Republishing? Are you getting ripped off?

You need to consider a couple of things

Republishing.

Repurposing.

Duplicate content.

Syndication.

Ugh—what’s all that about?

It’s a lot.

I’ve talked about some of it before, but there’s so much we need to understand as writers about republishing our work.

So let’s crack into one aspect today. (It’s a quick 265 words)

---

A few years ago, I got tripped up by a request from an editor.

I’d only just started writing online, after years of print magazine work.

They wanted to republish a story of mine for free (syndicate it) and I didn’t know how to respond.

I’d never ever heard of syndication before.

So, I did what we are lucky to be able to do so easily now—asked another writer!

I knew he’d syndicated his articles to the same site who wanted my story.

When I asked about his experience he told me this as an answer:

Syndicated Assumptions

He allowed them to syndicate whatever they wanted of his, which amounted to hundreds of stories.

It was a large, well-read site and he assumed, when he published a book, they would let him add a link to it.

Perhaps even help him promote it.

He’d given them a ton of free work, surely he’d built up a rapport with them? They’d say yes, right?

They refused.

They got hundreds of free stories.

He got one byline.

Understandably, he felt ripped off.

So what’s the lesson for us?

Don’t make assumptions with syndication. Make sure you’re getting something from the deal or you’ll end up feeling ripped off too.

• It might be promoting your website in a CTA.

• The satisfaction of knowing your work is getting a bigger audience and helping more people.

• A new relationship with an editor who you can pitch paid stories to.

Whatever the reason, make sure you’re clear about it. If you assume they’ll help you later, you might be disappointed.

---

What did I do?

I let the site syndicate two of my stories.

I got the one byline and felt good about it.

When they asked a third time, I said, “No thanks.”

What are your experiences with syndication? Have you heard of it before?