Writer's Guidelines
By Sherril Steele-Carlin
They are an integral part of the writer's life. (The successful writer, anyway.)
In my office, I'm surrounded by writing books, how-to guides, and books about the writing business. I think that to be successful, a writer, or anyone, for that matter, needs all the tools they can get to help them in their career.
One of the tools I use the most is writer's guidelines. If you don't use them, and you're a writer, you're shooting yourself in the foot.
Writer's guidelines are everywhere now. You can pay to belong to sites like Writer's Digest writer's market, or Wooden Horse, that compile huge databases of writer's guidelines that are extremely detailed. You can buy books compiled of nothing but writer's guidelines. You can search online for sites that have writer's guidelines. In addition, most online magazines have their guidelines and submission policies online for writers. So, there's no shortage of information out there.
When you want to write for magazines and other publications, you need to know what they are looking for, what they aren't looking for, and what they pay. Writer's guidelines will tell you these things, and many more. You should never attempt to write for a publication without reviewing their guidelines first. If you don't, you may be wasting their time, and your time, too. Review the guidelines, and if the magazine is online, look at what type of articles they publish, what type of ads they have, and what type of focus they use. These things will help you craft your query letter directly to the focus of the magazine, and gives you a much better chance of being accepted when you query.
I have found that the books with writer's guidelines are out of date just about as soon as they are published, because magazines and their staff change so quickly. However, I love these books, because as I thumb through them, I always get a ton of ideas for other magazines, so I think they are worth the price, even if they are outdated. I also subscribe to Wooden Horse and Writer's Market online, and they are both worth the money. So, use writer's guidelines. They will help you earn more money as a writer, period.