Publishing Guidelines:
How to Read Them

by Brigitte Aflalo-Calderon

Years ago, when I had just begun working as a freelance writer, whenever I read that a magazine accepted submissions, I diligently studied the guidelines and then embarked on researching information and writing an article. However, to my dismay, I often received rejection letters accusing me – at least this is how it felt – of not having satisfied the writing criteria. I was dumbfounded. How could this be after all the energy I had spent reading over and over the publishing guidelines?

Unfortunately, it is not until much later that I discovered what was wrong with my approach. I had been skipping an essential step: analyzing the magazine or website I was planning to write for.

Some say that there is no better way to learn but the hard way. However, I would like to share lessons from my own experience to help you save time, energy and a lot of frustration.

Become a Detective
Once you have identified the publication you want to write for, review copies of the current and past issues. If you plan to write for a website, look through the archives section or order a couple of back issues. Then, put on your detective outfit, without forgetting pen and pad, and write down key information you will gather about the audience, including the topics,the writing style and the length.

Read Everything
Don’t skip a page.READ EVERYTHING, from the Letters to the Editor to the advertisements to the Readers’ Corner. All the information published gives you precious hints as to the readers’ interests, concerns and expectations. Advertisements tell you who your readers are, how much they earn, what type of food they like to eat,what their favorite destination is, etc. Numerous articles that I had written based on questions asked by the readers in the letters to the editor of magazine have been accepted. The content of these letters helped me to narrow down the focus of my story. If you are interested in a topic covered one or two years ago, use it as a springboard to prepare a story on the same subject but from a different slant.

Tune your Tone
Study the tone of the article. You don’t want to submit an article written from different perspectives to a magazine that is only interested in personal experiences, traditionally said in a first person voice. Don’t use an academic tone for a website looking for conversational pieces.

Ordinarily, the tone of service-oriented pieces is upbeat and written in the second person. Articles written in women’s magazines are often written in an engaging tone, as if the writer was speaking directly to the reader. Articles on health prefer a neutral perspective. They simply state facts and include quotes. Profiles are said in a third person affording you to present your subject from different perspectives.

Go Short
If you are trying to place a piece for the first time, don’t go long. Length is a key factor for new writers. Study the distribution of long vs. short pieces in the magazines that you have targeted. Most publications feature a great variety of short articles such as “number pieces” – Ten Steps to Strong Query letters, “Hot To Articles,” How to Get out of the Slush Pile, and fillers. These offer new writers best chances to see their stories accepted. Don’t reject them because you consider them too easy for you or not challenging enough.

Write Your Way Up
Starting short has other advantages. Editors work with a regular team of contributors whom they trust and who are in charge of writing long stories. While they are reluctant to assign a 3,000-word story to a newcomer, they are, however, always in need of short pieces and are more willing to read them. Furthermore, starting this way allows you to submit your completed manuscript instead of waiting for a reply to your query letter. And once you’ve established a professional relationship with an editor, it will become easier for you to get your articles accepted.

When you are ready to send in long pieces, pay attention to the requirements regarding illustrations. Some magazines, such as those specialized in food and travel, will not accept articles unless pictures accompany them. Look at the type and quality of pictures the magazine publishes. Are they small or large, in color or black and white? Keep in mind that an otherwise average article has more chances to get published if it is illustrated with good photos.

Check the Writer’s Bylines
This tells you whether the publication accepts freelancers, work with experts (scholars, doctors, etc.) or works with a team of regular writers only. If the publication works mostly with prominent writers, your chances to get an article accepted are slim and you might want to look for another publication until you too become a well-known author.

Brigitte Aflalo-Calderonis a freelance writer specialized in women’s issues and children non-fiction.She is responsible for a monthly column at Washington Women, Looking yourBest. Her articles have appeared in numerous sites and publications, including http://Medscape.com, http://Aribella.com, E-Pregnancy, Nervy Girl, WashingtonParents and New Moon for Girls.