Funny thing – I was writing a similar piece for our inhouse magazine just a few weeks ago. Here’s some of what I pulled together from my experience and the net:

“A critical objective is to raise our profile in the press and publishing in the professional journals represents a key route to market for us. Having managed to get a few things published so far this year I thought it might be useful if I reflected on how I went about it. The majority of my experience in publishing has been in the scientific and entertainment sectors where I have published a book and over 100 articles, letters and reviews in the specialist press, websites and journals. If this experience has taught me anything it is nothing ventured, nothing gained!

The problem for new authors is often in taking the first step and submitting their first proposal to a journal/newspaper. Some are worried by a lack of confidence and fear of having an article rejected (a bit like “small talk” in real life!). Often people spend lots of time “planning” to publish, but like Scarlett O’Hara, put the actual doing off until a “tomorrow” that never comes. For others, it is not knowing how to publish with regard to style and the selection of the right journal. These individuals are willing to have a go, but often experience disappointment as a result of submitting the wrong article to the wrong journal.

It doesn’t take a genius to prove that there is a strong causal relationship between submitting papers to journals and having papers published. It is worth remembering that when you submit a paper the worst that can happen is that it will be rejected. However you will most likely receive invaluable, constructive criticisms on how your ideas can be improved. You can then submit the revised manuscript to another journal, probably with increased chances of receiving a favorable review.

Your first important decision is to select an appropriate publication. Journals differ considerably in their orientations and standards for quality. No matter how well written your piece may be, unless it fits with the particular journal, it will probably not be accepted. Successful authors learn to make good selections of publication outlets, and not waste time having their articles reviewed (and rejected) by inappropriate journals.

Here are some quick tips for making your selection:

Identify alternative publication outlets based on your experience with journals in your area of interest and from recommendations made by colleagues. Also don’t forget to read the “information for authors” in a copy of the journal or on the publishers website. Also, have a look several articles published in the journal and look for clues about the styles and depth of content expected.

If you have any questions about a specific journal, don’t be afraid to call the editor, who will generally be happy to give further information about the journal’s interests, style and evaluation criteria. I can personally vouch for this approach as when I called the editor of Personnel Today I was asked on the spot if I wanted to become a book reviewer.

…and finally

I hope that my positive experience and advice will both encourage and help you to write articles for publication. I personally find publication very rewarding and I really enjoy hearing from readers in the form of questions, requests for further information, or comments. In this spirit, I’d like to invite you to join me in the online community which you can access in the usual way or by emailing me.

Good luck with your writing, and “see you” in the journals! Next time I’m going to have a go at “How to set up your personal blog”.”

I’m clearly not as experienced in this area as you are but it’s good to compare notes!

Scott – thank you for taking the time to to share with us the article you wrote. I really appreciate it.

In terms of the appropriate publication, one mistake I see many people make is writing an article that they can not leverage.

So when they write an article they are not speaking from their core centre of excellence and expertise which not only takes longer to write but they are not able to work with the potential clients that appraoch them. I comment on this here:

http://www.krishnade.com/blog/2007/article-marketing-attract-more-clients-in-less-time/

Good luck with your article about how to set up your personal blog and do let me know if you need any information to support you when writing that article.

I just took a look at your own blog – well done for starting blogging. If I can be so bold as to make a recommendation…

…I would highly encourage you to host your blog on your own site for a number of reasons but not least SEO, metrics and tracking especially if you are blogging to build your online profile and personal brand relating to your profession.

If you are looking to use a hosted service then I would recommend TypePad for their professionalism, functionality, ability to customise and also user and reader interface.

TypePad is where I started my blog back in 2005 and then moved the WordPress platform in 2006 which I host on one of my websites. I still use it to host one of my podcasts – http://www.todayswomeninbusiness.com

Thanks again Scott for posting your insights about being a friend to journalists.

Thanks for that – don’t you just love the web! I will look into the TypePad suggestion.

I feel a bit like a fish out of water at the moment and whilst starting a blog might be easy, getting good advice isn’t!

“I’ll be back!”