Can I sell articles I already published in the school paper?

[MeltedGlass]

I haven't exactly written anything yet, so I was wondering about this.

I've been a writer for my school paper for four years now, and I was considering the idea of selling my published articles from back in the day. I'm completely ignorant (lol) on the idea of these "rights", so I'm not exactly sure who has the 'rights' to these articles that I've published. As the writer of these articles, do I have the rights to sell them here? Or does my school?

I'm asking this because I'm pretty paranoid, thinking that suddenly, out of nowhere a representative from my university is going to come barging at my door with the intent of suing me for my actions. D:

[Evelyn]

That's a really interesting question! I've never written for newspapers, so I'm sure someone with more experience will offer an opinion, too. But there are easy ways to find out what kind of rights you hold.

You could always ask. It's not a question you should be nervous about because students often become published writers when they graduate. Your editor will understand why you're asking without too much explanation.

If the publication happens to be listed in the Writer's Market, look up the entry. All rights will be detailed (along with a lot of other information).

Our local community newspaper publishes contributors' information right on their website, so maybe your school paper does, too.

Keep in mind that you may need to do extensive revisions before C-C will accept these articles. No first-person ("I" or "we") and no opinion writing, first of all. To make these pieces appealing to a big audience of website buyers, they shouldn't have location-specific information unless they're travel articles. Have you considered just writing something new on similar topics? Then you could sell for full rights and make a LOT more money, without taking up a lot of time in research.

Good luck at C-C, and come around the forums often. We're a pretty helpful bunch around here.

[MeltedGlass]

Thanks a lot, Evelyn. I guess I really should ask around school when I get the time. And yes, I am aware of the whole 'I' and 'We' policies of CC, along with the location-specific stuff. I am planning to submit articles that should be acceptable in an internet audience, so that shouldn't be much of a problem. ;D