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What are Writer's Guidelines?

 

Writer's guidelines are a set of guidelines put together by a publisher or other organization that specify their requirements for material from writers.

As a freelance writer you should read a publication's writer's guidelines carefully. If you want to win assignments, be sure to follow them. Editors are swamped with submissions from writers who never bother to read either the publication or their writer's guidelines.

By following the editor's Writer's Guidelines you will automatically get to the front of the line!


Good writer's guidelines will usually specify:

  • topics that may be covered
     

  • the regular sections (e.g. departments or features) that are available to freelance writers
     

  • the sections that are not available, i.e. they are covered in-house by staff writers
     

  • how to query, e.g. whether to submit completed manuscripts or query first
     

  • name of appropriate editor or other contact person
     

  • contact details
     

  • preferred format & style
     

  • preferred length
     

  • rights purchased
     

  • rates of pay


To see examples of writing market guidelines visit our free database of writer's guidelines.


Writer's guidelines are also sometimes referred to as "Submission Guidelines", "Contribution Guidelines", "Contributor Guidelines" or "Author Guidelines".


When searching for "writer's guidelines", don't forget to search for variations such as "writer guidelines", writers guidelines and writers' guidelines.

 

For example if you are searching at Google for "travel writer's guidelines", don't forget to also search for variations such as "travel writers guidelines", "travel writer's guidelines" and "travel writers' guidelines".
 

 


Did you know... at Worldwide Freelance Writer we list over 2,400 publications with contribution guidelines online in our writing markets database.




Other Freelance Writing Questions

 

 







 

 

 




 


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