Today, Ada Brownell give us some good information on what you need to know if you want to submit non-fiction pieces to Christian publications. She gives us seven key points to keep in mind if you are trying for this market.  Here they are.

1.     A FIT FOR THE TARGET AUDIENCE.  Kelly Milner Halls, a full-time free lancer writer,[1] says the two most important secrets to successful submissions are study the guidelines and read the magazine..

“You can’t hit the mark with the wrong ammunition,” she said.

Reading the magazine shows writers in black and white who the target audience is, and if you can reach that audience, that’s what the editor wants, whether the person publishes books or magazine articles.

Reading the guidelines is like flossing, adds Guideposts for Kids editor Mary Lou Carney[2]. “Nobody wants to do it but it’s terribly necessary. Nothing puts you on the inside track of a magazine like its guidelines. Magazines exist because they have distinctive editorial voices and biases. Don’t think you can skim over the marketing process and hope to score sales.”

Ms. Hall also suggests staying current with trends and interests that impact the publication’s readership.

2.      ORIGINALITY AND FRESHNESS. No matter how well written the piece, unless an article looks at a subject in a fresh way it will never be illuminated by publication. For instance, you’ve read numerous articles and books on prayer. But have you ever interviewed people you know about their most memorable answer to prayer?

I did that years ago. One man told how God kept the rain behind a paving machine all day (he could see it behind the crew) so he wouldn’t lose work and could support his family. A woman told how as she and her children who had no way to escape, stood at a window,  prayed and quoted Psalm 91, and watched God turn a forest fire. People told of instant physical miracles. The story was published in The Pentecostal Evangel, and a few years later the editor asked me to do that again in the church where we’d moved. Many more fantastic answers to prayer, easily verified, were told. 

            You have amazing stories to tell yourself. Just think.

3.     VIVID WRITING USING FICTION TECHNIQUES.  Keeping fiction techniques in mind helps you create a great opening hook, brings the senses into your writing, and puts skin on people in your anecdotes, Use active verbs, details, motion and realistic dialogue. These language tools can take a piece that was ready for the coffin and bring it to life. It’s showing—instead of telling—even in non-fiction, that make an editor sit up and take notice. You also need clarity so the editor and the reader knows what you’re talking about.

4.     A QUALIFIED AUTHOR. Being qualified is why experts recommend we write what we know. Draw on your knowledge.

I recently had an article, “Is God an Environmentalist?” in The Free Methodist Evangel. My qualifications came from taking a four-credit course on the environment in college, my biblical research, and also, I won a first-place award from the Colorado Associated Press Editors and Reporters for writing on the environment. Many folks are not aware of some of the scriptures I used.

Through experience, interviews and research we can be qualified to write about new trends, unique ways of reaching a goal, untold stories from the past, in-depth character profiles, new insights about common topics where people often want help such as marriage, parenting, budgeting, cooking, decorating, teaching, finances, fashion, witnessing, health and endless subjects that can be tailored to a specific age group and their interests.

5.     WRITERS WHO REWRITE AND EDIT THEIR OWN WRITING. No matter how skilled we become, we still can make mistakes or miss something important. Although many of us treat writing as a hobby, it is work and to be published we need to work diligently on the craft. Even then, it’s easy to leave out a word, include a typo or to misuse a homophone (words pronounced the same, but have different meaning). Always make one more spell check and final polish.

6.     A SPIRITUAL TAKEAWAY WITHOUT PREACHINESS In my recent magazine article, “The Value of a Long-Term Marriage,” which appeared in Mature Living Magazine, I wrote about people who divorce or separate after even 50 years together. I interviewed an attorney (found him on the internet, and he was a great source) who specializes in such divorces and legal separations.  He knows why couples married so long want to split.

I included a sidebar quiz for couples to test themselves on the descriptions of love in 1 Corinthians 13.

7.     WRITERS WHO THINK AND LISTEN AS WELL AS WRITE. When we study a magazine’s content and guidelines, or a publisher’s book list, we should ask ourselves who we know we could interview or what we know that we could share that would fit with that market. Listen to the Lord and understand where He is leading. Fill a need, encourage the discouraged, build faith. You’ll probably find your work being published.

©Ada Brownell, Feb. 27, 2012

Ada Brownell’s blog: http://www.inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com

Ada Brownell’s Website: www.adabrownell.com

Her latest book: http://amzn.com/1466200936

[1]Kelly Milner Halls,  “Secrets to Successful Submissions”  2000 Writer’s Market  Guide