Most of us, these days, write for more than just pleasure. We feel a need to justify our enjoyment of the craft. We seek validation as writers. Many more of us now than ever before write to be heard\/read. And this means that more of us seek publication.<\/p>\n
Here are some tips for getting your work published:<\/p>\n
Locate magazines that publish material like yours. Perhaps you have some magazines in mind. Start there. And then reach out and become familiar (if not intimate) with the multitude of magazines and newsletters that currently seek submissions from writers. Writer\u2019s Market is a great resource (about $30 at most bookstores or in the reference section at your library). The 2012 issue will debut in September. You might also take a look at the Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses by Len Fulton. Research appropriate magazines on the Internet. <\/p>\n
Study the magazines for which you want to write. The magazine listings in Writer\u2019s Market include contact information, type of material desired, submission requirements, word count, pay scale and so forth. But you\u2019ll also want to locate a copy of their Guidelines for Writers at their website. <\/p>\n
Read at least one copy of the magazine from cover to cover. This will help you determine whether or not your work is right for this publication and give you ideas for revising it to fit. Examine the stories, the editorials, letters to the editor and even the ads. Who is their target audience? Demographics are often available in their Writer\u2019s Market listing or their Guidelines for Writers. <\/p>\n
Research publishers for your book. Go to a mega bookstore and find books similar to yours. See who published them and contact those publishers. If you have written a true crime, for example, you\u2019ll want to approach publishers who publish true crime books. If yours is a cookbook, you\u2019ll need a publisher of cookbooks. <\/p>\n
Also find publishers and their contact information listed in Writer\u2019s Market, Literary Market Place (in the reference section at your library), Gale\u2019s Directory of Publications (also a library reference book) or Jeff Herman\u2019s Guide to Book Editors, Publishers and Literary Agents. <\/p>\n
Follow the submission instructions. Magazines and publishing companies pretty much each have their own requirements. While some magazine editors encourage article ideas from writers, others like to assign stories, for example. In this case, they will ask only for a resume. If you go ahead and send them your story, you\u2019re just wasting time and postage. Here are some additional rules for submitting your work. <\/p>\n
\u2022\tSend only what they request. <\/p>\n
\u2022\tConsider the format when preparing an article or story for submission. While some magazines use a variety of styles, others might use only heavily researched pieces, essays, first-person stories, how-tos or question and answer articles. Adjust your piece to conform. <\/p>\n
\u2022\tStay within the suggested word count. This will vary from magazine to magazine.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tPolish your story, article or book manuscript before submitting it. This seems like a no brainer, but I\u2019ve talked to writers who will send something that needs extensive editing in hopes that their editorial staff will fine-tune it for them. What they\u2019ll do is send your submission back to you in the next mail delivery.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tDon\u2019t bug the editor. Wait an appropriate amount of time for their response. How long? Generally the response time is in their Guidelines. If you don\u2019t hear from them by their two or three month response time, for example, email or write asking for an update on your submission. Be sure to give your full name, the title of the project, the date sent and anything else that makes it easy for them to check the status of your project. <\/p>\n
So back to the question, what is the right venue for your work? First, ask yourself:
\n\u201cWhat do I hope to accomplish by having my work published?\u201d Do you want to get paid, build a portfolio, promote your published book, prove to yourself you can do it, impress friends, feel validated as a writer\/poet\/author? <\/p>\n
Determine your deep down desire and your venue will become apparent. Through this process, you may discover that you simply want to put your story or collection of poetry into a form that you can hold in your hands and give as gifts. In this case you may decide to self-publish. You could design greeting cards featuring your poetry, for example. Have your book of poetry or short stories copied and bound at a business center. Or check into print on demand\u2014where you can have only a few copies of your precious book printed and bound professionally.<\/p>\n
Whatever you decide is the right publishing path for you, keep in mind that a magazine editor or book publisher is not going to come looking for you. It\u2019s up to you to do the research necessary to find the right venue for your work.<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com<\/a> Most of us, these days, write for more than just pleasure. We feel a need to justify our enjoyment of the craft. We seek validation as writers. Many more of us now than ever before write to be heard\/read. And this means that more of us seek publication. Here are some tips for getting your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,4],"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.patriciafry.com<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"