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Overlooked Benefits of Self-syndication
By: Jill Pertler
When it comes to my writing career, I am big proponent of
the what’s-in-it-for-me attitude. If I’m deciding whether
to join a social networking site, post something on the web
or accept a freelance assignment, I always ask myself that
question.
I did the same when contemplating self-syndication. How would
syndicating my work benefit me?
The most obvious answer here is money – moola, dinero, cash,
greenbacks. Money is a definite consideration for my writing
career – as it should be for yours. We must earn money if we
want to continue living the lifestyle to which we’ve become
accustomed. I enjoy eating on a regular basis, so money is a
no-brainer.
With syndication, the money trail can be obvious – and indirect.
Sometimes, we focus solely on the direct source of money
(cashing paychecks from newspapers publishing our column) and
fail to pay attention to the indirect opportunities waiting in
the wings – ready to put cash in our pockets if we give them
half a chance.
Indirect opportunities are the pathways that become available
to us because we’ve syndicated our work. There are a number of
them. I’ll cover five here.
Syndication promotes your other writing. Chances are, your
syndicated column is a small portion of your overall writing
workload. Whether you freelance for magazines, write fiction
or dabble in copyrighting, having your column and your name in
the newspaper each week increases the likelihood other writing
assignments will come your way. Use your column to spread word
of your other writing and you’ll be smiling all the way to the
bank.
Syndication benefits a secondary business. Let’s say you own a
greenhouse; because of your experience you write a gardening
column. What do you think the column will do for your greenhouse
business? Logic says people will read your advice and then look to
you for advice about their plants each spring. The same situation
would work for any number of businesses and professions.
Syndication elevates you to the level of expert, which leads to
other paying gigs. I am a writer and could teach a class on
writing. The greenhouse owner may have the opportunity to present
at the home and garden show. An artist with a syndicated column
may be invited to do an art workshop with students at an elementary
school. These are all paying jobs initiated as a direct result of
a syndicated column. Ka-ching!
Syndication can lead to a book deal. Because syndication increases
your readership and name recognition, the likelihood of people
buying your book increases as well. The book might be directly
related to your column: The greenhouse owner may compile favorite
columns and publish them in book format. Or, the book may be
completely unrelated to your syndicated work: Our artist in
question may possess a talent for penning romance novels. Because
her readers already know (and love) her writing, they will wait
eagerly for the chance to purchase her first book.
Syndication begets syndication. I’ve always struggled with the
best way to market reprints. The word reprint feels old and worn
out. “Syndication” is a word with some respect attached to it. If
you write a successful syndicated column and regularly freelance
on another topic – say education, money matters, parenting,
cooking, etc. – consider grouping a number of your freelance
articles together to make a syndicated series. People already see
you as a syndicated columnist, so selling them on the idea of a
second syndicated series of articles is a logical leap. Sell first
rights; afterward, market the group as a syndicated series. The
result? You wind up with another paycheck(s) – thanks to self-
syndication.
Useful links:
Newspaper Association of America – www.naa.org
Lists individual state websites, which you can use to find
newspapers.
National Society of Newspaper Columnists –
www.columnists.com/
Humor Writer’s Org –Sponsors the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop
every other year. Writing information.
www.humorwriters.org/
Mondotimes.com – Information and links to
individual newspapers.
Organized by state.
Newslink.org – Links to online newspapers.
Organized by state.
BIO
Jill Pertler has touched people’s hearts and funny bones with
her well-loved column, Slices of Life, since 2002. She self-
syndicated it in 2009; it currently appears in over 75 newspapers
in six states. Her book on the subject, “The Do-It-Yourselfer’s
Guide to Self-Syndication” is now available online through
Booklocker.com, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com. Visit her
website at:
http://marketing-by-design.home.mchsi.com/
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