Your Path to Publication

Writing success – what does that mean to you and how can you achieve it? The first thing is to define the term.

Are you a success if you’re published whether you received payment for it or not? Are you a success because you have a byline? Are you a success because you’re making so much money that you can retire from your “day job”?

Print or online? Daily, weekly, or monthly publication? Local or national? These are all things you need to decide when you hit the streets to begin your writing research. Narrow that down, target the publications in which you’d like to see your name and kick off the research necessary to break in. Below are some hints and tips to guide you along the road toward writing success.

1. Are you going to write a novel? Do you want to write and publish newspaper or magazine articles? If you belong to an organization that provides goods and/or services, there is likely a trade publication in which you might pursue publication. Look around the magazine shelves at your local bookstore and even browse the racks at a nearby grocery store as many publications are offered free on the shelves and may be a good source for publication.

2. In order to be a good writer, you need to be a reader. In my experience with teaching writing classes, those who go on to become published are those who are avid readers. On that note, research and read the type of publication in which you’d like to see your byline. Know the market, read what’s been published before. Study back issues – whether online or print.

3. Will you need to write the whole article before you submit it or will the editor accept a query? Do you need to send previously published clips? Does the publication only publish articles by “experts” in the field? Are you an expert in the topic that you’ve chosen? Websites for the publication of your choice or a writer’s manual will enlighten you as to the editors’ preference in receiving submissions – follow them to the letter.

4. Is your submission error free? Have you submitted it in the format required? Did you address your submission to an “actual” person rather than a “Dear Editor” letter? Remember, your cover letter is the first impression that editor will have of you and your work.

5. Submit, submit, submit. The most-published writers out there get that way because they are constantly researching new markets, sending off queries and articles. The more you submit, the higher your likelihood of being published.

Being a “successful” writer is a very subjective term but to be published at all, you need to send your articles to publications and continue to develop your skills so that you become a go-to writer when an editor has a project in mind.

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