The Fabulist Flash

Issue 72

Fabulist Flash Organic Cotton Tee

In This Issue:

1. This Week
2. 7 Annoying Writer Traits
3. 10 Tips to Better Editor Relationships
4. Understanding Editorial Guidelines
5. About The Fabulist Flash

1. This Week

The past week has been filled with adventure. My trip up to the Northwest included a blown tire, poor turnouts at the signings, giving a new speech, and being hit on the way home by a hit and run, drunk driver who eventually returned to the scene of his crime to be arrested. Along the way, I met some wonderful people who were helpful and supportive and I learned that I can survive just about anything that comes my way with cool composure and politeness. Over the next few weeks, I'll be dealing with insurance companies and all the challenges they present and I only hope I can remain as calm as I've been up to now. And, hopefully, many of these experiences will make for some fun and informative articles in the future.

Understanding others in authority is the theme this week. In our writing world, one major authority figure is our editor. Working with editors and understanding editorial guidelines is one of the great keys and mysteries for writers. This week, Mary Cook explains Seven Ways to Annoy an Editor without Trying, Elizabeth Kirwin discusses 10 Tips on How to Cultivate Relationships with Editors, and Bonnie Jo Davis offers Understanding Editorial Guidelines.

Until next week,

Gregory
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Gregory A. Kompes (www.kompes.com) is a writer, photographer, professional speaker and author of the bestseller 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live and The Endorsement Quest.

2. 7 Annoying Writer Traits

7 Ways to Annoy an Editor without Trying
by Mary Cook

It's the easiest thing in the world to annoy an editor. Any fool can do it, and most of us manage it at some time without even trying.

You need to engage the reader with your work, but it's the editor who guards the gates through which you'll gain access to the readership. The editor is a lot harder to please than your average reader, and you need to know how make your approach. But it needn't necessarily be on hands and knees.

In each instance I've suggested alternative strategies for those writers who really want to be published. But here are seven simple means by which you can antagonize an editor, if you must.

1. Use flattery

Editors will invariably believe their publication is the best of its kind. That's how editors get to be editors! But a groveling letter saying your targeted publication is wonderful cuts no ice. A courteous covering note that's straight to the point is ideal.

2. Say you're a virgin

Don't say, with bottom lip quivering: "Be gentle with me, it's my first time." That's so unbecoming in a grown-up! It's better not to draw attention to the fact. Instead, brazen it out.

If you've had work published before, say so. Outline briefly what and where. If you're an unpublished writer, say why you think you're qualified to write your proposed article.

3. Skimp on the presentation

Your work needs to be perfectly presented before an editor will even look at it. Nothing shouts "amateur" more loudly than hard copy covered with coffee cup rings and pets' paw prints. And, no, whether hard copy or e-mailed effort, a mixture of fonts and colors doesn't look artistic; it's downright childish.

4. Forget to check your spelling

It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway. Not too sure about your spelling? Use that spellchecker or dictionary at all times.

And don't forget where your target publication is based. Global variations in spelling need to be adhered to if you're going make a favorable impression.

5. Ignore editorial instructions

If a publication accepts e-mail submissions and says "no attachments," don't bother to attach your work or it will be summarily deleted. A lot of editors are scared of viruses. It's one of their more endearing idiosyncrasies.

And the publisher didn't lay down those guidelines for fun. What part of "no fiction or poetry" didn't you understand?

6. Say: "You're an editor, so edit"

Don't assume an editor is happy to spend the entire working day editing. The less an editor has to do to make your work acceptable to the readership, the better.

7. Pester for a decision

You're not doing an editor any favors by submitting your work. So don't "threaten" to send it elsewhere. If your work impresses the editor favorably, you'll make a sale. If it doesn't pass muster, it will be rejected. Allow a reasonable interval before inquiring as to your work's status and don't pester.

You can make an editor your ally and get published. Alternatively you can put the sensitive editorial back up and find your work comes back as if it's on elastic. The choice is yours.

About the Author
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Mary Cook is a UK-based freelance writer and former newspaper reporter. She has had numerous successes with short stories, articles and poetry, and is the published author of two non-fiction books. She has also worked as a spoof "agony aunt" for an adult newspaper.

3. 10 Tips to Better Editor Relationships

10 Tips on How to Cultivate Relationships with Editors
by Elizabeth Kirwin

If you are an aspiring writer, or you simply want to augment your professional qualifications by publishing material related to your field of expertise, listen up. Here are a few tips that will help ingratiate you in the hearts and minds of editors. Once you’ve established a positive rapport with an editor, you may find the publication to be an excellent outlet for your work – and if you’re good enough – you may be invited to submit more work.

1. Editors prefer e-mail correspondence above all else – especially when submitting query letters and final articles. If you e-mail a story, make sure to paste it into the body of the e-mail, just in case the conversion of an attached file does not go smoothly. E-mailing correspondence and articles means the editor can cut and paste it into the publication, without having to retype. Digital delivery saves the editor lots of time.

2. If you promise an editor something – an article, a short bio, or a high resolution photo – make sure you deliver it. Always follow through with your promises, and that editor will remember you as reliable.

3. Before submitting a story, remember to fact check accuracy of dates and the spelling of places, names, and geographic locations. Most editors will revise your work even further, because that’s their job – to make the work even better. But few editors will continue to work with a writer who submits sloppy material that needs to be fact checked or heavily rewritten each time. Worse yet, you don’t want to submit something with factual errors in it.

4. Have a short, three to five sentence bio on yourself ready to submit to editors. Not all publications provide information on authors with published articles, but when they do, you want to take advantage of the free publicity. Don’t EVER submit a one page or one paragraph bio to an editor, unless they specifically request this much material. They’re being gracious by providing some space and most editors will not want to take the time to carve a bio down.

5. Have a publicity photo of yourself ready for publication and in digital format. For print media publications the dots per inch (dpi) should be a minimum of 300. For newspapers 150-200 dpi will suffice, though you should ask the editor or graphics department which they prefer. DO NOT send print media editors 72 dpi, or low resolution photos. This resolution is usually the standard setting for a digital camera, and is acceptable for publication on the world wide web, but is not appropriate for print media. Once a photo is shot, chances are very good that not much can be done to improve the dots per inch, except shrink it to 3 times its former size.

6. If you choose to telephone an editor to pitch them a story, remember – their time is valuable. First, ask them if it’s a good time to speak for 10 minutes. If it’s not, then ask them for a convenient time to call back. If they can speak, limit your pitch to 5-7 minutes. No editor wants to be on the telephone with someone for an unendurable length of time. Do not start telling them about all of your publication credits or credentials unless they ask. Stick to the pitch for your story idea, and focus your conversation accordingly. If they like it, you may continue the conversation for longer than 10 minutes. If they’re not interested, politely end the call.

7. Deadlines are important to editors, because they need written material before they can make decisions about visual materials, ad space, and layout and design. If you have promised an editor something, do your absolute best to submit it by the agreed upon deadline. If something has come up – in your personal or professional life or in the process of writing and interviewing for the story, communicate the need to slightly extend the deadline to the editor in advance. Most editors will work with you on deadlines, provided they are not under the gun themselves. Newspaper editors usually do fly by the seat of their pants, so keep this in mind when asking for extensions.

8. Engage the editor in a short e-mail about your story prior to writing it and he/she may come up with a few guiding sentences to help you. This is a chance to try to get a feel for how the editor would like this written prior to writing it. An editor may help you frame a story, give suggestions for potential interviews or subjects, or cause you to look at the story in a totally different way. Don’t despair if you receive no response. The editor may be busy and not have enough time to reply.

9. Do not write stories or articles that are just barely disguised promotional pieces for your business associates, friends and family, or your own business. It’s OK to mine these contacts for story ideas, but make certain the content you present is not OVERTLY promoting anyone. Any seasoned editor can smell a promo piece a mile away and will not publish it.

10. Try to write in subject areas you feel passionate about. For example, if you are passionate about hiking, write for some outdoor magazines. Editors are drawn to freelance writers who have a knowledge base for the material they’re submitting. This is an excellent ‘in’ with any editor – a well-developed knowledge base is a good foundation for any story. If you have a passion, pitch the right editor your idea. GO For it.

About the Author
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Elizabeth Kirwin has published work in national magazines and newspapers. She is co-owner of Sidhe Communications http://www.sidhecommunications.com in Asheville NC. She develops web sites, newsletters, brochures, and other marketing materials for companies and health care ogranizations nationally. For more information, e-mail ekirwin@bellsouth.net.

4. Understanding Editorial Guidelines

10 Tips on How to Cultivate Relationships with Editors
by Elizabeth Kirwin

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.

About the Author
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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/

5. About The Fabulist Flash

ISSN: 1554-0804

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Make plans now to attend the 2006 Las Vegas Writer's Conference March 30-April 2, 2006, in Las Vegas, Nevada.