Do you sometimes have trouble finding Submission Guidelines at magazine or publisher websites? It is a mystery to me why some web designers make these so difficult for freelance writers and authors to locate.
While some Submission Guidelines are front and center when you visit a publisher’s site, for example, others are imbedded in the most unusual and unsuspected places. Yesterday, while I was working on research for the SPAWN Market Update, I found Submission Guidelines in the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) at the site. That’s a first—although, maybe that’s because I’d never looked there for them before. Have any of you found Submission Guidelines on a website’s FAQ page?
I’ve found them under “contact,” “about us,” “for writers,” and embedded in pull-down menus at the site which had absolutely nothing to do with this topic. And, in some instances, I can’t find them at all—usually that is because they don’t exist. Either you have to write to get a copy of the guidelines or the editors don’t have guidelines at all.
And sometimes they aren’t labeled as you would expect. You’ll find them listed under Editorial Guidelines, For Writers, Writer’s Guidelines, Author’s Guidelines, Write for Us, or just simply Writers.
What are some of the most unique Submission Guidelines scenarios you’ve encountered?