Yesterday, we explained several kinds of legal rights authors might encounter in their writing careers. Today we continue that discussion with more possible scenarios. Syndication Rights you give up: • Syndication means selling one article (or a series of articles) to multiple sources at the same time. Typically publications will not want you to sell the same piece to a competing market. • Because you are selling to multiple markets, the price garnered per publication is less than with first or sole rights. Rights you keep: • Authorship (byline) • Rights to resell or reprint in another format. • Right to limit or prohibit editing or revising of your piece. Why a writer would choose syndication: For many writers, getting paid multiple times for the same article is an appealing concept. Having an article printed in numerous publications means a greater number of readers. Increased readership is another appealing concept. Finally, syndicated writers often have their artic...

As a freelance writer, your words are your bread and butter. So, it’s important to have them work for you. The rights you keep – or give up – vary, depending on the type of contract you enter into. Because there are numerous variables, this can be confusing – even for the seasoned writer. Here’s a listing of common ways that contracts describe rights to written pieces. As a freelancer, I’ve entered into contracts for just about every listing here. I tell you this to let you know that there are no magic answers when it comes to keeping or giving up rights. It depends on your specific situation and the writing in question. All rights, or sole rights Rights you give up: • When a publication asks for all rights to your work, you are, in essence, signing it over to them. They then have the ability to publish it wherever and whenever they choose. • You cannot publish the article with another print or online publication. You cannot post it on your website or use it publicly in any way...

Many writers think of syndication as a specialized niche meant for just a few Erma or Abby-type writers. I’d like to change that line of thinking. Self-syndication is a flexible means to sell your work to multiple sources and cash multiple paychecks. If you let yourself get creative, there are lots of different paths syndication can lead you on. Often, syndicated work in done in the form of a column. The column might be written daily or weekly. This is only one example of syndication. Think outside the column and I’m sure you can come up with more. Group like articles together to make a self-syndicated series. Offer your services to a glossy magazine not as a freelancer, but as a self-syndicated columnist. Are you a blogger? With a little work, it’s likely that your blog could become a self-syndicated column. Offer to ghostwrite self-syndicated articles for someone who would benefit from a column, but doesn’t have the time or skills to do the work herself. Self-syndication brings n...