First Sale... But who bought it?

kmd · Post by **kmd** » Tue May 27, 2008 3:15 am

Well, I finally had my first sale (wooohooo!). Someone purchased usage rights to one of my articles.

I would like to keep a record of where my work is being published. Unfortunately, I can't seem to access any info on the purchaser. Is this by design? If so, how are we to build a resume?

Thanks for any info!!!

~~Kate

Celeste Stewart · Post by **Celeste Stewart** » Tue May 27, 2008 7:03 am

Hello,
Congrats on the first sale. Look under Licenses for Your Content and you'll see the customer's screen name. That doesn't tell you much, I know. Then a few weeks later, Google the title of your article and you should be able to find it on the Web (if it's published - it won't show up if it was used in a newsletter or print).

AThompson · Post by **AThompson** » Wed May 28, 2008 1:01 am

Wow!
I also just had my first sale - and it was also for usage. I just went in and edited the exclusive and unique prices to N/A.
This is correct, yes?

AThompson

jak · Post by **jak** » Wed May 28, 2008 2:20 am

I asked this question before and was told by Ed that we don't need to do that because customers can see that it has had a previous download, which could only have been for usage rights otherwise it would no longer be available. So you could edit again and put in prices for unique and full rights. No need to lose the opportunities for those kind of sales.

And many congratulations on your first sale.

kmd · Post by **kmd** » Wed May 28, 2008 10:21 am

Thanks for the info Celeste. I wish there was a way we could track what our work was being used for.

I had never thought about changing the licenses now that it has sold. I thought CC did that automatically.

AThompson · Post by **AThompson** » Wed May 28, 2008 2:54 pm

Thank you, jak!

I tried using the search function on the forum, but searching for words like "usage" and "edit price" gets ZILLIONS of results! LOL!

Now, though, I'm confused. I thought that now that I had sold it for usage and it has been published on the web out there somewhere, I am no longer legally allowed to ask for unique or full right.

....... or does that just apply if it was published before being offered to CC?

Thanks for your patience with the newbie!

AThompson

Celeste Stewart · Post by **Celeste Stewart** » Wed May 28, 2008 3:12 pm

Yes, that applies when you've previously published the article elsewhere. If you sell for usage via the CC system, then customers can see the number of downloads and make their decision based on that. I've had articles sell for usage before selling for full rights later on.

AThompson · Post by **AThompson** » Wed May 28, 2008 3:54 pm

Wow!
Thank you!

....~trots off to put price back`....

Hurrah!
AThompson

kmd · Post by **kmd** » Thu May 29, 2008 3:26 am

Celeste~

Pardon my ignorance, but I need some more clarification.

So, even though someone has purchased usage rights, someone else can still purchase full rights? It's just unique rights that are no longer available?

Does CC make the change or do I need to remove the unique price?

Celeste Stewart · Post by **Celeste Stewart** » Thu May 29, 2008 6:57 am

All rights remain available (usage, unique, and full) after an article sells on CC for usage. When one of your articles sells for usage, you don't have to do anything other than enjoy the sale.

AThompson · Post by **AThompson** » Fri May 30, 2008 11:55 pm

So....

I think what had confused me at first was that I thought that the whole "if it has appeared anywhere else you can't ask for unique or full rights" rule meant that LEGALLY, once something had appeared anywhere, full rights couldn't go to anyone for LEGAL reasons.

Now, I think what you're saying, it is CC's POLICY that they like to be able to say to the buyers who frequent this site:
"We can assure you that IF this article has been accessed by anyone for the purposes of publication, it is FULLY DOCUMENTED in the CC data, because all access to this article has ONLY been through CC."

So if my article was sold for usage or posted anywhere BEFORE being entered into the CC system: usage rights only, because you cannot provide that assurance to your buyers. But if the usage sale occurs WITHIN the CC system, that's fine because it is documented by CC and the buyer can plainly see the sale happened and make their decision.

Yes?

AThompson

Word Gypsy · Post by **Word Gypsy** » Sat May 31, 2008 6:32 am

Yes, that's it!

"So if my article was sold for usage or posted anywhere BEFORE being entered into the CC system: usage rights only, because you cannot provide that assurance to your buyers. But if the usage sale occurs WITHIN the CC system, that's fine because it is documented by CC and the buyer can plainly see the sale happened and make their decision. "

Well said.

kmd · Post by **kmd** » Sat May 31, 2008 11:51 am

Okay, so... if CC provides fair warning that the article has previously been published, that fulfills a legal obligation about selling full and unique rights?

Well, none of my CC articles have been published prior to being listed on CC. This is not a personal issue for me and I have no hostile intent by asking further questions so I hope CC will remain patient with me. I don't understand, if providing fair warning is enough, why a previously published article can't be offered if that fact is disclosed.

Just when I think I understand the answers I find the questions get more complicated.

Ed · Post by Ed » Mon Jun 02, 2008 9:27 am

When customers buy full rights to an article that has been purchased for usage rights through CC, they understand that they haven't gotten to the content first. However, we can't depend upon all authors to disclose that their work has been published elsewhere, so writers may ask only usage rights for articles that have been published on other sites so that customers are not inadvertently deceived. Most customers who come to CC want completely original work, and few will purchase content that has been published elsewhere, period.

Search engines do not like duplicate content.

Does that explain it?
Ed

kmd · Post by **kmd** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 10:13 am

Yep... I think I understand.

Thanks!