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From: "NANCY J CURRAN" <>
Subject: [APG] Respect the process of publication
Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2001 13:15:07 -0400
References: <200110150317.f9F3HYl14253@lists2.rootsweb.com>

The discussion of submitting articles for publication suggests that it is a
good idea to respect the science of the process, just as we know there is a
science to the process of genealogy research.

Take the process seriously. Subscribe to Writer's Digest and read other
magazines. Make a study of writing for publication and getting your work
published.

There are steps to follow to make the process easier and more successful. On
your own, you can consult the annual Writer's Market at a public or academic
library. Browse through it and you'll find useful facts:
does the magazine accept unsolicited manuscripts?
is a photograph welcome?
does the magazine pay in money or copies?
who are their readers?
does it accept for first publication or can you submit the story elsewhere?
how should a manuscript be prepared for submission?

Then contact the publication and request a copy of their writer's guidelines
and a sample copy. Maybe the sample will show that this publication is too
academic for your writing style or concentrates on something not quite
clearly stated in the title.

You might ask about the publication's plans, such as whether the editor has
a schedule of themes for the next year's issues. Publication lead time may
be three months or more, so, for example, right now it is too late to place
a story about family Christmas in a sod house.

At this point, you aren't married to a specific story. Presumably you have a
room full of research from which you can select something worth writing
about for publication.

Still interested? Survey the issues of the past two years and make a list of
the articles. If the publication has just run a story about Dutch wedding
spoons and you're an expert on Dutch customs in the Hudson Valley, make a
note in your future stories file to submit no sooner than another year or
two, and then move on to the next publication or change your angle.

Then write a query letter (requiring another special skill) stating what you
propose to write and why you are the best person to write the story. If
you've been published, mention it. If not, don't. Don't send the story until
you get a welcome from the editor.

The process continues, based on the editor's response. Perhaps the editor
will include a handwritten note on the form letter, which can be interpreted
as a positive sign. Perhaps the editor will have time to make a thoughtful
suggestion. And perhaps not.

My favorite authority on the subject of getting published is Pauline Bartel,
who teaches courses on getting published, holding classes at various
colleges in the capital region of New York State. Take a look at her web
site, www.paulinebartel.com, for an idea of the analysis of the process,
even if you can't get to her courses. Ask if she is teaching a
telecommunications course or if you can purchase her syllabus.

Let's take a moment to think back to our early genealogy research projects.
Since the first, we have learned to respect the field as one that is
difficult most of the time. We become acquainted with a broad array of
search techniques. We read books that are as daunting as any college
textbook. We attend conferences and seminars. We buy resource books,
subscribe to magazines and enroll in historical and genealogical
organizations. Our successes give us glee.

When new people come into the field, we know that they will need many
strengths, such as perseverance, ingenuity, organization and a rigorous
standard of research. It's not for intellectual sissies.

Similarly, becoming a published writer demands some of the same qualities.
One difference is that a genealogy research project is usually somewhat
defined at the start by the client's research goal. In addition to the
challenges of genealogy research, writing for publication requires that the
writer not only perform and organize the requisite research but also hunt
for a client, the publication.

Some challenges are piled on top of the usual genealogy research. For
example, deadlines are a major factor in writing for publication, while
genealogy projects are often extended as new information appears.

Also, the story has to be written as the publication specifies in many
details. How do you identify states? Does your work define Massachusetts as
MA, the postal abbreviation? or as Mass., the AP style? Can you take the
time to conform to the publication's style? Or does the editor look at your
submission and think of the additional time it will take to bring it into
line?

Published writers welcome newcomers into the field, knowing that it too is a
discipline all its own. And it's not for sissies.

Nancy Johnsen Curran
http://pages.prodigy.net/nancycurran
Genealogy research and photography in the capital region of New York State

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