Getting Published
Surveys conducted by both the Workers' Educational Association and adult education authorities have shown that over 90 per cent of students enrol on creative writing courses with the intention of learning how to write for publication. Unfortunately, the harsh realities of the publishing world can, for some, come as a terribly cruel shock.
Meeting the Publisher's Requirements
Creativity is, of course, a vital ingredient but even the most gifted writer will fail in their bid to achieve publication if they are unable to fulfil certain criteria. For example, the majority of mainstream newspaper and magazine editors expect to be able to contact you via both fax and email and the non-fiction articles and features you write for them to:
- be computer-produced in double-line spacing
- be written to the specified length
- cover previously-agreed subject matter
- have a beginning, middle and an end
- arrive by an agreed deadline.
Fiction for magazines should be typewritten, preferably on a PC, in double-line spacing on one side only of A4 white paper. On acceptance, you may well be asked to re-submit the story via e-mail or possibly on disk.
Creative writers who are prepared to comply with these criteria stand a much greater chance of finding markets for their work than those who never consider the practical requirements of writing for publication.
Finding the Right Market
The following magazines usually welcome good, reliable contributors:
- club
- company 'in-house'
- religious
- school
- special interest.
Useful market information, advice on writing techniques and news of developments in the publishing world can be found in a number of writing magazines and on the Internet.
