Article Submission Tips

Improving Your Chances of Getting Published For both up-and-coming writers and professional journalists, submitting articles to Internet based publications can be an effective, and relatively free, means of self-promotion. However, this is only true if your article is actually used by other websites and E-zines. The techniques to improve your chances of being published online are identical to any other venue. Using the following guidelines can significantly improve your chances of getting your article or articles published across the web, improving your image and, with a bit of luck, attracting the attention of high-paying publishers who need your services. Spelling and Grammar Checking Too many people rely on their word processor’s spell check function to cover this fundamental area. The problem is, too many words sound alike but have dramatically different meanings. These are called homophones (roughly Latin for “sounds the same”) and may slip past all but the most powerful of spell check functions. Another trouble spot is the use of punctuation marks. Even Microsoft Office 2007 is known to make an inappropriate suggestion regarding the use of commas, semicolons and question marks now and then. The writer must use his or her best judgment. Break Paragraphs at Appropriate Points Personally, I have lost track of how many times I have come across paragraphs that extended an entire page or more, even though three or more topics were covered, breaking one of the first cardinal rules of writing: One topic per paragraph. These “paragraphs” (and I use the term loosely) are unwieldy to read in books and magazines and are even more so on the Internet. Internet readers are much less patient, demanding that every web page be written for easy scanning. Using subtopic headings and bulleted text where appropriate to allow quick and easy scanning for the information the reader is interested in can go a long way to accomplishing this goal. The Sin of Rambling On the Internet, simply having great information is simply not enough. People use the Internet to access information quickly. They frequently do not have the time to be patient. Certain experts recommend using half the words you might use in traditional media when writing for the Internet. When you think you have finished an article for the Internet, go back over it. Delete any unnecessary sentences, “filler” words and repetitive information. Some people advocate killing adjectives to increase the forcefulness of the article, though I personally recommend doing this only if the sentence works well without them. Gratuitous Self-Promotion For publishers, online and off, articles that heralds the greatness of their author or product is definitely off-limits. They do not want to be told how good you are, they want to be shown. If you are truly that good, let your article speak for itself. If you seek to sell yourself, focus on displaying your knowledge, innovative thinking and character. In promoting a product, focus on common problems or needs, educating the reader, or perhaps tell a story. Provide real, interesting information. Discuss the product subtly or not at all. Leave the rest for your by-line after you are published. About the Author Another pet peeve of many publishers is the author’s resource box (the “About the author” statement at the end of the article). The content of the resource box should never be more than 5 to 6 lines. Anything longer will earn your article a one way ticket to the trash bin unless your article is Pulitzer material. As in the previous guideline, let your article speak for you. Letter Perfect Papers Too many times, writers try to glitz-up their articles by using unusual or slightly enlarged fonts. This is a major mistake. Keep your article in plain font, such as Arial or Times New Roman and hard wrap each line at 60 to 65 characters. This is the only way to ensure your article will appear as intended. It also saves work for the editors reformatting the article, deleting imbedded code or fixing characters that don’t print as intended. Editors will also bin these articles to save time. Sending Your Article Paste your article directly into the email, not as an attachment. Attachments must be opened and downloaded, something that is frequently put off and ends up being forgotten. Additionally, many people are worried about virus infection which is frequently transmitted via email attachments. As such many people delete them on sight. If this happens, your article will have to be resent, perhaps causing you to miss a required deadline. Avoid Sending Repeat Copies Few things annoy editors more than having to delete two or three copies of an article each time you submit it. To them it means you don’t value their time (or email box). This will cause your article to lose points when push comes to shove against other comparable articles. First impressions can last a very long time. Part of the problem could be your list of submission addresses. If your list has duplicate email or even domain addresses, you could be inadvertently sending more than one copy of your article to that editor. Take a minute to paste the domain name into a browser and check out the website. How much money is it worth to take a minute if your article is published? How We Can Help Keeping a copy of this article for reference when you write your next article might be a good idea. Most article submissions are passed over or trashed by editors, online or off. The secret is to present not only a top-notch article, but to do it right. You have to give the editors what they want if you expect to be rewarded with the publication of your article. Though we can do little regarding how you submit your article, our company can help ensure you are submitting Class-A articles. Our writers are dedicated professionals with extensive experience in researching and writing magazine, newsletter and web content articles. All it takes to get started is your order.