City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/94460
Getting Your Word Out: Advice for Would-Be Magazine Writers by Michelle Sutton, Editor, City Trees editor's desk. I've been the writer whose submissions are rejected, and I've been the editor who sometimes receives queries or submissions that aren't right for City Trees. Luckily I have a crackerjack editorial committee to run these by, and they are graciously willing to be the heavies if need be. In addition to editing City Trees, I do freelance writing, so I relate to both sides of the Not infrequently, one of my editors changes my titles. I learned to let it go. Besides, sometimes their new title is much better than mine. For instance, I had written a "Manure Primer," with that rather bland title. The editor changed it to "The Call of Doody: A Manure Primer." Well played, editore mio, well played. Editors like to work with writers who aren't overly attached to anything. I still cringe at my intractability, before my own editorship, when my editor colleague at a botanical garden brought my little ditty by to review. "Are there any changes you can't live with?" she asked. She didn't even have to do that, yet I was distraught about the way my clever use of the word "parlay" had been edited out. What a diva! So yes, as an editor I prefer writers who are flexible and don't fuss over minutiae. I also prefer ones who are clearly familiar with City Trees and its content of at least the last two years. When someone proposes a story that has been written in the recent past, a sheepish moment for all ensues. "Tree Lawn Picnics: Pros and Cons"? I'm sorry, someone covered that last March. Familiarize yourself with the publication's recent stories. Busy editors also enjoy the ease and efficiency of ongo- ing relationships with writers, especially those who write well or are at least open to improvement. Good writers are relatively rare, although I would say the urban for- estry community really beats the averages. If you don't feel confident about your writing, I recommend taking composition courses. (I tried to plant this seed in the ear of someone close to me. As a kid he had attention problems—perhaps a learning disability as well—and never learned how to properly write, which has resulted in high stress at the keyboard.) Don't expect editors to turn bad writing into gold. They will probably ignore or reject your submission if it's not in good clean condition, anyway. In the case of City Trees, however, because it is a professional society's magazine, we like to get as many SMA member voices in there as we can. That means that I may invest more time on some stories than your average editor, but it's 16 Good candidates for the cover of City Trees, like this one by Steve Cothrel, will have a vertical orientation, good color saturation and resolu- tion, interesting composition, and adequate room up top for the CT ban- ner without obscuring key parts of the image. worth it to get broader participation. Speaking of co-authorship, if you lack a body of work, how do you get started? Find a colleague who is already publishing and ask him or her to co-author a piece on a topic you know a good deal about. Tell them the writer's fee (if any) will be all theirs. Then do the majority of the work yourself, accommodate your more experienced co-author in the extreme, and when your work gets pub- lished, buy them a bottle of wine. Co-authoring with my graduate school advisor, Nina Bassuk, helped me get my foot in the door, and I'll always be grateful to her. If co-authorship isn't for you, perhaps the easiest way to get started is to offer to write for City Trees and/or for your regional professional newsletters. Or consider starting a public blog, which will foster in you a disci- pline of regular writing and is something concrete you can refer editors to. Be sure to have beautiful photos in your blog. Good photos are really, really important in our visual culture. When you query editors, summarize your topic in one sentence, be brief and specify what makes you quali- City Trees