Writer's Contracts

If you hold copyright for your work, you can sell it to a syndication agency.
In most cases, syndication agencies will pay you 50 percent of the fee that they sell the article for, although percentages range between 40 and 60 percent usually.

Here are some large agencies which may accept features for reprint. Most are very selective in who and what they will accept. Some are well established, others perhaps not so; Caveat emptor.

United Feature Syndicate
Mostly comics and puzzles, but also accepts columns of around 500w, if you can offer an existing series.

King Features World’s largest syndicate, accepts comics and columns

Celebritext Lee Howard’s London-based features syndication service Celebritext focuses on celebrity interviews and features. One of the largest freelance agencies around.

Universal UClick Formerly Universal Press Syndicate, this agency primarily focuses on cartoons but also accepts columns and features.

International Feature Agency Amsterdam handles a range of features, including celebrity, music, travel, lifestyle and sport, and accepts new writers.

Family Features does NOT pay for content and is most used by PR companies and businesses spruiking their products.

North Star National is US based and US focused but will occasionally accept new content writers.

Guardian Syndication is one of the world’s largest feature agencies but primarily resells its own work. The Guardian takes exclusive rights for three months, then non-exclusive rights. Freelancers whose work is on-sold are offered 50 percent.

Project Syndicate is an NFP and usually does NOT pay for content. It accepts original op-ed editorials from ‘distinguished opinion makers’ worldwide.

Tribune Media Services is a very large US-based agency which resells its own publications work; though it accepts some submissions, it’s hard to get accepted by the group.

Times Content – mostly resells work from the Times of India, but does accept some freelance content. Rates are low.

Lifestyle Features is a South African agency which resells decorating, travel and food features around the globe.

David Wallis’ Featurewell is a New York agency that is notoriously difficult to get into but syndicates widely.

Jourdan Agency both re-sells and commissions health writing in the UK

Top Features is an offshoot of Jourdan and is a major syndication outlet for health features.

Acquire Media flogs content from a range of newspapers but apparently accepts freelance contributions also.

Women’s Feature Service is a UNESCO funded women’s writing syndicate based in India.

World Features Syndicate is a small outfit offering fillers with just a few writers’ work.

Travel Writers Magazine Syndicate accepts limited contributions for resale, but seems to offer the work of just a few writers.

US based Liberty Features resells work from its own cartoonists and LFS writers group but does accept some contributions.

The Globalist syndicates short features to magazines worldwide.

Feature Story News on-sells radio and TV coverage worldwide.

Australian Agencies

There are few content agencies based in Australia, possibly because the local market is relatively small and international agencies have sewn up most overseas outlets, as well as many here in Australia.

Agencies past and present include:

Association Wire – FlapJack custom media peeps Freya and Justin run this agency as a sideline. Rates are quite low.

Guy Allenby’s exclusive Content Agency specialises in property and lifestyle features. Not sure if he is accepting submissions.

Red Goat Media – sadly defunct, Melbourne based feature writing agency

Editforce – Alistair Gordon’s former content agency now does corporate email advisory services

Kim Griggs sold her former NZ based content agency Freelance Market and the new owner now runs it as a freelancer directory and information service.