Is A Byline Acceptable Payment?

By Ashley Sinatra

Like just about half of the people who browse the Internet, I love to write. A couple years back I was willing to do anything just to have my writing seen. I was even close to paying someone to publish something I had written. This is long before I knew that you could actually get paid for your writing. It was also the time I was formally introduced to something called bylines. Although I knew nothing about the writing world when I started, I realize now that starting my writing career with just bylines was actually a smart way to go.

There are so many writing jobs out there that will only pay a byline. A byline is just your name and a few lines of information you provide at the end of your written piece. Many writers refuse to ever write for a byline only because they believe in getting paid for what they do. On the other side of the spectrum, some writers write only for free because they either like it or are too scared to submit their work to a place that might actually reject them.

To be a successful and savvy writer, you should fall between these two. If you are too snobbish to write anything for free, you might find yourself lacking experience and non-hirable to paying companies. However, if all you do is writing for bylines, then you might as well just say that your writing is a hobby.

Byline Advantages

Bylines are a great thing. One advantage of writing for bylines is that they let you test the waters with your writing. Also, if you have never been published before, most sites that offer only a byline for payment are not that picky on writing. They may also be more willing to help you correct some things to make your writing better. If you have been published before, writing for only a byline may also be useful to you. Say you have been an animal care writer for a while and have established yourself well in that category. However, it has always been your dream to write about the newest shoe fads. Obviously, a shoe magazine or fashion site is not going to be too impressed with your "save the whale" articles. This is where writing for a byline comes in handy. You can find many fashion sites and blogs that would love for you to write them a little something. In return, you now have a link, a sample, and a referral when you apply for your new writing job.

Writing for bylines only is also a great way for all writers to build readership and grow in site traffic. You build readership because if your writing is on a popular free site, people are most likely to remember your name if they like your article. Since you can usually include a link in your byline, this can drive more people to your website when they read your article. Bylines are a great promotional tool and platform to start on.

What to Include in a Byline

No matter what site you write for, your byline should include three basic things. The first one is your name, which is a no brainier; the second is some related work or if you have none, a fun statement about yourself that ties in with what you just wrote; and lastly, a link. Even if you do not have a website, it is a good idea to link an e-mail address. You never know who could be reading. Keep the byline anywhere from two to four short sentences. Also, always write the byline in third person, even if it may seem weird to you. So a great byline would be, "Ashley Sinatra is a budding writer who has published more than two dozen articles. She is most popular for her article published in Woman's Magazine."

As I wrote earlier, writing for bylines was a great way for me to start my writing career. I developed relationships with some editors, learned what people wanted to read, changed my style to fit the Internet, and had great resources and writing samples to show hiring editors for future paying writing jobs. I am more than positive that if I had started out writing only for money, I would have been rejected and given up on my writing dreams. Even after I have had many articles published, I still find a byline a great tool for when I want to break into a different market.

While you may be for or against bylines, there is one last thing to remember. No matter where your article will be published make sure you still hold rights to your article. When you keep the rights to your article you can then re-use your article for another byline or even possibly for money.

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