No previously published works for usage rights?

[skylarburris]

I don’t understand. I thought for certain I read that we could submit previously published work to which we retain all rights provided we only offered usage rights. Is this not true? Can we not offer previously published material? I received this rejection today:


“How to Write a Great Speech”
==== Editorial Information for Your Article: ====


We accept only completely original content.

This is my own original content. It has been previously published online, but the byline is my real name, so there shouldn't be any confusion on that score.

Is there any appeal process? It said, "Please do not resumbit" and was automatically deleted. Will this count as one of the strikes against me also?

[Antonia]

Are you using your real name as your byline on CC as well, or do you have a different pen name? If both names are the same I'm not sure why they would reject it...unless someone else stole your content and published it elsewhere under a third name. Try doing a search for your article and see what turns up.

[skylarburris]

I use my real name for both - the only difference is that the article did not have my middle name, and I use my full name here. Certianly if an editor actually looked at the article, however, there couldn't be any mistake that I wrote it (how many people can there be with my first and last name? both are unusual), and I assume the editors verify by clicking through when they find a match. I'll do a search to see if someone else plagarized it from me; I've had that happen before, so that could be it.

I'm curious, though - when editor's reject an article for not being original, why don't they provide the URL where they found the article (or a substantive part of it) so you can point out either if the byline is the same or you can follow up if your work has been plagarized? I'm concerned because I have submitted a number of articles for usage only rights that were previously published and am concerned this could happen repeatedly and that could lead to account suspension without a chance of appeal.

[LMills]

When I first started at CC, I submitted several articles that had been previously published on Helium, and they were all accepted with no problem. Most of them eventually sold for usage here. If you haven't already, you should contact admin and discuss this with them. As Antonia suggested, part or all of your article may have been stolen and published under a different name.

Linda

[skylarburris]

I did contact them, but I didn't get a response other than that previously published works are fine but the "bylines must match." The bylines do match, so I still don't know what the problem is. They completely removed the article from the system before replying that it was unoriginal and said not to resubmit it, so I assume there is no appeal process and no further information provided when an article is deemed unoriginal.

I'm glad CC vet works (it's something not enough content sites do), but I do wish I had more information to go on. I can easily just write this one off, but I admit I'm nervous because I have other previously published works awaiting review. I anxiously await to see what happens to those. It has been several days since they were submitted. I would hate to have three strikes just as I get started. I have had one article reviewed and accepted so far, but it was not previously published and was for a public request.

[Jaye]

It sounds like they mean the bylines must match exactly. Letter for letter. Maybe try that...?

[Celeste Stewart]

In the past the editors have said the bylines need to be easily discoverable, too. So, if the byline's at the bottom or in an introductory paragraph or something, that could be the problem. In other words, they don't go hunting for them.

[DavidFarrell]

Is there any appeal process here? One of my best articles got rejected because I forgot I had a different byline on the site where I published it. It said please don't resubmit. So I replied to the email saying that, basically it was original and asking if it was the byline that tripped the process. I then went to the site where I had first published my article and revised my byline.

I guess my question is, is there an appeal process here or is that article ruined? It was one of my best articles too, on a very popular subject. Not to mention I had to put a lot of time into it.

What do you guys do when this happens?