Understanding Editorial Guidelines
BY BONNIE JO DAVIS
Editorial guidelines, also known as writer's
guidelines, are the rules set forth by publishers for contributing
authors. In order to have your article taken seriously you must review
the guidelines prior to submission. It is also recommended that you
review previous editions of the publication to get a better feel for the
types of articles favored by the editor(s).
Outlined below are the typical issues covered in
editorial guidelines along with their definitions and any additional
information you should know.
Length of article: The minimum and maximum word
count of articles considered for publication. Online articles are
usually expected to be 750 to 1,000 words while off-line publications
will often accept a longer article.
Topics: The subjects of articles accepted by
the publication. Never submit an off topic article as this is very
annoying and may result in further submissions from you being banned.
Illustrations/Photographs: Some publications
require/accept illustrations or photographs and will usually specify the
size and format required for acceptance.
Editorial style: Consistency and accuracy
governs the use of a style selected by the editorial department of a
publication. Many publications require the use of the Associated Press
Stylebook which covers spelling, capitalization, grammar, punctuation
and usage.
Author Photograph: Some publications require or
accept a photograph of the author usually included with the submission
of the article. Guidelines will often cover the size and format of
photographs.
Byline length: Also known as an author
biography or resource box. Some publications have certain requirements
for length, characters per line and what or how much contact information
can be included.
Payment: Your byline is often the only payment
you will receive for your article. However, some publications
(particularly those in print) pay for articles by the word or per
article.
Rights: Governs whether or not the publication
will accept original or reprinted articles, how long they plan to use
the material and whether the article can be used elsewhere at the same
time.
Query requirement: A query is a letter written
to the editor that proposes an article topic and asks permission to
submit. Some publications require that you query the editor (by e-mail,
fax or mail) prior to forwarding your article.
Submission methods: Methods of submissions may
include via fax, email or hard copy sent by courier or standard mail.
Editorial calendar: It is not unusual for a
publication to establish an editorial calendar for each year far in
advance. The calendar will cover topics, themes, article types and
required submission dates broken down by publication dates.
Format accepted: Each publication will accept
articles in certain formats such as Word, WordPerfect, text or Adobe
Acrobat.
Audience: Demographics such as number of
subscribers, gender, educational level, age and income level.
Notification: When you will be contacted about
your submission. Many publishers choose to contact only if an article is
chosen for publication.
Acknowledgements: In some cases you will be
required to sign (either electronically or on paper) an acknowledgement
that you have read the guidelines.
It is very important to understand and follow the
editorial guidelines of your target publications in order to maximize
your chances of publication. Not all publications will include all of
the above items in their editorial guidelines. Contact the editor if any
of this information is not disclosed and you need it to refine your
submission.
Copyright © 2004 Davis Virtual
Assistance
Bonnie Jo Davis is an experienced
shoestring marketer and her favorite technique is providing content for
publishers. Her latest venture is the moderator of the
Article Submission E-Gazette Yahoo! group which provides a spam free
exchange for writers and publishers.
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