That’s been a trend that has happened over the last few years. My favorite audiences for my articles are my website and blog audiences. I’ve long liked to publish in Internet publications like LLRX.com and Law Practice Today rather than in print publications.
The great delay from writing to publication is a big issue when writing for print. I hate the long delay. Some print publications also tend to be fussy about wanting me to sign over all kinds of rights, even wanting to keep me from putting my articles on my website or using them as seminar handouts. I want to keep maximum flexible on those issues.
My other concern is the lack of response you get from print articles as compared to Internet publications. When I publish on the Internet, I get emails from readers, reprint requests and good feedback. With some print articles, I feel like I write them and throw them off a cliff into a great void. Not all the time, of course, but you get the idea.
I usually write for print because (1) I like the editor of the publication and can write something to help them out, (2) a publication pays for an article (it actually does happen!) or (3) I want to make use of a reprint for marketing, or (4) feel that a print publication exposes me to a new audience that I can’t reach on the Internet. As a practical matter, in today’s Internet world, points 3 and 4 never come into play.
In fairness, I have hundreds of publications and have my own research into how print publication compares to Internet publication, so I can take the approach I take. However, I often advise new writers to consider the Internet approach rather than getting over-focused on print publications, depending upon the audience that you want to reach. Today, a popular blogger will probably get more bang for the buck in terms of audience response from self-publishing an article on his or her blog than from a print publication.
Print still has an important place. I like seeing my articles in print from time to time, but, if you are writing articles as a marketing strategy, you have to think very carefully about placing articles in print.