When a magazine or newsletter editor tells you they want a 500-word article, what does that mean to you? When a website owner asks for a book review of 300 words, how do you interpret this? When your publisher asks for another ten pages or 2,500 words, how do you respond?<\/p>\n
The correct and most reasonable answer would be, \u201cI follow the editor\u2019s\/publisher\u2019s request.\u201d But not everyone does. <\/p>\n
Many would-be freelance article writers hear the editor and they read the writers\u2019 guidelines, but they submit a piece that is 250 to 1,000 over the requested word count. Why? Oh they have many excuses: \u201cI cut it down as much as I could.\u201d \u201cI just didn\u2019t want to leave anything out.\u201d \u201cIt is a better article than it would be as a 500-word piece.\u201d \u201cIf it\u2019s too long, the editor can either cut it or run it as a two-part serial.\u201d<\/p>\n
No, no, no. In this time of extreme competition for freelance article writers, most likely the editor will take one look at your over-zealous attempt and stamp REJECT all over it! <\/p>\n
Recently, we, here at SPAWN, asked for a 300-word article explaining how to write for a particular market. The writer submitted a 650-word informational piece with no how-to aspect at all.<\/p>\n
Sometimes writers will be asked to write something in the 1,000-word range, but they can only come up with enough material for a 400-word piece. Again, this article will probably be quickly rejected and the editor will move on to a more professional writer who can and will follow directions.<\/p>\n
Another problem I see, and I\u2019m sure a lot of magazine and newsletter editors do as well, is the wrong article for the wrong publication. Recently, a client was asked to write a how-to piece for an online publication. She brought it to me for a final check. Of course, I asked to see the editor\u2019s request email. What I discovered was that the article just did not match the request. <\/p>\n
My client had not bothered to study the publication. Well, she said she did, but she missed the point of it. The publication used only strong self-help and how-to information on a particular topic. Each piece contained around 800 words. This writer wrote a 1,200-word essay sprinkled with personal experiences.<\/p>\n
Do you know the difference between an essay, a profile piece, a personal experience account, a self-help article, a how-to, etc? If you plan to earn a living, pick up some extra spending money or gain exposure through article-writing, you\u2019d better learn. Can you create a 2,000-word article on request? Can you produce a 250-word piece or expand it to 600 words on demand? If you want to enter into the hugely competitive world of freelance article-writing, you\u2019d better train yourself to do so.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re not a writer until you can engage your readers AND please your editors\/publishers.<\/p>\n
Learn more about Patricia Fry, her writing path, her services and her books:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.patriciafry.com<\/a> When a magazine or newsletter editor tells you they want a 500-word article, what does that mean to you? When a website owner asks for a book review of 300 words, how do you interpret this? When your publisher asks for another ten pages or 2,500 words, how do you respond? The correct and most […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13,4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"