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Syndication 101
How to get your foot in the door without getting it stepped on.
By Perucci Ferraiuolo
It has long been held that an editor is a man or woman who knows exactly what he or she wants, but doesn’t know what it is.
Never is it more true than within the syndication marketplace. And, I’ve found that most editors know what they want based on what they DON’T want. In other words, they know the “junk” and are only looking for the “treasure.”
So what’s the treasure? You know. Copy that sings, grabs, shakes, and is so good it stuns. If you want syndication you’ve got to write so well that, as humorist Fred Allen puts it, it makes all other writers feel like putting their quills back in the goose.
Many times an editor won’t know how good a piece is until it is read. A good article or good column is one that immediately changes the editor’s day – and plans. Before you venture into the churned waters of syndication, though, make sure you’ve got the best product you can possibly offer – you may not get more than one chance to impress.
Many (writing) industry publications say that a great way to break into syndication is to start out writing columns for local newspapers, develop a following, and then get picked up by a syndicate. Nice if it works. Most of the time, it won’t work. Chances are that if you’re reading this (or them) you’re not working for a newspaper, are not a columnist now, and don’t have THE voice of any given region.
What you need in appealing to any syndicate (who are really column and one-shot article brokers) is a big gun. If you haven’t got name recognition, you should be writing cutting edge copy with one hand while having a finger of your other hand on the pulse of current trends, beliefs, platforms, and attitude.
So here’s the ABC’s: Choose a syndicate (heck, choose all of them). Phone them (or write) for their guidelines. And try like your professional life depends on it to get the name of the editor you will attempt to attract (the Writer’s Market has a good listing of many good and reputable syndicates).
Remember, syndicates are sales organizations and handle columns and one-shots (feature articles) like K-Mart handles merchandise. The bottom line is sales. If you don’t give them what they can sell, you won’t be picked up (given a contract). You have to become a salesperson yourself and develop solid, professional marketing techniques to close your own sale to the syndicate.
Perhaps the single most important strategy in syndication or in searching for a place in any publishing organization is to build a rapport with the editor. If you know what sports team, what restaurant, or how many kids the editor has, you’re on the right public relations road. “Nobody,” a salesman friend of mine once said, “but nobody ever buys from a salesman they can’t stand.”
Lastly, be a Don Drysdale (if you don’t know who he is, I feel older already) and pitch, pitch, pitch. “If you throw enough balls out there, you’re bound to get a few strikes,” Don said once in an interview.
But pay attention: Never, ever send a syndicate anything that is over 500-600 words (columns) and 1,000 words (features). And, always remember that syndicates sell to newspapers. If you can’t or won’t fit in there, you won’t fit in at the syndicate.
Do you have a fresh voice; a different spin on things; or march to a different beat? There’s a syndicate out there just dying to hear from you. Go ahead. Pick up your pen. And then change the world.
AGENTS & EDITORS
- 60 Calls for Submissions in June 2021 – Paying markets
- Agents: Knowing When To Hold One and When To Fold
- Getting Offers from Multiple Literary Agents
- Literary Agents List
- Preditors and Editors
- Publishing, Writing Terms, Acronyms
- Tips for a Successful Editor Appointment
- Want More? Here’s How to Get It
- What NOT to Do When Beginning Your Novel
- Windup for the (Story) Pitch
- Write the Perfect Book Proposal
CALLS FOR SUBMISSION
- 2023 MAR Calls for Submissions
- 2023 FEB Calls for Submissions
- 2023 JAN Calls for Submissions
- 2022 DEC Calls for Submission
- 2022 NOV Calls for Submission
- 2022 OCT Calls for Submission
- 2022 SEP Calls for Submission
- 2022 AUG Calls for Submission
- 2022 JUL Calls for Submission
- 2022 JUN Calls for Submission
- 2022 MAY Calls for Submission
- 2022 APR Calls for Submission
- 2022 MAR Calls for Submission
COMPUTER TIPS
- ASCII Characters
- Building Your Web Site and Doing It Right
- Don’t Be a Victim-Scams, Identity Theft, Urban Legends
- Don’t Spread Scams
- How to Annoy Your Website Visitors
- Knowing Your Target Audience
- Stopping Viruses from Propagating Through Your Email
- The Top 10 Email Errors
- Word Processors Through Time: Before MS Word & Google Docs
FORMATTING & GRAMMAR
- Achieving 250 Words / 25 Lines Per Page
- And Sammy, too? Oh, No!
- Changing Double Hyphens to EM Dashes in Word
- Edit Easier
- High Hopes–Avoiding Common Mistakes
- Misused Words
- Navigating In Your Novel
- Proofreaders Marks
- Research Links
- Rules for Writers
- Slang and Jargon Souces
- Tightening Your Manuscript and Trimming the Word Count
INSPIRATION-MOTIVATION
- A Dream Realized
- Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work
- Finding Time to Write
- Five Ways to Promote Yourself
- Fun Inspirations 1
- Fun Inspirations 2
- Fun Inspirations 3
- Fun Inspirations 4
- How Not to Procrastinate
- How to Quit Writing and End up on the Bestseller Lists
- Love to Write: Here Is How You Can Build Your Career
- Making Time for Self-Care While Running a Business
- Moving Up the Rejection Ladder
- Pop Quiz: Who Are You?
- Rules for Writers
- The Art of Being Rejected–475 Words
- The Juggling Act
- The Literary Food Chain
- Write Better Naked
- Writer’s Conferences Do You Really Need To Attend?
- Writing By Moonlight
MARKETS
- 35 Online Work Ideas to Earn Good Money Whilst Studying
- Copyright Primer, Know Your Rights
- EBooks-Fears to Possibilities
- Finding Markets Fiction and Nonfiction
- Freelance Writing 101
- How To Be a (Shiver) Reporter
- How To Market Your Book After You’ve Written It
- Love to Write: Here Is How You Can Build Your Career
- Magazine Links
- Making Money As a Corporate Freelancer
- Market News–All Genres
- Newspaper Writing Resources
- Path to Self-Publishing Success
- Publishing, Writing Terms, Acronyms
- Science Writing Organizations
- Selling to Children’s Markets
- Submission Tracking
- Submitting to UK Markets
- Syndication 101
- To Specialize, or Not to Specialize?
- Why E-Books?
- Writing Groups List
- Youth Writing Markets
PUBLISHING
- 60 Calls for Submissions in June 2021 – Paying markets
- Copyright Primer, Know Your Rights
- How To Market Your Book After You’ve Written It
- Love to Write: Here Is How You Can Build Your Career
- Making Money As a Corporate Freelancer
- Path to Self-Publishing Success
- Publishers Websites
- Publishing, Writing Terms, Acronyms
- Submission Tracking
- The Great Limbo Mystery Question
VIDEO & STREAMING LINKS
WRITING TOOLS - APPS
- Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work
- Free AI Tools That Can Be Used In Business Writing
- Helpful Books
- Knowing Your Target Audience
- Magazine Links
- Newspaper Writing Resources
- Reconsider Hand Writing
- Research Links
- Slang and Jargon Souces
- Unblocking Your Muze
- Word Processors Through Time: Before MS Word & Google Docs
- Writing Groups List
WRITER'S LIFE
WRITING CONTESTS
WRITING CONTESTS
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• ALL WRITING CONTESTS
- 2023 MAR Contests, Workshops, Webinars
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- 2023 JAN Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2022 DEC Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2022 NOV Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2022 OCT Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2022 SEP Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2022 AUG Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2022 JUL Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2022 JUN Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2022 MAY Contests, Workshops, Webinars
- 2022 APR Contests, Workshops, Webinars
ABOUT WRITING CONTESTS