EDITOR’S LETTER
Something budding writers often seem to overlook – and certainly our non-writing friends and family – is that so much of a writer’s life is spent on supporting work, admin or filing invoices for example, even maintaining a social media presence. But each element plays its part in the life of the working writer, especially one who expects to make any money from it. The examples I mentioned are hopefully self-evident but the one I really want to highlight the importance of seems not to be so obvious. Do your research! You wouldn’t write an article without assembling supporting evidence and ensuring that you understand the topic fully yourself, so why would you expect to submit a book manuscript, article idea or short story without thoroughly investigating the publisher you are sending it to? Or reading its previous publications? We, of course, try to introduce you to as many opportunities as possible in Writers’ News, but you all have different needs and preferences, so we can’t be a substitute for your independent research. Also, guidelines can change, sometimes by the day, so it’s always best to get the insight direct from the horse’s mouth, and we don’t have space to outline full terms and conditions, or rights contracts. And did I mention that you really should read some of a publisher’s output before you even think of submitting to them? Think of it as a network of mutual support. By buying a back issue or backlist book, you are effectively sustaining the company’s existence and adding to the pot a publisher can use to recompense its future contributors, namely, hopefully, you.
The importance of research is highlighted by recent changes at Woman’s Weekly, where its new publishers are trying to enforce a company-wide contract template that undermines its fiction contributors’ earnings and limits their potential to re-use work in different formats (p22). If you were to accept the terms without realising and continue as previously, for example by republishing your accepted stories elsewhere, the law would find you at fault. So do your research and make sure you understand what you’re submitting, and what you’re signing. You’ll find it worthwhile in the long run.