Got News? Achievements and Awards? New Book? TV/Radio/Web Appearances? Speech Dates? Need help in Research? Send it to the Director of Media, National Society of Newspaper Columnists, via the Contact Form.
Submission Guidelines
Director of Media — Ben Pollock
We want to be a resource of information, both for members and the general public. We pass along such info at here at the NSNC website columnists.com but also on social media (Facebook and Twitter) and our monthly emailed newsletter The Columnist. While the NSNC executive director, media director and board members find some news on their own, they mainly rely on learning of announcements from members.
Awards, Announcements
Please send submissions about member awards, contests won or other personal news via the Contact Form, and an NSNC official will get back to you. It may take a few days. A photo or illustration will help draw attention to your announcement. While an image cannot be “attached” on the contact form, let us know about it so we can direct your email of it.
New Books
[Updated 8/1/2014] The NSNC heralds the publication of new books by members as a perk of membership. By book, we include any variety of electronic book (eBook, Kindle, Nook …), and it doesn’t matter if the volume is self-published, print-on-demand or a huge PDF on your website.The announcement usually will run in the monthly newsletter The Columnist then be posted here at the website. That’s a perk-plus: authors can use this online story in their promotional efforts.
Please send a news release — yes, you are to write your own story — via the Contact Form. Have ready a picture of the book jacket and perhaps an author photo, and we’ll tell you where to email the art.
There’s approximately one rule: That the tome is newly released. To be fair, we cannot announce a member’s book from a few years ago, just because we haven’t run anything on it previously.
We give the book one plug. However, this rule might be gamed: If something newsworthy is happening in your life, let us know, and it’ll be a brief in the newsletter. As part of that brief, we can add, “X—— is also the author of …,” where you provide those details. Another runaround: If your book later receives a formal media review, wins a contest, gets razzed on a TV chat show or the like, then we can publicize it similarly because of that.
NSNC reserves the judgment to determine how to play the piece, e.g., a self-published column collection may end up as a dot-dot-dot item, yet a memoir or novel may get more prominent display. Plus, these are subject to the play of other copy — for example, member news may be reduced during the main promotion months of the NSNC contest and conference.
Columns, Essays, Articles
Article submissions are also accepted, and we encourage you to share your writing and experience with your fellow columnists. Articles on professional journalism, the business of writing, marketing, copyright, ethics, legendary columnists, NSNC experiences, or other similar topics of interest to columnists are especially encouraged.
We cannot use articles on general topics, with the exceptions of those that are by winners of the NSNC Column Contest or broad issues of high interest to journalists. Articles will be published on the website or newsletter with regard to space available, relevance, and current needs. Sorry, we can offer no payment. Appropriate credit (byline, brief bio & picture) will be given for all articles.
Letters to the Editor, Feedback, Comment
Essays or letters in opposition to opinions expressed on the website or newsletter are always welcome. Brevity is preferred. Anonymous or pseudonymous copy is not accepted. Submissions by NSNC members in good standing have priority.
Other Material
If you have anything that you feel is relevant and that members would like to know, by all means send it, whether it fits these categories or not. Jokes, cartoons, poems, pictures, videos, podcasts, publishing hints, blogging tips. … We will find a place for worthwhile submissions.
Deadlines
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, the website has no deadlines; however, please allow at least 24-hour turnaround on time-sensitive material, a week or longer for general announcements or articles, and longer for featured pieces online. Also, The Columnist is published on the first of every month, unless that day falls on a weekend or holiday. Last-minute newsletter submissions are discouraged.
Thanks for your assistance in helping us stay current. We welcome your input and contributions.
Some Fine Print
Submissions will be edited for length, clarity and accuracy. We like to think we edit with a light hand.
The director of media and NSNC board reserve the judgment whether to publish information on the NSNC website columnists.com, in The Columnist newsletter and/or through one or more of NSNC’s social media accounts, or at all.
