And other traits wanna-be writers ignore.
Soon after I took the reins of the magazine, I updated its policies for submitting material. Anything potential writers needed to know about sending articles and photos, those guidelines covered.
As to each issue’s deadline, it’s posted on the Contents page.
With such specific information, prospective writers follow those procedures and meet those deadlines, right?
In my dreams.
Nearly everyone who sends me material thinks they’re the exception, that the guidelines either don’t exist or don’t apply.
They do; they’re designed to make sure the publication comes together, not to make writers’ lives difficult.
So this morning, about a week past deadline, someone asked if I could fit into the next issue (for which all the feature articles are already typeset) a lengthy article that violates the guidelines in at least four key areas.
Welcome to an editor’s world.
Rather than act like you’re the exception, the first way to prompt an editor to publish your work is to check the writers guidelines, then follow them.
Believe me, that will make you the exception.
