Thursday, May 1, 2008

S.U.B.M.I.T. your writing!


Submissions… It’s the process of allowing another person (i.e. the editor) to critically evaluate your work and decide whether or not it should be published. Below is a list of submission tips to help you boost your courage and your chances of publication success! Enjoy!


Start—The most obvious starting point is the starting point. LOL Send out those submissions! Don’t let fear keep you from e-mailing an editor!


Use the rejection letters—Rejection letters are nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, they make wonderful wallpaper, paper hats, origami pieces, scrap paper … If nothing else, save those rejection notices and start a writing portfolio! As an example, I used my past rejection letters, publications, and writings to take a Prior Learning Assessment class at my college. I received 3 credits from the class, and those rejection letters helped provide proof and documentation of my writing experiences.


Be professional and polite—When sending a submission, make sure your manuscript follows the publication’s guidelines. And, if the editor rejects your submission, don’t be rude! Thank them for their time and then politely ask if they’d be interested in looking into a different article you’ve written.


Manuscript formats—Use standard font and marginal spaces throughout your submission. Editors prefer manuscripts that are in a functional format and ready to print! A brilliant article with a sloppy format is less likely to be published.


Invest time—Getting published doesn’t happen overnight. Don’t set your hopes on just one publication! Sending out simultaneous submissions will increase your chances (as long as the publication will accept simultaneous submissions). It can take a while before you hear back from the editors, so plan accordingly! Investing time means you should constantly be sending out submissions!


Try, try again—Just because one publication doesn’t want your article, doesn’t mean that another publisher will feel the same way.

1 comment:

Jamin said...

I can vouch for that last point! I started feeling like options were running low, until I went to gym and magazines littered all the tables.