Getting started as a ZATZ author
Welcome to the wonderful world of writing for ZATZ!
Getting published in a ZATZ magazine can be very rewarding. Many of our authors report increased career visibility, increased credibility (especially important for those of you who make your living from clients), better and smoother interaction with many industry companies, some small degree of fame, the enjoyment of writing, access to exciting new technology (often before anyone else), and the increased confidence that comes from knowing you're a published author.
Becoming a ZATZ author is relatively straightforward. You need to have a combination of writing talent and subject-matter expertise and be able to demonstrate those abilities within your submitted article. Obviously, articles should be in areas of interest to our readers and should be topics we haven't covered before or new approaches to popular subjects. Some time spent perusing the online back issues will prove valuable in getting yourself up to speed.
"All articles submitted must be original, exclusive, unpublished works."
Although it should go without saying, we must again remind you to submit only articles that are on-topic. We've gotten our wacky fair share of short stories and poetry submitted by authors seeking any publishing venue, and we've found that stories of teen angst or poems about unrequited love tend to clash with tips and techniques about computer systems.
Our publication format (especially in DominoPower) has changed a bit from LONG detailed articles to shorter ones that are easier to read (and take less time to digest), often taking what would have been a single article of 4,000-5,000 words and splitting it into 3-6 individual topics. Doing the math, that means we like to see articles around a thousand words or so. If you have a big topic you want to cover, consider splitting it into a series of articles, rather than one super-honker.
While we're on the topic of dos and don'ts, it's very important that all articles submitted must be original, unpublished works that will not be and have not been published elsewhere. We (and nearly all other publishers) frown severly on simultaneous submissions. This means it is also not okay to reproduce the article on your own Web site, although a link to the published article is certainly permitted, and even encouraged. You may print a limited number of copies of the article to show to prospective employers and clients (and, of course, your mom), but you can't run a published article in more than one publication. It's just not done and it's really, really bad.
Although we will accept and review complete articles, it's often best to submit an outline or description first. This will help save you time if we like the topic but need it modified to fit our needs. Before you submit an article, be sure to read all the writer guidelines and make sure you've spent some good, quality time reading AuthorPower completely.
If we accept an article, we will become the copyright holder. This is essential, especially on the Web, to allow us to actively protect our publications from copyright infringement. There are a few, very rare cases where we do not claim the copyright, but they are usually a result of a content-sharing relationship with another magazine. If you submit an article to ZATZ and we choose to publish it, you are thereby releasing any and all copyright to us. This, by the way, is the usual practice among most major magazines.
In general, we do not provide any payment for articles we don't specifically solicit. If we do solicit an article that winds up being accepted, you may be eligible to recieve a small honorarium. If you write an article that results in promotional coverage for you, your company, or a client, you're not eligible to be considered for an honorarium. Honorariums are rare (the tax paperwork is a royal pain) and are at the sole discretion of the editorial staff.
As discussed above, there are many other benefits to being a published ZATZ author, including getting your very own ZATZ Author Web page, which you can enhance with a photo, extended bio, and appropriate Web links. This article makes a very good case why you should have a professional presence online, and writing for ZATZ is a very good way to enhance your profile.
For further information or to get started in the editorial process, please contact us at editor@ZATZ.com. When you contact us, make sure you include your phone numbers (home, work, and mobile) and your full mailing address.
|
|
