outsdr | Looks promising

So, a few things happened today that made it the perfect time to present my revised columns agreement to my superiors.

First of all, we recently lost one of our reporters. That leaves us with two. Our other two newspapers just lost two of their reporters- leaving our daily paper with one reporter, and the other weekly with, well, none.

So, additional writing by other people will be welcomed.

Additionally, the editor has been made publisher of our paper. The one reporter we have left has been made editor (she's more straight-laced, which may make it harder to write some of my innuendos in my columns, but that's the cart ahead of the horse.)

I revised my proposed agreement to read as the following:

9-14-12

All columns written by Timothy H. Kepple, either preceding or after this date, are provided to The Lander Journal (Riverton Ranger, Inc.) at no charge with First Print Publication Rights in Wyoming, as well as Electronic Archival Rights for the online PDF edition of the print edition in which the columns appeared. All other rights remain property of Timothy H. Kepple.

If a column is not printed within 30 days of submission, First Print Publication Rights revert to Timothy H. Kepple.

At the very last minute I added the Wyoming, figuring this gives me the opportunity to send these columns out to other papers in other states (such as my hometown, where the same editor is in charge of the paper as when I worked there in high school, a Very Long Time ago.)

I gave it to the now-publisher, Anne, and told her I had thought about what she said about my columns (it helps that one of Wyoming's congressmen stopped in for an interview and told the reporter how much he and his wife loved my columns!) I told her the money had never been an issue, the rights were the issue for me. I pointed out that the owner has NEVER reprinted anyone's columns, and we both agreed that with mine, he never would reprint them either. So, even though HE would never use them again- I might. And I'd like to have the chance to do so, but I had to have those rights. (I didn't bring up that I fully believe that I still have all those rights anyway.) She agreed with me totally, and practically drooled at the sight of the six completed columns that I spread out before her.

On the contract I had written up, I left a place for my signature, her signature, and the owner's signature. She said she would talk to him and see what he says, but for the first time, I feel like she's on my side.