newWitch Editorial Pointers
September 20, 2006, Kenaz Filan, Managing Editor

POINTERS FROM THE MANAGING EDITOR
Last edited: September 20, 2006
First I should warn you: newWitch is a very competitive market. We get a lot of submissions, and often turn away quality stuff because we just don't have the room. That being said, we are also a very open market. If you've written an excellent piece we'll be happy to run it, regardless of your experience level or publication history. And yes, we regularly purchase unsolicited submissions.
Here are a few pointers from your Managing Editor. Following these can help make your (and my) newWitch experience a productive and happy one.

• Please spell-check and grammar-check your manuscripts. If you have a learning disability or if English is not your native language, please mention that in your cover letter. I'm happy to work with you if you give me a heads-up.
• Please don't assume that all our readers follow the Wiccan rede. We have readers who follow the Nine Noble Virtues of Asatru: instead of "an it harm none," they believe "kick the posterior of those who harm me and mine." We have other readers who are inspired by Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism, African and African Diaspora Religions -- you name it.
• Just because something is on the Internet doesn't mean it's public domain... and it CERTAINLY doesn't mean you can copy it without attribution. Yr. editors are quite capable of running a Google search on phrases and sentences in your article -- and we will not be pleased to discover whole pages and paragraphs copied verbatim from a website.
• When time permits, I may offer some pointers on how I feel your manuscript can be improved. But I may not be able to say more than "thanks for sending this, it's not for us, good luck finding a home elsewhere." If so, please accept my apologies: I don't like those rejections either.
• Emotion is great. We want stories that tug at our heartstrings, that make us laugh out loud or that get us fighting mad. But if you really want to make us care, you're going to have to back up your emotional appeals with some solid factual examples. A few footnotes, a list of sources, and a well-structured argument will be a whole lot more persuasive than yet another "OMG!!! The BURNING TIMES are COMING AGAIN because the FUNDIES ARE GOING TO KILL US ALL!!!" rant.
• Check your sources. Just because you found a book at Borders or Amazon doesn't mean it's a good book. Theodore Sturgeon was probably perusing the occult/new age section of his local bookstore when he said "90% of everything is crud." He said 'crud,' not 'crap,' by the way, which brings us to our next suggestion…
• Don't misquote or misrepresent a source. Yr. Editors have very large home libraries and aren't afraid to use them. If we discover you took High Priest Dumbledore's words out of context to support your argument, we're not going to have a lot of confidence in the rest of your piece.
• Short articles, essays, reviews and letters to the editor are a great place to introduce yourself. (This is true of most magazines, not just newWitch. A writer who can regularly produce concise, entertaining short pieces is dear to any editor's heart. Aspiring scribes take note).
• Once we've purchased a manuscript it may take a while to see it on a newsstand. (I've waited as long as three years between acceptance of a manuscript and final publication). This goes with the territory: if you're going to be a writer, you might as well get used to it. We apologize in advance for any delays, but please understand they are sometimes unavoidable.
• Controversy isn't a Bad Thing: in fact, I'm happy to run a controversial article. But it will have to be extremely well-written AND well-researched. If I am going to stick my neck out on the line for a story, I want to make certain that every 'i' is dotted and every 't' is crossed.
• Above all else, remember, we're looking for YOUR story. By definition, your story is a unique one. A regurgitated piece on "The Wiccan Rede" is not unique and interesting: I can find several dozen like it with a couple keystrokes. A piece on how you decided you had to quit your job at Big Soulless Polluting Corporation because you take "an it harm none" seriously -- now THAT has my attention.

From a fellow Author in the Trenches, good night and good luck.

Kenaz Filan
Managing Editor, newWitch Magazine

newWitch
P . O. Box 687
Forest Grove, OR 97116
USA

Phone: (503) 430-8817
Fax: (206) 309-0589
URL: http://www.newwitch.com

Publisher: BBI Media, Inc.
Editor-in-Chief: Anne Newkirk Niven Email: meditor@newwitch.com