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It’s not what you think. A lot of people think bylines are important because we writers like to see our names published. They think that it’s all about ego.
Well, okay, maybe that’s a little bit true. It is gratifying to see my name on a piece of writing that I’m proud of.
But I have done technical writing and business copywriting for years. Both of those are areas in which the writer rarely gets a byline.
Obviously, seeing my name published is not always that big of a deal.
So why are bylines so important?
The answer is simple. A bylined piece is easy to add to your portfolio. When there’s a byline, it’s obvious that you did the writing. And a strong portfolio helps you stay in business as a freelance writer.
Back in the days when I worked as a corporate technical writer, I remember the difficulties involved with trying to review a prospective writing hire’s previous work:
- Technical writing is often propriety. Technical writers and others sometimes sign non-disclosure agreements–basically meaning that they won’t show the work they do for the company to others. That means that we often couldn’t even see what type of writing a prospect had done previously.
- No way to know who did the writing. Large technical writing projects are often completed by teams. Even if a prospective hire did have work samples, without a byline there was no way to know what role the prospective writer really played in creating the document.
The same problem exists with ghostwriting, editing, and many other types of unbylined writing projects.
How to Get the Bylined Work You Need
You need bylined work for your portfolio. Fortunately, it’s easier than it used to be to get a byline. Here are three quick tips:
- Start a blog. Your own blog is a great first step for getting bylines. And of course, you have total control over what is published.
- Provide a small byline discount. This can help when negotiating with budget-sensitive clients. Just make sure that you are working on a piece that you will want credit for before you offer the discount.
- Guest post. Submitting guest posts has its drawbacks, but a few well-placed guest posts can give you a start.
Your Thoughts
Do you focus on a type of writing where writers are rarely given credit for their work? If so, what do you do to get portfolio pieces?
How did you get your first byline?
9 responses so far ↓
1 Claire Wagner // Dec 5, 2012 at
Laura, this is a good goal – one that rarely comes true for me. For years, I have written materials that were supposed to stay behind company firewalls (sales guides, presentations for the sales force, strategic messaging documents, etc.), so not only did I not get a byline, I couldn’t show them as samples until the products or services were out on the market for a significant amount of time. I was also recently “forced” to sign an agreement with a big agency that prevents me from showing my work for them in my portfolio. Larger groups and companies are more proprietary about their materials than ever. So, the blog!
2 Laura Spencer // Dec 5, 2012 at
Claire Wagner,
You are certainly not alone.
I have edited, updated, and even created from scratch dozens of technical manuals and training guides–yet none appear on my portfolio despite the fact that my employers and clients were happy with my work.
One reason for this is the confidentiality concerns, of course.
But there’s also the fact that they just don’t make good samples. Some of these documents are quite long (and many are not online). Scanning and creating a .pdf file for a 200 page document and then uploading it isn’t very practical.
Fortunately, even writers who specialize in areas where getting a byline is difficult can use blogging as a means to create more accessible samples.
3 Diana Schneidman // Dec 5, 2012 at
Laura,
Frankly, I seldom (actually, never) think about bylines. You’re got me thinking now!
I recently wrote an article for an association magazine in my industry. The article was accepted and I’ve been paid so I moved it into the “history” file in my brain. Now I’ve decided to phone tomorrow to see if I have a byline and to get a printed copy for my portfolio if that is acceptable to them.
At this time, my blogs, websites, marketing pieces for my own work, and articles (on ezinearticles.com) are my primary writing samples, along with bylined pieces that are years old.
Thanks,
-Diana
4 Laura Spencer // Dec 5, 2012 at
Diana Schneidman,
You sound a lot like me. 🙂
Definitely call the association magazine and see if you got a byline. (Odds are good that you did. Many association magazines that I’ve seen do give credit.)
Even if you didn’t get a byline from them, the piece is probably okay to use in your portfolio unless you signed some sort of non-disclosure.
5 MicroSourcing // Dec 6, 2012 at
A bylined piece can help build your portfolio and adds to your credibility as a professional writer. It gives a level of prestige to your portfolio as well.
6 Laura Spencer // Dec 7, 2012 at
MicroSourcing,
Thanks for your insights!
7 Sarah Russell // Dec 7, 2012 at
To be honest, this is something I’ve struggled with. Nearly all of my web content writing work is done on a ghostwritten basis, which I don’t usually mind – until it’s time to find new clients…
Writing a blog of my own has helped, but I’d still like to seek out higher-profile pieces to publish in my own name to really beef up my portfolio. Guess I’ll have to bump that back to the top of my to-do list at some point 🙂
8 Laura Spencer // Dec 7, 2012 at
Sarah Russell,
Have posts or articles published on a high profile site can definitely enhance your portfolio.
9 What Freelance Writers Must Know About Ghostwriting // Jan 30, 2015 at
[…] biggie. Not only will you not get credit, you may even be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Bylines are important to writers. For that reason I usually give regular clients a small byline […]