CC Offerings in Print

A place where authors can exchange ideas or thoughts. Talk about what categories are hot and which ones are not.

Moderators: Celeste Stewart, Ed

Locked
Lor
Posts: 242
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:48 pm

CC Offerings in Print

Post by Lor »

One (that I know of) of my CC articles was bought for a glossy print magazine. So if print's a goal, it can happen. CC offers those possibilities. The only problem is, we don't know where the articles are going when sold, aside from Googling. But from my sold and "rented" list, there are several that don't show up anywhere online. For all we know, there could be lots of articles out there in print. Print is good for history-building, and I'd like to know where my little snippets are going.

I'd love to see this indication somehow on the sold list. Perhaps, the buyer or "renter" could tick a box? If Print is ticked, what publication? I don't think it's too much to ask. Would love to hear opinions either way. The obvious argument is that it could be abused, with writers querying directly, but this is so with online sales as well. The difference is they are easily found. Any thoughts?
Antonia
Posts: 390
Joined: Tue May 26, 2009 3:56 am
Location: Somewhere in Australia
Contact:

Re: CC Offerings in Print

Post by Antonia »

If they purchase them for fullrights, we can't use those articles in our portfolios anyway. However, if purchased for usage, it certainly would be nice to know where they end up. It would also help us monitor misusage (like leaving off the author's name, making changes, etc). Maybe a feature could be added such that if an article is purchased for usage, the buyer has to indicate where they are publishing it. (I know CC has lots on the to-do list already...this is a "wouldn't it be nice if...." :) )
Debbi
Posts: 738
Joined: Tue Jul 14, 2009 10:58 am
Location: New Mexico

Re: CC Offerings in Print

Post by Debbi »

I can see this working if the article is for a private or public request. The request form could have checkboxes for 1) Web content; 2) blog; 3)print magazine; 4) print newspaper, and so on. This would help the authors to know their audience better when writing the article while giving us a better idea of where the article is going. A text box could be next to each choice if the buyer wanted to put the name of the source in as well. __print magazine "Parents".

I suppose it could be in the checkout form instead, which would encompass all sales and not just the requests. Not sure how well it would fit in with CC's contact info restrictions, though some buyers supply their web addresses in their requests. I think at some point CC may have to find a way to screen authors for trustworthiness or something? I wonder how many authors have violated the contact info restrictions on purpose? It seems like we could offer a better product if we had more information about the publication our work was going into. Sometimes it feels like throwing darts with a blindfold on.
Lor
Posts: 242
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:48 pm

Re: CC Offerings in Print

Post by Lor »

Debbi, I think there is a history of writers trying to get commissions off site via requests, unfortunately. I don't get into the forums very often, but when I first arrived, there was plenty of talk about it. So I understand CC's concerns when it comes to full disclosure. Still, I'd like to see this and I hope TPTB will find a way to do this and trust their writers to behave honestly. All I want is to know what printed publication or issue my "rentals" are published in so I can add it to my vanity file. I think this is fair and respectful. I'm sure CC is as proud of their writers successes as we are of our affiliation with CC and the possibilities it offers. There has to be a certain amount of trust.

I'm talking about those articles we write on a hopeful whim. The one I know about wasn't a request, just something chosen from my back list.

Antonia, articles are easily found via search engines for monitoring articles bought as web content, so I don't really need that information as i can find it myself if I feel the need. Much more difficult to monitor articles bought for print. Another plus for disclosure.

I think it's more than a "wouldn't it be nice if ..." I think a little box with the publications name or issue is a positive move for this growing community. It shows mutual trust.
Locked