Advice for writers

Before sending work to a publisher, ask for or find online a copy of the submission guidelines. When a word count is given, especially when approaching new clients, flex and trim your work to fit the count.

If a publisher indicates a preferred style guide, the least you can do is browse a copy at the library. Owning a copy will help you become familiar with entries that pertain to your work. When you read your published material and see that certain words are now lowercased or uppercased or have lost their italics, check the style guide to learn why.

Know the audience and what the publisher prints. Some publications are aimed at specific target markets, like preteen girls who enjoy fashion, while others have a broad geographic market, such as periodicals that come free in the mailbox to all residents of a zip code. Reading past issues will help define the market, if it is not mentioned in the publisher's guidelines.

What is it about writers that encourages them to wait till the last minute to meet a deadline? Publishers set deadlines because they have carefully scheduled timelines. Articles that meet the deadline are given to the editing team for review and corrections before being sent to layout, which releases the batch to the printer. Late arrivals could skip the editing process and go directly to layout, but rather than get burned with sloppy writing, many publishers would rather hold the article for the next issue. When a writer submits a late article, even when the publisher is aware of the expected delay, it means the editing staff, layout staff, and printer are all put on standby, waiting for one person so they can get their own jobs done. These people often aren't being paid extra to sit around – they might not be paid at all for the extra effort – and will resent the writer's ignorance of deadlines and how tardiness impacts the organization.

In the rare case where a publisher does not have written guidelines and can not articulate standards, make a careful inspection of the printed copy. You may be able to infer word count, style guides, and other information.