck no. I'm probably going to though. -S
Write on something not popular and something that is rarely written about on AC. They don't want anything "in the trend" trust me. Like if you write about "Moths that are large" that's a little bit specific but still broad in my opinion. Write :"The Atlas Moth, Big & Beautiful; Natures Largest Moth" don't use that name or write that article. Come up with your own but I hope that is enough to get you thinking about what you should do you know?? I had a record when I started of 1 Decline in my first 30 articles. Not bad. not perfect, but good compared to what I see with other people on this and other boards. I mean even to date I have 5 declines total in 2 1/2 months. I always got up front offers.
Also, keep in mind that it depends on what editors you get that day as well. Even though AC has guidelines on what they will and won't accept, many times it comes down to a picky editor. I've layed out in the "made $30" thread how I handle rejections in case you haven't read it. 9 times out of 10 if you tweak them and let some time pass before resubmitting, you will have it accepted when it's reviewed by a different editor. I've had articles get an upfront offer of say $3, and decline their offer. I'll let the article sit for a week and rework it a little, then get $6+ when it's reviewed by someone else. AC editors see things very differently sometimes.
