Name In Lights

03 Thursday Oct 2013

Tags

am writing, article, byline, career, ego, freelance, headline, journalism, personal reflection, publish, starving writer, writing, Writing Life

This is not my first byline. I’ve been published many times before. But it is my first published work as a freelance writer and the first article I’ve sold since moving to Washington two months ago. Maybe that’s why it feels different.

I think all writers are a little egotistical. I love the writing and I love informing people, but I also like seeing my name under the headline. I love the recognition of being a writer; the validation of seeing my work featured prominently. No matter how many things I write and sell, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that feeling.

For me, these articles are about more than paying for my utilities. They’re proof that my education taught me a valuable skill. They’re also the fulfillment of an impossible dream. These articles are built upon the work of the very talented journalists I’ve used as sources, but in a small way, I feel like one of them. I feel like a writer. And I’ve got the publishing credentials to back me up.

Sure, this isn’t The New York Times, but it’s a real step toward my career goals. Writers write and determined writers show their writing to the world. This is not my first byline, but I guarantee it’s the first of many.

— 30 —

Jonny Eberle is a freelance writer in Tacoma, WA. He’s a staff writer for Grey Cell, a news site covering foreign policy and conflict areas. Click the links below to read his first batch of articles and follow him on the Twitter machine.

Egyptian military coup puts U.S. relations, democracy in jeopardy
Sectarian tensions rise in Iraq
U.S. steps back from brink of launching air strikes in Syria

The First Rights Problem

03 Friday May 2013

Posted by Jonny Eberle in Writing

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

am writing, fiction, First Northern American Rights, First Publishing Rights, First Rights, First Rights of Publication, flash fiction, legal, literary journal, publication, publish, publishing, rights, short story, starving writer, story, writing, Writing Life

I’ve got a problem. I’ve been trying to write a new flash fiction piece for the blog for a couple of weeks now, but every time I start, it morphs into a longer piece. And as soon as it crosses into the territory of short stories, I can’t post it. The trouble is something called “First Publication Rights.”

First publication rights is exactly what it sounds like. Every story or book only gets it once and the minute you’ve published it, it never has them again. This is what publishers are buying: the rights to show your work to the public for the very first time. This used to be easy to do; before the rise of easy online publishing. Now, I can publish anything I want on this website, whenever I want to post it. But as soon as I do, the first publication rights are spoiled and no editor will touch it.

I love blogging, but as a writer with aspirations of publication, I have to use discretion. I can’t post everything I write on my blog. As much as I want to show off to you all, I can’t risk using those precious first rights and losing my chance to sell my work to a literary journal or other publication.

So, my hands are tied every time a flash fiction piece turns into a short story. Still, it’s better to play it safe in the hopes of hitting the big time than publish it on the blog and never know what I could’ve been.

— 30 —

I’m a writer in Flagstaff, AZ. Seeing as I’ve relinquished the first rights to this post, the least you can do is check out my Twitter feed: @jonnyeberle.

J.W. Eberle

Tag Archives: publish

Name In Lights

The First Rights Problem