Dear Freelance Writing,
I've managed to sell two of my articles regionally. Now I am coming upon the whole "repurpose or reprint" part of this career. Can you clarify what those are, and what my next step should be? Is one really better than the other?
Repurposing and reprinting your magazine articles are both great ways to protect your bottom line and make efficient use of your time. In fact, serious, career freelance writers will often make a point of reusing their work in one or both of these ways.
First, let’s establish the difference between repurposing and reprinting. Repurposing your article involves a complete overhaul of the work. Although you may use the same subject matter and some of the same quotes and research, this article must read like new. It should reflect a different audience and elaborate a slightly shifted main idea. Therefore, repurposing your article will require some time and work on your part.
Reprinting, on the other hand, is somewhat simpler. In general, and for our purposes here, it is likely that your article will have sold First North American Serial rights, giving a comprehensive set of rights to the first magazine that you printed in. Therefore, your second sale will likely be Reprint Rights. In a reprint situation, you need to find a market for the article as it is. This market will then purchase a separate set of rights--usually reprint rights--to it.
So, which is better? That completely depends on how much more work and time you want to put into the article. If you’re hoping for a quick buck with only a little time-investment, shop around for a reprint market. But if you can spin the article, and have the time, why not rework it, and make another solid sale?
In any case, be aware and careful of your rights and the publication rights previously purchased when making a new sale.
