By Bruce G. Kauffmann
Special to Poynter.org
By the time I decided to syndicate my own column in January 2001, I had established quite a track record. Beginning in June 2000, every leading newspaper syndicate in the country took its turn rejecting Bruce's History Lessons, my weekly column on U.S. and world history.
In hindsight, I am glad I knew one thing well. I am equally glad I didn't know another thing at all.
I am glad I knew how good my column was, and how much I believed in its appeal. And I am equally glad I had no idea how hard self-syndication would be. The following are lessons learned, and tips to consider:
1. The Shorter the Better: Newspapers have always had space problems and in the wake of the industry's economic doldrums, the problem is worse. One advantage of my column is its brevity - only 450 words - which makes it easier to accommodate. As one editor told me, "I like the manageable length of your column."
2. The More Unusual the Better: If your column is about health advice, advice to the lovelorn, or household hints, forget it -- they've been done. The fact that my topic is history at least generates interest.
3. The Broader the Appeal the Better: My column tries to be as entertaining as it is educational, and whenever possible I pick topics that are offbeat, humorous, or head-scratching amazing. For example, the Battle of the Marne in 1914 was arguably the most important battle of World War One. The French won it because, literally in the nick of time, 600 Parisian cabdrivers drove 6,000 reinforcements to the battlefield, earning it the nickname "The Taxicab Battle." Such topical and stylistic variety helps me argue to editors that my column would fit in several sections - not just Op-Ed, but Lifestyle, weekend supplements, even page two of Main News.
4. The Thicker the Skin the Better: When I began self-syndication, I bought a copy of the Editor & Publisher yearbook and literally went down the alphabet, mailing editors of newspapers from Alabama to Wyoming. If editors had e-mail I sent out my column samples that way; if not I used snail mail. I probably contacted 300 editors in my initial mailing and I heard back from four, all saying no. As one editor I later became friendly with said, "Our philosophy is simple. If we didn't ask for it, we don't have to respond to it." I became friendly with that editor only because I kept after him, and kept after him. Or, as another editor said to me - and his newspaper now runs my column - "I finally got so sick of your e-mails I actually opened one up and read it!"
5. E-mail is Better: Actually, e-mail is crucial. Without it I doubt I would have any papers running my column. First, there's the cost of sending out a dozen samples via e-mail (free) versus snail mail (approx. 65 cents per package). But more important, e-mail goes directly to the editor you want to reach. A postal package sent to an editor probably will be opened by an assistant and either thrown away or dropped in a large pile, never to surface again. It is also easier for editors to respond via e-mail.
6. Good Records are Better: You must keep track of who you are pitching, when you last pitched them, what you said in your pitch, what sample columns you included, and so on. There is a fine line between showing editors you are aggressive and committed, and bugging the hell out of them. By keeping a daily diary of everything I did on my column's behalf, including recording solicitations and responses, I can better plan ahead.
7. Cheaper is Better: The question of what to charge for my column was answered for me dramatically when I responded to one editor's inquiry about rates by quoting a charge of $20. The editor responded, "I pay $12 for Dave Barry's and $10 for Ellen Goodman's columns. Perhaps you would like to re-think that." I did. The whole point of syndication is that several papers pay you for the same column. Getting $10 from two papers is better than $20 from one. And with self- syndication no syndicate takes half the money.
Which is not to say I'm getting rich. Actually, I took a pay cut from my regular job to free up one extra workday to devote to this column (that plus weekends and nights is just enough time to manage), so from a financial standpoint I'm behind. But that isn't the point right now. The point is to find an audience and connect with it (I write back every reader who contacts me), build momentum and prove to skeptical editors not only that your column has appeal, but also that you are a responsible professional - that is, you will live up to your agreement to deliver on time, each and every week, the high-quality product that interested them initially. Remember, they don't know you from Adam. Taking you on is a risk, especially with no syndicate as back up.
One last piece of advice. If you don't want it in your gut - if you are thinking, "Gee, wouldn't it be nice to write a syndicated newspaper column?"- don't waste your time. To repeat, this is harder than you can possibly imagine and the frustrations are monumental.
Yet for all of them, it has been more than worth it. I am now in 8 newspapers from around the country, and I honestly expect by the end of 2002 to be in 10-15 more - this despite the fact that in this economy most newspapers are shedding columns and features.
What's more, the reader mail and editorial reaction have been overwhelmingly positive. On the one-year anniversary of running in the Canton Repository in Canton, Ohio, the editorial page editor wrote me that publishing my column was, "perhaps the best decision I made all year."
Hard to quarrel with editorial judgment like that!
