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, e-mail 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.
(c) 2004, Davis Virtual Assistance.
All rights in all media reserved.
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.
To join the group visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/articlesubmission/
