A newspaper wants to republish my article, help!

1. 91

   Michael Kismetposted 6 years ago

   This morning I received an email from a newspaper editor interested in republishing my article.  I have no idea how this process works. I really need some hand-holding, any advice pertaining to this situation is greatly appreciated!
   
   "Want to publish your article in our newspaper as part of our focus on the importance of fathers. The above is my secretaries email address please grant permission and send us a recent photo as attachment thanks
   
   Peter Wennington
   
   Washington Tribute"
   
   Do I ask them to add a link to the original article?
   
   Maybe I can ask them to display the first half of the article and have them direct the reader to the original publication on Owlcation?

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      theraggededgeposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Did they really write 'secretaries' instead of 'secretary's'? Have they offered payment?
      
      Sounds suspicious. I've often been promised links and publicity, but nowadays, no payment = no article.
      
      Edit: if you allow them to publish any part of the article, you may lose traffic here. Plus it will be flagged as stolen content. Honestly, I wouldn't bother. However I would offer to write a similar article for payment.

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      RJ Schwartzposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Instead of asking the HP community for their opinions, you could simply ask the interested party for more details.  The Washington Tribute is a word press site, go check the site out for yourself also. I don't think they have a printed version.  Peter Wennington is the editor of that site (likely its his own blog)

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      1. 91

         Michael Kismetposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         I'm sorry for annoying you with my post.  I just wanted to get some quick advice, since I've never been in this situation before.  I'll think twice before I bother the HP community with my ignorance again.  Thanks.

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            RJ Schwartzposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            My apologies if you took my response as negative.  I was only trying to give you some additional ideas that might help you get an answer based on facts instead of our opinions.  No matter what answer you get, it won't be as "correct" as the one that piece can provide. 
            
            You should take it as a compliment that someone else wants to feature your work.

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   3. 96

      chef-de-jourposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I had a similar request recently from an editor in Japan for one of my articles, wanted for publication in his print magazine. The initial email I received gave me all the contact details, dates and expected payment so I was happy enough to give my consent, once I had sent off my invoice. It was to be translated of course so, a little different to your situation.
      
      If I were you I'd definitely demand a payment so ask for the fee which should be paid at current journalist's rate. If they are serious about wanting your work they should be open to a rewrite, so I would suggest it to them. And I would do it asap, editor's are usually so busy they'll have forgotten your name come tomorrow noon.
      
      Best of luck. Keep us up to date.

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      1. 91

         Michael Kismetposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         That's awesome!  Thank you for sharing your experience, Andrew.  However, the site is quite questionable, and I'll definitely pass on their pitch to use my article.  I shouldn't have gotten too excited before checking them out. I thought it might be a good opportunity to share my work and get a traffic boost.
         
         Thank you again, much-continued success in your future endeavors!

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         1. 87

            Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

            These people rely on writers getting excited.  We are all vulnerable to it -  someone likes our article enough to want to republish it?  Wow!  Of course we're going to agree! 
            
            I must say, if it was a real newspaper then I'd be tempted to say yes, use the article provided you give me a byline which includes a link to my website.  That exposure could be worthwhile, even if it would reduce the traffic to the original Hub.  But it sounds like this is just another blog, trying to scrounge free blog posts. 
            
            It is disappointing when it turns out not to be what you thought, but you'll be wiser next time.

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2. 91

   Michael Kismetposted 6 years ago

   No mention of payment, that was the entire message. How do you think I should proceed?

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      theraggededgeposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Either ignore it, or offer to write something else for a set amount. For me, that would be $100 for a 1500 word article.

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3. 93

   FatFreddysCatposted 6 years ago

   Is the "Washington Tribute" an actual newspaper?
   
   Edit: a Google search sez "No," unless you meant "Washington Tribune," and "Tribute" was a typo on your part.
   
   Edit #2: however, if you Google "Washington Tribute" and that reporter's name, you get a website for "The American Conservative Voice," whose slogan is "Tired of being force-fed leftist leaning fake news?"
   
   Check 'em out for yourself and then you can decide whether or not you want them to use your material.
   http://washingtontribute.com/index.php/ … ake-news/#

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   1. 91

      Michael Kismetposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      The site reminded me of reading a Fox News article. 
      
      I definitely would not want my name or work, in any way associated with support for Donald Trump.  Thank you for your advice and due diligence, Keith.  Awoken from my pipe dream and off to my day job.
      
      "Resist!"

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4. 91

   Urbane Chaosposted 6 years ago

   Personally, it sounds funny to me. But, if presented with a valid publisher that's asking..
   
   With most of my work, I have it in both print and online.  When I'm hired to write a print article, I always ask two things: First, I keep the rights to the article and all related documents and Second, it's not to be published online without consent.
   
   Any publisher that I work with is required to fill out a contract.  Terms are 50% at the time of hiring and 50% at conclusion.  The contract states that I keep all rights and that I can publish it elsewhere as per my discretion. 
   
   If they want to buy the rights for print publication, then I'll allow that, but the price goes up significantly.  I charge by the word, ranging from .07 cents for a fluff piece up to .24 cents for something more in depth.  I always set a minimum word count of 1,000, otherwise it's not worth my time.  If they don't buy my work then we work out a fixed price that works for both parties. 
   
   Some will ask for online rights; I have no problem with that but I'll put together a separate invoice for that.  If they publish my work online then I require a link back to one of my websites, depending on the article.  I'll also charge per word again, but usually at the lesser fee. 
   
   I'll ghostwrite for some places, but charge at the upper end for those since I'm essentially selling them the entire article.
   
   My best advice is to do your research; look up the company name, call them up, get details.. they will be registered with the Secretary of State in the state their listed in and should have tax filings for their company.  Build a contract that is beneficial for both you and them and make sure it's binding.  And most importantly, protect your rights - you wrote the article, don't let it be undervalued.
   
   I hope this helps somewhat.

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5. 93

   UnnamedHaraldposted 6 years ago

   I don't pretend to have any experience with your situation but I would share three thoughts:
   
   1) If they aren't offering payment, I wouldn't bother (though I would send them a "thanks anyway" email.
   
   2) At least they asked instead of just stealing your content.
   
   3) If, in fact, you agreed to them "reprinting" your article for whatever reason, you should remove it from HubPages first because HP has the right for any Hub to be unique (you agreed to this, like everyone else on HP. Other than that agreement, you retain all rights to your work.
   
   Good luck.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      UnnamedHarald - one small correction to what you said:   HubPages does not demand exclusivity.   It demands that the article hasn't already been published elsewhere.   If you publish the article on HubPages first, then publish it elsewhere, there is no penalty whatsoever.   However it's not an advisable thing to do, because the second copy will steal readership from the HubPages version, reducing your income.

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         UnnamedHaraldposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for the clarification, Marissa. I've been under the impression otherwise after all these years.

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6. 88

   NateB11posted 6 years ago

   Fascinating thread. It's amazing that some guy with a wordpress blog is going around trying to get free content for his site.

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      NateB11posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Aside: I remember several years ago when I'd first started writing here, I got an email from someone saying he wanted to use one of my articles for his middle school class but he had to have my real name to use the article for the class. I got paranoid and started a forum thread about it and most people told me not to do it because it was probably a scam. I ended up not doing it. Even now when I think about it, it doesn't make sense to me that he needed my name. Thinking now, it seemed like some kind of social engineering, trying to pull information to use in some way. Not sure. But it's good to question these requests about our articles

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         Glenn Stokposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         That request was questionable anyway because it was poorly constructed with a misspelling and missing periods at the end of sentences. (Assuming Michael Kismet copied and pasted it verbatim).

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         1. 88

            NateB11posted 6 years agoin reply to this

            Yeah, that's always a red flag to me, when the person isn't educated or professional enough to even use the language correctly. It's a sign they're not legitimate.
            
            Edit: I just went back up the thread and read the email again, I'd only skimmed it before. And, yes, that's badly written. I'd think it would be a chore to read the guy's blog, unless he doesn't write any of the posts for it.

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7. 84

   grand old ladyposted 6 years ago

   If it is for an online publication, it is presumed that by reprinting the article, you will not be paid. Even the Huffington Post posts blogs without paying them. However, you can ask them about that. Remember that Hub Pages doesn't allow content to be reprinted elsewhere online, so if you let them publish your article, you will have to remove the article from Hub Pages.

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   1. 87

      Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      That's not the case. As I explained to Unnammed Harald, the rule is that it must not be published anywhere else before you publish it on HubPages.  If you publish it on HubPages, then publish it somewhere else, there is no penalty.   HubPages will warn you about the copy in case someone else has stolen it, but there is no penalty. 
      
      However, it's never a good idea because the copy will steal traffic from the HubPages original and reduce your income.

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      1. 88

         NateB11posted 6 years agoin reply to this

         Many years ago I brought that issue up in the forums but no one chimed in so I dropped it, I thought maybe it was a touchy subject in some way. At any rate, back then I'd gone through the TOS and figured it out. A person has to kind of read between the lines in the TOS.

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      theraggededgeposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Where on earth did you get that from? Of course you can be paid for your work wherever it is published. I write, and get paid for online publications three times a week. 'Reprinting' does not preclude payment, although whether it can be republished at all depends on the rights the author has granted.
      
      For example, a short story writer could sell a story in the UK, and then sell it again to an Australian publication. They will get paid both times.
      
      The Huffington Post may indeed republish some work, but I assure you most of its writers and journalists are paid.

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         Marisa Wrightposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         +1

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