List Submissions

by Michael Sedge

A decade ago, I began using list submissions to extend my global sales, as well as to reduce my overhead costs and workload. 

What is a list submission?  

Very simply, it is a sales tool that syndication agencies have used for years. After I have sold a few features or article/photo packages to an editor, I merely submit article lists. This is particularly true if I am trying to sell already completed features. 

The “list” idea first began, for me, in 1990. I had sold a few articles to Mini-World, a magazine produced in Japan, which at that time was edited by Naoko Yokoyama. Because its coverage included an array of subjects that I had written on, I decided to fax the editor an article list rather than individual queries. The list looked something like this:           

The Art of Cameos from Shells
The art of handcrafting raised-design cameo jewelry from conch shells continues today, as it has for two hundred years, in the southern Italian town of Torre del Greco. This feature explains the step-by-step process of creating cameos, from the shell to the shine to the store. (800 words) 

A Sea of Resources
Although mankind has used some ocean minerals and elements for centuries, extracting them in sufficient quantities to meet today’s needs would be an awesome task. Research is being carried out in many areas, however, in hopes of finding new and improved ways to harvest and utilize these resources. (1,500 words) 

Master of Horror
If Edgar Allan Poe were alive today, he’d have some tough competition. With such works as Carrie, Salem’s Lot, The Shining, and Pet Sematary to his credit, Stephen King is without a doubt the master of contemporary horror. (Interview—1500 words) 

Coffee: Italian Style
Hot or cold, topped with foamy milk, laced with liquor, or spiced, Italian coffee is a unique experience. Delve into the coffee-drinking culture of the Italian people, from its roots in the sixteenth century to its contemporary popularity. (1,200 words) 

Square Dancing
Young people throughout Europe and Asia seem to be drawn like magnets to any trend that carries the “Made in USA” label. This holds true not only in fashion, film, and music, but dance as well. Almost overnight, in fact, a craze has developed for the fast-paced, American, barn-stomping do-si-do step known as square dancing. (1,200 words)             

From this list, the cameo article and interview with Stephen King were purchased and appeared in Mini-World magazine. Yokoyama also took the Italian coffee piece to include as a chapter in Italian Family Meals released by Mini-World Books. Following this initial positive experience with lists, I continued this method of marketing, resulting in instances of both more and less success.  

The key to benefiting from submitting article lists is that the editor knows you and your work. I would not attempt to sell features in this way until I had sold at least two articles through traditional query submissions, though I know other writers who have tried—some with limited success. 

One of the disadvantages of this marketing technique is that you will rarely get an assignment. More often an editor will agree to look at the completed manuscript(s) on speculation if he or she is interested in a particular topic. My personal view is that if I have already written the article, the only thing I lose is postage. If the editor accepts e-mail submissions, I don’t even lose that. 

I now advise friends and colleagues to take one day and list the articles you have produced in the past three years. Next, consider which of these are still valid topics. Are they timeless or “evergreen” pieces? If so, they might make perfect list articles. Next to each topic, note where the original article sold, if it has been published more than once, and include where it appeared in print. Then consider what rights you have to offer.  

First serial rights, whether in North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, etc., are only the beginning. You still have an entire world of rights out there to sell.

Now you should have enough articles—at least four—to make up a list submission with a brief description of each feature, as I did above. Next, you select the editors and email your list. It is that simple.  

-- MS
© 2000 Michael Sedge