| So you wanna’ get published?
from A Survival Guide to Painless Publishing
by Jerri Bailey DEFINITIONS
Space Race — a race between you and hundreds of other writers who want material published. You race toward print or the editor’s trash bin. If you win, you get published. You dawdle, your story bites the dust.
Timeliness — means “Now”
Every day taints your chances of winning the Space Race.
The first great step
The first thing to know about how to write is how to get started. The most simple tip is just do something....
That’s it! Tip over.
Writing can be a journey or a quick trip, but it is movement. Without the first step, imperfect as it may
be, you get nowhere. Standing at the end of a road, paralyzed and indecisive keeps you from gaining ground.
Taking a given path might be the wrong choice, but you’ll find out soon enough and be able to backtrack to
the right way.
Standing there, undecided and immobile, staring at the road or a piece of paper or your screen gains no ground.
So put anything down... rework later, add later, edit later, spell check later....
Just start. The rest will follow.
The Rules.....
simple basics to help you get your foot in the door
Rule #1 – Get it there
Rule number 1, beats the rest: If you do not get it to the publisher it doesn’t get printed. Most editors
will handle what you send, but it has to get there. And waiting ’til it is perfect is a story killer.
Rule #2 – Relax and have fun
Chances are you will be the only one who goes to the effort to turn in the story at all, so you are
already miles ahead of the folks who might be critical. “I understand. Why don’t you do it next time?” is a
great sock to stuff in the mouth of critics who never put themselves out ....And it is so satisfying too.
Rule #3 – To heck with perfect. Write how you talk
Getting it there pretty good is better than on your desk or in your computer waiting to become perfect.
Let the editors touch it up; that’s their job. Your job is to get it there...now. Trying to overwork a
story to fit into someone else’s style costs you time and nerves. Be yourself.
Each new story lengthens your experience as does reading what an editor does to your stuff. And not
recognizing your story can be beneficial and give you insight to what can and will be published. Accessible
editors might even discuss the story with you. Ask. The worst he/she can say is “no.” You’ll live.
Rule #3A – The hedge
The editor should not however have to figure out what your story means. He may not be a bowler...he may not
even be competent as an editor. He does have the power over you however. Be as clear with your ideas as
possible. NEVER ASSUME he knows what you’re are talking about.
Rule #4 – Who, What, When, Where, Why & How really work
There are three kinds of stories: news, feature and commentary. Keep them separate. Write every single
story as if you are writing it to someone who knows nothing about bowling, your subject, the people or
activity. Take them, by the hand.
News – Your comments do not belong in a news story. Write it in the third person (they and he, not we or
our). It needs to be informative, concise and timely. Tell them who or what person or group, when, where
it happened or will happen. Journalism’s 5Ws and more will get you past editor’s first scan. Cute blather
and you get trashed.
Feature – Usually stories about people or events not necessarily news, but interesting and informative.
Commentary – bylined... This is the place for you to state what you think, call yourself “I” or your group
“we.” Probably won’t get published anywhere except your own local newsletter (or the GBNews because of our
policy to run association news, Letters to the Editor and Reader’s Forum material).
Rule #5 – Alphabet poop
This is crucial. Using organizations of letters tells most people nothing. What organizations is the PBA?
The Pros...or Pasadena...or Pearland....bowling association? You do not want news readers or an editor
wondering or guessing. And know it yourself. I get stories all the time that call YABA the Youth American
Bowling Association. It isn’t.
Rule #6 – Time kills
Now? Yup! Time is against you. Daily and weekly newspapers cannot even consider a mailed in story most of
the time. Use a fax, drop it by the office immediately after the event or next day...check their deadlines.
Monthly pubs have to weigh the value of mountains of material. Every day older taints an otherwise good
story. And information that dawdles gets pitched out most places. Old news isn’t news to major papers and
broadcast media. And bowling publications may have to weigh the timeliness of your story to another in the
space race.
Rule #7 – Know who to reach ahead of time
You know what is coming up. Most publications couldn’t care less. But they will print for you as a
courtesy to the public and if the item has universal appeal. They do not share your view of how important
your story or group or you are. You are among many folks in their space race. And you don’t pay. Your
energy, friendliness, personal contact, timeliness and consideration of deadlines can go miles toward
getting published.
Rule #8 – Never give up!
You cannot predict why any one story or even a bunch doesn’t get published. Keep trying. Call the editor
and ask if there is anything you can do to improve your stories so they will get in. Asking “Why didn’t
you run my story?” kills information. He/she may not even remember it. Ask what you can do to improve your
chances...then do it!
Rule # 9 – It isn’t over ’til it’s over
Deadline gone? Turn it in anyway! Deadlines and their definitions vary with the publication. Some items can
be plugged in as last minute fillers or may have sufficient merit for the editor to give a chance after
deadline. His lead story may have died and yours could be the perfect “save.” But don’t count on his
generosity. Next time may be different.
Rule #10 – Quit pinching quarters
Waiting to fill out a roll of film will probably cost you the story.
Buy 12-count rolls and throw away the few cents. Getting the pictures published is more important than
saving a quarter’s worth of film. Do you want to answer to someone and say the only reason their 300 or
award or fun event pix did not print was because you squeezed a quarter?
And blaming the paper won’t work all the time. I print what I get if it is at all timely. And I tell
everybody!
Rule #11 – Use Spell Check, proof your stuff
And have someone else read it if possible. A word can change the entire meaning of your story and folks do
not appreciate it if their names are spelled incorrectly. Newspapers make mistakes too....don’t give them
yours.
Rule #12 – They said....
Who said?
Find out information for yourself, whether about your story or about the deadlines. “They” aren’t on the
line, you and your story are. CYA...
Rule #13 – The sermon:
When you can reprint someone else’s stuff
Never. As a rule, most printed material belong to the publisher, sometimes to the syndicated writer. It is
theirs and belongs to them.
Copyrighted items cost the publisher money. Anyone else simply using the material gets a free ride at the
publisher’s expense....at best, it is called plagiarism. Publishers of copyrighted articles or
publications have legal recourse if they find out you ran their work and an editor can always get the last
word by naming the culprit who lifted information.
Most won’t, but ethics in journalism starts with each individual. You want credit for your hard efforts.
So do they. Even the GBNews reserves the right to restrict reuse of our material, which carries a publisher’s copyright.
THE GOOD NEWS
You can reprint with permission and in most situations you can quote from an article, giving credit to the
author and publication. When in doubt, ask. If you want to risk it, give credit. In most cases unless you
have a specific agreement, once you submit material to a publisher or publishers, it becomes property of
the publication.
Rule # 14 — Identify yourself
When you submit material always tell the publication who you are and how to reach you for questions or more
story information.
Rule # 15 — Reread Rule #1
Editor’s Note: The ideas are yours to use. Any reprint must credit the author and publication.
The GulfCoast Bowling News and “A Survival Guide to Painless Publishing" are publications of Baileywick
Publishing, Jerri Bailey, publisher, 110 Jefferson, LaPorte, Texas 77571
email gbnews@onramp.net
fax 281-470-9441
phone 281-471-2695
outside 281/713 area: 1-800-797-7055 |
