What to do before submitting articles to magazine publishers


"How often we recall, with regret, that Napoleon once shot at a magazine editor and missed him and killed a publisher. But we remember with clarity that his intentions were good."
- Mark Twain (1888-1965) (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer 1835-1910)

 

The appetite of magazine publishers for interesting, informative and entertaining articles of all types is well known for its voracity. The range of magazines published around the world represents a marketing bonanza for writers of fiction, non-fiction, feature articles, self-help features, potted biographies, poetry, user guides, book critiques, research papers and academic reports. 


WordsRU’s team of professional writers, editors and proofreaders have years of experience in editing submissions to magazine publishers as well as literary and academic journals as well as magazine publishers.

 

 

A thorough edit (including proofread) is the single most beneficial thing you can do to have the best chance of your article being accepted by a magazine. To make sure your work is in the best possible shape. WordsRU’s online editorial service can help and will:

 

  • Thoroughly check your work to ensure it is free of grammatical, punctuation, tense, spelling, and typographical errors.

  • Review word choice and syntax.

  • Strengthen or rework sentences where necessary to heighten the impact of your writing while remaining sensitive to your voice as author and the nature of your work.

  • Consider the overall structure and balance of the piece as well as its clarity, consistency and general readability.

  • Return the completed editing in two versions, a ‘marked changes’ format that shows all the changes made and a ‘clean’ revised version that is ready for submission.

 

BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR ARTICLE TO A MAGAZINE:


  • Read the magazine – get to know its style and readership.

  • Read the publisher’s guidelines for submissions.

  • Format your article as required, or to industry standard.

  • Make sure you have a strong opening, body and conclusion.

  • Have it edited or at least proofread.

  • Include a stamped addressed envelope with submissions, queries and requests.

  • Follow up on rejections and find out where your articles may have fallen short — make the experience positive and learn from it.

  • Remember to persevere, be professional and patient.

 

There are no secret formulas to getting your articles accepted by magazine publishers, but there are a number of points that you should work on in order to have the best chance of being published.  Long-time editor Ross Cusack has been quoted as saying that:

What to do before sending to magazine publishers

 

 

 

"The most common fault is the story does not flow. This is because of poor sentence structure, poor grammar, spelling mistakes, and incorrect terminology"

 

The points encapsulated in the above quotation are precisely the sorts of writing fundamentals that are the basis of a WordsRU  proofread or a more extensive edit.   

 

In addition to looking at the flow of your article, make sure  you:

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Submit a proposal or prospectus to the magazine publisher or commissioning editor.
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Ensure your research is up to date and based on reliable and attributed sources.
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Grab the reader’s attention with a strong opening statement.
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If photos are included, make sure they are of excellent quality.
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Check whether submissions can be made electronically — by fax or online .
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Deliver your article by the required deadline – do not be late!

 

And finally, be persistent and persevere! 

View our book testimonials from published authors.

WordsRU Writer Services:

 

 

WordsRU will ensure that your magazine article receives a thorough edit before you send it to a publisher.

 

 


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