Acronym

Jeffrey Cufaude recently wrote a wonderful blog post on getting a “first look”—that foot in the door for someone who hasn’t been visible in a profession or community.

As the editor of an association magazine, I’m always seeking new authors that our readers should give a “first look” to. I’m also frequently contacted by new authors with an interest in getting that first look. So I’ve been meaning to share with you some of the secrets of being published in an association magazine:

1. Tell a good story that no one else has told before. Really, that’s all there is to it. If you do this, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you work—I will want to publish your article.

2. Read the publication, and be aware of the topics the publication covers (and doesn’t cover). You’d be surprised by the number of queries we receive from people who clearly have never cracked the covers of Associations Now, and the same was true at other publications where I’ve worked.

3. It doesn’t matter who you know. As long as you’re telling a great story that our members need to read, you don’t need to know a single member of my association, or be a member yourself.

4. Help me find you. One of the challenges in increasing a publication’s diversity is that we can’t know who we don’t know. We read other publications, attend meetings, talk to colleagues, and scour listservers for potential authors. But if you (the potential author) don’t attend meetings, write for other publications, or know someone I know, it can be challenging for me to know you’re out there. And we want to know you’re out there! Come up and say hello to one of our editors in San Diego. Just e-mail if you need to.

5. Bloggers do have an edge. Not because editors are biased toward or against bloggers, but because blogs are something we can easily find that gives us an idea of how you write and what you write about. It’s a way for us to find out about you, which gives you a leg up over someone who may be harder to find.

6. Although it’s a wonderful surprise when a great feature story arrives unexpectedly my e-mail, it’s usually better to e-mail your story idea before you start writing. I feel terrible if your article arrives and I’ve just agreed to publish someone else’s article on the same subject two weeks ago.

Association publishers, what did I miss? Are there any “secrets” you disagree with?