Maximizing Your Impact: Strategies to Leverage Intellectual Property
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Chapter 1: The Power of Repurposing Your IP
When I first started presenting at software conferences, I was uncertain about whether I needed a fresh presentation for each event. Many fellow speakers insisted it was essential. However, I quickly discovered that this wasn't the case. In fact, I have successfully delivered certain brief presentations over two dozen times across various platforms: conferences, professional meetings, webinars, and client engagements. This experience taught me the value of leveraging the intellectual property (IP) you develop as a writer, speaker, trainer, consultant, or artist in multiple ways.
For instance, in 1999, a magazine editor approached me to write a concise piece—about 1500 words—featuring "twenty or thirty quick project management tips" to fill a gap in their editorial schedule. Within an hour and a half, I produced an article titled "Secrets of Successful Project Management." Over time, this modest beginning evolved into numerous formats.
By enhancing the content, I transformed it into a one-hour presentation called "21 Project Management Success Tips," which I have presented twelve times. The written version of this expanded material has been published in the proceedings of several conferences. Additionally, I created an on-demand webinar based on the "21 Project Management Success Tips" presentation.
This improved paper was included in a compilation of project management articles released by the IEEE Computer Society. Further expanding the initial talk, I developed a full-day course titled "Project Management Best Practices," which I have taught around twenty times to various organizations and conferences. Moreover, I produced an e-learning version of this course, available for purchase through my company's website and another training platform.
I also compiled several slides from the e-learning course into the "5-Minute Manager" series, featuring quick tutorials on specific topics, which are also sold on my site. By writing a series of articles that elaborated on some of the project management tips, I was able to publish them in various print and online magazines.
Subsequently, these articles were gathered into an ebook called "Project Initiation Handbook," available through my company website. This ebook, along with additional articles and fresh content, culminated in a book titled "Practical Project Initiation: A Handbook with Tools," published by Microsoft Press. I also serialized selected chapters from this book and licensed the resulting articles to various project management-focused websites and blogs.
Ultimately, the fee I received for that initial article, which wasn't even my idea, generated approximately 100 times more income through these strategies.
The takeaway here is clear: As you develop your own IP, actively seek opportunities to repurpose it into various formats to enhance your visibility and revenue. People learn differently, so packaging your content for diverse media can significantly increase its value to your audience and positively impact your finances. Each new version can promote other versions of your work.
Leveraging Your Intellectual Property: This video discusses how to effectively use your IP for increased income and recognition.
Do the Rights Thing
When you publish an original article in a magazine or online, ensure that the publishing agreement allows you to reuse the material in future works and to license it to other outlets. Specifically, you want to sell "first serial rights" to the piece, which means you retain the ability to republish it later.
A crucial term in these agreements is "nonexclusive," indicating that you are not restricted from using the content elsewhere. You generally need to credit the original publisher when reprinting the material, noting that it is reprinted with their permission.
Some publishers only accept original content. If you submit already published material to another outlet, be transparent so they can determine if it fits their needs. I typically charge a lower fee for previously published articles than for new content.
If you are working with a traditional publisher for a book, confirm that the contract permits you to adapt content from the book for other formats, such as magazine articles and blog posts. Publishers typically appreciate this kind of promotion for their books. I have licensed many derivative articles to multiple websites, each of which generates some revenue.
Conversely, if you have written a series of blog posts, consider compiling them into e-books, and perhaps eventually into a full book. For example, my book "Successful Business Analysis Consulting," from which this article is adapted, originated from my now-retired Consulting Tips and Tricks blog.
Who Owns It?
Be cautious with materials created exclusively for a client upon their request, as you don't own the rights to such works—the client does. Therefore, you cannot reuse or sell that content without their consent.
In some instances, I've negotiated with clients to retain rights to reuse materials I created for them, often by reducing my fee in exchange for joint ownership. Such negotiations are acceptable, provided the client is agreeable.
It's wise to document any such agreements in writing to protect yourself. The person with whom you made the initial agreement may move on, and you want to avoid conflicts with their successor who may question your rights to the material.
If you generate IP outside of your corporate job, clarify ownership. I did this during my time at Kodak, ensuring that everything I created for publication passed through the company's internal approval process. When I left, I obtained a letter from my manager confirming my ownership of specific materials I had created, as I intended to use them in the future. This helps prevent any potential legal complications.
Watch Out for IP Thieves
Once you've created and shared your valuable intellectual property, it's crucial to safeguard it against unauthorized use, as it plays a key role in building your reputation and livelihood. While most individuals are honest and fair, there are exceptions. I've discussed various ways my IP has been misappropriated and my responses in this article.
Next Steps
If you've written a collection of articles, blog posts, white papers, or other short pieces related to your field, consider how you might leverage them into new publications or formats. Can you expand a thoughtful LinkedIn response into a full article? Could you develop a more substantial piece from a blog post or create a video based on it? Is it possible to use several articles as a foundation for a book? Could you craft a short presentation from an article, or alternatively, write an article inspired by a presentation you delivered?
Evaluate whether any of your writings could be adapted for a related technical or business area. Perhaps an article on business analysis could be slightly modified to be relevant to project managers. If so, you could submit this adjusted piece to a relevant website, blog, or trade journal, gaining exposure in a new field.
With a bit of creativity, you'll likely discover numerous ways to expand your IP portfolio into diverse opportunities for visibility and profit.
IP Strategies for Business Growth: This workshop video explains how to effectively leverage your intellectual property for business development.
Karl Wiegers is the Principal Consultant at Process Impact, a consulting and training firm specializing in software development. He is the author of 14 books and over 300 articles. This article is adapted from his book "Successful Business Analysis Consulting." His most recent work is "Software Requirements Essentials," co-authored with Candase Hokanson.