Greetings, Gather writers, and welcome to Thursday's Writing Essential.
Today we're going to talk about writing for newspapers. If you haven't already been published by a local paper, you may not be aware of how relatively simple it is to break in to writing for newspapers. Certainly there are exceptions to every rule, and that means that now and then you'll come up against an editor/publisher who simply won't budge. For the most part, however, the formula is simple.
1. Be (this one is a DUH!) intimately familiar with your local paper/papers. What do they publish regularly? What day of the week do they seem to grasp at straws for newsworthy items to print? (A hint...when you see headlines like "Grandma Bakes 300th Cake" on the front page...you can safely assume it's a slow news day!) Who are the editors for various sections of the paper?
2. How often does your paper publish special publications? These are often printed as tabloid style papers and inserted in your newspaper. Our local paper does them every couple of months. There's a bridal guide, a spring-summer lawn and garden guide, etc.
3. How much of the newspaper is freelance written? (Call the newspaper for this info.)
4. What is the policy regarding their op-ed page? (Again, call or read the page itself...op-ed guidelines are sometimes right there in plain sight.)
Once you've familiarized yourself with these details, peruse your writing files to see what you might have on hand that they'd be interested in. Travel pieces are usually a good bet, as are personal profiles on local people of interest, local history, and non-profit events and benefits. Hint: Photographs of good quality almost always enhance your chances of getting published in newspapers! For newspapers that are real sticklers, write a couple of intriguing pieces for the op-ed page. That often catches an editors observant eye!
For today's writing essential, submit something that is a viable option for publication in a newspaper. If you don't have something that fits your paper, make up a paper. Include the piece and the reason it's a good fit. PLEASE put "For Newspaper Publication" in the title. That can even be your title if you'd like. Include a subtitle within the body of the piece.
My very first publication was in a small weekly newspaper...1600 miles from my home! A Fort Myers, Florida sheriff had made national news in a very unflattering situation. Having visited the region many times (this was years ago before we actually bought a home down there) I knew it was a haven for New England "snowbirds." I also knew those snowbirds loved reading news of items relating to their native region. And this sheriff just happened to be from Massachusetts originally. I queried the editor and got a phone call a couple of days later. I went on to write for this paper for a couple of years...from 1600 miles away!
Let's see your ideas and your "why's" for submitting your article or idea to a newspaper! I'll check in frequently for your submissions.
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Comments: 13
there are papers around here that look like they print just about anything... suppose I could try to come up with somethin' and see what happens
Most of the articles I post here have been or will be published in one or all of 3 or 4 local newspapers.
Often I write humorous columns about local events that I don't post here. I also do a regular column for the local chamber of commerce, which I might suggest as a good way to get practice, experience and your name known in the community. They don't pay so they are often very open to any articles about business or local events.
After some weaning, and monthly beers, I got the newspaper's copy editor to call me whenever he's changing anything other than typos and punctuation. The biggest battle is getting him to understand that capitalizing certain words can be funny even though it goes against the grain of the AP Stylebook and gives him a rash to let it go as written.