I'm disappointed to hear that the tech-book market still offers so little
buck for all the bang you have to put into it. At one time I'd thought about
writing a book on Cocoon, mostly because I thought one was needed, but while
I dithered, others beat me to it -- thankfully! (And a good job you did,
too, guys.)

Don't neglect print magazines -- many of them are looking for decent
content. I've done about all I can in Software Development, I've plugged
Cocoon quite a few times there (and taught a couple of classes at the
conference). SD is pretty heavy on process, so there's not space enough for
me to obsess about Cocoon in those pages. But other mags do exist, or so I
hear >;-).

If you're not an established writer, proposing a series of articles probably
won't fly. But you can pitch a single -- get enough of those rattling around
and Cocoon's mindshare will improve. Your chances go up dramatically with
the detail you supply. "How about a Cocoon article?" will get you a raised
eyebrow. A detailed analysis of why Cocoon matters to that specific
magazine's target audience (you DO know who they're trying to reach, right?)
will, if plausible, get you a response, an outline could shade it toward an
enthusiastic response, and a completed article -- WITH the analysis -- has
the best chance of all. 

Now, this next bit will sound patronizing, so please forgive me. But we
tech-heads isn't exactly famous for noun-verb agreement and apostrophe
placement's. Take the time to have somebody else read your submission,
somebody who knows what's wrong with the previous sentence. Editors are very
busy people, and the less time they have to spend on your copy, the more
they'll respect it (and you). Given enough eyeballs, all copy is clean.

There. Lecture over. Go get 'em!

Rick Wayne
New & Noteworthy Editor
Software Development Magazine


---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]

Reply via email to